Hard to believe we started our first auto repair service business in this truck over 13 years ago!
Our 1982 Chevy Blazer was our 4 wheeler and just a toy, so we thought! God had bigger plans for it and for us! We started our first business in 2002, when I was very pregnant with Graci and a stay at home mama to Merci. Norm was working at a job that had asked him to be dishonest. Instead of going with his boss and the owner of the shop, he chose honesty and quit. We had $100 to our name and bills were due in a week! God inspired me to tell my husband, “What about starting the mobile auto service you’ve always talked about?” We went to Wal-mart, picked up printer cartridges with matching american flag paper and business cards and hit the ground running. We spent $60 of the $100 we had! We were both worried about paying our bills, but trusted that God would provide for our family as He always had shown us in the past. This Blazer was with us from the very beginning. It’s even in our engagement photo! :)
November 1999
Within a month of staring our mobile auto service, we had our first service van – a 1984 Ford E350 van! The rest is history!
We’re grateful we’ve been able to help so many people with their vehicles!
We now run one of the best auto repair shops in Denver!
Hello my name is Matt Hines. My story is also like yours. I am currently in a Job that the boss has asked me to be dishonest and has said some very disconcerting things about our family. We are Christians and feel it is time to do somthing else. So I have decided to start my own mobile car repair also. We are based in northern Idaho. It is scary and worrisome for my wife. I have about 20 years experience. I need help talking this all through with my wife. I know deep down she trusts me but it is still very difficult. Any advice? Thanks
Hi Matt,
Thank you for reading our blog. We completely understand the position you are in. We have been there. We feel humbled that you have asked us for our advice. The one thing we can tell you is that while we do not regret the journey we started that led us to the point we are at now, we must admit it was extremely difficult. We have gone through periods of selling cars to pay the bills and getting food stamps to actually making a decent living. We are very far from becoming rich from auto repair even at this point almost 14 years later. The one thing we can say about where we are at now is that it was worth the work and sacrifices we had to make because we are no longer under the thumb of a dishonest boss. We now see after all these years the motivation for our ex-bosses dishonesty. While we do not agree with it and won’t ever will, we are starting to think that only way we will become rich in this profession is to be dishonest. If you are a good, honest person like us and want to make a good living, you can find it in this industry, but it will be a long, hard road. To this day, even in our current state of success, we often ponder if there is more success possible in other industries.
What we are saying is it’s going to be tough, but it’s going to be worth it. Just go for it, but expect hard times ahead. You and your wife both have to agree to work at it together. We are a team and do it together. That’s why we are as successful as we are. In the beginning years, Heidi had a very small part to play and we were not nearly as successful. As far as starting a mobile auto service, the hardest part was the weather. The biggest mistake we made in the beginning was charging ultra low prices to attract customers. Our idea was that low prices would attract more customers. The opposite effect happened in that people felt our prices were too low and they were somehow receiving sub-standard work. We noticed that the customers that were the most happy with us were the jobs we charged a good amount and close to what others were charging. The worst customers you will work for are “bargain hunters” that care only about price until something goes wrong, then they want you to back up the repair like they paid three times as much. Even in the case that you explain the ultra cheap price comes with no warranty.
Long story short, you will not get rich unless you want to become like the bosses you currently work for, but you can make an honest good living and sleep at night. You will rest good knowing you have not made an unfair living for lies that robbed others of some ability to feed their families. Your wife will have to work just as hard as you at promoting the good work you are out there doing. The best part of starting a mobile auto repair company is that people love to feed you and give you drinks etc while you work on their cars. Norm worked at some beautiful locations in the mountains and on big estates that were amazing. We wish you luck on your journey! Feel free to ask us any other questions you have.
Blessings, Norm & Heidi