TURNING A HOBBY INTO A BUSINESS

26 year old Heath Lennox is the proud business owner of Adrenalin Auto and Performance located in Regina. He has been in business for more than 3 years.

Heath learned a lot from his father who operated a small engine repair business. Together they worked on snow mobiles and small engines. Heath bought his first car when he was only 13 year old. As the years went by more and more of his friends were bringing their cars to him for repairs. Heath then recognized he could turn a hobby into a business. On May 14th 2005 he open his first garage, two year later he relocated to his present location on St. John Street.

Heath had the support of his parents and received assistance from the Entrepreneurs with Disabilities Program. A Business Counsellor worked with Heath to prepare a business plan that was used to secure financing for start-up costs. Heath receives the Entrepreneur's Business Bulletin which gives him new ideas for marketing and improving business operations.

Heath has 2 employees but has enough work that he is looking at hiring another mechanic. They work on any kind of vehicle but specialize in performance vehicles, off-road 4x4 trucks and hot rods. His clientele are of all ages but younger people make up the majority of his customers base.

When asked what advice he would give someone wanting to start a business, he said, “I would stress that it’s very important to start small and keep you over-head low, so borrow only what you absolutely need to borrow and build up later.”

When asked what the challenges of running his business were, he said “finding and retaining good employees is the most frustrating aspect, along with finding reliable parts suppliers. I want to become better at managing people and putting systems in place so I can focus more on the marketing.”

Heath wants to invite anyone looking for an auto repair shop they can trust to “TAKE THEIR VEHILCE TO THE NEXT LEVEL.” to contact: Adrenalin Auto and Performance at 1136 St. John Street, Regina, SK phone: 721-2886 (auto).

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