My Account
Brendan and Michelle Woolley opened their tyre repair workshop in Mill Lane in November 2011. They both work in the business and employ four staff. Brendan works 10 hours a day during the week and around four hours on Saturday.
How has business been over the past five years?
Ridiculously busy. There was only one guy working in the business when we bought it and it was pretty rundown. We’ve doubled our turnover every year. It’s been phenomenal. When we took over we changed the shop around, replaced a lot of the gear and put in a waiting room.
Why do you think you have been successful?
I’m a real stickler for quality and we really care about people’s safety so we make that extra effort to help people. You also have to make sure your prices are competitive.
What keeps you motivated?
I’m probably a pretty motivated person naturally. I believe in doing things right and getting things right. I guess you’d say I’m fussy and I like to do a good job. I like being hands-on in the business and it really bothers me when perhaps we don’t get things quite right. I think the fact that the owner is there to take responsibility for what’s happened is where small business has it over large corporates.
Are you planning to expand?
I don’t want to talk too much about that yet, but it is increasingly difficult to logistically manoeuvre big trucks into our workshop because we’re sandwiched between two of the worst intersections in Warkworth. So we’re looking at this, but we’re also aware that being in central Warkworth works for us. It’s very convenient for customers to be able to drop their cars off and go shopping.
Any advice for someone starting a business?
Get your systems right and try to get the right people. We have struggled at times to attract good staff and it’s only getting harder as house rental prices rise. As you get older, you cope better with the ups and downs of business because you know not to panic when things don’t go quite according to plan.
