Check Out Brad Meyer’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Brad Meyer.

Hi Brad, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I was born into a car family, with my grandfather being the VP of Design at General Motors and always having a Ferrari in his garage, and my uncle being a designer for Mazda. Cars have been in my blood since day one. As a kid it was car posters, car models, car games, RC cars, anything that had to do with cars. To earn allowance as I got a bit older, I washed my parents’ cars. I had no clue what I was doing, but I fell in love with seeing the cars in their clean and fresh state. At this time, I was really into BMX, and every weekend would completely dissemble my bike, clean everything, and put it back together.

As I aged, I started to learn more about cleaning cars correctly and was religious about cleaning my car weekly through college and my 20’s. In my 30’s I was living in Michigan and doing pretty well in my career, so I was able to buy a small house with a garage. This gave me the means to keep diving further into cars. I began teaching myself the art of polishing paint, and other more technical detailing processes. I also decided I wanted to learn everything mechanically about cars, so I bought two different VW’s, disassembled them both, and put the engine and drivetrain from one into the other (and yes, it ran and drove, and it ripped!) This started a journey into amassing mechanical knowledge and confidence when it came to working on vehicles.

I began detailing friends’ cars here and there, and each time hearing from them “have you thought about doing this for a living?” I also heard over the years more times than I can count, “you should be doing something with cars,” referring to the career path I was following. Eventually, the company I worked for moved me to LA about 5 years ago. It wasn’t long before realizing how unhappy I was in this position and started to consider what I would do next. I had spent 20 years in sales and though it treated me well, my heart was never in it. It was always in cars. I had also put away some money from selling my house in Michigan and started to look at that nest egg as my means to shift careers into the one thing I’ve loved since the beginning. So, I started Onyx out of my garage on the side.

I spent six months doing jobs on the weekends, but it wasn’t long before the neighbors were complaining, and I had to stop or risk eviction. Undeterred, I began looking for a location for the business but quickly found there was no way I could lease a space without any business history. Then one day a friend of mine called. He had a large automotive facility with storage, mechanics, paint and body, and an empty detail bay that wasn’t being used. He asked if I wanted to run Onyx out of his bay in exchange for helping take care of his cars. Of course, I said yes. After a few months there, I decided to really go for it, and quit my full-time job, and ultimately my 20 year-long career, to focus on Onyx full time. I completely started over from scratch. The most important thing is I made this decision with the full support of my fiancé. I mean this when I tell you there is absolutely no WAY I would be where I am without her love and support through this entire process.

I spent a year and a half there building a portfolio of work and sales history, and then set out to find my own location, which is where I am now. I used my nest egg of savings to finance the entire thing, which was terrifying, but for the first time in my life I was following my heart, rather than my mind, with the most amazing woman by my side the entire time. As of writing this, I’m just over a year into this new location, I’m booked out several months, and now looking for my first employee.

Onyx is a physical manifestation of who I am. The cars that come in here truly become mine while they’re here and receive the love I have from start to finish. My entire life is here inside this 2500 square foot space, and I’ll give everything I have to be one of the best high-end, restorative detailing facilities in the country.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Aside from some of the challenges mentioned previously, the main challenge was securing a location that would allow an automotive-based business. The second a property manager hears the word “car” or “automotive,” they immediately turn the business down. So, I had to first find a facility I knew had other units with cars. Then, I had to present my business in a way to avoid being turned away. I went as far as a creating a PowerPoint presentation describing and showing what Onyx is and how the unit will be used.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
The Onyx motto is Restore, Protect, Preserve. To restore, I go as far as disassembling many parts of the car to properly clean, repair, or replace, with the goal of bringing the car as close to, or better than new. To protect, I offer ceramic coatings, paint protection film, and window tint for the exterior, as well as leather and vinyl/plastic coatings for the interior. These protect the different surfaces from UV exposure, contaminants, light impacts, and help with ease of cleaning. To preserve, I offer monthly maintenance programs to maintain the vehicle for the client. In addition, the work performed to restore and protect the vehicle is the biggest part of preservation. A damaged, unprotected vehicle will age far quicker than a clean, protected one. Also, when coming up with a plan for a detail, I take into consideration the age of the vehicle, what it will be used for, and what sort of repercussions any work I do today could have on it in the future. For instance, if I polish away a lot of clear coat, that doesn’t leave much left to polish in the future if needed. Or, if it’s a collector car, I can do things like repair the OEM leather rather than replace it in order to maintain the value of the car without making changes like reupholstering the interior.

What sets Onyx apart is the level of detail and customer service. Removing parts to clean behind them, polishing the hardest to reach paint surfaces, addressing areas that most people and businesses wouldn’t all add to a level of detail that creates an amazing final product for the client. I also communicate with the client through the entire process, sending updates, findings, challenges, and results through texts, phone calls, and emails. I want them to feel a part of the process and see the love and attention going into their car. This isn’t something I do as a conscious business strategy, rather, something that comes naturally as a car lover. I love being able to give them a view through my eyes, into parts of the car they haven’t seen, results I’m excited about, etc. It’s how I would like to be treated if I was a client in the same situation.

Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
A mentor relationship develops naturally, with a pull towards each other without force. One day you realize this person has been mentoring you without even noticing. It must work on both sides, so seeking one out may not have the same results as one life presents you. As for networking, just be everywhere all the time…haha. But in all seriousness, attend as many events, trainings/classes, social gatherings, etc. as possible. Don’t go out of your way to “network,” as that can come off forced and have the opposite effect. Just be you, make conversation, and you’ll be surprised at what you leave with.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://onyxautostudio.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/onyx.auto.studio
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/onyxautostudio
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/onyxautostudio/
• Other: https://tinyurl.com/Onyx-Google-Business-Profile

Image Credits
Lamborghini Countach photos – Jakob Rosen @unrecxgnized