A new mobile car-detailing business has hit the road.

JKG Mobile Detailing has bought a specially equipped van to get around to clients.

And owner Jahma Gibbons said he was delighted with the purchase — and hopes to use his new wheels to expand the three-month-old enterprise.

Mr Gibbons added that when he started, he got around to clients using a bike — but when that broke down he carried his vacuum and other equipment around by bus until a good Samaritan lent him a car for a few weeks.

He said: “I had been looking for work for the longest time, putting in applications and getting little response. I’d been sitting at home for a while and thought about mobile car detailing.

Mr Gibbons said he got the idea to launch his own business after seeing similar car valeting operations while living for a spell in North Carolina.

He explained: “Bermuda has more than 30,000 cars and bikes. That’s what gave me the idea.

“They’ve all got to be cleaned at some point and they are potential money.”

Mr Gibbons, 39, from Devonshire, said that he had been surprised by the level of interest in his services.

He added: “Business is great. I was really amazed at how many people love the convenience of me being able to come to them.

“The first week, I was booked up for the whole month of March.”

Mr Gibbons bought the van last week after hearing about an operator who had quit the business, but still had his vehicle.

He said: “The van makes it a lot easier. It’s not just a van, it has everything in it. It’s got two big water containers, its own electricity supply — it’s self-sufficient.

“I can pull up alongside a vehicle and do everything on the spot.”

Mr Gibbons added he had promoted JKG through social media sites like Facebook.

He said: “It just blew up from there. Once I had done one person’s car and they saw the work I had done and that person put up a positive review, people saw that and wanted their cars to look like that.”

And he added: “As long as I give people a great job, they will tell their friends and family.

“When I do someone’s car, I do it like it was my own car. I want my own car to look great. I’m a detail person and I look at every little piece and make sure it’s clean.

“That’s how my business has become more and more successful. My whole concept is customer satisfaction — I’m determined to make the customer happy.”

But life for Mr Gibbons wasn’t always as clean-cut.

The former violent drug dealer and gang member, the son of Olympic medal-winning Clarence Hill, dumped his lifestyle after a barber convinced him to become a Christian.

And by 2010, he was working to deter youngsters from a life of crime as a motivational speaker and later founded Stand Up Bermuda to combat gang violence after Bermuda was hit by a series of shootings.

He tried out a variety of jobs, most recently in a fast-food restaurant, before opting to start his own business.

Mr Gibbons said: “It’s more fulfilling. I’m able to make my own time and put all my energy into making my own business grow.

“It’s a great feeling being able to start from the very bottom and work my way up.

“I’m really glad I started my own thing. It’s taken a bit of determination and a lot of commitment seven days a week.”

And he added he was already looking at expanding into other areas.

Mr Gibbons said: “I do bikes, cars and boats and I’m looking to get into farm equipment and trucks. I’m also looking to get into private aeroplanes at some point.

“There’s a lot of scope for expansion.”