Photo of ’63 Jaguar XK-E by Dan Smith via Creative Commons License
One of the most exciting things about owning a business is being able to make rapid decisions and changing things quickly and efficiently. It’s like having your own world. You can innovate and try things without too much fuss.
You never know what the next challenge or opportunity is going to be, but you know it is going to be interesting.
The photo above is an example.
About ten years ago we moved away from working on old British cars. We kept some of the basic parts and sold the rest. We were busy with the day-to-day jobs, and we concentrated on the rapid changes in technology.
Then along came the Mini, and with it a renewed interest in British cars. Coupled with that, as customers got older, their children, now in their 30s, started getting nostalgic. They wanted to get the old family fun car out of mothballs. Also, unfortunately, some customers had lost loved ones and had inherited an old British classic.
We started receiving calls that went something like this…
“My Dad’s car has been sitting for five years. Can you get it started? Will you work on a 1970 MGB?”
“I have a 1969 Jaguar XKE. It won’t start or go into gear. Is this something you can fix?”
The problem we faced was… who was going to work on these old British cars?
I talked over the problem with one of our technicians who had shown some interest, and he told me, “Brian, if you say yes to these customers I will commit to working on these old British cars”.
The problem was, to make the situation work, we really needed two people committed to working on the old MGBs, Minis, Triumphs and Jaguars. Well, I thought to myself, I love these cars, why not me? So, I agreed to start working on them!
We have not looked back since, and now we have a new technician who shares our love for these old cars. Now he wants some of the action too.
As a result, we have gone in one year from working on a dozen or so Minis to over 100. We have also repaired about a dozen classic Jaguars, MGBs and Triumphs.
Going forward we are going to actively seek out these cars. We have technicians that like old cars, the institutional knowledge, and great parts resources. There is nothing to stop us from embracing this change!
Do you have an old British classic that’s stuck in park? Our Columbia, MD auto shop is now geared up and ready to help you get your old classic back on the road. Give us a call at 410-381-2700 or click the button below to make an appointment.
