Ben Churchland still remembers the advice given to him by a friend shortly after taking over the reigns of a much-loved business in town.
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"The first three years would be the hardest," the owner of Ben's Auto Repair and Service Centre recalled.
"And if we could get through that, then we'd be fine."
Almost five years to the day after purchasing the March Street business from Steve Kay, it's fair to say Mr Churchland is happy he took the plunge.
![Ben Churchland, owner of Ben's Auto Repair and Service Centre, has enjoyed the past five years. Picture by Carla Freedman Ben Churchland, owner of Ben's Auto Repair and Service Centre, has enjoyed the past five years. Picture by Carla Freedman](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/YN4FA67iw2pXwXjwm2vmnJ/d2f9ba4f-d157-4815-be1d-b91438c7adb2.JPG/r0_422_8256_5082_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
"Initially it was nerve-wracking, just because you don't know the outcomes and whether you're going to survive," he added.
"But business got bigger and busier. It was crazy."
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Of course, the decision to buy the shop wasn't a heat of the moment choice. In fact, it had been about eight years in the making.
You see, when Mr Churchland first joined Steve Kay Automotive Repairs, as it was known back in 2010, there was every intention from both parties that the newcomer would one day run things.
Although it took a little longer than each initially anticipated, the changing of the guard came in 2018.
Little did Mr Churchland know that a global pandemic was right around the corner to make life as a small business owner that little bit more difficult.
![Ben Churchland has always had a love for cars. Picture by Carla Freedman Ben Churchland has always had a love for cars. Picture by Carla Freedman](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/YN4FA67iw2pXwXjwm2vmnJ/5f9c204c-68a7-4227-a3d8-e2d7c4f1e1ee.JPG/r0_422_8256_5082_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
"That was pretty concerning," he said.
"But once we got through the first three weeks of it, things were continuing as normal for the most part."
Mr Churchland always had a love for cars, dating back to his days as a child hanging around his uncle's mechanic business in Dubbo.
So when you love your work, it's no surprise that some days just fly by.
"I enjoy what I do and the boys here enjoy it. We come in and have a joke, have a laugh," he said.
"Things are quite busy at the moment where we head in at 8am and all of a sudden we're heading out at 5pm. It's definitely been a good move, definitely."
And although Mr Churchland has a few more decades left to go before he can retire like his predecessor, there's one thing in particular that keeps a smile on his face.
"We've got second generation, third generation customers. One of the parts that I enjoy most is talking to them and catching up," he said.
"Apart from that, we just turn up and do what we do."
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