FXBG Neighbors Podcast
Fredericksburg Neighbors Podcast
FXBG Neighbors Podcast
EP #80 How A Family-Owned Detailing Shop Keeps Car Care Affordable And Honest
Small business stories often sound glamorous from the outside, but the truth is built from grit, late nights, and a stubborn belief that service matters. We sit down with Jessica “Jessi” Ferguson of Less Messy with Jessi Detailing to explore how a woman-owned, family-run operation grew from one set of tools into a trusted mobile and garage-based service across Fredericksburg and surrounding counties. You’ll hear how she learned the craft, took the leap from a nine-to-five, and set prices to keep professional auto detailing within reach for real families.
We dig into what “maintenance, not miracle” looks like for your car. Jessi lays out a clear 3–6 month schedule that keeps interiors from becoming crumb city and protects exteriors from brake dust, hard water, and bird droppings that can etch paint and corrode finishes. She explains why regular decontamination and protection can extend your vehicle’s life, safeguard resale value, and make every commute feel better. If you’ve wondered whether detailing is a luxury or a necessity, this conversation gives you a practical framework to decide—and a plan to stick with.
Beyond polishing paint, this is a Fredericksburg story. Jessi shares what it means to build a local brand with real roots: a legitimate website and phone line, a family shop you can visit, and community partnerships like the Green Thread project. Her advice for new founders is simple and sharp—ignore the noise, do the work, and keep your head down until the results speak. If you’re looking for honest car care and a reminder that small businesses thrive when neighbors show up, you’re in the right place.
Subscribe for more local founder stories, share this with a friend who loves their car, and leave a review to help other neighbors find the show.
Jessica Ferguson
Less Messy with Jessi Detailing
lessmesswithjessdetailing@gmail.com
+1 540-940-9187
This is the Fredericksburg Neighbors Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. I'm your host, Dori Stewart.
Speaker 1:Welcome back to another episode of the FXBG Neighbors Podcast, where we share the stories of our favorite local brands. Joining me today, we have Jessica Ferguson. She is with Less Messy with Jessi Detailing. Jessica, welcome to the podcast. Hi, thank you for having me. I'm excited to dive in and learn more about you and about your business. So let's start there. Share with us a little bit about Less Messy with Jessi Detailing.
Speaker 2:Well, Less Messy with Jessi Detailing is a locally owned company. It's woman-owned and operated. It's also family-owned and operated. It started back four years ago. And here we are today. We're locally owned and operated with our family members working with us and sometimes our friends.
Speaker 1:And yeah. Amazing. Amazing. So share with me a little bit about the operations. You go out to your customers' homes, or how does that work?
Speaker 2:Yes, ma'am. So I do mobile detailing as well as I do garage appointments. I have a shop in Fredericksburg that I use. It's actually family-owned as well. It's my aunt's. So I work out of there and as well as doing mobile appointments.
Speaker 1:I travel all over the Fredericksburg area and surrounding counties. Amazing, amazing. And so you do interior, exterior, the whole works. Yes, ma'am, the whole works. Amazing, amazing. So tell me a little bit about you. I want to learn more about your journey and how you got into this.
Speaker 2:Well, I'm Jessi. I'm 29. Um, I've been detailing for about four years now. Um, I started detailing about four years ago. I started in a shop in Fredericksburg. Um, it was known as at the car wash, and today I believe it's known as Clean Car. Um, I started under Joel Mann. He's great, phenomenal, phenomenal person. Um, he taught me everything I know today, as well as his workers. Um, and they were great. I loved working with his ladies. They taught me so much. Um, I started as a single mom. I took everything I had, all of my savings, and I just threw it all into equipment and said, we're doing it. We're gonna start our own company, and this is what I love to do. So that's what I did. Um, I just sunk everything I had into it, all of my blood, sweat, and tears. Um, and four years later, here I am today. I ditched my regular nine to five, and this is what I do full time.
Speaker 1:Amazing, amazing. Grit and determination got you to where you are today. I can tell you've got grit. I love it. I love it. So clearly, you have worked really hard over the years, and it's not easy starting a business, and especially when you are juggling life issues. So tell me, if someone came to you and said they had this, you know, crazy idea and they wanted to start a business, what advice would you give someone?
Speaker 2:I would tell them don't stop. Um, don't listen to the negativity and don't stop. Um, the only thing that's going to make this work is you. Um, and it's just nothing to it but to do it. At the end of the day, you just have to put your nose to the grindstone. If this is what you want, uh, this is your dream, you don't stop running. Just keep chasing.
Speaker 1:I love that. Uh put the blinders on, right? Don't don't look at competition, don't listen to any negativity. Just I love that you said put your nose down and just keep going. Yes. I love that. So important. So you're obviously very busy in your business. So tell me when you're not working hard, what are you doing for fun?
Speaker 2:When I'm not working, I'm with my family. Um, I have a two-year-old named Miles, and I have a nine-year-old daughter named Anna. They keep me fairly busy, um, as well as my husband. And I also like to do arts and crafts. Uh, right now I'm currently making witch brooms, fall brooms, Christmas brooms with the little cinnamon brooms, uh, just something fun. And it's uh definitely smelling up my house. So I love it.
Speaker 1:That's that's so much fun. I love that. I love that. It's good to have a hobby and yes, something that uh can decorate your home and make it smell good. It's even better.
Speaker 2:Yeah, get faster.
Speaker 1:Yes. So you mentioned that you've lived in Fredericksburg for a while. So tell me what do you love about living in Fredericksburg?
Speaker 2:I love living in Fredericksburg because I've been here my whole life. This is where my family is, this is where my friends are. I know all of these businesses. Um, I've been in this area for so long. It's just so nice to be able to say, man, I get to take my kids down to the river today. Oh man, I get to go to Old Mill Park today. Like, it's just so great to be able to be out in the community. Um, and I love to work with everybody. I'm working right now with Whole Greens of Virginia uh with their green thread project. So we're doing that with donations. We're getting out in the community, you know what I mean? Um, so yeah, that's what I love about Fredericksburg.
Speaker 1:It's all about community here. I love that. And I love that you give back as well. That's so important, isn't it?
Speaker 2:It definitely is.
Speaker 1:So tell me, what is something that you wish the listeners knew about Less Messy with Jessi detailing?
Speaker 2:I wish that we well the listeners knew that we are a real company. Um we're definitely not a mobile scam on Facebook. We have a legitimate website. Um, I wish that our listeners knew that we're really out here to serve you guys. Um, I keep my prices the most affordable in town because I believe that detailing is a maintenance. Detailing is something that everyone should be able to afford to do to maintain their vehicle. You don't want your vehicle to be two, three years with no maintenance, and then you're gonna bring it to me and then oh, it's in such poor, sad condition. Uh, and I love it anyways. I love a challenge, I'll bring it back to life for you, no problem. But I I just would love for it to be affordable for everybody, the single moms out there, the elderly, just anyone who needs it, feel free to call me because I'm I'm there to work for you.
Speaker 1:I'm really glad that you mentioned that because it can get expensive. So I love that that you said that. And so you mentioned maintenance. So how often should someone get their what's the what's the recommendation there? How how often someone should get their vehicle detail?
Speaker 2:Me personally, I would recommend that you have your detail or your detail done every three to six months. Um, that way it just stays maintained, especially with the moms out there with kids. I've got two in my car all the time, so I know crumb city and I know what it looks like.
Speaker 1:I love that. I love that. And so uh three to six months, um, interior and exterior.
Speaker 2:Yes, ma'am. The exterior is extremely important because you don't want brake dust and stuff building up on your wheel wells. Um, and the exterior is also important because you get things like watermarks, you get things like the bird uh droppings on the vehicle. You don't want things like that sitting on there baking into your paint, baking onto your metal. It's just not good for your car.
Speaker 1:Clearly, you are the expert and you know your stuff. So if the listeners want to learn more from you, if they want to connect with you, if they want to hire you, where can they find you?
Speaker 2:They can reach me online at my website, lessmessywithsie.com. Um, or you guys can reach me on Facebook at Less Messy with Jessi. Uh, you can reach me by phone 540-940-9187 or email less messy with Jess at LessMesswithJess at gmail.com.
Speaker 1:Amazing. Jessica, thank you so much for joining me on the podcast today and sharing your business with us.
Speaker 2:Yes, ma'am, thank you so much for having me.
Speaker 1:You're welcome.
Speaker:Thank you for listening to the Fredericksburg Neighbors Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to FXBG NeighborsPodcast.com.