She’s the boss

5 July 2018  

After learning the ropes and being on the tools for 14 years I decided 2018 was the year to bite the bullet and go it alone with starting a new workshop business.

For years I have been working for two or three different garages, enjoying a huge amount of variety and picking and choosing what days I work where. I have been extremely lucky with the people I have met along this incredible journey. Also, working for some real characters of the trade certainly doesn’t lead to a boring work life.

I have always worked for independent garages, the interaction you get with customers and the personal experience you are able to offer is for me what car repairs is all about. I love hearing how much people value their car, not financially but in a kind of ‘member of the family’ way and it fills me with a great sense of achievement when I can get their car back on the road in good working order.

Bright idea
It is not the obvious choice for a ‘young lady’ and I use that term in the lightest possible sense as I can hardly call myself a lady when things go wrong and the air turns blue, but that is another story for another issue. It isn’t a normal career choice but fixing cars is all I have ever enjoyed doing, it is the only thing I haven’t lost interest in and it is the only trade I ever want to be a part of.

So January 2018 came and I had the bright idea of starting up my own business in the village I grew up in. It has been nearly six months now and progress has been slow, trying to keep costs down I am distributing leaflets myself and offering incentives such as 10% off.

Best asset
A workshop business’s best asset is its reputation, and that takes time to build up. I am also finding out that being self-employed requires a million more hours than just turning up to a garage and working.
    
It is not that I am naive it’s just I am rubbish at paperwork, invoicing and doing all the other grown up things that a business needs. To say it is a massive learning curve is an understatement. Before January I didn’t have to bother with business plans and meetings with a bank manager, I didn’t have to spend hours at a computer trying to write down why I am worth investing in and what my plans for taking over the car repair world were.

Passionate
The car repair industry is something I feel hugely passionate about and I firmly believe that when starting a business you make sure it is an area you are knowledgeable in otherwise you will never strive to make it work. At the moment I feel slightly overwhelmed by paperwork and getting on the tools is always first priority but I am hugely excited about the future and what Spanner Tech Services has in the pipeline.