revving up the community engine
In 2015 Tim Hoffman was riding the high on business success, and had no clue about the blow that was awaiting him.
He’d just won regional Young Entrepreneur of the Year after taking over his father’s Holden dealership and car servicing business Oaten & Hoffman the year before. He’d been recognised for being Holden’s number one dealer in Australia for sales over target and was enjoying 100% customer satisfaction ratings.
Then in June last year he received unexpected news from Holden. “Our dealer agreement expired at the end of December and we found out they wouldn’t be renewing our contract.”
Tim’s initial reaction was shock. Oaten & Hoffman, which was founded in 1977, had been a successful Holden dealer for more than 30 years and was still enjoying sales growth.
“Holden had just decided to reduce their network by 30 dealers across Australia, and we were one of the unlucky ones affected,” Tim says.
The Holden dealership accounted for just over half of Oaten & Hoffman’s revenue, and Tim wondered whether the business would survive.
He started by keeping people updated. “I wanted all our loyal customers to know what was happening and why. I put an article in the paper, on our Facebook page, and sent our customers a letter.”
The Kyogle community responded strongly. “We had such good community support – both emotionally and financially,” Tim said.
Customers who had previously brought in only one car for servicing, brought in all their cars, Tim said. And people contacted Holden directly to let them know what a great business Oaten & Hoffman was.
Meanwhile, Tim went into recovery mode. He searched for a suitable car dealership to replace Holden, without success. He invested in new diagnostic tools and technology for his servicing and repairs workshop and promoted this arm of the business. In October, he was approached by the Swedish outdoor power products company Husqvarna, and accepted their franchise offer.
Less than one year on, and Oaten & Hoffman is back on track. There have been some hard lessons learned for Tim in the four years since he’s headed up the business, but he’s philosophical.
“I’ve learned a bit of resilience,” he says.
“As a business owner you can spend so much time on small things that are reasonably irrelevant, I’ve learned not to get too stressed about those little things.”
Share this story
Read more stories
putting the business into ‘show business’
https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Brainstorm-Productions-image2-scaled.jpg 2560 1709 In Good Company | Northern Rivers In Good Company | Northern Rivers https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Brainstorm-Productions-image2-scaled.jpgBrainstorm Productions
You might think that COVID-19 would rattle a business that delivers educational theatre into schools. But the “show must go on” mentality runs deep for Brainstorm Productions’ founder and artistic director Jenny Johnson…
spirit of the rainforest
https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/cape-byron-distellery-002.jpg 960 540 In Good Company | Northern Rivers In Good Company | Northern Rivers https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/cape-byron-distellery-002.jpgCape Byron Distillery
Let’s forget the beaches for a moment, as the true lifeblood of the Northern Rivers landscape is surely its rainforests, some of the most botanically…
local, seasonal, transformative gem hits town
https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/jane.jpg 960 639 In Good Company | Northern Rivers In Good Company | Northern Rivers https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/jane.jpgGateway Fine Foods and Catering
Debbie McQueen has three words of advice for anyone starting a business in Kyogle: flexibility, perseverance and patience. They’re three traits Debbie…
planting natural beauty
https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/biologi-product-shot-scaled.jpg 2048 2560 In Good Company | Northern Rivers In Good Company | Northern Rivers https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/biologi-product-shot-scaled.jpgBiologi
There was a little bit of the “weird spirit of Byron Bay” in the 2017 creation of the natural skincare range, Biologi, says co-owner Lucy Macdougald of her chance meeting with Ross Macdougald, who is now both her business partner and husband…
ahead of time on equality and agility
https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/hurfoods_hardwood_002.jpg 1000 667 In Good Company | Northern Rivers In Good Company | Northern Rivers https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/hurfoods_hardwood_002.jpgHurford Hardwood
When Olive Hurford told the bank manager she’d be looking after the accounts of her husband’s new building company, the story goes…
let’s get physical
https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/grafton_physio_business_story_001.jpg 2000 1165 In Good Company | Northern Rivers In Good Company | Northern Rivers https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/grafton_physio_business_story_001.jpgGrafton Physio + Sport
You know you’re in good hands when you visit your physiotherapist and she turns out to be a world-class athlete. That’s the case for those who…
Dance call for Kyogle
https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Ascent-Dance_group-dancers.jpg 1473 828 In Good Company | Northern Rivers In Good Company | Northern Rivers https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Ascent-Dance_group-dancers.jpgAscent Dance
Starting a dance school just five weeks before the onset of a pandemic might have dampened the spirits of some new business owners, but Haylee Holliday took it as a sign that Ascent Dance Studio had to succeed.
Position, people, poached eggs and a president
https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Caperberry_James-Allan-scaled.jpg 2560 1920 In Good Company | Northern Rivers In Good Company | Northern Rivers https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Caperberry_James-Allan-scaled.jpgCaperberry and Flinders Rose
What makes an entire family move from three different cities to live together in a quiet coastal town? Great coffee.
not just a business, a community partner
https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/stone-and-wood-001.jpg 960 761 In Good Company | Northern Rivers In Good Company | Northern Rivers https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/stone-and-wood-001.jpgStone & Wood
“That’s like asking parents to name which of their children they prefer,” says Jamie Cook, Stone & Wood co-founder. He has been asked which of the…
From trauma to business transformation
https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Our-Cow.jpg 1620 1080 In Good Company | Northern Rivers In Good Company | Northern Rivers https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Our-Cow.jpgOur Cow
For Casino-based meat providers Our Cow, the last three years have seen remarkable, game-changing growth.
Community connection runs deep
https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Untitled-1.jpg 1644 848 In Good Company | Northern Rivers In Good Company | Northern Rivers https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Untitled-1.jpgConnect Business Solutions
Connect Business Solutions can be thought of as the glue that holds a business community together.
Art of Glass
https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Tweed-Coast-Glass_product-shot.jpg 541 817 In Good Company | Northern Rivers In Good Company | Northern Rivers https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Tweed-Coast-Glass_product-shot.jpgTweed Coast Glass
Anyone who lives between the Gold Coast and Ballina with even a passing involvement in the building trade will be familiar with Tweed Coast Glass.
A hive of success and support
https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Wild-Honey.jpg 940 627 In Good Company | Northern Rivers In Good Company | Northern Rivers https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Wild-Honey.jpgWild Honey Creative
Wild Honey Creative is living proof that special skills and services we might once have associated with our cities – such as graphic and digital design, innovation in marketing and brand storytelling – are thriving in regional areas.
Cool to be kind and cans it
https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/The-Kind-Coffee-Co.-Product.jpg 957 1277 In Good Company | Northern Rivers In Good Company | Northern Rivers https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/The-Kind-Coffee-Co.-Product.jpgThe Kind Coffee Co.
The KIND Coffee Co, reflects its name in everything it does.
‘can do’ marine
https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/harwood-marine-clarence.jpg 1920 1182 In Good Company | Northern Rivers In Good Company | Northern Rivers https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/harwood-marine-clarence.jpgHarwood Marine
About half way between Yamba and Maclean is the tiny village of Harwood, which sits on the peaceful banks of the Clarence River with its population…
From cobblestones to all-terrain cranes
https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Wicks-Parker.webp 1200 900 In Good Company | Northern Rivers In Good Company | Northern Rivers https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Wicks-Parker.webpWicks and Parker
Fast approaching 100 years old, the Wicks family business has helped build motorways and carry out emergency bushfire repairs, but it once hammered out steel bands for horse-drawn carriage wheels.
Three generations of style
https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/SCARBOROUGHS.jpg 940 627 In Good Company | Northern Rivers In Good Company | Northern Rivers https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/SCARBOROUGHS.jpgScarboroughs
Running a small clothing shop in a country town is a fine art. It requires balance, delicacy and an open mind to serve the needs of locals, tourists, the area’s workers and more.
right place, right time, right way
https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/IMG_1379-08-190.jpg 600 436 In Good Company | Northern Rivers In Good Company | Northern Rivers https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/IMG_1379-08-190.jpgWrightway Products
The greatest challenge for Jennifer Joy and John Donnelly, the driving force behind Wrightway Products, was getting the world to see the value of…
riding the wave of success
https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/glass-lab-tweed-heads-002.jpg 1000 661 In Good Company | Northern Rivers In Good Company | Northern Rivers https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/glass-lab-tweed-heads-002.jpgThe Glass Lab
Adam Wessel may have worked in surfboard factories since the age of 16, but it was a stint in the luxury yachting industry that sowed the…
back to the future with new inspiration
https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/bennett-construction-lismore-003-2.jpg 1920 781 In Good Company | Northern Rivers In Good Company | Northern Rivers https://ingoodcompanynorthernrivers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/bennett-construction-lismore-003-2.jpgBennett Construction
It would be fair to say that Bennett Construction and Ballina High School have come full circle with each other. It sounds like a back to the future…