Ever since I was a boy I have been fascinated with cars. When driving along in the back of the family car I would challenge myself to call out every single make and model of car that drove past, and paid particular attention to the fast ones!
My main goal in life as a teenager was to buy my first car, pass my test and the world would then be my oyster. And so my first car, a customised VW Beetle, was my pride and joy and went through a series of incarnations as every penny I had went into customising it from top to bottom.
The real dream however was to have another rear engined, German engineered, piece of art, a Porsche 911. So in my early career as a graphic designer my main motivation to earn money was to fund my obsession with cars, in particular, Porsches.
I’ve now been lucky enough to own many fast cars over the years, and the number of Porsches has got into double figures such has been my obsession. I’ve joined the Porsche clubs, attended loads of Porsche rallies and sponsored a Porsche in a race series for a couple of seasons. And so when a friend and client of mine asked me to join him and his business partner in a venture founding a supercar experience business, it seemed like the perfect fit.
My role would be marketing and strategy, whilst the other two partners would run the day to day business and manage the cars. We all chipped in, donated cars and set about raising the funds to put together a fantastic fleet of vehicles and all of the infrastructure that goes with it.
"The first year was an exciting one,
but as new ventures always are, very, very hard work."
The first year was an exciting one, but as new ventures always are, very, very hard work. As I had other businesses to run as my “day” jobs, I would end up spending my weekends at race tracks all over the UK, presenting safety briefings and managing customer service issues. My family life suffered, and the amount of time that I actually spent driving the cars was minimal. It soon became clear that living the supercar dream wasn’t as flash as it seemed!
The biggest learning curve from founding and running that business for me was the effect that it had on my love for fast cars. Once you’ve driven a McLaren and a Ferrari back to back on a racetrack before you start work for the day, driving any sports car on the road feels mundane. By the time that I exited the business my love of fast cars had pretty much gone, something I would never have imagined possible only a couple of years previous.
"I found that turning my hobby into my
work actually took away some of the joy"
So, in my experience, I found that turning my hobby into my work actually took away some of the joy I found from having fun in my cars at the weekend. Driving a car that you’ve saved hard for, spent a long time searching for and then fastidiously maintained and cherished, is a far cry from running a fleet of supercars that need to earn their keep.
What I take away from this is not to confuse my hobbies with my work, as it can take the fun out of your weekend escapes, something that is vital when you push yourself hard during the week. I love my day job but I wouldn’t want it as a hobby, I now appreciate my hobbies more, but I don’t want them to be my job!
However, I didn’t learn my lesson, I sold my shares in the supercar business and bought a pub and brewery, but that’s another story!
