18 Jun LOCAL BUSINESS PROFILE – JAMES & ERIN ROBERTSON – BILL ROBERTSON TOYOTA
What is your business?
Bill Robertson Toyota
How long have you been in business for?
47 years
What products and or services does your business supply?
We sell and service Toyota vehicles.
What is the best thing about being in business in Gladstone?
We get to know a lot of people in our community and help out when we can.
What would you say to someone considering launching their own business?
I always think you should work in a similar business before starting your own. The day to day reality is often very different than what you imagine. Unless your business is just you, employing and managing people takes a huge amount of energy. You have to write down your expectations and patiently talk through problems. And sometimes you have to clean the toilets because you haven’t had time to find someone else to do it or you need to save the money.
What is the highlight of your time as a business owner?
This year we cashed in our long service leave and took our daughters to Disneyland.
Tell us one thing people don’t know about you or your business?
People often don’t realise we’ve got 48 staff. Service is our biggest department. We always try to promote from within and it’s great to see someone step up into a new role. We’ve got quite a few staff who have been with us for 10 and 20 years and we’re very grateful for that.
