After Two Decades of Friendship, Baltimore Natives & Automotive Industry Experts Expand Portfolio with Acquisition of Second Detail Garage with 27% Revenue Increase

When Bill Enfield and Zach Lipsky met while working at Target 22 years ago, they didn’t realize they’d become friends for life or that they’d one day own and operate two successful businesses. Following college, the two went off on separate career paths but it wasn’t long before Enfield was offering Lipsky a position with an automotive franchise he had recently joined. After two rebuffs, Lipsky decided to give Enfield’s “best friend guarantee” a go and joined him at the established automotive franchise. Both Enfield and Lipsky rose the ranks but after ten years, they decided to pursue becoming franchisees themselves. 

Having spent a majority of their career in the automotive industry, they looked for emerging brands and soon discovered Detail Garage, the country’s go-to car retail brand with 70+ locations. After opening their first location in their local community of Middle River, MD in 2019, the duo has geared up for another adventure as they recently acquired the Detail Garage location in Glen Burnie and have experienced a 27% increase in revenue between their second and third year of business ownership.

With a passion for cars and community service, Enfield and Lipsky plan to grow their 2-unit portfolio up to five in the near future with a focus on giving back to the local community.

1851 Franchise: Tell me your story – what did you do before franchising?

Bill Enfield: I went to college for automotive technology and worked for a bit in dealerships but I wasn’t crazy about the environment and didn’t see myself there long term if I wanted to be happy in my career. I was offered a position at a franchise in the automotive industry and started as a technician before being promoted to general manager and then an executive. During my time at this first franchise, I persuaded my buddy of 22 years and current business partner, Zach Lipsky, to join me. After the franchise we worked for was purchased by a private equity company, I began my position as an executive with that company and started traveling 44 weeks of the year and realized I was missing a lot of my life. I thought, if I’m going to work this many hours, I might as well be my own boss. Zach and I kept our eyes and ears open for a great opportunity in the franchise space since we were familiar with it and that’s when we discovered Detail Garage. 

Zach Lipsky: I met Bill when we both worked at Target, pushing carts 22 years ago. I grew up in the Target organization and moved through the ranks. I went to college and earned a bachelor’s degree in business management and when I graduated, I thought I would follow in my dad’s footsteps and become a state trooper. However, I realized that it wasn’t my ultimate passion and Target offered me an executive team leader position so I went to use my degree there. I turned Bill down twice when he tried persuading me to join him at the former automotive franchise, but by the third time, he presented a great argument with a “best friend guarantee” so I joined. We were there together for about 10 years and took a $2.5 million company and turned it into a $5 million company. When we saw how successful we operated together in business, we thought it would be a great idea to go into the franchise industry together as partners. 

1851: How did you initially find out about franchising? 

Enfield: I learned more about franchising when I was first offered the position after exiting the dealership industry and saw how successful it could be. We both had a passion for the industry after so many years working in it and wanted to try it on our own.

1851: Why did you pick franchising over starting your own business?

Enfield: Prior to joining Detail Garage, we were very much on the service side of the franchise system and when deciding to pursue business ownership, it was our first transition to the sales side. The franchise system was extremely important for us because we’ve seen firsthand that it is a proven model.

Lipsky: We knew what the other brought to the table. His strengths are my opportunities  and vice versa. We knew we could be successful with the franchise model because of the support for the sales side of franchising.

1851: What types of brands did you look at?

Enfield: We looked at a lot of brands. The big turn-off for many of the brands was the amount of capital required. 

1851: Why did you pick Detail Garage? What excited you most about the potential?

Enfield: We were attracted to Detail Garage for three main reasons. The first was that it was a brand in an industry we were both already familiar with. The second was that the Detail Garage system is relatively young and has so much potential for growth without requiring hundreds of thousands of dollars to start. And third, and most important factor, is that we saw the potential to saturate ourselves and the business into our local community. The people we’ve met throughout the Detail Garage system will be our lifelong friends. We know if we really hustle and work at our businesses, there’s no limit to our success with Detail Garage.

Lipsky: You definitely get what you give in the franchise industry and we’re giving it our all. We had originally planned for two locations but we’re already thinking about expansion. We are extremely resilient individuals. We want to exceed expectations.

1851: What trends are you seeing in your local community?

Lipsky: We opened our businesses in an area where we were very familiar with the community. We’re in a community where people work really hard for the things they have so they’re taking great care of their cars and maintaining them, which is where we come into play.

1851: What kind of growth has your business seen since you opened? 

Enfield: Detail Garage does a great job of incentivizing the franchise system to grow their businesses. For the past 10 months, we’ve been in the running for a brand new truck but unfortunately lost. The positive side is that it fueled our growth and determination even more. We truly spent the time during the competition focusing on our core inventory and integrating it into the community. Looking at YOY revenue growth, we saw an increase of 27% between our second and third years. 

1851: What are your dreams with the business? What does the future look like?

Enfield: Our ultimate goal is to have each location bring in over $1 million dollars a year.

Lipsky: We’ve been able to make a big difference in our community and we can’t wait to do more. We work with multiple charities including Toys for Tots and Miracle Makers of Maryland. Prior to COVID-19, we were an instrumental part in raising over $40,000 for Johns Hopkins. We’re part of a community that gives back and we do everything we can to help the first responders in our community whether it’s participating in a charity event or polishing of polishing the fireboat and adding a ceramic coat for no cost.

1851: What value do you see your business providing to Middle River and Glen Burnie?

Enfield: Our team has created such an awesome customer experience. The products sell themselves, but if you take the time to read reviews, there’s a common theme. We’ve decided to put people before dollars and it shows. But it’s not just in the store. 

1851: What advice would you have for others looking at buying a franchise?

Enfield: My number one piece of advice for anyone looking to become part of the Detail Garage family would be to save money and be cautious about spending. I say this because it’s an inventory-based system and it can be expensive to maintain it. Make smart and thought-out decisions and understand that it’s a full-time commitment to be successful. I feel like people are sometimes too prideful, but asking for help can be the difference in whether you succeed or fail.

Lipsky: I would say you have to believe in the system and believe in the product. We believe in the system, we know that Detail Garage is here to help us and they do a phenomenal job. We wouldn’t have the faith of the community without the great products.  

1851: What do you do in your personal time (hobbies, family, sports, etc.)?

Enfield: My favorite hobby the past few years has been getting more integrated into the car community. When I traveled, becoming part of any community was the last thing on my mind. I’m also what I call a “career uncle” to 12 of the cutest kids. I love spending time with them as well.

Lipsky: I’m happily married to my beautiful wife and we have three kids together. We spend all of our free time as a family whether we’re four-wheeling or watching our kids' soccer games. Family is the most important thing to us, and over the past 22 years, Bill has become a part of my family as well. 

1851: What media do you read?

Enfield: FOX in the morning and usually NBC in the evening. But I get my news from a variety of digital platforms.

About Detail Garage:

Started in 2008 by professional auto detailers, Detail Garage was born out of a need for the ultimate playground and community for car care enthusiasts. It is the country's go-to retail car care store for passionate car owners and detailing professionals. With 70 locations already in operation around the world, the Detail Garage team is looking to reach 100 units open this year, followed by 50 locations added to the system each year following.