Tire Star’s owner, Austin Miller, was honored to be chosen for Greater Fort Wayne Business Weekly’s Forty Under 40 class of 2020. The Forty Under 40 awards are given to 40 nominees in the area who are under the age of 40 and are outstanding members of their community and workplace.
Following is the interview from the Greater Fort Wayne Business Weekly’s original interview.
Employer: Tire Star of Wolcottville, Kendallville, and Ligonier
What is your education? High school, homeschooled
Community organizations in which you are involved: Fairhaven Church; member LaGrange County Chamber of Commerce and enjoy networking with fellow members. My business makes an effort to support our local youth sports teams and many nonprofits.
Hobbies: Hunting, fishing, biking, backpacking and running ultra-marathons. One of my favorite summer activities is road tripping with my wife in our 1987 Ford Country Squire station wagon and exploring backcountry areas. I also love to read!
Why are you in northeast Indiana? I was born and raised here. I’ve never left this area so it definitely feels like home.
What is it about your profession that you enjoy and why? I enjoy people and I get the chance to interact with customers and employees. I like taking someone’s broken car and make it useful again. I also enjoy the visionary aspects of leading my company — new technology, customer and employee retention, and long-term goals.
What does success mean to you? Success is living my life for something greater than myself. For me, that means living according to the principles taught in the Bible, trusting that they not only work for my personal life but also for my business.
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up? I always wanted to be a farmer. While that’s not my full-time job I still help on my family’s farm during the busy times of the year.
Where did your first paycheck come from? What was your job then? Honeyville Feed. I was a delivery driver and also worked on some maintenance projects.
Who was your biggest supporter who helped you advance in your career? My mom and dad. My dad taught me patience, perseverance and problem-solving. My mom always provided what I needed to survive during the early years of my business.
What has been your biggest accomplishment thus far in your career? Owning my business and watching it succeed.
What has been your greatest mistake thus far and what lessons did you learn from it? My biggest mistake was not delegating enough tasks. From the beginning, I felt like I had to make my business successful. It depended on me. I learned that the company runs more smoothly when I train and equip my employees to complete tasks that had always been my responsibility.
What are your current professional goals? I intend to make my company a great place for someone to work. I want to give my employees the opportunity to succeed in life. For that to be possible I need to be a great leader so I want to take more leadership training.
How do you remain current/relevant in your profession? I love to learn! I attend business conferences for automotive repair shop owners a few times a year. In addition, I am a member of a mastermind group from the automotive industry.