March 17, 2023

The premise was this: People seeking a sparkling clean vehicle, RV or boat would like it even more if the detailing service came to them.

With that in mind, Alex Peters launched Freedom Mobile Detailing nearly one year ago, bringing detailing work straight to customers’ driveways.

“I’ve always had big goals and big visions,” he said. “I want to create a positive impact on this planet, ideally through educating and inspiring our younger generation into building entrepreneurial qualities and setting bigger-than-life goals.”

Peters, who grew up in an entrepreneurial family, has a background in property maintenance and tried multiple ventures before the detailing business took off – from roofing and painting to selling products on eBay and flipping salvaged vehicles.

With Freedom Mobile, the niche is in convenience and customer service, he said. While Sioux Falls has a small number of operations offering the service, he set out to differentiate by being year-round and specializing in RVs, boats, trailers and semi-trucks.

“It is a very satisfying career,” he said. “Our niche and primary focus is being the biggest mobile detailing operation with a stellar reputation. We are committed to staying mobile and offering our clients the most convenient services possible.”

The business offers automotive interior and exterior detailing, including heated shampoo and extraction, sanitizing steam treatments, leather and plastic conditioning and protection, as well as polishing, paint correcting and ceramic coating the exterior.

“We are quickly building a reputation for our polishing skills,” Peters added. “We bring old trucks, semi- trucks, RVs and boats from being faded and oxidized to having a like-new glossy mirror finish.”

In addition to restoring the finish, he adds a ceramic coating that he said adds more than seven years of protection.

“We absolutely love working with farmers and trucker operations who really take pride in their equipment looking good and really appreciate the work we do,” he said.

Here’s a look at some before-and-after jobs:

For now, it’s Peters and a full-time employee, though he plans to increase to four full-time and some part-time help as his busy season ramps up.

The business first started serving a 60-mile radius around Sioux Falls but has expanded to 90 miles based on demand, Peters said.

“We are all over the place, from South Dakota, Iowa, Minnesota and Nebraska. We really enjoy going to campgrounds and spending many days in the same campground doing lots of RVs,” he said. “We even went to Okoboji, Iowa, a couple times last year per request to do a huge RV.”

He travels 10 miles from Sioux Falls at no cost and then charges $2 per additional mile.

The business is year-round, with customers required to keep a vehicle inside a garage, shop or shed at 45 degrees or warmer.

When the weather is above 45 degrees, “we are able to do it outside right in the driveway or parking lot,” Peters said. “We are also fully contained and have a large water tank and generator, so no power or water is required. We have done many details seemingly out in the middle of nowhere.”

This year, he plans to expand Freedom Mobile Detailing with more services, including paint protection film installation, which can be purchased in different grades and thicknesses. Additionally, the business will offer mobile aluminum polishing for semi-truck wheels, tanks and trailers.

“Aluminum polishing leaves your whole body black from oxidation, and a full-face respirator is usually required,” Peters said. “It is tough and dirty, but due to high demand and requests for the service, we owe it to our customers to master it so we can offer that.”

When he’s not running Freedom Mobile Detailing, Peters also has a marketing business, Dakota Marketing Solutions, formed in late 2021. After investing in a course on digital marketing, he started with a client with no online presence and a small budget.

“Since then, we’ve gained many clients and have had nothing but great results and great reviews,” he said. It is the most fulfilling career I’ve had to date, and I look forward to building a team and making it into what I envision it being.”

He offers free consultations and specializes in search engine optimization and back-end ranking of websites in addition to lead generation, website development and social media management.

“I give business owners different ideas and perspectives, and help explain how they can build out their online presence to increase their visibility and in turn have more people calling them for their services,” he said. “I’m happy to provide this knowledge for free so they can implement it themselves if desired, but many times they are busy and would rather pay a professional like myself to work on it and take care of them.”

To learn more about Freedom Mobile Detailing, click here.