William Wells Tire & Auto

Wells had always dreamed of becoming a racecar driver, but his talents flourished when it came to taking care of automobiles and sent him in another direction. After spending some time working for someone else, he decided it was time he took the reins and ventured out on his own in a small shed behind his parents business. Just trying to make ends meet while finding another job, his reputation began to grow rapidly and he became well-known for the quality of his work.

“I realized that even though I was just trying to do a job here and there, I was really working on people’s cars all day everyday. I don’t remember but maybe only one day nobody called me,” says Wells.

Although Wells feels blessed with success he has had, he realizes it was a long, hard road. Working with the Mississippi Small Business Development Center at Mississippi State University in Starkville, MS, and counselor, Sonny Fisher, he was supplied with all the information he needed to open his own business.

Fisher worked with Wells extensively, and assisted him in every step of the way. Wells says he was a great help in obtaining his small business loans.

“He told me to ask a lot of questions. And I had a lot of questions and he was ready to answer.”

The relationship William Wells and Sonny Fisher have cultivated is a fruitful one, growing from the customer-mechanic relationship into a real friendship over the last 10 years. Fisher says he remembers Wells striking up conversations and throwing around his ideas years ago when he was still employed by another mechanic in Starkville and was working on Fisher’s car. Wells was interested in going out on his own and Fisher wanted to help.

“I just told him to come see me and we’d get him going. He’s been growing and growing every year,” says Fisher.

William Wells Auto is a prime example of what Small Business Development Centers can do. With the help of SBDC’s staff and the centers free services and guidance, people like Wells can really make their dreams come true. Even though he never became a racecar driver, Wells feels good about being his own boss.

“We have a lot of fun around here, sometimes too much fun. But if you can’t have a good time at work it ain’t worth doing it.”