KEY POINTS:
Name: Doreen Gibbs
Age: 40
Role: Owner of two automotive repair workshops; Mayne Automotive Onehunga and Mayne Automotive Penrose.
Working hours: 24/7! In this economic environment I'm on deck the whole time.
Average salary: Because I work a 60-80 hour week it works out just above minimum wage of $12 an hour.
Qualifications and institution: No formal qualifications. Learned from my dad.
Describe what you do on a regular basis.
I'm front-of-house at the Penrose workshop. I meet and greet the clients when they bring their vehicles in. I oversee the vehicle diagnoses, liaise with the client, problem solve and cost the job.
Why did you choose this line of work?
I have always loved the automotive trade and am passionate about being in business so bringing the two together makes for a dream career. I like the autonomy of my own business, I get to meet great people, am never bored, am constantly challenged and - on the whole - live my life with more flexibility than if I was someone else's employee. I've always enjoyed working in a supposedly "man's world" and breaking down the stereotypes and I'm now following my dream by running women-owned mechanical repair workshops.
Why cars?
I love the simplicity of cars; you take them apart, repair or fix the problem and put them back together. It is very satisfying.
As a youngster I spent lots of time with my Dad in his shed fixing neighbour's lawnmowers and their cars. Dad was an engineer and I learned many of the basics from him. Cars were pretty uncomplicated then and Dad was always helping someone with a fuel pump problem or similar. Nowadays cars are much more complicated and it pays to have the right equipment and diagnostic scanners. I invest heavily in this equipment so we can diagnose all makes and models.
Your history?
When I left school I worked in the parts department of a large motor franchise for 10 years which gave me great depth of understanding of the car trade on a technical level as well as the importance of customer service skills.
I so enjoyed the work that when I met the father of my son - a mechanic - we started up a small automotive workshop. Initially there was only the two of us so I had to help on the floor. Suddenly all that time spent mucking around in Dad's shed came to fruition! I was doing brakes and servicing work and ordering the parts. At night I would do the invoicing and accounts. When we split up, I simply got another business partner, who happened to be a woman, and we went from there.
What sort of training or experience do you need to be a mechanic?
I believe the most comprehensive way to become a mechanic is to do a pre-trade certificate through schemes like MITO, Unitec or Skills Update, then get an apprenticeship so that you can gain practical experience while doing the theory units. After qualifying you can choose to go into sales and administrative roles within the industry.
Best part of the job?
Working with cars and people. Meeting clients on a daily basis, and working with our staff, which includes eight mechanics and two front-of-house staff. I also love the way new technology extends my learning.
Most challenging part?
I have had to get up to speed accountancy-wise. This has been vital in setting up the second workshop. I don't take my eye off cash flow, so I am involved on a day-to-day basis with the accounts. I didn't get this far to give up when times are tough. Define success in this job.
As the automotive workshops are owned and operated by women we have tried to develop this as a point of difference with our service.
Getting your car fixed is a painful cost; a bit like the dentist. We aim to make it as painless as possible by having courtesy cars and quoting first so clients know what to budget for. We find clients, men and women, love to know what is wrong with the car in lay terms and to see the parts that were broken or the wear and tear.
Any interesting one-off projects?
We currently have a marketing campaign called the "love campaign". The posters and banners all have hearts on them and it's a way to feminise the automotive workshop stereotype.
Advice to someone wanting to do same thing?
It's incredibly important to find a niche in the market; your point of difference. Once you establish that, then you have to operate your business 150 per cent. And never get complacent.
