Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Ben Harvey. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Ben, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

There are a few meaningful projects that stand out. First was building a coffee table with a race used Michael Schumacher Formula one engine. This has significance because personally I grew up enjoying watching Formula One, and the parts are so rare and special.

Another is being commissioned to build some pieces for McLaren HQ in Texas USA. I love Mclaren as a racing team and brand, so having my pieces on display there really means alot and it was a great privelege.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Ben Harvey, and I am an automotive artist and designer specializing in high-end interiors and spaces inspired by motorsport and engineering culture. I officially got into this craft, offering pieces for sale in 2017, but I believe the passion started long before then. As a child, I would spend whatever time I could in my Grandfathers automotive repair shop, being given odd jobs to do and/or an old engine to strip apart. That is where the fascination with the beauty of automotive parts began. Now I own and operate Bens Automotive Decor (B.A.D) where we build high end custom automotive art and furniture. We decorate offices, showrooms, car condo’s and as well as smaller items for car lovers. What sets us apart is the very high end finishes on our pieces, the ability to customize and tailor each project to the customers passion and the fact that our art is designed around real parts from real cars.

I am most proud of our positive reputation, reviews and customer experiences. The positive feedback I get from our pieces, whether it is a smaller gift item that the receiver loved, or a larger custom piece that was specially ordered and designed, I just love the fact that we can take something others may see as broken and create some incredible art with it. Our motto here is that we are proud of everything that we do, whether that’s sweeping the floor in the shop, or putting our name on an art piece. I love that this brand is true to its roots, in that everyone here adores cars – and that passion bleeds through into every aspect of the process. It’s not just a business, its a passion of art that I am so fortunate to have been able to set up so that it also pays the bills.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

Yes i do enjoy and have benefited from business books etc. I like to listen to books while driving or sometimes working. Ones that stand out are ‘E-Myth’, Rich Dad Poor Dad, and the 4 disciplines of execution. I also very much enjoy the podcast “How I built This” – it tells stories of successful brands, how they grew, the challenges along the way.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

Yes – If you hadn’t guessed already, I love cars. I had a fantastic job that I enjoyed very much, working on a huge variety of cool cars. I liked the process, the experience, the team, driving so many cars – it was great. But I also had started B.A.D as a side “hobby” business. I also loved being creative in this respect, and my order book was growing rapidly. It got to a point where I realized that I could not fulfill both dreams at the same time. I would either have to stunt B.A.D’s growth, not building and offering the many designs I had in my head, and not fulfilling that dream of owning my own small business: or go for it full time and leave the great technician job. In the end, I of course decided that having my own business and fulfilling this passion was the right choice. It was overwhelming – having a family to support and kicking off a new business that is very different from the norm. A good friend advised me that “parachutes only work if you jump” and that phrase has stuck with me, and so far we are doing good!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.bensautodecor.com
• Instagram: @bensautomotivedecor
• Facebook: @bensautomotivedecor
• Linkedin: Ben Harvey
• Youtube: @bensautomotivedecor