A Nottingham man who built up his business over lockdown at the age of just 20 has revealed the secrets of his success as his business was nominated for an award. Leon Widdowson owns a successful car sales business, Widdowson Motor Sales on Kilton Terrace in Worksop.
Leon, who is originally from Mansfield Woodhouse, started buying and selling cars at his home address before setting up his business in Worksop. He got into the car sales industry at the young age of 20 after changing trades.
"I had always been into cars but after I left school at the age of 17, I went into the building trade as a plasterer. I went and bought a car from a dealer in Mansfield but I started to go there every day just to help out the owner. Three years later, I was still doing it as a volunteer because I wasn't being paid but I really liked it," he said.
Read more: Awkward moment as Nottingham mum ties knot on Married at First Sight
"It was turning into a bit of a hobby but I had started to think about starting a business with cars. But I always thought you needed thousands of pounds to be able to set that up. I wasn't sure how to get into the business."
Leon had left the building trade and gone to work in various different roles before realising that the office life wasn't suited for him. He went to work at a Covid testing site in Mansfield while he tried to figure out the best way to get into car sales. He had some money saved from his previous positions which helped him to buy a few used cars from the Facebook marketplace to resell.
"I started looking on Facebook for cheap cars that I could fix up to re-sell. So I started with just £600 which I used to buy the first car which was an investment. I managed to work on it then get it through its MOT test and sold it on."
Leon started to buy and sell cars from outside his own home before deciding to take the leap into business ownership by establishing the forecourt in Worksop. He had the idea after moving his business online by creating a website so he didn't have to rely on Facebook advertising.
"I had my website designed then set up the google Business pages which started to drive traffic to the site. People could have a look at the one or two cars that I had without having to come down to see them. This meant I didn't have to rely on Facebook advertising. One day I thought, I really need to have a forecourt or something but they are very expensive."
"I believe that things are meant to be sometimes so I started looking for a space online on places like Gumtree. I found an advert for a place in Worksop that was £300 per month which I thought must be a mistake as it must have meant to say a week. It needed a lot of work doing to it but we managed to sort it out and add some signage too," he explained.
The forecourt opened in April and has been growing ever since. Leon highlighted that while there have been expenses such as upgrading the website, its been very successful since it began in March 2021 from his home.
"The business is a six-figure business, which isn't profit, but turnover, which is quite a lot of money. It's surprising as I didn't expect it even as I took the risk of taking on the forecourt," he said.
"At that time, I didn't have much money but it was one of those things where you just have to go for it. It's been the best thing I ever did."
As well as upgrading to a forecourt, Leon has been able to upgrade the type of car that he has for sale. He is also hoping to expand the business in the coming months to take on a bigger space in Worksop.
Leon says that the secret to his success at such a young age is to keep trying. He highlighted that it hasn't always been easy but taking a risk can pay off with determination. He is also proud that the business has achieved the most client-focused pre-owned vehicle dealership-Nottinghamshire award by the SME News .
"The most important thing is to try it. It's definitely not been easy for me and it still isn't easy now. I didn't have a lot of money but I've been able to build something out of it. I always think you have to take the risk and if I hadn't have done that then I wouldn't be in this position now."
He added: "If I hadn't taken the risk then I might still be selling cars outside my house or it might have gone terribly wrong. I love working for myself as I can make my own decisions and I don't have someone telling me what to do.
Read next:
- Relief over plans to demolish 'eyesore' former primary school
- Nottingham Forest transfer news LIVE: Bade and Bowler sign but Batshuayi deal off
- Martin Lewis in spat after saying energy crisis a 'catastrophe'
- Plan to sell off popular dog walking spot for housing scrapped
- The latest weather news from Nottinghamshire Live
