Today we’d like to introduce you to Austin Pruett.
Hi Austin, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I definitely didn’t set out to own an auto detailing business.
In 2020, I graduated from Southwestern Seminary with three master’s degrees. The plan was either a PhD or a teaching role. The PhD meant relocating, and teaching jobs basically froze overnight because of COVID. At the same time, I was working in dental insurance, and that industry took a hit fast. Half the company was laid off. Suddenly, I was out of work, freshly graduated, and trying to figure out what was next.
Around that time, I had just bought a new car and was deep into learning how to properly care for it. I’d always enjoyed detailing, and I started watching people on YouTube who were building detailing businesses from scratch. It honestly looked approachable. I thought, I can do this.
I put together about $500 worth of chemicals and basic equipment and started detailing cars out of my driveway, then going to customers’ homes. It was just me, fully mobile. In the early days, a full detail could take eight hours. But COVID worked in our favor in a strange way. People weren’t going anywhere, so time wasn’t an issue, and they appreciated having someone come to them. The feedback was strong, referrals started rolling in, and it slowly grew.
In 2022, we moved into our first shop, about 1,700 to 1,800 square feet. That was a huge step. We stayed there for a couple of years, built a solid reputation, and kept reinvesting into better equipment, training, and higher-end services. Then in September of 2024, we moved into our current 5,000-square-foot facility, which is honestly my dream shop.
In 2025, we crossed one million dollars in annual revenue and grew to a team of six employees. Looking back, it’s wild. In about five years, we went from a $500 startup and a pressure washer to a full-scale operation. It’s not at all what I thought I’d be doing when I finished grad school, but it’s been challenging, rewarding, and incredibly fulfilling.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Not even close. It’s been anything but smooth.
In the early days, I was doing everything myself, often in brutal Texas heat. I actually ended up in the hospital once after polishing a truck all day. I started having chest pains and thought something was seriously wrong. Turns out I was just severely dehydrated and completely overworked. That was a wake-up call about limits and sustainability.
As the business grew, the challenges just changed shape. We’ve gone through slow seasons where I had to lay people off, which is one of the hardest parts of running a business. You take that personally because these are real people with real lives, and you feel responsible for them.
We’ve also had mistakes happen. Employees have damaged client vehicles, and those moments test your systems, your culture, and your ability to stay calm and do the right thing. You learn quickly that growth isn’t just about doing more work. It’s about building processes that protect both your customers and your team.
The biggest thing I’ve learned is that the problems never really go away. They just get bigger. The numbers get bigger, the decisions carry more weight, and the stakes are higher. But that’s also how you know you’re moving forward.
So no, it hasn’t been smooth at all. But we’re still here, still growing, and still improving, and that’s what matters.
As you know, we’re big fans of Fort Worth Auto Detail. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Fort Worth Auto Detail exists to protect the joy people feel when they earn and own something meaningful.
That idea comes from my own experience long before this was a business. Before I ever detailed a client’s car, my wife and I bought a Mazda CX-5. By car-world standards, it wasn’t anything exotic. But to us, it was huge. We worked hard for it, paid it off, and I wanted to take care of it the right way. That feeling is something our clients understand. For some people, a car is just transportation. For our clients, it represents effort, achievement, and pride. Our job isn’t just to make vehicles shiny. It’s to help protect that feeling.
We specialize in new vehicle protection, primarily window tint, paint protection film, and ceramic coatings. While tint and ceramic coating can be done at almost any stage, paint protection film is most effective on a new vehicle, before damage ever happens. Our most popular solution is what we call our Lead Armor package, which combines full front paint protection film, ceramic coating on the rest of the vehicle, and ceramic window tint. It’s designed to give clients the best balance of protection, appearance, and long-term value.
Paint protection film shields the front end from rock chips and road damage. Ceramic coating enhances gloss and makes maintenance dramatically easier. Our ceramic window tint provides heat rejection, privacy, or both, depending on the client’s preference. We only install high-end ceramic film with a lifetime warranty, so clients never have to worry about performance down the road.
What truly sets us apart is how we operate and what we stand for. Our core values are excellence and relationships. That means no shortcuts, no ego, and no disappearing after the install. This industry can be very shortcut-driven and ego-heavy, and that simply doesn’t align with who we are. We hold ourselves accountable long after the work is done. Every paint protection film install includes a complimentary two-week checkup. Every ceramic coating comes with free quarterly maintenance. Our window tint carries a lifetime warranty.
We’ve already seen and solved problems that many shops are still learning the hard way. Our team includes highly experienced installers who have trained and worked with some of the best professionals in the country. Chances are, if there’s an issue or a unique situation, we’ve already dealt with it before. Clients aren’t getting someone who’s figuring it out as they go.
We also invested heavily in eliminating the variables that cause mistakes. Our facility is fully climate controlled with custom lighting, epoxy floors, air purification, dehumidification, and a custom water filtration system. Everything is designed to create consistency and protect the quality of the work.
Brand-wise, what I’m most proud of is that we’ve built something our team is proud to work for and something our clients trust with vehicles that matter to them. I still feel like we have a long way to go, but we’ve created something honest, intentional, and different. And that’s exactly what we want readers to know about Fort Worth Auto Detail.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.fortworthautodetail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fortworthautodetail/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/586926318646465?ref=_xav_ig_profile_page_web
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7rnqzCvdqVeFOLJq7rxZQA
