
A Fast Five – Learning to How Balance My Passion With My Livelihood
Hurray! In a few days I will celebrate five years as a small business owner. I often believe I have made it over the hump, but I know enough to never become complacent when moving forward. I hear a lot about “Living the Dream,” but there are some days I wish I had a boss to dump stuff on, weekends and vacation days, and was back on a “Direct Deposit” plan. But yeah, mostly, things are working out the way I had hoped.
While the automobile restoration business may not move at the speeds of the high tech industry, it certainly doesn’t remain static. Marque values fluctuate, the economy ebbs and flows, projects explode, regulations change, and costs and taxes never go down. These are all things I found I needed to pay attention to in order to stay current.
Without a doubt, I have been blessed with talented employees and grateful customers which have allowed us to deliver exceptional cars and grow our reputation as a place to bring work to if you want it done properly. It would be far easier to provide “good enough” work, even when you know it should be superior quality. By delivering best quality, I have found few things more satisfying than having people comment in superlatives when they see our work in person.
“Good enough” wouldn’t get us the same reactions, and won’t be enough to sustain the future reputation of Sport and Specialty which began twenty plus years ago. Without any snide comments from my friends who may playfully disagree, the good news is I’m still young and enthusiastic enough to do this for quite a while.
It’s been an interesting trip in making the move from hobbyist to professional. I am keenly aware of the slippery slope of losing your passion once your passion becomes your livelihood. I have found that an important part of staying passionate, is being passionate. You must also, work, race, and play with others who share your love of vintage sports and collector cars. Without the support of my circle of
long time car friends I might never have even tried this move. I have also been extremely fortunate to have developed new friendships with some of the nicest, most helpful, and sincerely genuine folks ever.
So, basically, I need my talented employees, valued customers, and wonderful friends and family to accept my profound thanks for your support and loyalty over these past five years. I’m looking forward to our new projects and next adventures! I can’t wait to see what the next five bring.
We’ll continue to grow, and I’ll continue to have fun…..All aboard!
Read More of My Blog Posts
2022 Open House & Car Show – July 23rd!
Put Saturday July 23rd on your calendar for the 2022 Sport and Specialty Open House and Car Show. Bring any marque, model, or year of car, but get there. Daily drivers welcome! Bring a friend, take a drive, and see what we’re working on and finishing up. We expect...
Buy, Sell, Hold: Spotlight #7 – The state of classic, collector, and even electric conversion cars
As many of my friends will tell you (and others too), if you ask me a question I will give you the most heartfelt answer I can. Sometimes they're even amusing...... Thanks to Darin Roberge of Motorwerks Marketing and Sports Car Market Magazine for the time on...
The Proper Color for the Car
There was a story I read some years ago that Ford had a computer program that wouldn’t allow them to order and build a car with odd looking interior and exterior color combinations. In the restoration business we are those computers. When customers bring their cars to...
The Amelia, auction bought car quality, AZ vs. Amelia, and other topics on another Driven Radio appearance
I was happily re-invited to yet another podcast interview, with the guys at the Drive Radio Show. It’s hosted by Brett Hatfield, auto journalist, Auction Analyst for Sports Car Market, and editor of readthedriven.com, plus Corey Pratt of Craving Cars from YouTube, and...
The 1939 Alfa 6C at The Amelia
Some years ago my friend Andy Reid invited me to bunk in with him at The Hilton Head Concours. We had a great time and have mostly roomed together when our schedules allow. For Amelia we have been doing VRBO places with our friends Peter Singhof and Dirk De Jager,...
Catching up with the Sport and Specialty crew
For 9 years now I’ve managed the website for Sport and Specialty and one of my favorite parts of the job is that I spend time with the guys catching up on their work, their goings-on, and drooling over the cars under their care. This year was no different, but the...
Telling Stories on the Driven Radio Show
I was happily invited to yet another podcast interview, this time to have some fun with the guys at the Drive Radio Show. It's hosted by Brett Hatfield, auto journalist, Auction Analyst for Sports Car Market, and editor of readthedriven.com, plus Corey Pratt of...
What is the Digital Path Forward?
There’s a genuine satisfaction in being asked your opinion on a professional topic. It usually means that your opinion carries some weight as an expert. When the request is from Keith Martin’s Sports Car Market, it’s particularly satisfying. I was asked to join a...
Podcasting with “Assorted Conversations”
I added podcasting to my portfolio of interviews lately, and it was a great time. My friends Helen and Maureen explore people’s pursuit of their passions through their podcast “Assorted Conversations”. These conversations are with individuals who have found that...
SCM Buy Sell Hold Spotlight with John Saccameno
I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Sports car Market Magazine's John Nikas about the history of Sport and Specialty and how we all ended up here. It was a fun little piece, and very well put together. Listen in and let me know what you think. -John Read More...
Pictures and Thanks from Open House 2021!
I want to take a moment to thank everyone who took the time to drive out and join us Saturday at our Third Annual Sport and Specialty Open House. To those of you who struggled with previous commitments, rest assured we’ll be here again next year. It may have taken...
Sport and Specialty Open House 2021!
Reserve Saturday August 21 for the third annual Sport and Specialty Open House and Car Show. Bring any marque, model, or year of car, but get there. Daily drivers welcome! Bring a friend, take a drive, and see what we’re working on and finishing up. We expect many of...