ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J. (PIX11) – This business is not your average start-up.
“I just really like supercars,” said Tyler Poon, 13, of Edgewater. “Like hearing the sounds, and the looks, the shapes, things like that.”
It started last year with a $4 loan from his mom to buy car wash supplies at the store. Now, his business, New Generation Car Detailing, has shifted into the next gear with growing clients and thousands of Instagram followers.
He details all cars from the ordinary to the exotic. On Wednesday, Tyler was applying a ceramic coating on a brand-new Maserati GranTurismo Modena, a car valued at nearly $200,000.
“It protects the car’s paint from environmental elements like the sun, dirt, and debris,” Poon said.
Whether he’s working on a luxury sports coupe or a compact economy sedan, Tyler says he gives every single car that he works on the same attention to detail.
However, there is one thing Tyler can’t do: drive to his clients.
“I think it’s very important to support him any way I can,” said Mina-Jacqueline Au, Tyler’s mother, who helps get him to his client appointments. “I’ve seen him grow so much with all the experiences he’s had.”
Tyler grew his client list by making calls to places like Maserati of Englewood Cliffs, asking for the opportunity for their business.
“I said, ‘You know, we’re going to give him a shot,'” said dealership General Manager Even Leppert. “He came in, he detailed one of our Gran Turismos prior to one of the shows locally here in Fort Lee, did a phenomenal job on it, so we’re happy to have a good partnership and keep it going with Tyler.”
His success is so remarkable, Tyler has been invited to speak at Aspire Tour at the Javits Center, an event headlined by business titans like Barbara Corcoran and Alex Rodriguez.
His advice to young entrepreneurs like himself: “Stick with what you’re doing,” said Poon. “If it doesn’t work, just keep trying, and just never give up.”
