An important part of what we do here at The Beef is introducing you to businesses whose services you’ll love. Today, we get acquainted with Will Patterson from Rehab Garage! Tuning in, you’ll hear the story of how Will started his first business at the tender age of 12, raising money to buy his first car and falling in love with the repair and restoration process. You’ll also learn what sparked his interest in starting his shop after his years in construction and manufacturing and what his goal has been from the beginning: to create and meet realistic expectations for people whose cars hold meaning for them! Get inspired by Will’s story of growth springing from on-the-job education before taking a page out of his book and learning to ask for help. As Will point out, it takes incredible fortitude for your business to survive the challenges that come up along the way. Thanks for tuning in!
Key Points From This Episode:
- The most famous celebrity Will knows: Richard Rawlings.
- Challenges that Will encountered in having his own plane to fly and having lots of friends he wanted to take along.
- The first business he started, repairing sidewalks at the age of 12.
- Will’s background, growing up in foster care as a teenager before entering the military.
- The story of how Will purchased his first car for $500 and repaired it at the local shop.
- His work in construction prior to nutrition supplies and manufacturing.
- Why he got really angry watching Fast & Loud, sparking the idea for Rehab Garage.
- What Will wants most out of his shop: to do something where expectations are realistic.
- How the shop has grown from its inception, with plans to extend the space by double.
- Why the shop is so immaculate, which Will attributes to his military background.
- Why he doesn’t treat his staff like normal employees but as experts in their fields.
- Why his interest in cars isn’t about them being cool, but that they hold meaning for people.
- His belief that rush hour traffic is an example of how we can work together as a society.
- Where his education comes from: exposure, not a college degree!
- Why it's a high ticket kind of business: he has the experience, technology, and network.
- The restoration piece of his job and why Will tailors his service to what people need.
- Why he finds sourcing parts and supplies the most difficult parts of his job.
- The emotional rollercoaster of restoring a vehicle, which he holds a client’s hands through.
- Hear the story of Jay Leno’s limousine style Rolls-Royce and how he brought it to Will.
- Will’s message to other business owners: let people help you!
- A reminder that it takes fortitude not to give up and to find business success.
- Why you’re in a far better position to build a business yourself than being given one.
Tweetables:
“I want to do something where people’s expectations are realistic. They’re told upfront: this is the real situation, this is what the real cost could be, and your car may or may not be worth doing.” — Will Patterson [0:20:50]
“If we think of one thing that everyone in the world is connected to right now, it’s their cars.” — Will Patterson [0:29:10]
“One way to become successful is by surrounding yourself with people that will help you. Don’t be afraid to ask for help and get help. Just make sure to give it back along the way somehow.” — Will Patterson [0:56:56]
Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:
Rehab Garage
Rehab Garage on Facebook
Will Patterson on LinkedIn
