By Ashley Reyes
Held regularly at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas, the HRIA Builders Panel Education Session took place in 2021, both entertaining and educating attendees about how to thrive as a hot-rod builder. As with all 2021 SEMA Show seminars, a recording of the seminar “Hot Rod Builders Drive the Vintage Segment, Powered by HRIA” is now available at www.semashow.com/education.
The HRIA Builders Panel Education Session that took place at the 2021 SEMA Show both entertained and educated attendees about how to thrive as a hot-rod builder.
The one-hour program features SEMA Hall of Fame member Rick Love as moderator, with an impressive lineup of award-winning builders: Bobby Alloway, Alloway’s Hot Rod Shop; Jonathan Goolsby, Goolsby Customs; Tim Strange, Strange Motion; Will Posey, Big Oak Garage; and Brian Brennan, author, In the Garage Media.
Viewers will hear the panel’s best-kept secrets and advice for running a successful hot-rod business, what they wish they would have known at the beginning of their careers and how they built a successful brand over the years.
“It’s the people in the industry, and that’s what you have to connect with,” says Brennan. “As a builder or a shop owner, you have to be able to connect with that person [your client]. Some are nice, some are not so nice, but you have to decide ‘what can I work with and what I can’t’ because if you’re not true to yourself or your brand, you’re going to screw up big time. Hone those communication skills you have.”
Pros and cons of taking a build to car shows, finding and keeping quality employees and utilizing renderings when project planning was also discussed.
The seminar recording is one of many available at www.semashow.com/education. New recordings are added weekly. Other recently added seminars include:
- “DSP Fundamentals: Leverage the Power of DSP to Deliver Great-Sounding Car Audio Systems”
- “Black Ink: Cashflow Management Secrets Your Accountant Never Shared”
- “EV and the Accessorization Game, Powered by PRO”
- “Synthetic Fuels: Paving the Way for the Future of ICEs? Powered by ETTN”
Visit www.semashow.com/education to view and access the entire collection.