From Triumph to Triumph: How Rebuilding a Car Shaped My Entrepreneurial Journey

From Triumph to Triumph: How Rebuilding a Car Shaped My Entrepreneurial Journey to Building ConvoRally

When I was 14 years old, my father, a talented bricklayer, asked me a question that would change my life: “Are you interested in a car?” What red-blooded American boy would say no to that? I certainly didn’t.

He took me to see a 1974 Triumph Spitfire. It was a little convertible sports car, built by British Leyland. At first glance, it looked fantastic. It had a steering wheel, an engine, four wheels, and a transmission — what else could I want? But as we got closer, the reality set in. The top was rotted, the tires were shot, and the engine wouldn’t run. There were holes in the floorboard, and the interior was in complete disrepair. The trunk had bolts running through the frame because the owner had lost the key. The Triumph Spitfire restoration was going to be a huge project.

Yet, to me, it was perfect.

Rebuilding a Triumph Spitfire: More Than Just a Car Restoration

We had the car towed home, and I worked on it for two and a half years before I finally got it roadworthy. By the time I was 16, I could drive it. My brother, who was 12 years older and had started a small body shop, guided me through the bodywork. But everything else, I did on my own.

My father, despite being a great bricklayer, had no mechanical abilities. But he taught me how to work hard and always do my best. My mother, on the other hand, was a jack of all trades. She made our clothes, decorated our home, and reupholstered old furniture to make it look new again. Though she didn’t have automotive skills, both of my parents taught me something invaluable: resilience. They gave me the confidence to figure things out, even without prior experience.

I bought a thick manual from Hayes about the Triumph Spitfire and learned how to take it apart and put it back together. This experience of rebuilding a car from scratch shaped many parts of my life.

How Rebuilding a Car From Scratch Taught Me Resilience

There were many frustrating moments. I remember removing the transmission five times to install the synchronizers correctly. But that frustration was a lesson. It taught me that no matter how difficult the task, I had to keep going until I solved it. The experience gave me lessons I wouldn’t trade for the world.

Looking back, the decision my mom and dad made to buy me that Triumph Spitfire was one of the most impactful of my life. It taught me valuable lessons I wouldn’t have learned otherwise. It gave me the confidence to take on another car — a 1964 Alfa Spider, which came completely disassembled. Those early lessons gave me the courage to tackle my first house, which I built at night using lights strung up in the trees. I had an old, crotchety builder as a mentor, but the lessons from my first car restoration pushed me forward.

Turning Car Restoration Lessons Into My First Business

The skills I learned from rebuilding a car helped me start Batts Builders from nothing. The problem-solving abilities I developed working on the Spitfire became the foundation of my construction business. I learned to overcome challenges in projects and keep moving forward, even when things got tough.

From Construction to Software: How the Same Lessons Shaped ConvoRally

Those early lessons didn’t just apply to cars or construction. They gave me the courage to take on a new challenge: creating ConvoRally, a software platform designed to help people manage projects more efficiently. I knew there was a need to solve the pain points I encountered in my construction business. After speaking to others in the Home Builders Association, I realized I wasn’t alone in facing those frustrations.

Building ConvoRally wasn’t easy. But, just like with the Triumph Spitfire restoration, I knew that with patience and perseverance, I could figure it out. The same principles of resilience and problem-solving carried over into this new venture, helping me create a tool that would make life easier for others.

Why Every Entrepreneur Should Learn to Overcome Challenges

In hindsight, if I had ConvoRally back when I was working on those cars, I could have stored the project history, tracked documents, and kept photos organized. That’s exactly what ConvoRally is designed to do — not just for cars, but for construction businesses, projects, or any other industry.

The lesson here is simple: We can stay comfortable with what we already know, or we can embrace the challenge of learning new things. It’s not always easy, but that’s where growth happens. And that’s what ConvoRally is all about — giving you the tools to tackle challenges, learn, and come out the other side better than before.

By sharing my story, I hope to inspire and support others on their journeys. There’s a gap in how we nurture young business owners in this country. We need to offer guidance and share experiences to help them navigate their challenges. That’s why I’m passionate about ConvoRally — it’s not just software; it’s a tool to help others grow their businesses with confidence.

If you have read thus far I am going to give you access to our testing of ConvoRally  www.App.convoRally.com Please share your suggestions and insights.