Meet The Owners of a Classic Car Specialty Shop

A recent edition of  , hit close to home, as Mike Horsman actually IS my neighbor!  I took my dog Jack with me to visit so he could play with Mike's three dogs while we chatted and he showed me some of his gorgeous cars.

Patch:  When did you start your business?

Mike:  My wife Andrea and I started SPEEDWELL six years ago, in 2005.

Patch:  Why this particular business?

Mike:  I had been restoring British cars since my early teens and have developed a passion for perfecting these cars, driving them and making them utterly reliable.

Patch:  What is your favorite thing about your business?

Mike:  I get to be custodian of many very interesting and loved cars. I set my own schedule and help those who most appreciate what we do.  I help my clients keep their cars on the road and used for their original intended purpose. Also, I get to be available for my eight-year old-daughter Zibbie when she gets off the bus, help her do her homework and spend a lot more time with her than most fathers have the opportunity to do with their kids.

Patch:  What is the most challenging thing about running a business?

Mike: Taking care of getting all the work done while simultaneously keeping track of receipts, scheduling, parts acquisition, invoicing and all the other things that make a business run smoothly. Luckily, my friend Alan Johnson has come on board and is a huge help toward making this whole thing work.

Patch:  What are your long-term goals for SPEEDWELL? 

Mike:  We would like to expand into a shop in or near downtown Watkinsville and increase our capacity to provide service on more British cars. 

We would like to start doing work on modern Jaguars and Rovers while maintaining our strong connection with vintage British cars and all the joys they represent.

Perhaps even one day incorporating a British Pub on the grounds to serve as a gathering/meeting place in which we could foster the vintage British car hobby and hopefully inspire younger generations to pick up the torch for these deserving icons of our past.

We would also like to add a keeping facility to provide a home away from home for our clients' sports cars as a way to prevent the object(s) of their passion from taking up valuable garage space.

Patch:  What advice would you give to anyone wanting to start a new
business in Oconee County?

Mike:  Go for it! You will not find a better place in all of Georgia to garner support and enthusiasm for following your passion. Everyone on the county level is glad to help in any way they can and are very interested in watching businesses succeed here. Also, the residents of Oconee County provide a diverse cross section of potential clients and enthusiastic supporters.

Find out more about SPEEDWELL Cars on the business' Facebook page. You can contact Mike at 706-540-8695.