College students have the interesting dynamic of balancing academics and other activities. Daniel Murray, ’18, is one of Wittenberg’s students whom is involved in a variety of activities both on and off-campus. Not only is he an overinvolved Wittenberg student, but he also owns two of his own businesses, Grizzly Springs and Dynamic Detail.
As an English and sociology double major and member of Phi Kappa Psi and NAMI on Campus, Murray stays busy on campus while also managing to head home often to work on his detailing business, Dynamic Detail. While managing his two businesses, Murray also works as a photographer for the athletic department and as a teaching assistant for English professor Kate Polak.
In early 2016, friends Murray and Josh Marks, ’17, began Grizzly Springs.
“We wanted to build a brand that specializes in quality limited edition hats and apparel,” Murray said. “We really had no idea if it would even work, but as of today, we are within three stores in Ohio, one in New York City and [we have] our online shop.”
As popularity for their company has grown on campus, Murray and Marks have begun thinking of long term goals for the company and are working to introduce new items to the Grizzly Springs inventory.
“We are now dedicating our time to producing new lines of hats and trying to get into a few more shops before the end of the school year,” Murray said. “Long term, Josh and I hope to create a passive supplementary income through Grizzly Springs and to build a reputable brand that people are excited to wear.”
Along with Grizzly Springs, Murray has owned Dynamic Detail since 2011.
“Car detailing has been a passion of mine for a while,” Murray said. “I started Dynamic Detail out of my parents’ garage before I was even able to drive.”
Since Dynamic Detail’s inception, Murray has begun making himself a strong reputation throughout the detailing industry. Murray spent a majority of his spare time in high school detailing cars.
“I was very fortunate to meet some amazing people, like one of the owners of Chemical Guys, the largest manufacturer of detailing products in the world,” Murray said. “I was invited out to L.A. in 2013 to be interviewed for their website and YouTube channel.”
To maintain Dynamic Detail, Murray heads home most weekends and is currently working on hiring another employee for the company. He also hopes to open a shop in Dublin, Ohio within the next couple of months.
Although both businesses can be very time consuming, Murray plans on continuing both post-graduation while also pursuing his MBA.
“I’m reshaping my role in Dynamic Detail in order to put less time restrictions on myself so I can pursue my career while still having the ability to work on cars,” Murray said.
Although these are his two main businesses, Murray also cuts hair, roughly five to 15 people a week, and does photography as a hobby.
As to how he maintains his sanity amidst everything he is involved in, Murray has one simple solution.
“I stay level-headed by staying busy,” Murray said. “If my day isn’t filled, I feel as if I’ve done something wrong.”
Although Murray has had his share of difficult experiences, he has also had plenty of experiences that has made all of the hard work worthwhile.
“For detailing, it’s having the clients return time and time again,” Murray said. “I’ve had a few clients say they will never go back to their detailer and that really makes me [want to] keep doing it because there are so many times that I just [want to] quit.”
To students looking to start their own business, Murray shared some solid words of advice.
“If you love it, do it,” Murray said. “Don’t just do something in an attempt to make money.”
Students can find Grizzly Springs at thegrizzlysprings.com and on Instagram @grizzlysprings. Students can also find Dynamic Detail on Instagram @dynamicdetail while the company’s website is under re-construction.
