When people think about the future of AutoFX WA, they may naturally think about new services, products, equipment or where the automotive industry is heading. For me, the future of the business is much closer to home. It is Seth and Brandon.

Both boys grew up around AutoFX WA. They were introduced to the workshop while they were still very young, well before either of them became a paid employee. They learned what the business did, how the workshop operated and the standard expected from every vehicle that came through the doors.

I taught them everything I could, but they have also taught me more than they probably realise. They are now grown men, and both are capable of running AutoFX WA without me.

Seth’s early experience in the workshop

Seth was only around eight years old when I began taking him to Mercedes-Benz during the school holidays. At the time, I was contracting there full-time and wanted to give him some early work experience.

It was not about expecting an eight-year-old to perform the work of an adult. It was about allowing him to become comfortable in a professional workshop, understand the importance of following instructions and see how work should be approached safely and consistently.

Being around Mercedes-Benz vehicles at that age also helped make cars and workshop processes familiar to him. Over time, the small jobs and observations developed into genuine practical experience.

The strengths Seth brings to AutoFX WA

Seth had a difficult time at school and experienced a lot of bullying. Understandably, this made him more comfortable staying close to his family. Like his dad, he can also experience social anxiety.

Those experiences do not define Seth, but they help explain his quieter and more considered nature. His strengths become very clear when he is given meaningful work and allowed to concentrate on doing it properly.

Seth is particularly good at repetitive and process-driven work. Paint polishing, ceramic coating and paint protection film all require patience, consistency and the ability to maintain concentration without rushing. These are natural strengths for him.

He is analytical, pragmatic and good with technology. He is also a capable general problem solver who remains remarkably stable under pressure.

External distractions do not easily pull him away from the job in front of him. He works at a safe and consistent pace, concentrating on completing the polishing, coating or PPF installation to a high standard.

Seth is polite, stays out of trouble and takes responsibility seriously. Away from the practical and analytical side of his personality, he also has a very soft side. He loves his mum, his family and his pets.

More importantly for the future of AutoFX WA, Seth understands how the business operates. He has the maturity and responsible nature needed to manage more than just the hands-on work.

Brandon’s different but complementary strengths

Brandon was recognised as a gifted student at school. He has many of the same practical, analytical and problem-solving abilities as Seth, but his personality is different.

Brandon is naturally outgoing while remaining calm. This makes him comfortable speaking with customers and working with people without losing his focus on the technical side of the job.

He also began helping at the workshop while he was young. It may only have been once in a while at first, but it meant that the business and its day-to-day operation were already familiar to him before he officially became a paid employee.

Today, Brandon has the hands-on ability to complete around 90 per cent of the work performed within AutoFX WA. Like Seth, he understands that good work is not simply about knowing how to use a machine or apply a product. It requires preparation, judgement, patience and responsibility for the finished result.

Learning what it is like to have Dad as the boss

Seth and Brandon did not only learn automotive skills from me. They also learned what it was like to have their dad as a hard boss.

Working for a parent is not always easy. Family relationships do not automatically make the workshop standards lower. If anything, the expectations can be higher because I wanted them to develop proper habits and understand why the details are important.

They had to learn that being family did not remove responsibility. Vehicles still needed to be handled safely. Paint still needed to be polished correctly. PPF and coatings still needed to meet the same standard expected from anyone working in the business.

I can admit that I have probably been hard on them at times. However, the purpose was to give them useful skills, discipline and a platform from which they could build their own futures.

They have taught me as well

A father naturally thinks about everything he needs to teach his sons, but the learning has not travelled in only one direction.

I believe the boys have taught me just as much as I have taught them. Their different personalities, strengths and ways of approaching problems have influenced how the business operates.

They have also helped me understand that my way is not automatically the only way. Sometimes a different method, a calmer approach or better use of technology can achieve the same standard—or improve it.

That can be difficult for someone who has spent decades building a business and developing his own working methods, but it is an important part of allowing the next generation to grow.

More than employees in a family business

Seth and Brandon have supported AutoFX WA over many years. In return, the business they helped support has developed into something that can now support them.

That is what makes this more meaningful than simply giving the boys jobs. I gave them tools, experience and a platform, but they still had to use those opportunities and turn them into something worthwhile.

They have earned their knowledge through years of practical involvement. They understand the workshop, the customers and the consequences of making decisions within a small business.

They are now grown adults, and both can run AutoFX WA without me. That does not mean there is nothing more for any of us to learn. It means the business is no longer dependent on one person knowing how everything works.

The future of AutoFX WA

I am proud of the practical standards Seth and Brandon have developed, but I am more proud of the men they have become.

Seth brings consistency, patience, analytical thinking and stability under pressure. Brandon combines technical ability with a calm and outgoing nature that makes him comfortable with customers. Their strengths are different, but they work well together.

AutoFX WA has given our family many challenges over the years, but it has also given us the opportunity to work together and build something useful.

I may have started the business and taught the boys much of what they know, but its future is not mine alone. Seth and Brandon have supported AutoFX WA, contributed to what it has become and developed the ability to carry it forward.

I gave them the tools and the platform. They helped turn it into a business that can now support their own futures.

Learn more about AutoFX WA and our workshop team, or explore our automotive protection and vehicle-care services in Perth.

AutoFX WA is located in O’Connor and services customers throughout Fremantle, Melville, Cockburn and surrounding areas of Perth.