"If we would have planned it, it probably never would have happened." That's Aaron O'Connor's take on the founding of his Dolgeville, NY, shop, Automotive Rescue + Repair. Twelve years ago, when O'Connor was working as a tow truck operator, he passed through Dolgeville on a service run.
"I saw an old service station building someone was looking to rent for just $350 a month," he says. Believing the area was in need of quality shops — and confident he was up to the task of creating one — O'Connor jumped at the opportunity and rented the location. He's never looked back.In the decade since his fortuitous journey through Dolgeville, O'Connor has continued building his business by taking advantage of the opportunities at hand, opportunities that often first appear as serious problems but eventually turn out to be auto repair gold.
But O'Connor had an ace up his sleeve. Years before, he took advantage of an opportunity and purchased property he believed to be ideal for a shop site. With property in hand, he needed only to finance the shop itself.
Today, that shop repairs more than 50 cars a week, bringing in more than $650,000 annually. It continues to thrive in large part by making the most of business opportunities — many of which are drawn to its doors by its towing services. Towing contributes significantly to the shop's bottom line, and brings in a steady stream of new faces with whom the shop can build long-term relationships.
Even when these visits turn into one-time only affairs (towing customers often are from out of town), they still possess significant value to Automotive Rescue. The shop gets one more chance to help customers, build its reputation and work toward the next opportunity.
Tim Sramcik is a freelance writer who has covered the auto repair industry for more than eight years. He has received national and regional awards for feature writing from the American Society of Business Publication Editors (ASBPE). He also has 18 years of experience in the technical writing industry.
