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Creating something from nothing is impossible. You can’t bake a cake without flour and eggs, you can’t build a house without brick and mortar, nor can you grow a successful business without money, right? Probably not if you stick to the traditional way of thinking and old rulebooks.
If you ask entrepreneur and author Leland Jones, he’d say that, in today’s world, nothing is impossible if you put your mind to it. And he speaks from experience, as everything he has built to this day started from a bucket of water, $300 worth of cleaning supplies, and unwavering determination to turn all his dreams into reality.
“I was cleaning my car with a friend, and we started talking about an entrepreneurship book I authored back in high school,” Leland recalls. The topic quickly turned into two college guys daydreaming about what they would do if they had a successful business and millions in their pockets.
“I remember telling him you can start a business doing anything. As we were cleaning my car at that moment, I convinced him to drive with me to a Walmart and get some supplies to prove my theory,” he adds. “We got $300 worth of buckets, rags, and sprays, and then we went to a dog park and told people we’d wash their cars while they walked their dogs. And, believe it or not, it worked.”
Fast forward to today, Jones is the founder and Owner of Ceramic King Coatings of Virginia, a thriving car detailing business, as well as an author of several inspirational and motivational books about business and entrepreneurship.
As a successful businessman and author, nobody can deny that Jones has achieved tremendous success. Still, it goes without saying that his journey to the top didn’t happen overnight and that it wasn’t without its challenges and setbacks.
One of the first challenges he faced was one of the most common entrepreneurial challenges out there – convincing your family and inner circle that your idea won’t ruin your life. Things like this usually happen when you are coming from a family that loves to stick to tradition and has a shortlist of professions that guarantee success. For Leland Jones, the shortlist was really short, and it entailed only one career in his eyes – military.
There was a time when Jones wanted to commission and join the Air Force as he started in the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) program in College. Still, as the car washing business started to take off, he decided to follow another path. When he announced to his family that he was going to put a pause on College and wants to become an entrepreneur, he was faced with a handful of worried criticism.
“Many people doubted me. Some close to me even thought I was throwing away my future, but I knew I had to follow my own path, even if it meant going against the grain,” Jones says. Instead of allowing the criticism to cut his dreams short, Jones used it as a catalyst for growth. “The more that people doubted me, the more determined I became to succeed.”
His determination was quickly put to the test when harsh Alaskan winters influenced Jones to move his business from Alaska to Virginia. “The business was slow starting out. Not to mention that winter months consistently cut our work calendar short,” he says. “I’m not going to lie. Moving and starting over was tough, and there were times when I thought we’d fail. Still, I knew that I would see it through because I had my eyes and mind focused on the bigger prize.”
Every move Jones made was to ensure he is one step closer to success. A few clever investments and solid business strategies later, Jones’ business exploded. More importantly, they ensured that Ceramic King Coatings of Virginia would become a household name in the car detailing arena.
On top of that, Jones has continued to write books, having penned multiple publications about entrepreneurship and managing a business in hopes that his journey would be an inspiration for his readers to venture into their own business paths.
“I’ve written four books by now, and I hope to do more later on. I’m extremely grateful for our success, and I hope that soon, I’ll be able to help many others achieve the same,” Jones says.
Jones’ gratitude for his accomplishments has gone beyond sharing his experiences through the media. Jones has allocated a lot of time and resources to support not just his community but also various charities.
“It’s important to me to be able to show my gratitude and channel my success back to the community,” Jones says. “We’ve worked with the American Red Cross and the POW and MIA families. We’ve also held fundraisers for VFW.”
Leland Jones’ name has become synonymous with his hard work, loyalty to his company’s values and the community, and showing respect to both his customers and the family values he grew up with. He remains as passionate as ever when it comes to the automotive industry, but he consistently looks for ways to give more support to those who need it.
“Nothing is work if you love it like I do,” Jones says. “My advice to anyone just starting is to keep going, even when it feels impossible. My own life can be used as a great example that if you put all your blood, sweat, and tears into something, especially something that helps both you and the people around you, you’re bound to turn any vision into reality.”