Auto skills lead to student business

• By Kendra Alleyne
• Published: April 24th, 2012

Steering his future — Student entrepreneur Greg Buscher turned his hobby into a business, offering car care to students and residents around the Lynchburg area. Photo credit: Amy Marquez

Greg Buscher never thought that as a junior in college he would own a successful auto repair service that caters to hundreds of Liberty University students and Lynchburg residents.

Buscher, a Broadcast Communications student at Liberty University, came up with the idea for “Buscher’s Auto,” a mobile auto repair service that fixes cars where they sit, as a way to make some extra money.

“I didn’t have a job, and I was living on my friend’s couch and eventually in the back of my car while I was looking for a job,” Buscher said.

Having worked at auto repair shops in the past, Buscher began to fix his friends’ cars and soon, those friends told other friends. In a matter of months, his client list was too much for him to handle on his own.

“Before long, I was fixing their friend’s cars, and I didn’t mind getting paid a little more for that, and I actually had to hire another guy to fix all the cars that were coming in,” Buscher said.

Buscher’s Auto now employs six individuals as the business continues to grow, experiencing a monthly doubling of clients in the first year.

“We’re almost completely word of mouth, and we’re actually at a point where we can barely handle the volume we have now. People find someone they trust at a price they can afford and they tell their friends about it,” Buscher said.

Buscher stressed that his service can be used for all Liberty University students and faculty, as well as people in the Lynchburg area.

“We actually have taken on a lot of the Liberty staff and professors, as well as students. We deal with the college students, and we’re a lot more approachable and recognizable,” Buscher said.

“Professors don’t have time to drive their cars to a shop and leave them overnight, so it helps them to have their cars done that day, often while they’re at work,” Buscher said.

Buscher and his staff are able to obtain car parts within 24 hours and can perform any service from changing a brake light to engine repair.

“We have commercial accounts with all major parts suppliers, and we also offer the opportunity to use parts from salvage yards, which not all shops will do,” Buscher said.

In the future, Buscher plans to gather investors and draft a business plan to be presented to a national board.

“Our hope is to go toe to toe with Meineke and those types of shops, and we have now grown to be five times our original size. We have done well,” Buscher said.

Buscher had some words of advice for students who may want to open their own businesses.

“Make all your decisions on your knees and stick to a straight path. Know your last move when you make your first, and when you make a decision know that God led you to it,” Buscher said.

To find out more information about “Buscher Auto” or to make an appointment, visit their Facebook page at Buscher Auto LLC, email buscher at gebuscher@liberty.edu or call 434-987-3518.