Christiaan Marias with Five Star Dent Removal

Intro: Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX studios in Woodstock, Georgia. This is fearless formula with Sharon Cline.

Sharon Cline: Thank you for joining us here at Fearless Formula on Business RadioX, where we talk about the ups and downs of the business world, and we offer words of wisdom for business success. I’m your host, Sharon Cline. And today in the studio, I’m very excited to speak to the owner of Five Star Dents and Dings in Alpharetta. They are a paintless dent removal company, but they they offer other services as well. They’ve been in service for over 20 years. They have over 500 Google five star reviews, which is a really, really great statistic. Um, they’ve worked on over 5000 cars. They are where you would want to go. If you have any kind of paintless dent removal need, please welcome to the studio, Christiaan Marias. Hello. Hey, how are you? I’m good.

Christiaan Marias: Thanks for having me on the show.

Sharon Cline: Thank you for coming to the studio. I’m excited to talk to you because I’ve not spoken to anybody in this industry, and I’ve been doing this show for like over two years. So there are things I need to learn. And I think people who listen to the show would like to hear as well, because it’s it’s a wonderful opportunity if you can do it, to not have to go through so much to get your car to look the way you want to. Absolutely. I was doing a little bit of research, just a little bit so that I could sound slightly intelligent. You’re obviously the expert, but I was not even thinking about the aspect of what it will do for the environment if you’re not having to use a bunch of paint. Correct. That’s like a whole other aspect. So let’s talk a little bit about how you got into this industry.

Christiaan Marias: So actually I’ve been in this industry basically right out of high school. And I mean, I’ve always been into cars ever since I was a little kid. And um, you know, graduated high school and was just doing some odd jobs here and there, not really sure what I wanted to do. And I had a friend of mine, this was when I was living in South Florida, and he, uh, approached me one day and said, hey, you know, I just actually bought this franchise of this company that does little minor, you know, paint, touch up and, you know, things like that. And he’s like, my business is starting to grow. And I really could use some help. And, you know, wanted to see if it would be something that you’d be interested in. So I started working with him and, um, as I said, learned how to do, you know, little minor paint, touch up and scratch repair, uh, mostly for car dealerships. And, um, and then I did that for about, I guess it was maybe about a year and a half or two years and then got a little bored with it.

Christiaan Marias: And I thought, you know what, I want to try something different and had a little bit of a change of careers and got into the internet, web hosting space for a little bit, but just really hated working in an office. You know, being in a cubicle all day and then just really wanted to be back outside and ended up at another friend of mine who was working for a local Paintless dent repair company in West Palm Beach, called me one day and said, hey, my boss is looking for somebody who can do the type of work that you used to do with the paint, touch up and the scratch repair. Would you be interested? And I said, you know what I’ve actually been thinking about, you know, getting back, you know, into the automotive reconditioning space. So I’d love it. So I ended up, you know, going and working for that company and in the process learned how to do paintless dent removal and realized that I just loved it and had a passion for it. And, um, ended up starting my own business right after that.

Sharon Cline: I always think it’s interesting. Excuse me. There’s like a creative aspect to repairing something and being able to problem solve. And to me, I think it would be so satisfying. You know, it’s like a skill. It’s a skill that not everybody has. Definitely.

Christiaan Marias: And, you know, I over the years, I mean, I’ve learned all types of different, you know, automotive reconditioning services. But the Paintless dent repair is definitely the hardest that I’ve ever learned. And it just it takes a lot of patience. And, you know, you’re right. It takes that kind of creativity because you’re looking at the damage in the vehicle. And then you you almost in a way have to imagine like how that damage was caused. And then in your mind, kind of formulate a plan of how do I reverse that out? And so it’s a little bit of, you know, mechanical, but you’ve got to have that artistic ability and be creative in like, how do I how do I do this? How do I create leverage all these different things. So I mean, I’ve been doing this for 20 years and it’s something that, you know, I, I enjoy doing every day. I’ve not gotten bored of it yet, so it’s definitely a good thing.

Sharon Cline: Yeah, it’s a different feel altogether being in an office, I can’t. I mean, it’s I’m imagining you’re outside and you’re dealing with the public and you’re actually getting to see the end result right in front of you of something that you worked really hard on to repair. Um, it’s so helpful too, because when you for me, if anything happens to my car, if if anyone told me, well, you’re going to have to go here to get it fixed, and it’s, you know, your insurance company. And I’d be like, okay, like, I’m not an expert. Correct. But knowing that there’s someone out there that could potentially save you from having to leave your car for weeks and weeks. Um, have a huge insurance, you know, hit. I would feel like that’s the first stop I’d want to go to. Is this possible that you could fix this for me? Kind of, you know, in a day or so, as opposed to having to go through something so much more extensive?

Christiaan Marias: And I tell I tell my clients it’s honestly the closest thing that you can ever get to the damage never happening in the first place. Obviously, that’s in a situation where there’s no paint damage on the car because we’re, we’re we’re essentially just reversing the damage out. And, you know, it is considered a green service because again, there’s no, you know, there’s no chemicals, there’s no, uh, parts that are being replaced that now have to get thrown into a landfill. Um, so, you know, all in all, it’s better for the environment. Um, you know, costs significantly, significantly less than what a regular body shop would charge. And we can usually get the customer’s car back to them, you know, within the same day, or at least within a day or two.

Sharon Cline: Have you ever had that feeling? I was wondering about this when I was on my way to the studio. I’m like, how would I feel if I had this company? And I knew that someone wanted me to fix this big dent that I knew I couldn’t do. Like, do people have unrealistic expectations?

Christiaan Marias: Yeah. And sometimes it’s actually humorous. You know, I’ll get people that will send me pictures or video. And I mean, it’s literally like the whole side of the car just bashed in. And then I tell them like, hey, I’m really sorry, but this is not a good candidate. And they’re like, but I don’t understand. There’s no paint damage. It’s just, you know, it’s just dented. And I’m like, yes, I understand that. But like, your door is crushed in and there’s like, this is going to have to get replaced. Um, you know, and I think just from doing this for so long now, um, you know, I’ve been able to learn, you know, what’s possible and what’s not possible. But definitely early on in my career, I spent a lot of hours working on things that just ended up not being something that I could, you know, confidently, you know, sell a customer and say, hey, this is, you know, this is a good repair. So, um, you know, but people understand. And as long as you are upfront and honest with them, you know, they’re they’re usually okay with that.

Sharon Cline: Who is an ideal customer to you?

Christiaan Marias: Um, I mean, that’s a that’s a good question. Um, I would say typically, you know, customers that have nicer vehicles, you know, your, your higher end vehicles. Um, but I do have a lot of clients that have just, you know, your average everyday cars, you know, your Toyotas, your Fords, they’re just particular about their car and they don’t like dents. Um, you know, but yeah, obviously people who have higher end exotic cars are typically the ones that call me because they’re very, you know, picky about little things happening to the car. And, you know, one of the benefits of what I do over a body shop, and which is why people with higher end vehicles typically will use my service, is because you retain the original value of the car. So anytime you’re doing any kind of body work or you’re replacing parts, it can devalue the vehicle. Um, so it’s a very, um, it’s a very important thing. And then generally as well, there’s not any kind of Carfax report on the car, which can also, you know, negatively impact the value.

Sharon Cline: You must be their best friend, because people who really care about their car. And my son is a car fanatic as well, and he is very passionate about his car. And you know, if someone feels that with him, it’s like they’re buddies. Yeah. You know, so I was thinking, you must be so important to these people because you are just as passionate as they are.

Christiaan Marias: Yeah. And I have I have great clients. I mean, people that have been using me for years that, um, you know, they won’t use anybody else. And, you know, a big part of what I do during the course of the year is also fix hail damage. Wow. And so, as a matter of fact, this year I was in probably 4 or 5 different states. And, you know, because I’ve been doing it for such a long time, I’ve gained, you know, a good reputation in the industry. And then, you know, people from different states will call me and say, hey, we’ve just had a major hailstorm. I need help. And so I will travel out to, you know, Colorado or Chicago or wherever that that happens to be. And, you know, help them with the process of not only the repairs, but also dealing with the insurance companies, you know, writing estimates, things like that.

Sharon Cline: You know, living in Florida and all those tornadoes that come through, you know, I imagine hail was an issue. Oh, yeah. Like you got the the expert experience, you know. Mhm. Um, and how wonderful to know that you can handle the stress part. You know, for someone like the insurance company. All of that feels like oh it’s just another thing to worry about. But knowing you could come in and kind of be like a superhero.

Christiaan Marias: And that’s literally what I tell my clients is that, you know, once, once you’ve contacted your insurance company and you and you, you start that process of getting a claim, then I, I step in and then I take over from there and we handle it from start to finish. And then essentially all they do is come and pick up the vehicle once it’s ready.

Sharon Cline: So you also do like bumper repair I saw. So that’s not considered an accident, right.

Christiaan Marias: Um, so that would be just more of your, um, cosmetic type damage. You know, we don’t do any kind of collision repair. Um, you know, it’s more cosmetic where it’s just like a, you know, you scraped it going into the garage or, you know, your your your kid was riding the bicycle and, you know, you know, scratched the side of the car. Shopping cart. Shopping cart. Something like that. Yeah. So just little minor, you know, cosmetic repairs and, you know, some other things that we’re also starting to offer, you know, again, in that same cosmetic space. So we do rim repair for like curb rash wheels. Um, you know, rock chip repair on windshields.

Sharon Cline: You also do I saw not like I’m telling you what you do. But I saw on your website, which I love, is that you do um, headlight restoration, which is a big thing that is really old, you know, so it’s nice to imagine I could go somewhere to really help me see at night.

Christiaan Marias: Well, especially nowadays with the with some of the newer vehicles, you know, the headlights, you know, the technology in the headlights is, is advancing. And so you’ve got a lot of halogen headlights, you know, LED. And just the headlight itself could be anywhere from $500 to $1000 to replace. And so, you know, with us being able to restore the clarity, I mean, it’s a it, you know, it’s a fraction of the cost. Yeah.

Sharon Cline: What have you noticed about how the materials that are used to make cars from like 20 years ago to now?

Christiaan Marias: I’m definitely the biggest thing that I’ve noticed is that the, the metal, the sheet metal or the aluminum is getting a lot thinner. So which makes it more susceptible to getting dented. But a big part of that is because, you know, it lightens the weight of the car. And so it’s better for fuel economy. But it’s not always good for, you know, damage.

Sharon Cline: So 20 years ago, was it more steel? Yes.

Christiaan Marias: Yeah. Almost. Almost exclusively. Unless you were dealing with a very high end car, like a, like a Mercedes or a Porsche or, you know, Bentley or Rolls-Royce. But now you’re starting to see more and more Or aluminum. As a matter of fact, I want to say the the new Ford F-150s are almost entirely aluminum, even the roof. And, you know, a lot of people think, oh, aluminum is softer, so it must be easier to fix, but it’s actually quite the opposite. So, you know, generally when I have a client that has a car that’s made from aluminum, there is a little bit of an upcharge just because it takes a lot more time and effort to to do the repairs. It’s more.

Sharon Cline: Malleable.

Christiaan Marias: So so what it is is that with sheet metal, it actually has a memory. So when you’re, you know, when you have a dent in sheet metal and you’re, you’re kind of manipulating it from the underside, it almost wants to go back into, into place. Whereas with aluminum it doesn’t have that memory. So you’re, you’re, you’re having to exert 2 or 3 times the amount of pressure to the bottom of it to get it to almost kind of go back into place.

Sharon Cline: So you were in Florida. How did you come up here to Georgia?

Christiaan Marias: So actually, Georgia is the second place that I’ve been after, um, you know, after Florida. So I actually lived in Michigan for, for a short time. I was about four years. And that was an interesting experience because obviously, you know, Detroit, you know, you’ve got the big three there. And I got to meet a lot of, you know, people that were in the automotive industry. I got invited to, you know, the Detroit Auto Show actually fixed a couple of cars at the Detroit Auto show, like.

Sharon Cline: Live in front of people. Yeah, well.

Christiaan Marias: Not not so much in front of people, but they, you know, they had vehicles there from the manufacturers that were on display. And then just in the process of them getting set up. Oh, you know, little, little things would happen. So I actually, you know, worked on the cars.

Sharon Cline: There that like.

Christiaan Marias: It was it was a little nerve wracking. But you know, I mean it’s just just like anything it’s, you know, you have to just focus on what you’re working on and don’t, you know, pay attention to the, you know, the environment. But I mean, just the, the connections that I made and just the experience of dealing with people that were literally like on the front line of, of Designing. I mean, I talked to so many engineers about just the process that they go through with designing the cars and the software and all of that, and it was just a very, very big learning experience.

Sharon Cline: Also, I was thinking, if you’re up in Michigan, what the environment and temperature and snow and all of that does to a vehicle as opposed to being here more in the South, what have you noticed?

Christiaan Marias: I mean, I would just say mostly that the types of damage, like when I was working in Michigan, you would get a lot of damage from, you know, ice and also people drifting, you know, and hitting snowbanks. So you’d have a lot of, you know, damage like that. But, um, a big thing too is in Michigan, obviously with the cold, um, there’s some different techniques that we have to use when you’re working outdoors, you know, because the metal, the paint, everything is much more brittle. So you have to be more careful about as you’re working that metal from the inside, that you don’t overdo it and end up causing the paint to crack. So just yeah, some different techniques, which is a big reason why now here in Georgia, I actually have a fixed shop location and it just allows me to be in a more controlled environment, which is just better all around. My lighting is is more controlled. You know, I have it’s temperature controlled. So, you know, air conditioning in the summer, you know, winter time I have the heat going. So it’s just overall a better environment to to do a quality job.

Sharon Cline: I also see that you have people that you can dispatch out to where someone’s car is. Will you talk a little bit about that?

Christiaan Marias: Yeah. So right now I don’t I don’t have employees, but I do have subcontractors. And so essentially when we have body shops or dealerships that need work done and they’re not able to bring the car to the shop, I have technicians that I can dispatch to, you know, to the client. Um, also my, my other vendors that do the other services that we offer, like the bumper painting and the wheel repair. Those are all mobile services. So those can be done, you know, either at the client’s house or at their office. So it’s a lot more convenient.

Sharon Cline: Heck yeah. If you don’t have to like, take your car, go drop it off and like get someone to drive you and all of that. I mean, it’s just kind of like a no brainer. Absolutely. Yeah. You just be home.

Christiaan Marias: Yeah. I mean, there’s a lot of clients that are, you know, that work from home. And so they have to be on meetings or calls. And so, you know, with us being able to do that service, you know, for them mobile, it helps. But you know there’s definitely types of repairs like bigger repairs or like hail damage that it’s not really convenient to do it at a customer’s location. So in that situation we’ll schedule them to bring it to the shop.

Sharon Cline: So if you’re just joining us, we are speaking with Christian Murray of Five Star Dents and Dings in Alpharetta. I also wanted to ask you, what is it like to what have you learned being a business owner, not just obviously going into Michigan and having your business, but being here as well? What’s something that’s really surprising to you that you wish you had known before you got started being a business owner.

Christiaan Marias: Oh, that’s a great question. I mean, I feel like I’m always learning. I mean, even though I’ve been doing this for over 20 years, I feel like it’s just a constant learning experience. Um, you know, I’m I’m very talented and very good at what I do when it comes to the hands on repair portion of it. But I would definitely say that the hardest part for me has been learning the business side of things, you know, especially with regards to, you know, the financial side of things, you know, taxes. Um, you know, marketing and things like that. So, you know, for me, that’s, that’s been the biggest struggle is just, you know, staying on top of, you know, especially nowadays with, you know, with social media being such a big part of, of small business and, you know, kind of getting your name out there. Um, so, you know, start to start learning about that, you know, being more comfortable, you know, talking about what you do. Um, I’m not the greatest at it, but something that I’m working on is, is, you know, trying to be more comfortable being on camera so that I can put out some more content on my social media channels to, you know, just let people know what it is that we do, because it is something that not a lot of people are familiar with.

Sharon Cline: Not unless they have to be. Exactly. Yeah. And then you’re stressed out, right? It’s like, kind of nice to know to know it beforehand when you don’t even need it.

Christiaan Marias: Yeah. But yeah, I would say for me, the biggest thing that I continually try to, you know, stay up on is just, you know, learning the business side of things and just trying to be more efficient or, you know, ways to grow the company and kind of reach more people.

Sharon Cline: So I did see that you had a video. I want to say it might have been on Instagram, kind of explaining the basics of what Paintless dent removal is. So is that is that the main way that you market is using social media? Like most people on Facebook, you know, you don’t even have to pay really a marketing company. Correct. You can do a lot of it on your own. Is that how you market?

Christiaan Marias: Yeah, I would say, you know, it’s a combination of that. And you know, something I found, you just over the years I’ve tried all different types of, you know, advertising and marketing. I mean, we’ve done mailers, we’ve done, you know, postcards, um, just, you know, different things like that. But it just seems that when somebody is looking for the type of service that we offer, they’re generally going online and they’re looking for it on, you know, Google or Yahoo or whatever. So I have found the most effective way for me is to, you know, do you know, Google ads and, and then just most recently just really focusing in on the, on the social media part of it and just, you know, trying to create more content because people share that and they see it. And then it just it educates them on what we do. And then I’ll get phone calls from someone that says, oh, hey, I happen to see you on Instagram. Or a friend of mine, you know, shared your your page with me. So, you know, those those three areas, I would say, and then we do get a lot of business just from our, you know, referrals from our clients and repeat business.

Sharon Cline: I was going to say you develop a relationship with these people, right? For sure.

Christiaan Marias: I mean, I’ve had I mean, I still even have clients that call me from from Florida. Oh, wow. And, you know, they’ve they’ve had my number in their, in their phone and they’ll call me and I’ll say, hey, you know, I’m so sorry, but I’m not there anymore. But hey, let me, let me refer you over to this person. So, you know, it’s nice being in the business for so long. And I know people all over the country, so even people that have moved around, I can still, you know, take care of them by referring them to the right people.

Sharon Cline: What do you think people don’t know about your business? About your industry? What do you think? Like if you had a minute to be able to kind of know that, like, oh, I just hate hearing that people think this is so easy or, you know, is there something that you’re just like, I want people to understand what it’s like on my side?

Christiaan Marias: Yeah. For sure. I mean, I think, I think there’s there’s a misconception with dent removal that, you know, things, you know, dents just pop out. Yeah. Don’t you put.

Sharon Cline: A plunger on.

Christiaan Marias: This, right. Oh, yeah. Plunger. Dry ice suction cups. Um, other items, um, you know, but yeah, that’s that I would say is the biggest misconception is that, you know, people just have this idea that, oh, you know, something bumped into it to put the dent there. So if you can just kind of get behind it or use a suction cup, then it just basically pops out and it’s perfect.

Sharon Cline: And that there are kits I want to say, like at AutoZone, I think they may have like a dent, like a paintless dent removal kind of kit where you can do it yourself at home.

Christiaan Marias: Yes, as a matter of fact, I just had a client that that came to my shop the other day and he had, I don’t know if it was hail damage or it was like acorn damage. Well, he went to the store to AutoZone and bought this little glue puller thing that they sell for. I want to say it’s 1995 or whatever, and attempted to do it himself and absolutely ruined the car. No, I mean, even to the point where someone like myself who knows how to do this, it just I had to tell him, I’m so sorry, but like, this has to go to a body shop now, and they’re going to have to completely redo the hood, the roof, the trunk. And I could just see it in his face that he was just so absolutely disappointed that, you know, this $20 tool that he bought at the at the AutoZone to save money is now going to probably cost him like thousands.

Speaker3: Oh, God.

Christiaan Marias: So yeah, that’s that’s the other thing is I would, I would uh, I would urge people to, to, you know, to not try to mess with it yourself. I mean, it seems simple in concept, but there’s a reason why you know, it, you know, requires all these different tools and techniques and things like that to do a proper job.

Sharon Cline: Have you ever had a day where the end of the day you kind of like, you know, wish you could high five yourself because you just did such an amazing job on something?

Christiaan Marias: I there’s been many of those days, actually, and it’s, it’s usually on those very complicated jobs where initially I looked at it and I was like, you know what? I don’t I don’t think I’m going to be able to do this. But I said, you know what? I’ll give it a try and I’ll even tell the client, hey, you know what? I’m willing to at least give this a shot. And, you know, as you start to work on it and it starts coming out, you’re like, okay, okay, this may actually work. And then, you know, by the end you’re like, wow, this actually came out amazing and I’m happy. And then I’ve had many clients like, can I just give you a hug right now? Because like, that was amazing. And this bothered me so much. And I’m just so happy right now that you were able to fix this. Ah, so, you know, it’s definitely a sense of like accomplishment. And it’s one of the biggest things that I enjoy about what I do is that, you know, kind of like that instant gratification where you can take something that’s obviously damaged or messed up and, you know, by my own hands and technique and work, you know, I can make it look like it never happened.

Sharon Cline: And you’re their best friend. Yes. Um, were you considered an essential worker during Covid?

Christiaan Marias: That’s actually a very good question. So I was not considered an essential worker, However, it just so happened. This was when I was in Michigan and I had a good friend of mine that was living up in like the more central part of Michigan, and they had just gotten a hailstorm. And so they called and said, hey, you know, we need your help because we have these hail cars at a body shop. Well, luckily the body shops and the auto repair centers were considered essential. So I kind of was able to fall in under, you know, that little umbrella. And I was able to keep working because I had to close my shop down in, in Michigan because I wasn’t considered essential. That was my.

Sharon Cline: Question was, how did you survive the pandemic?

Christiaan Marias: So luckily, I mean, for about two, 2 or 3 months, I was able to work, you know, under under this body shop. And then once they started lifting some of the restrictions, then I was able to open my shop back up. And, you know, obviously we took all the precautions with, you know, disinfecting and all of that. But yeah, it was it was an interesting time.

Sharon Cline: I always talk to people here about, you know, how they some some companies didn’t obviously survive and um, but I was thinking about how I mean, restaurants and, you know, I guess industries in, in that way. But like for, for people, they’re always going to be people driving and there’s always going to be accidents because we’re fallible. Um, so yeah, I’m glad to hear that you were able to survive. Yeah.

Christiaan Marias: Me too, because I was definitely I was definitely worried because, you know, I’m sitting here thinking like, okay, you know, now what? Like, I have to close my business down, and it’s not like I could even just go to another state and work because, you know, it was just happening all across the country. And, I mean, it just it was just such a, you know, it was.

Sharon Cline: Like a little blessing.

Christiaan Marias: Blessing for sure. Yeah. I mean, you know, I ended up having to drive, you know, a little bit every day because, you know, of course, like even the hotels and things were, you know, you know, a little sketchy. Sure. So luckily it was about an hour and a half away. And so I would just get up real early in the morning and I would, you know, hour and a half commute to the Body shop, work there for the day, and then drive back and but you know, it kept it, kept you afloat, kept the the money rolling in. So I was happy about that.

Sharon Cline: I’m curious. Okay. Have you have you seen the Teslas that look like trash cans kind of or whatever. Like what would you do if one came to you? What does that even made of? I know nothing, I just look at them and I’m like, what the heck?

Christiaan Marias: So yeah, I mean, so I, I’m starting to see them a lot more. I mean, honestly, I have not had an opportunity to work on one yet, but, you know, I’m part of a big group on Facebook and it’s, you know, people who do the same thing that I do all across the country. And so a few of the other guys have posted pictures and things of, of ones that they’ve worked on, from my understanding, they’re made from stainless steel, which is essentially like a refrigerator. Um, and so I don’t know what it’s going to be like to work on one. Um, you know, but I’m sure I’ll probably find out pretty soon because I’m starting to see them a lot more often on the road now. Aren’t they.

Sharon Cline: Like wicked expensive to like. Yeah.

Christiaan Marias: I want to say they’re like, at least 100,000 or more.

Sharon Cline: Does anything make you feel daunted? Like, would you be like, Holy crap, I don’t want to touch this car. I don’t know.

Christiaan Marias: Um, I mean, I mean, sometimes, you know, just because, you know, when you’re dealing with a high dollar vehicle, you know, that sort of like that room for error. Error? Like, is much smaller or, you know, just in the in the process of working on the car, you know, sometimes we have to take things apart and, you know, as careful as you can be sometimes, you know, naturally things, you know, can can break or whatever. So that’s always a, you know, something that makes me a little bit nervous. But as far as, you know, working on the car itself, I just I look at it like it’s, it’s the same sheet metal, you know, it just has a different badge on it.

Sharon Cline: Do you park your car, like, away from other cars in parking lots?

Christiaan Marias: Sometimes.

Sharon Cline: I was just curious, like if you were to say, not that you need people to not have their cars dinged because you want to stay in business, right? Just. I’m just.

Christiaan Marias: Wondering.

Sharon Cline: Yeah. Just not your own. Where do you park? No.

Christiaan Marias: And I’ve even, like, even when I’ve been traveling for for work. And I know that there’s going to be a hailstorm. Like, I’m still like that person where I’m like, if I can park my car under cover, I’m going to, even though I know I can fix it. It’s just like, you know, I don’t I don’t want to go through that whole process. But, um, yeah, I do try to park, you know, far away, you know, but inevitably I’ve still gotten dented. And so I end up sitting fixing my own car. It just takes a while because I’m so busy fixing everybody else’s stuff. Right?

Sharon Cline: You’re, like, low in the in the totem pole of of things, of customers. What would you like to see your how where would you like to see your business go? Like do you have like a five year plan? Ten year plan of where you would like to see it? Yeah.

Christiaan Marias: So I mean, right now I’m, you know, basically like my, my kind of my goal for the next few years is to I’d love to have more than one location. I feel like it’s a service that’s definitely needed, especially, you know, kind of here in the Metro Atlanta area. And, you know, still a lot of people don’t know that this type of service is even available. So I think as we start to get, you know, more known and, you know, people, you know, start to use our services, I think that our customer base is going to grow. So having multiple locations, we’d be able to service them a lot more efficiently. The other plan that I have is to really expand the service offerings. So almost becoming like essentially like a concierge service where, you know, we become like a one stop shop for, for our clients, where, you know, we’ve already built that trust in them. And so now, um, kind of like going back to what we were talking about with the, with the insurance, right? Like somebody that you can just say, hey, I trust you. You’ve done work for me before. I just, I just need you to handle this. You know? I want to get some paint touch up done. I’ve got these dents, even window tint or detailing, you know, like, I just want to drop my car off with you, and then you take care of everything, and then I’ll just come and pick it up when it’s all done. And I feel like there’s there’s a need for that type of service. And I’d like to I’d like to be able to offer that.

Sharon Cline: Well, so it’s a, it’s amazing to, to imagine I mean you are the person that they trust, right. You it’s you. So being able to surrender a little bit of control to other people that you trust in order to expand. I can imagine it’s like a little daunting as well. It is, you know, because it’s your your name, it’s your business. And I’m wondering if I have control issues because just the idea of that, I’m like, oh, that would be hard for me.

Christiaan Marias: Oh, trust me, it’s it’s definitely been a big thing for me. And I’m, I’m, I’m finding I think as I get a little older and I realize that, you know, my, my time is limited as far as, like what I’m going to be able to do or just, again, kind of like the whole idea of being able to service more clients and taking care of more people. I know that I can only do so much on my own. And so now the focus has really shifted away from myself to now. I want to build a brand or a or a or a company and a business that that carries that same reputation. And part of that is like me picking the right people to be able to offer those services that I can trust and say, hey, even though it’s not me personally, I can vouch for the, you know, for these other companies that are part of our umbrella.

Sharon Cline: Ooh. That’s hard. That’s hard work. I would imagine because, you know, your heart’s in it and you want someone else to have their heart in it, I would imagine.

Christiaan Marias: Yeah, well, and I think that just goes back to, you know, just having a good network of people and, and just seeing what type of work they do and you know, their reputations as well. And, and just being, you know, building a team, you know, and that’s that’s really kind of my focus now going into the next few years is, is having that having that team of people that I know that I can trust and that my clients can trust as well.

Sharon Cline: Do you think you have a fearless formula. What do you do to manage the natural emotions that we all have in the business world? If something isn’t going well or, you know there’s a stress to you, how do you manage it?

Christiaan Marias: I mean, definitely some days are easier than others, you know? I mean, I think, I think at the end of the day when you’re, you know, when you’re a small business owner, you know, you just have to realize that, you know, you’re going to have good days and bad days. But, you know, as long as you have that, that passion and that drive for what you do and essentially, you know, you’re you’re committed to providing like a good quality service. You know, you just have to focus on that and know that, you know, every day is just, you know, that you’re putting in that effort. And even when you make a mistake or something goes bad, you know, you know that your clients believe in you and that as long as you make it right, that they’re that they’re still going to, you know, come back.

Sharon Cline: It’s almost like managing realistic expectations of the human side of of business. In other words, there are days where I don’t know why I’m like having a great day and I’m almost like I this I am the I could teach how to live. And then there are days where I’m just like, I don’t know why, but it’s this horrible and I can’t figure out what the difference is. But I like that you’re just kind of being realistic, you know, not saying it’s all going to be great. Well, it might not all be great, but at least you’re being honest.

Christiaan Marias: It usually isn’t, you know, and I and I definitely, you know, realized that, you know, in the very beginning it was like I had this great idea of like, oh, I’m going to have my own business and it’s going to be great, and I’m going to be able to manage my own schedule, and I can come and go as I please. And, you know, it’s completely the opposite. I feel like you work, you know, three times as much. You know, your brain never shuts off. You know, even when you’re, you know, you’re home at night or on the weekend or on vacations. You know, I think it definitely takes a certain kind of person that can that can deal with that Um, you know, just because, again, it’s just your brain is just always switched on to it, and, and sometimes, you know, you you wish that you could shut it off, but I really wouldn’t have it any other way, like I’ve thought in the past, like, well, maybe I should just go back and work for somebody and just, you know, get a 9 to 5 or something like that and let.

Sharon Cline: Them deal with all the headaches. Yeah.

Christiaan Marias: But but the thought of that actually, like, is terrible for me, you know. So as, as horrible as it is sometimes, you know, dealing with the stress and the aggravation and the, you know, the sleepless nights, like, I just, I feel like it’s just something that is in me and it’s just how it’s always going to be.

Sharon Cline: How do you balance being the business owner and knowing that you could be reached at any moment? Like, are there times that you put your phone down or put it on silent or. I mean, it’s 24 over seven access to you through social media as well. I’m sure if anyone wanted to post anything. So what do you do to balance your life?

Christiaan Marias: I mean, you definitely have to. You know, make make that decision of like, you know, I I’m going to be focused on my business, you know, from these hours and, you know, there are people who sometimes feel like they have access to you at all times. And sometimes there is that, that, that want to, you know, to help them out. And but then it does it does become a problem, you know, and then and you know, and that has happened to me over the years where, you know, especially moving to new locations, you know, you feel this obligation to, you know, kind of put in that grind. So you’re working extra hours, you’re working weekends. But I mean, it definitely can, you know, overwhelm you. And so that’s something that I’ve been working on as well just over the last few years is just, you know, number one, just having set hours that I work. I mean, even though my brain doesn’t shut off on the, on the, the, the thinking process of it, you know, I definitely don’t answer my phone after a certain time, but it’s also putting in systems, you know, things in place that automate the communication so that, you know, even though it’s not me personally handling all of that, you know, there are things in place through my website or through, you know, software and things that I use that can still allow that communication to happen with the client. But it’s not me personally handling all of that.

Sharon Cline: Wonderful. So someone a client feels like they’re being attended to. Yeah. So smart.

Christiaan Marias: And there’s definitely some, some good innovations that are starting to happen now with some different, you know, software and things like that, that answer text messages. They answer phone calls, they can do follow ups. And so it helps when you’re just a small business and it allows you to be a more efficient but not kill yourself trying to keep up with all of it.

Sharon Cline: If someone’s listening now who is considering opening their own business, do you have like a nugget of advice that you would give them?

Christiaan Marias: Um, I would say definitely, you know, whatever, whatever that business is that you’re going to open. I mean, you know, definitely be be passionate about it. But take the time to learn the, the business aspect of whatever business it is that you’re, that you’re, you’re wanting to open. Because I feel like that’s the that’s the part of it that’s going to kill your, your happiness. And it’s going to make you not want to do what you love, what you what you love. Right. And it’s like, I think I think it’s natural for somebody to enjoy doing something. And then they have the idea of, hey, let me turn this into a business. And then, you know, as time goes on and it’s just sapping the life out of you, you, you, you almost become, you know, just like, like you, you start to hate it. And so, you know, my my advice would just be, you know, figure out what it, what it’s going to take for you to still be able to enjoy what you do and, and learn things that that can, you know, make it easier for you on, on the parts of the of the business that you’re not very good at.

Sharon Cline: Totally makes sense. There are lots of weak spots that I have in the voiceover world, and if I knew that I had someone who was maybe strong in that way, then I could concentrate on the things that I’m strong with, you know, or at least learn how to maybe give myself tools to deal with the parts that aren’t very strong.

Christiaan Marias: That’s that’s a great idea.

Sharon Cline: I love that. Well, if someone wanted to get in touch with you, what would be the best way?

Christiaan Marias: Um, so, I mean, you know, we have our website is, you know, five star dent removal comm, and we’re on all the social media channels we have. We’re on Facebook, you know, Instagram, TikTok. You got your.

Sharon Cline: Tiktok.

Christiaan Marias: Yeah, we have some TikTok. So I’ve been working with a company that’s been helping me with my, you know, with my social media. And they’ve been doing a great job. Just kind of cross posting all of the, you know, the content. So, um, it’s been I’ve been noticing a big difference with that as well.

Sharon Cline: Oh, congratulations. That’s awesome. I’m on TikTok entirely too much. Really? Yeah, I love it. But but I also think, I mean, if I am and I’m like an old soul or whatever. You’ve got a lot of young people who that’s what they do. So it’s really smart to go in that route, I think. Well, Christian Marais, thank you so much for coming. I really appreciate.

Christiaan Marias: You having me on the show. It’s been it’s been a lot of fun.

Sharon Cline: Thank you. I’ve had a blast. I really appreciate it. Now I know a lot more about Paintless dent removal, and I feel like I can speak about it and know know where I can point people if they have that, including myself. Awesome. On my 2012 per year. Listen, I love my car. And that’s the thing. People love their cars. Yeah, they.

Christiaan Marias: Do to you and, well, we can we can make it. Look. We can make it look pretty again.

Sharon Cline: Oh, well. Hooray! Thank you so much. You’re welcome. And thank you all for listening to Fearless Formula on Business RadioX. And again, this is Sharon Cline reminding you with knowledge and understanding we can all have our own fearless formula. Have a great day.