Meet Adam McConnell | Accountant & Auto Detailing Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Adam McConnell and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Adam, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I saw owning Eco Car Spa as an opportunity to do something I love, while providing a service to others. Vehicles are most people’s second biggest purchase after their house and I think having a clean car is something that you don’t realize how amazing it feels until you do it, and then it becomes addicting. I’ve always loved detailing cars and really enjoy the reaction people have once their vehicle is truly clean. Owning my own business is something I’ve always wanted to try; I just didn’t realize when we decided to take the leap that the following year we’d be in the middle of a pandemic, so it’s been more of a learning process than I ever could have imagined.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’m an accountant in my first career, but as an outlet I detailed friends’ and families’ vehicles on the side. I originally got into detailing, in high school. You get your first vehicle and you’re so proud of it and the freedom that comes with it, and you want it to look amazing to impress your friends. I began doing basic detailing and then, as with most things if you’re committed, you continue to learn and improve your skills and become truly good at what you do. Until one day, I realized friends and acquaintances were coming to me with questions on the best method or products to use and decided that this hobby I love could actually be a service I provide to others. Eco Car Spa’s journey has definitely been unexpected. We took over the business in spring of 2019 and expected to continue things as is, with little to no changes. For the first 6 months, we got our feet on the ground with the business and made some changes to improve; but overall things went smoothly. As we entered our first full year of ownership, we forecasted and expected to have a great year and continue to grow. Obviously, 2020 took everyone by surprise and really forced us to make a lot of changes including adding mobile detailing services to our lineup. I don’t know that we’ve overcome the challenges so much as we’ve leaned into them and adapted our business. I think the biggest lessons we’ve learned have been around adapting and changing as needed. There’s not been an opportunity for the old “if it’s not broke, don’t fix it” mantra as this environment has been constantly changing and evolving significantly over the past year. The other thing we’ve learned, which was a pleasant surprise in the midst of this, is the power and support from other small businesses and entrepreneurs. Everyone has really rallied around each other to lend support and advice, and I can honestly say without that we’d be in a very different position. A lot of that support comes from networking that my wife is involved in, including numerous business mom groups. These women have been unwavering in their support of each other and it has definitely made a positive impact on our business and we are so grateful.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
There are so many great local restaurants we love; we could spend our entire weekend eating! This is not an exhaustive list but some of our favorites are Gallo Nero’s, Alba’s Pizzeria, Hutchin’s BBQ, Tender’s Smokehouse, Crush Taco, The Rail Yard, Chiloso, Buddha Belly, Detour Doughnuts, and so many more. We have young kids so places like the Heard Museum in McKinney, Perot Museum and Klyde Warren Park in Dallas, and all the amazing parks and trails around Frisco would definitely be on our list. When we get the chance to go out, it’s pretty laid back and we love doing things like Top Golf, Axe Throwing, Whirlyball, or any of the great Escape Rooms that are around.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My wife deserves a lot of credit, if not all of it. She has really supported me in ways that I can’t even begin to thank her. She handles our social media and network marketing efforts, website, updated our menu of services to provide more value to our customers, and helped launch the mobile side of our business at the beginning of the pandemic. She’s worked on creating up to date logos and branding across all our platforms. She puts in enormous amounts of efforts behind the scenes.  She has helped make the business what it is today.

Our amazing employees also deserve a shoutout, without them our business would not exist. They keep our day to day running smoothly and ensure every customer has a great experience. Their work ethic and attention to detail is second to none and their ability to be flexible and evolve with us over this past year has been pivotal in keeping our doors open. We are very grateful for them!

Website: www.ecocarspa.org

Facebook: Facebook.com/ecocarspatx

Instagram: Instagram.com/eco_car_spa 

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/eco-car-spa-frisco-2?osq=car+wash

Image Credits
Headshot is Rebecca Rice Photography