Driven Tony’s auto biography
Tao Lin talks to millionaire motorsport enthusiast Tony Quinn ahead of the release of his autobiography.
‘ The most valuable thing you can leave your family is your story’ TONY QUINN
ALMOST exactly halfway between Auckland and Hamilton, Hampton Downs Motorsport Park sits atop Waikato swampland. When it’s finished, it’ll host motorsport races from all over the world.
At least, that’s the dream of park owner Tony Quinn, who bought the track last year. He also built Highlands Motorsport Park in Cromwell, which opened in 2013, creating a world-class track and tourist destination. It’s there Quinn keeps one of Michael Schumacher’s Formula One cars and a new $4.2 million Aston Martin Vulcan supercar, the only one in the southern hemisphere.
With motorsport being loud, exuberant and hedonistic, you’d expect the owner of a race track to be the same. But Quinn speaks quietly. He’s got a cheeky twinkle in his eye and swear words are an innate part of his vocabulary. The self-made millionaire wears a red Kathmandu jacket, blue jeans and sneakers – there are no bells and whistles here.
Born in Aberdeen, Scotland, Quinn grew up in a wooden caravan built by his dad Jimmy. From the age of five he started helping his dad with his pet food business, weighing and bagging minced meat. As he grew older, he graduated to skinning calves and chopping up dead animals. As he put it in his book, he was ‘‘up to my arms in blood and guts and s--- every day’’. He went on to run a successful signwriting business before moving with his wife Christina and two young kids to Perth, Australia. There, he tried and failed at running two businesses: one in rust-proofing and another in video arcade game machines.
Perth was full of ‘‘thieves, vagabonds, wankers and pricks’’ and they robbed him of his money and confidence. Quinn admits, though, that he didn’t know what ‘‘due diligence’’ was.
The Quinn family moved to New Zealand afterwards and settled in Dargaville. There, Quinn succeeded in building his own pet food business and returned to Australia some years later to set up VIP Petfood, the company that would make him his fortune.
He ran the business for more than two decades before selling it last year for A$410m (NZ$435m). In Alphapix 2012, he bought flailing Australian confectionery icon Darrell Lea and has spent A$50m on turning the brand around. It’s now worth more than A$100m.
The Quinns were valued at A$411m on Australia’s rich list.
He’s at pains to point out he never does anything for the money and it’s just a tool to help him be the best at what he does.
So if not for the money, then why the hard slog?
‘‘I’ve always been competitive. I think when you’re competitive it’s the game that counts. And when you’ve tasted winning, it’s a pretty cool position to be in.’’
Quinn’s advice for winning in business is simple. If you can’t work out your business’ financial plan on the back of a cigarette pack, then it’s not going to work. Put more money into the bank than you take out. Work hard. Create a good brand. Deliver on promises. Make margin.
He’s also got his 2 + 2 = 7 theory, which he applies to making profit. If the cost of your product is 2 + 2, selling it for $4 will make you bankrupt. If you sell it for $8 and give the customer a $1 discount, everyone’s happy.
Of course challenges will come up along the way, but Quinn says focusing on the game is key.
So, how do you be the best at what you’re doing?
Whatever game he’s playing, Quinn won’t be going at it for too much longer. He’s 59, or ‘‘turning 60 next year’’, as he puts it, and his own mortality seems to be playing on his mind.
He’s got four children, eight grandchildren and millions of dollars in his name. His children manage a portion of the family wealth, but Quinn doesn’t want to be remembered for the ‘‘obscene’’ amount of money he’s made. That’s why he wanted his story written down.
‘‘The most valuable thing you can leave your family is your story,’’ he says.
‘‘I say to people, you leave them a million dollars they’ll fight over it. You leave them a diary of your life, they will find that so interesting, generation after
generation.’’