Entrepreneur: Tara DeBruin

Business: Ladies Choice AutoCare
"Home of the Driving Divas"
1872 Main St W
Hamilton, ON L8S 1H7
Phone: (905) 524-9853
www.ladieschoiceautopro.com
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DRIVING DIVA A DRIVING FORCE IN BUSINESS

Behind every good auto mechanic – there is a Diva! At least that is what has happened in Tara DeBruin’s world.

Tara will laugh if you call her a Driving Diva, but after closing her own business to help her husband with his auto repair business, Tara discovered she had a unique view on auto repair – and that there was a trend emerging.

A mother of an eleven year old and two year old twins, Tara has also been her husbands ‘partner in grime’ in his auto repair business.

“I let Mike run the shop – but I spend a good deal of my time working with customers” she explains. “And I noticed a definite trend. More and more women were bringing the cars in for repairs and maintenance.”

Her husband Mike was an expert in the garage but he didn’t have a business background. Tara, on the other hand sat back and watched his market, through observation, through his clients, and through research – what she discovered was very interesting. And because she had a women’s perspective she began to notice a trend. Women were talking to her – and she was discovering that a bond a trust was forming with them and their shop because of the kind of service that they offered.

“In most cases a lot of women were commenting that they are not getting the level of service that they want. That they’re treated differently, (the way they’re spoken to is) either condescending or very technical, almost to the point that it’s intimidating,” she said.

Tara had also noticed that client's liked to return to their shop because they received not only good repairs – but also thorough explanations.

But for Tara this was only the beginning of a much bigger picture. She began to wonder why it was that most auto shops catered to male customers when in fact just as many women were beginning to come in.

And maybe it was the two year olds in tow that made Tara think about the mom’s coming in to drop off their cars, or perhaps it was the amount of time she found herself out at the shop herself – but something made Tara begin to think about how women feel when they come in for repairs. And one of things Tara thought was important was that clients had a comfortable place to spend their time while waiting for or picking up their vehicles.

“I decided that in addition to great service – that we should be catering better to the rest of the car care needs of our clients. I mean of over half of them were women – why shouldn’t we offer them the kind of service and environment the wanted and needed?”

From there her idea began to grow. It was the beginning of Ladies Choice AutoCare.

“Not only are we automotive repairs and maintenance, we are also a resource for information and advice. For instance, we offer women’s car care clinics and travel safe seminars geared for parents, covering road safety for car seats. We offer free installations for car seats by our St John Ambulance trained technicians. It’s all around safety awareness,” said Tara who, together with her husband, operate this specialized automotive centre.

When it comes down to women’s car care clinics and travel safety seminars women really appreciate the information and having an opportunity to receive this type of information. It’s more interactive, where they can solve issues, etc. At Ladies Choice AutoCare, Tara says that women will learn many useful things like: what to do in an emergency situation, things to look for, minor maintenance, and understanding what the technicians are doing to their cars.

Tara aspires to be the Martha Stewart of the automotive world, giving women education through information, and putting it into a package designed by and for women.

“I look at the automotive business and see getting this information and putting it into a package for women…That’s the whole idea of the women’s car care clinic, to come in with more information under their belt if they can make informed decisions and to know when to walk away.”