He started out washing cars at 12. Now, this N.S. car detailer has his own business

Revello Smith has been obsessed with cars since the age of five.

The 29-year-old, who was raised in Toronto but spent lots of time in Nova Scotia growing up, started out washing cars with his father in their driveway before upgrading his skillset to car detailing at the age of 12.

Fast forward nearly two decades later and Smith’s passion has now led him into a full-time career, as he gears up for the grand opening of his business’s first storefront location, dubbed “Exquisite Automotive,” in Dartmouth on Saturday.

“I’ve been through a lot of roadblocks but the fact that I’ve been able to keep myself strong and work my way through it all has been great,” he said, adding that he sees this milestone moment as an “amazing stepping stone” toward achieving even bigger goals that he’s set for himself.

Smith said the process of building a sustainable business for himself wasn’t always solely reliant on his ability to restore vehicles to prime condition.

“I’ve been doing it by myself for quite some time now, from the detailing to the accounting, bookkeeping, social media management,” he said, noting that it took time for him to get the hang of all the administrative tasks, all while balancing a full-time job.

“You don’t know what you don’t know; always take an opportunity to learn. Always take an opportunity to get advice from somebody, whether it’d be a mentor, an elder, whether it’s an older brother or sister, listen to what they’re saying and see how it can help to benefit you.”

As his shop opens its doors to the public, he hopes to still have the chance to serve some of the original clientele that he acquired back when he was a savvy teenager offering detail services to residents in his neighbourhood.

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“I made a few flyers, and I would go and put them on community mailboxes, and if I saw a dirty car in the driveway I would knock on the door and say, ‘Hey, your car’s dirty. I’m a detailer,'” he said.

“Some of them actually stayed with me as customers for almost 10 years. I kept going back to their house and they eventually called me back and said, ‘Can you come back down and clean my car?”

Smith said he’s grateful to have maintained such loyal customers over the years as he worked to build up his small business.

Delino Smith, Revello’s older brother, said he watched his brother’s passion for cars at a young age develop into where he is now.

“I remember him at five or six years old (playing with) little Hot Wheel cars, little model cars, he’d take them apart and put them back together, detail them, have them shining,” he said, admitting that although he initially didn’t understand the appeal, as time progressed, everything began to click.

“Looking at him now and seeing what he’s done with that business and remembering him going door to door and handing out flyers to neighbours looking to clean their cars … he’s always had that entrepreneurial spirit.”

Delino said considering his younger brother’s entrepreneurial spirit, he isn’t one bit surprised to see his business taking off.

“He’s had a vision board since he was young. He’s worked every single day to accomplish those goals so to see him now with his own shop and detailing cars, it doesn’t surprise me at all,” he said.

Speaking of his brother’s willingness to prioritize community engagement on top of his work in car detailing, Delino labelled his brother  “the most selfless person that I know.”

“Within the community, he really just strives to add value and leave anything he touches better than how he found it,” Delino said, adding that it “only makes sense” that his brother uses his business as a platform to give back to the surrounding community.

“He truly does love cars, and he loves community and giving back within the community so seeing how that lines up for him to give back is really nice,” he smiled.

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Despite “many roadblocks and sleepless nights,” Revello Smith said his perseverance was a determining factor in getting him to where he is today.

“No failure is that detrimental that you can’t try again and that you can’t go on. Take every failure as a lesson and if you fall down, get back up, and continue working at your goal.”

Looking back, Smith said his 13-year-old self wouldn’t have ever expected to make it professionally in this line of work.

“I think he’d be proud of where I am right now, I don’t think he’d imagine that we’re here right now,” he said, adding that he always entertained the idea potentially acquiring a brick-and-mortar location later in life, but not as early as it turned out to be.

“The fact that I’m 29 years old and can say I’m actively living my dream, I think he would be very well pleased to see what I’m doing.”