Inside an independent: Revisited

Back in 2019 MotorPro magazine paid a trip to Carmaster in Harrogate. A family run business that was pioneering customer service and people management approaches. A lot has changed since then, so we returned to find out how Carmaster boss Rebecca Pullan adapted to some big headwinds.

How did COVID accelerate your plans for the business?

COVID made me take my office home – a move that was forced on me a little sooner than hoped. We took on a general manager, Graham Salt in November 2020 because my husband Dave and I were planning ahead to taking May off to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary.

Bringing in Graham was also planned with a longer-term view of stepping back and enabling the business to be worth more money before the ultimate goal of selling it. With Dave and I stepping back to a part-time role and Graham running things day-to-day, I thought it would increase the value.

How did the transfer of power progress?

I was diagnosed with breast cancer and I was pretty sick with it. Up until that point, I was really organised, slowly passing over responsibility, but then suddenly, I had to throw it all at him when I was ill. Thankfully, he caught it all beautifully. And actually I have to admit he now does a lot of things better than I’ve ever done!

I had the opportunity to go back, but I can't and it’s not fair to do that because I know the type of person I am and I’d be meddling with everything! So I work from home, 12 hours a week doing a variety of jobs such as working on branding, health and safety checks – anything that needs doing.

How did COVID affect Carmaster operationally?

We were open the entire time – we didn’t even shut for one day. We had a contract that we’d legally signed up to and they weren't going to budge because they were on the road as key workers. So they made the decision for us, which was actually great, because we were pretty much the only garage in our area to stay open. We rotated the staff and we tried to look after it as much as we could, but it was stressful.

It meant we were dealing with people at the extremes of the spectrum. There didn’t seem to be anyone in the middle – they were either worried sick about it all or not fussed and very dismissive! But we had to be careful, because not all staff members felt the same, which meant lots of juggling. But we are a great team and worked together as one big family.

How have you managed growth in the business?

We now have 16 full-time staff, compared with 12 back in 2019. Graham was an expensive addition, but he is very good at his job and helped relieve the stress surrounding my illness, so it was a very good decision to bring him on board. We’ve also continued our commitment to training – we do masses of it and I think it’s the only way you can keep staff.

Why has adopting Garage Hive software has been a game-changer for the business?
We moved specifically to Garage Hive because I thought it would help us on our long marathon journey of removing ourselves from the business to allow eventually for a sale. I was looking for something that I could manage and see everything remotely. I was already working on that project before we went through the major changes, but I wasn't expecting it to be so successful so quickly.

It enabled us to clearly see which jobs made more money than others, so we have chosen to give up variety of contracts to allow us more time for the more profitable elements of the business.

How are you bucking the traditional perception of garages?

Everyone who joins us has to sign our mission statement. We keep the bathrooms clean, embrace recycling, try to make little steps forward that might not be commonplace in the industry. Seeing how garages and garage owners are portrayed on soap operas is just so painful! So we try to do as much as we can to challenge that perception and we have exciting times ahead.

Is the free breakfast you talked about in 2019 still just as popular?

If people are hungry at the start of the day, they can’t work properly. Some members of staff will arrive early just to have breakfast and it's our pleasure to see them. It costs very little and is just a small thing that can make a big difference. They are welcome to it anytime – if somebody wants to stay after work and have food then, there’ll be no judgement from us. It’s just one of the things we are proud of in the business – looking after staff the best we can.

The original Inside and Independent article that featured Carmaster was published in the MotorPro magazine Issue Two in 2019. IMI's MotorPro magazine is received free as part of IMI membership.