MKR Auto Care Products didn't start with a business plan. It started in my driveway.
After being injured at work and dealing with a long recovery, I eventually got to the point where I could get back outside and do something I had always enjoyed—taking care of my vehicles. One day, while washing, decontaminating, clay barring and waxing my truck, I started wondering: How hard is it to make a wax?
That question sent me down a rabbit hole.
I started experimenting with small batches of carnauba-based paste waxes. The more I learned about formulations and car-care products, the more that original question changed into another one:
Could I build a business around this?
And that rabbit hole turned out to be much deeper.
Cars Have Always Been Part of My Life
I'm 48, and I grew up at a time when we didn't really call it “detailing.” You just took care of your car.
I've been into cars for as long as I can remember—Matchbox cars, Micro Machines, models and car posters eventually turned into the real thing. My first car was an '86 Buick Skylark hatchback. I put a stereo in it, tinted the windows and brought the faded paint back to life.
Then came my '87 Mustang GT.
That car taught me how to actually work on cars, mostly because I couldn't afford to pay someone else to fix it. I still remember having that Mustang on jack stands in my dad's driveway in the middle of winter, covered with a tarp while we replaced the clutch in the rain and snow.
We froze our asses off, but we got it done.
I was so proud of myself that I proceeded to blow the clutch again about six months later and got to learn the job twice.
Cars were part of my family long before I could drive. Both of my parents had muscle cars when they were young, and my father built engines with his friends. I guess you could say cars are in my blood.
Why MKR Is Different
When I started MKR, I knew I didn't want to build a brand around hype.
I've been the customer who sees an incredible demonstration, reads a list of impressive claims, spends his money—and then wonders why the product he received doesn't perform anything like the one he saw advertised.
I don't want MKR to be that company.
Before I'm comfortable putting the MKR name on something, I ask myself some pretty simple questions:
Would I buy this? Does it do what I expect it to do? Would I feel like I got my money's worth?
To me, a premium product isn't just about a fancy bottle or a premium price. It's about performance, ease of use, longevity and value.
That's also why MKR doesn't have a catalog with dozens of products just for the sake of having them. There are more products I want to add, but they'll get here when I'm comfortable putting our name on them.
Who We're Building MKR For
You don't have to be a professional detailer to care about your vehicle.
MKR is for the person who simply loves their car, truck or motorcycle and enjoys taking care of it—whether it's a daily driver, weekend toy or show car. Professionals can absolutely use our products too, but you shouldn't need to be one to get results you're proud of.
I want people using MKR to enjoy the process and love the results of their own work.
More Than a Car-Care Company
There's another reason MKR exists that's much more personal.
I'm a husband, a dad and a blue-collar worker. When my injury kept me out of work for an extended period, there was an unexpected upside: I got to spend more time with my daughter.
Once I could walk without crutches, I could take her to school and pick her up. I got to be there for pieces of her childhood that my normal work schedule doesn't always allow.
It changed what I wanted from my future.
My goal is to build MKR into a successful independent company that eventually allows me to work for myself and spend more time with my family. I also want my daughter to see what can happen when you decide you want something, work for it and don't give up when it's difficult.
MKR isn't backed by a giant corporation or outside investors. We're building this one customer at a time.
And that's exactly who I want us working for—our customers.
If something needs to improve, we'll listen. If we can make something better, we'll work on it. And as MKR grows, we'll keep putting that growth back into making the company and its products better.
My hope is that someday MKR stands alongside the names everyone already knows.
But more than anything, I want someone to hear MKR Auto Care Products and say:
“Yeah, their stuff is good—and they actually care about what they put out.”
— Joe
Founder, MKR Auto Care Products