Max Kepniss’s cleaning supplies are packed into the right side of his double garage next to his dad’s car. Max gets his hand towel wet and suds up the water. He makes sure every brush is cleaned off from the car before. He turns on the hose water and prepares to detail the next car.
Max is a senior at Upper Dublin high school and he works on these cars after school everyday and occasionally on the weekends, only when he needs a little extra money. What’s most interesting about Max’s entrepreneurship is that he has no intention of scaling it to the next level. He truly just wantsthe opportunity to work for himself and make more money than he would have working for somebody else.
“For the past couple of years I got really interested in cars, before I became a detailer. I hated working for a boss and I wanted to make my own schedule, I simply wanted to make more money and was willing to accept the responsibility of working alone/for myself.”
In March of 2022, when Max got shoulder surgery, he was looking to get back into the job market but could not do much as he was in a sling and mostly immobilized for months. During his recovery time, Max did all of the graphic design for his flyers and business cards himself using Canva, a free online graphic design software. Starting a business is a lot more tangible than people would think, and the biggest obstacle any potential business owner will face is actually gathering the confidence to begin the process.
The goal was to do all the prep work to start the business from a computer at home, and when fully recovered take his acquired skills to the field and actually work on customers’ vehicles. He noticed when he would clean his own car or family’s vehicles he could only get it clean to a certain extent and wanted to know how to fully transform a car to as close to brand new as possible.
When I asked Max about where this drive came from, he responded by saying, “Everybody is born with two lives. And the second begins when you realize you have just one. Go out in the world and try things that make you uncomfortable and push your capacity for growth.”
After I learned about Max’s recent accomplishments I talked to Max and my friend Dylan Marks to see how he viewed Max’s recent success. Dylan said, “I always go to Max for help cleaning my car every few weeks. Being my close friend, he always does it for free and gives me tips on how to take care of my car. Additionally, Max was a trusted advisor when I started my own business. I was always able to go to him for advice, and most importantly, his honest opinion.”
If you’re looking for a detailer you can find Max @ AutoShine Wash & Detailing.
