Today we’d like to introduce you to Nick Toffolon.
Hi Nick, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I started T&T Foreign Automotive Service in the spring of 1990. I had worked at dealerships before and decided to try it out on my own. I rented a 1 bay shop near where we lived, which at the time was kind of out in the country. No heat and no lift. I did have a few customers that followed me from the dealership but it was a struggle starting out. I can remember checking the phone to make sure it was still working because it was not ringing. After maybe a year in that 1 bay I moved to our current location, same parking lot but a 4 bay shop. Worked by myself at first and then hired a tech. 35 years later we have grown to 3 techs, an advisor and myself. We have learned alot along the way, been blessed with some great customers and have seen them grow up, get married and now we work on their kids vehicles.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I think for almost anyone that has a small business it is almost always a struggle. Trying to manage and grow is difficult. We are not big enough to afford an IT person, etc so you have to be able to be the maintenance person, plumber, etc. Also automotive technology changes quickly, vehicle models change every couple of years so you have to stay up to date on how to diagnose and repair the new features. Covid was difficult because not many people were driving, almost everyone was working from home.
As you know, we’re big fans of T&T Foreign Automotive Service. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
We have been in business for 35 years. Started out as a Honda/Acura shop and did that for many years before branching out to do all Asian imports. What sets us apart is our customer service, we work very hard to make sure that our customers want to keep coming back to us for service. We now service Asian/Domestic vehicles, Honda, Acura, Lexus, Toyota, Ford, GM, etc. We do maintenance, repairs and all types of service and offer a 3 year, 36,000 mile warranty.
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
Being a small business is all about taking risks. Hiring that person that you are not sure you can afford. Buying that expensive piece of equipment that you have to figure out how to pay for. You can suffer from paralysis of analysis but at some point you have to trust your decision. I have found that you learn more from mistakes than successes so even the wrong decision is sometimes better than no decision.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://tandtforeignauto.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TandTforeignautomotive/
