{"id":34311,"date":"2024-11-22T16:15:37","date_gmt":"2024-11-22T05:15:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/turo.com\/blog\/australia\/?p=34311"},"modified":"2024-11-22T16:15:40","modified_gmt":"2024-11-22T05:15:40","slug":"how-this-queensland-mechanic-turned-his-workshop-into-a-car-sharing-powerhouse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/turo.com\/blog\/australia\/community\/how-this-queensland-mechanic-turned-his-workshop-into-a-car-sharing-powerhouse\/","title":{"rendered":"How this Queensland mechanic turned his workshop into a car sharing powerhouse"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Queensland mechanic Neil has turned his workshop into a thriving car sharing business \u2013 and he\u2019s confident mechanics across Australia could find similar success.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Neil fell into hosting more or less by chance. He had a spare car he was thinking of selling, but once he noticed the lack of Turo hosts in Queensland, he decided to take a leap and list it instead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That decision paid off: \u201cThere was no one in Queensland doing it at the time. I just put that car up, and it was rented out pretty much the whole month.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After the success of his first listing, Neil kept adding more vehicles to his portfolio and found demand remained strong with each addition. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

His cars were booked out almost constantly, making him realise that Turo wasn\u2019t just a simple side hustle \u2013 it could be a fully-fledged, scalable business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Learn more about hosting on Turo<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Neil\u2019s unique edge<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Neil is no stranger to entrepreneurship. He\u2019s owned numerous businesses in the past, including cafes, service stations, and furniture stores, and now runs a successful mechanic workshop. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Having his own workshop gives him a significant edge in his car sharing business because he can seamlessly integrate the two. It\u2019s a model he wholeheartedly recommends to other mechanics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, he can store his cars in his shop without paying extra leasing expenses. Plus, he can access parts and tyres for much less, reducing his overall operating costs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf you\u2019ve got 20 cars and you had to lease a building to store them, then you\u2019d have another cost,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t have that \u2013 the cost is already offset by leasing this shop. The power, the storage, everything\u2019s already covered through this business. Essentially, the car sharing business has no overheads.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The main advantage, though, is that Neil can run his business more efficiently, maximising the number of bookings he gets each day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf we do a service, someone will bring the car back today at three o\u2019clock, we\u2019ll have it serviced by four, back on the road by five, washed, ready to go, and then someone can pick it up tonight \u2013 so our downtime is tiny,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are plenty of benefits for his guests, too. His workshop\u2019s location in Queensland makes for a convenient pick-up point. It\u2019s also open daily and staffed throughout the day, providing security and reliability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt makes it a lot easier, from a customer perspective, to pick up the car because we\u2019re here and we\u2019re active,\u201d he says. \u201cThey feel safe [because] we\u2019re a legit business and we\u2019re under security cameras.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Neil adds that mechanics could also incentivise their existing customers and boost their revenue by having loan cars on hand during repairs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou can then get an additional revenue and income stream from that,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s just a better way to embed your mechanic brand in the community.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All in all, Neil believes hosting is a logical next step for automotive businesses: \u201cIf you\u2019re an independent mechanic, it\u2019s an absolute no-brainer.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Rent your car out on Turo<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Giving back to the Turo community<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Between managing his car sharing business and mechanic workshop, Neil has found the time to set up a YouTube channel that shares his Turo journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His videos provide insight into his hosting experience, covering his earnings strategies, wins and challenges. His goal is to inspire potential hosts and help others achieve similar success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m trying to provide some educational content for people who want to do their own Turo, whether it\u2019s one car or 10 cars, and hopefully they can get something out of that,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOr if we get to a point of 20, 50, 100 cars, hopefully they can follow me on that journey and feel inspired to do the same thing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Driving his business into the future<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Neil\u2019s excited about his future on Turo and the growth possibilities for his car sharing business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He currently has 10 cars in his portfolio but has his sights set on an even more ambitious goal: he wants to build his collection to 50 or even 100 cars, possibly turning his business into a large-scale enterprise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s growing and seeing that I can build a real business \u2013 not just a little side hustle paying a few bills. I have a chance to grow a substantial, potentially million-dollar business with higher cash flow,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He envisages adding unique rides like a supercar to his portfolio, which could be hired out for special occasions or by car enthusiasts and families booking for a memorable activity. He\u2019s also thinking of expanding his car sharing business to Brisbane, where he owns another workshop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This future potential has reignited his passion for entrepreneurship and given him a newfound drive. Overall, he\u2019s feeling really positive about the direction he\u2019s heading.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s by far the most enjoyable thing I\u2019ve done \u2026 I absolutely love it,\u201d he says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI haven\u2019t had that mojo for a long time \u2013 of going through that growth phase and being excited about something \u2013 and I\u2019m right there. This makes me feel young again, and I\u2019m really, really enjoying the process.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Start hosting on Turo<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Queensland mechanic Neil has turned his workshop into a thriving car sharing business \u2013 and he\u2019s confident mechanics across Australia could find similar success. Neil fell into hosting more or…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":34312,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[51],"class_list":["post-34311","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","tag-australia"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t