Today we’d like to introduce you to Jimmy Kuka.
Jimmy, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I arrived in the United States in 2003 and began working as a mechanic with my cousin at his place. I quickly realized that owning a business was something that I wanted to do and would be the only way for me to make it in America. I like working with people from all over the world and Chicago has such a variety I also knew that my shop would have to be here.
I did my research and asked around with my friends and colleagues to find a shop that would work to setup my business. I signed a lease with my landlord and started the process towards creating Alba Auto and my vision. My daughter was only 7 months at the time, she was not even walking. I put her in the play yard and my wife and I started to clean out the old shop owner’s extra garbage, unuseful parts, basically he was a hoarder of old auto parts and I needed a fresh start. We cleaned for about a week, rented a paint sprayer and put a bright coat of paint over the entire shop, floor to ceiling.
With this new look, I ordered materials to build shelves to store my new inventory of parts, I researched for the tools and equipment I would need and hung up my American Flag and the European Union flag in hopes to attract clientele from all over. I’m from Albania, a country that has just left communism so my idea of democracy I to be your own boss, make your own plans, and dictate your own life. I could not be held back by anyone and knew that being self-employed was the answer, and it was, and still is.
Now it is coming to be 10 years since we opened, I’ve had many successes, a lot of repeat business, referrals and couldn’t be more proud. I have had two more kids, and they have and will continue to grow up at the shop knowing that if you work hard, there is a great pay off. Being a small business owner for this long made me realize and teach my children that being your own boss has its ups and downs, but you are the boss and have to make the tough decisions.
The shop has become a great meeting place for my clients, they like to come and just chat about politics and what’s happening in the world or the city, some stop by without needing any work to be done. It is more so for my car enthusiast friends and once people know that I’m a mechanic, the questions about “what’s this noise”, or “how do you do this” come out at a party.
It reminds me that I know I’m good at what I do, my prices are more than fair, and at night I can sleep knowing that I’ve been the best shop owner I can be coming from a country that never taught a person how to be a business owner.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
My location has one driveway access on Clark Street. My main struggle has been exposure because I’m lumped in with a bunch of other shops along the same street. Distinguishing myself from these shops has been through the online forum of reviews and customer input. I’m always reminding myself to ask where the new clients come from and encourage them to write a review about their experience.
This new way of doing business has been hard for me because I am more of a face-to-face old fashioned business owner. I like talking to people and working out the issues with their car instead of bartering with them over the phone to negotiate the price of an oil change. I can’t compete with the $15 oil change but I can be accessible to anyone most of the time to answer their questions and show them where they need work on their vehicle. Doing an oil change is a required service and all shops offer it, but customer service is my specialty and that comes from me in person more than through a coupon or an online deal.
The main thing as a small business owner is that I know them personally, their vehicle, their family, and is more of a relationship building business than based on a transaction of how many oil changes or tires have I changed this month. There is no quota for me at my shop – I want my customers to be satisfied – which sometimes ends up that I lose out, but in the end, they have to leave the shop happy, and ready for the road.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Alba Auto Service – what should we know?
We specialize in working on foreign and domestic vehicles. As you can see in online reviews I am mostly known for the mechanic who won’t rip you off and overprice for small things. As I said before, customer service is vital to the success of any business and being honest is my policy. If a car comes into the shop I always make a recommendation if I see something that is safety related and in need of repair. I am proud of the work that I have done and when I show an owner the broken part, or the area where the metal was stressed and about to crack, they are shocked as their previous mechanic would never do anything like that. They would either miss those items, or overlook them, or use scare tactics to make them replace more than what is necessary.
With access to YouTube DIY videos and the chain auto supply stores, a lot of drivers are servicing their cars on their own and might come to me with a more complex problem. I respect their effort too and put some training into the conversation about their issue and hope they walk away feeling respected and having learned something.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Being honest, accessible, and fair with people is very important in this business – as is honoring your own policy – whether it is the warranty on a job or the parts that are installed it is about integrity.
Contact Info:
- Address: 4884 N. Clark St
- Website: www.albaautoservice.com
- Phone: 773-681-0659
- Email: info@albaautoservice.com
- Twitter: @alba4884
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/alba-auto-service-chicago
Getting in touch: VoyageChicago is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
