The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Blairgowrie classic car firm revs into high gear
MILFORD VINTAGE ENGINEERING: High standards ensure repeat custom for Ian and Sarah Milford
Q How and why did you start in business?
It was really a mixture of circumstance, serendipity and timing.
My husband left his previous job and our children were old enough for me to look at going back to work.
Ian had been restoring vintage cars for many years and I had an admin and legal background.
Several people approached us and asked whether we would look after their cars, including a good friend who wanted to invest in our business, and so we looked into creating a business plan.
Q How did you get to where you are today? We started off with three employees, myself, my husband and one mechanic. We took other people on within a couple of years.
It just snowballed, really, and we’ve been working steadily and expanding ever since. It’s hard work, having your own business, but something we’re happy to do.
We pay lots of attention to detail and have very high standards.
We will not let a car go out of our workshop unless it is absolutely right.
That, in turn, has meant we have a very good reputation and therefore get a lot of repeat business.
Q Who has helped you along the way? Business Gateway was a fantastic support and provided HR advice, social media workshops and networking opportunities. We had initial investment from a good friend, which helped a lot and we are fortunate to have a strong team who give their all to the business and help make us what we are. Finally, we have some superb loyal customers.
Q What was your biggest mistake? Holding our prices down too long in the beginning, during the recession. We learned to increase our prices appropriately and our customers remained loyal to us, despite the additional cost.
Q What is your greatest achievement to date?
The amount of repeat custom we get. I would say over 75% of our customers come back to us, with the other 25% being one-off projects and cars from abroad. We are also listed by the Rolls-Royce Enthusiast Club as Scottish pre-war specialists – a fantastic achievement.
Q What do you hope to achieve in future?
Probably to bring more services in-house. It would be nice to have everything under one roof.
Q Do you want to recruit in the future? Yes, we would look to recruit in the future when we’re ready to bring all of our services in-house.
Q What is the hardest thing about running your own business?
Probably doing so much of it yourself. We act as our own admin, PR and customer service.
Trying to balance your work and home life can make it difficult to switch off, especially since we are a married couple and end up discussing business at home, too.
Q Any advice to wannabe entrepreneurs?
I would say go for it. Go with your gut feeling, because most of the time your gut is right.