We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Ben Smithson a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Ben thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. How did you find your key vendor or vendors? Maybe you can share the backstory and share some context and the relevant details to help us understand why you chose them, why they chose you, etc.

I found out very quickly that using the right components from the right manufacturers was an essential key to success. It’s getting harder and harder to find high quality aftermarket parts along with superior customer service, so developing relationships with key vendors was imperative. Since I had been in the hot rod and custom car world as a hobbyist for years, I already knew some of the big manufacturers in the industry, so now it was time to reach out and nurture those relationships further.

When we first opened our doors as a full-time hot rod and custom car shop, many of the vendors and suppliers were very welcoming and helped out tremendously. We (Smithson Speed and Engineering) quickly got setup on various manufacturers’ dealer and builder programs with some great companies in the industry. As business continued moving forward we now had a list of big-name vendors we partnered with which helped give us credibility and leverage when reaching out to new vendors we were interested in doing business with.

As a growing business we always put quality first, and that’s exactly what were looking for in suppliers. Obviously we chose brands we had worked with and knew were top notch such as Vintage Air, Painless Performance, and Griot’s Garage, but as we broadened our work scope, we tried new products and developed relationships with new vendors such as Hushmat, Ridetech, and Wilwood. Product quality and customer service have always been driving factors that help us choose the right companies, and partnering with those brands has definitely positioned us in the right place for continued growth.

Ben, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Yes no problem, I run a hot rod and custom car shop (Smithson Speed and Engineering, LLC) right outside of Nashville, Tennessee. I grew up around cars, so I guess you could say I get it honestly. My grandfather owned a body shop, my dad worked at a body shop, and they both built street rods as a hobby. My passion started with building and racing RC cars, moved to go karts, dirt bikes, and small engines, and finally graduated to cars. Over the years I have built and owned numerous classic cars and trucks and I still have my 1931 Ford street rod that was finished when I was 17!

After high school I attended Tennessee Technological University and graduated with a manufacturing and industrial engineering degree. From there I landed engineering and project management jobs at companies such as Nissan, Toyota, and Destaco. From those roles I acquired and honed critical thinking, problem solving, interpersonal communication, and project management skills which have definitely helped with the next chapter, starting and growing a small business.

Established in January 2019, Smithson Speed and Engineering, LLC is a hot rod and custom car shop that helps turn dreams into reality. I’ve found that “dreams” are inherently subjective and that being said, we don’t just work on turnkey ground-up custom cars, but also enjoy smaller jobs such as drivetrain swaps, brake and suspension upgrades, wiring, metal fabrication, body work, etc. So whether your dream is big or small, we do our best to help folks out through any phase or scope of their project so that the end result is above and beyond expectation.

One of the things I’m most proud of is my team and how far we have come in a short period of time. I’ve been lucky enough to round up a very talented, hard-working, and dependable set of guys who I know can and will get the job done-and done right. I also can’t say enough about having my wife, parents, and friends here as die hard supporters who help build, share, and promote the reputation behind Smithson Speed and Engineering. It’s so important to surround yourself with the right people and I absolutely believe that can make or break a business, big or small.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

Sometimes you just have to stay fluid and trust that everything happens for a reason. My previous employer, Destaco, had a pretty turbulent atmosphere and a ton of attrition at every level. I was working on cars as a side hustle and trying to figure out which direction I wanted to go. I had decided to build a new 1800 sq. ft. building beside my current shop and if the numbers made sense in the next few years I might take a chance on building cars full-time. Well before my new building was even finished, Destaco had a big corporate restructure and my position was cut from the organization.

So what now? Find another engineering/project management job working for someone else, or pursue my passion in building cars? So I left corporate America, left all the benefits, paid holidays, healthcare, 401K, and jumped head first into small business ownership! Since we were established in January 2019, Smithson Speed and Engineering has gone from a one man show working out of a single 1,200 sq. ft. shop to (present day) having myself and six employees working out of two buildings which cover 4,500 sq. ft. I can’t imagine going back to a 9-5 corporate job and this just shows that sometimes pivoting a little will land you exactly where you need to be.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

So I’m definitely no expert on social media, and it still bewilders me how these algorithms constantly change and each platform has its own audience and engagement. But it is a free marketing tool that seems to get more credible by the day, and if you aren’t taking advantage of Instagram, Facebook, Youtube, TikTok, etc. to grow your brand then you should be. Set aside some time, do your research, create a strategy, and execute.

My first platforms were Facebook (now Meta Business Suite) and an Instagram business page. I started randomly posting pictures and videos from my iPhone with no real strategy and no real goals. As time progressed and I had more time to work on the business rather than in the business, I began looking at how these tools worked and what the return could actually be. I read about hashtags, what days and times were most effective to post on each platform, how to use IG reels and stories, how to use trending audio, how to acquire usable data from analytics, etc. I then created an Excel spreadsheet to track KPI’s such as Facebook followers, IG followers, YouTube subscribers, and Youtube views.

So now that I could track certain performance indicators, and I had a decent idea of how content, audio, video length, and hashtags worked, it was time to develop a strategy. Based on the amount of time I estimated I could devote to “social media” per week, I created a posting schedule, which identified days, times, types of posts (pictures, videos, reels) and platforms. As algorithms change, the data does as well and sometimes I have to change things up. My best advice is to create engaging and relevant content as consistently as possible. Don’t be scared to shake things up and try new ideas and make sure to track those changes through your analytics. Once you’ve built a brand and have an audience, then it’s time to look into monetization, partnerships, and getting a return on all that hard work!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.smithsonspeed.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/smithson_speed/
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/SmithsonSpeed/
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCtQ9scYSzZA6idZd0yV3ttA
• Other: www.tiktok.com/@smithson_speed

Image Credits
Paige Michelle Photography