Today we’d like to introduce you to Billy Argueta.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
It all started at Royal Oaks Country Club when I used to work as an Outside Staff position. I knew lots of members there. Worked golf most of the time and valet when golf was overstaffed and was a lifeguard in the summer. People initially started to trust me with their golf carts, and eventually, I asked them to give me a chance with their personal cars and little by little it started growing from there within that neighborhood.
People recommended me to their friends which eventually led the business to grow outside the neighborhood and service a lot of people in the Memorial area. We also service companies on a regular basis at their headquarters such as Christian Brothers Automotive, Twin Eagle Resource Management, Seismic Exchange, CGG Veritas, New Process Steel, SMITH, CCA (Coastal Conservation Association) and others. This allows for employees to get their cars cleaned while at work. Other businesses we service are DoubleTree (Greenway Plaza), Hotel Sorella, OMNI (West Houston), Niko Niko’s, Crave Cupcakes, and Memorial City’s shuttle fleet.
What we like to do is make it easier for people and businesses to get their vehicles cleaned instead of having to go and sit at a car wash. Many times their fleet is in use or needs to be on stand-by for their use.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I would be lying if I said this has been smooth. In the beginning, it was defining what process we would put in place. I knew we didn’t want to be the people that went from house to house for one car at a time. What we like to do is come to one place, and try to move as little as possible from there.
From there, I just repeated what I had done to get the first company. Once you start working with well-known names like that, people obviously know you are someone you can trust. I remember when the time came for our company to get insured. Many retailers are not insured, and the truth is that many companies will not allow you on their premises if you’re not insured. Which I fully understand. I knew I had about a month to go all in and sign up more companies before it was time to pay the following month for my insurance.
We’re privileged to work with all the companies and businesses I mentioned, but the truth is that there has been much more that have said no to me. Some because they’re just not willing to give us a chance, and others because they care more about their utilities than the benefits their employees would have from getting their car cleaned at work. It does not make sense to have free food for employees but not give them the right for someone to come and get their car cleaned.
The next biggest problem is getting people to understand that this is not a typical car wash. To begin with, we come to you. Which means you don’t have to sit at a car wash waiting for your car to be next. Then, you run into the quality factor. Most car washes are not handed washes. They are car washes where they vehicle goes into a machine with rough bristles. How do you know a mudded truck didn’t go in right before you? All that dirt will be used on your car. So not only are we coming to you, but we’re giving you a hand wash. Some people don’t see the value in that, but we don’t fight it. We focus on providing our service to those who do value us. We as well value them immensely.
MANOOS – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Our company provides on-site car wash and detailing to people at their offices or homes.
What I’m most proud of as a company is who we work with and the reaction on people’s faces once they see their car completed. Many people that use us for the first time, are not accustomed to this kind of service, so it’s a big eye-opener. We also take pride in the companies we work with. There is NO pride in working with people that don’t care about their vehicle. If we have a customer who shows total disrespect to their car on a regular basis, we have no issue turning it down. There are more cars that are in need of our service and we want to work with people that really appreciate their vehicle as much as we do.
What sets us apart from others is the quality of the products that we use. A lot of times, others will use products only to give satisfying results for the first day or two. Our products leave that same result for a longer period of time.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
For sure it’s getting to meet all the people I’ve met because of our work. Someone knows someone and that person knows someone and the world gets smaller every day. When there’s a little time to breathe, you just sit there and wonder how you even got connected to all these people and most of the time it’s someone that knew someone.
Pricing:
- Details starting at $140 // Price varies on vehicle
- Washes starting at $40 // Price depends on vehicle
Contact Info:
- Website: www.manoos.com
- Phone: 8328596750
- Email: service@manoos.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/manoos.wash
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/manoos.wash
- Twitter: www.facebook.com/manoos_wash
Getting in touch: VoyageHouston is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
