I’ll groom entrepreneurs for luxury cars detailing – King

An eye for details and beauty, earned Gideon King, CEO, Big Foot Detailing, recognition from brands like Bugatti, Bentley and Lamborghini in the luxury car industry, today he’s willing to transform the lives of aspiring Nigerian youth entrepreneurs by hand-holding them through the road of success he’s travelled, Based in Qatar and Europe, King shares with JOY EKEKE his experience making cars look better than factory condition.

What experience did you have in detailing before you gave it a shot?
I had no prior experience coming into the industry and there is no amount of reading that can really prepare one for the real field application.

However, after a lot of reading and research about the industry, I decided to attend technical training sessions by a 20-year veteran in the game.

It’s almost a decade now, but I still remember it like yesterday. My trainer was an ex-military captain in the UK army, and with the excitement that I had mustered, I told him I was coming to the industry to be known as the game changer and to take my profession to a whole new level.

Guess What? Here we are today, now offering education and training courses in detailing and entrepreneurship globally and we have since trained individuals who fly in to us from the United States, Australia, Singapore, Norway and far beyond.

As an exclusive detailer for Bentley, Bugatti and Lamborghini. Working with these international brands will come with so much pressure to deliver right on time. How have you been handling their jobs so well to tie them down for years?
I have acquired a lot of knowledge and skills as a professional to be able to identify the problems faced with the finishes of various vehicles.

My experience allowed me to be able to offer practical solutions for restoration, enhancement, beautification and long-term protection in order to maintain their integrity and value.

Even if they are brand cars coming off the production line, the wealth of experience that I have accumulated in such a short period of time in this trade is sufficient enough for me to be able to identify and magnify the defects and potential improvements to such clients cars and their service to their customer, hence giving them edge over their competition.

This boosted my visibility and my reputation within the industry. I was now presented with the opportunity to showcase my eye for detail and to take defect analysis, treatment and protection to new heights.

One of the turning points in my journey to fame and stardom within the detailing industry was when I worked on a Bentley for the Bentley Dealership, and a Bugatti belonging to a famous piano player whose car was flown to Qatar. And after seeing the results of my labour, all the rest became history.

With the success your brand has recorded in other parts of the world in the last five years. Being a Nigerian, are you considering coming down to Nigeria to set up this business?
Yes, Nigeria is in my horizon! Six years ago I spent six weeks over there when I did market research and the results were mind-blowing for me.

I worked with a major car importer and dealership of premium brands in Lagos and also travelled to Kano where I worked on vehicles owned by some prominent figures in Nigeria.

We plan to roll out the same model and service into Nigeria and we are currently working out the best strategy that will enable us to make a smooth transition into the Nigerian Market.

Again, we are aiming not only for the detailing cars segment but also to cover all ranges of transportation such as motorcycles, yachts, planes, alongside training and education centres.

We want to contribute towards creating entrepreneurs, employment and building skills sets for Nigerians who can go on contribute to the economy.

What are your fears for this kind of trade in Nigeria?
We stay positive always in every step that we take when exploring new business opportunities. We do not have any negativity or fears towards this at all.

As a matter of fact, we are fully optimistic about our success before we start because we have a very positive attitude to work and we know we will not fail. Wherever there are cars, the detailing industry presents itself with great opportunities.

Where ever there are cars the detailing industry presents itself with great opportunities.

You have been appearing in the news for some weeks now, what can you say is the most thrilling part of the feedback you have been getting?
Our aim is to create awareness through this medium and we can say we are certain that folks have read and heard us. The true measure of this will be known when we come into Nigeria.

You opened your detailing service centre in Doha, Qatar about a year ago and you seemed to have found your way into the minds of the top brands in automobile as we learn that there are more than 150 inquiries for your franchise worldwide. How did you achieve this feat?
I am contented and satisfied about where we are today; based on our time plan we are on schedule. However, I have many more aims and targets to attain within this business.

Also I would not say we wormed our way in as this sounds like we deceived our esteemed customers into our offerings.

I would prefer to say that we demonstrated the value and service we bring to their businesses and their recognition of our alignment with their vision was well received and accepted.

How big are you willing to expand this business now that you seem to be gaining more grounds?
We are expanding all the time and receiving many enquiries from a lot of countries and we are studying them carefully.

The team behind me are doing an excellent job in rolling out our clear plan that we laid down right from the beginning, which will enable us to stay strong;

and this is why it is important to have the right people on board giving us a great team that believes in the vision and executing it to the best of their ability.

Your services include paint correction, consultation, smart repair, international seminar, post production among others, what inspired your decision to take up a job like this and how challenging has it been for you?
My reason for entering this industry was purely for financial gain, at first. It was where I saw most potential for earnings.

As most of us can relate, it is every man’s wish to earn and provide the best possible future for his family and live the short life we have as comfortably as possible.

This was my main reason for entering the detailing industry and it was this industry that destiny presented before me to potentially achieve my goals in life.