In this episode, we finally catch up with Kevin Pearce from Cedar Garage, a business that has quietly evolved into one of the UK’s most exciting and forward-thinking garage groups.
Kevin and his business partner Matt started small: a two-bay workshop in Worthing with no car park, no room, and very few resources. But what they did have was a shared background, deep trust, and an unmatched drive to keep pushing. From humble beginnings as Ford apprentices, they navigated redundancies, set out as mobile mechanics, and gradually built Cedar into a high-performing, multi-site operation.
YouTube – https://youtu.be/lDAq1KXOMHE
Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/episode/60nsrZuaPJdd0h4iwr0NTZ?si=c1c540d505794e98
Growing Through Mistakes
Kevin is honest about his early management mistakes. He admits to upsetting staff in the beginning, coming in like a “young whippersnapper” with ideas but lacking the soft skills to implement them effectively. A tough conversation from Matt changed everything, and Kevin began to understand the importance of emotional intelligence and leadership.
Staffing, he says, is the hardest part of growth. Not tools. Not software. Not the money. People. And it’s a theme that runs throughout the episode: the need to build a team that shares your values and vision, especially if you want to scale.
The Expansion Playbook
Kevin walks us through the three main acquisitions Cedar has made. Each one came with lessons:
- The first was a share purchase of City Garage, done on a staggered payment plan.
- The second, a BMW/German specialist, was an asset and goodwill deal.
- The third involved more complexity—bounceback loans, MOT licence transfers, and major renovation.
A key insight: always ask for the seller’s price first. Let them anchor the deal. But be ready to overpay a little if the opportunity is right. Cedar has done exactly that, not because of spreadsheets, but because of vision.
Delegation, Trust, and Systems
The Cedar story is full of “get stuck in” moments—Kev and friends physically knocking walls down and rewiring units to make them fit for purpose. But with each site, Kevin learned to step back more, trust the team, and let systems do the heavy lifting. They now have magnetic boards showing every staff role and a clear philosophy: make decisions that “impress.”
Cedar Electric: Going All-In on EV
Perhaps the most exciting part of the episode is Cedar Electric. What started as a backroom R&D project has become a full-blown EV battery and component repair centre—one of the only of its kind in the UK.
Matt, the diagnostic genius behind the scenes, leads the division. They’ve reverse-engineered Tesla and BMW battery systems, invested heavily in laser welding tools, and now support customers and garages nationwide. Cedar Electric isn’t a garage; it’s a specialist engineering lab.
The vision? To become the B2B repair centre that independent garages rely on when OEMs won’t help. They already collect cars across the UK and aim to keep independents in control of their EV future.
What Garage Owners Need to Hear
This episode is a must-listen for anyone considering expansion. Some standout advice:
- Don’t wait until you’re “ready” to expand. You never will be.
- Staff are the bottleneck. Build processes and leadership structures before you grow.
- Understand your finances. If you’re not profitable with one site, fix that first.
- Buying an existing garage with goodwill is often smarter than starting from scratch.
- Ask yourself: what’s your why? Then make sure your team understands it too.
Kevin’s journey is proof that building a group of garages isn’t about flashy logos or perfect timing. It’s about knowing your team, taking risks, learning the hard way, and staying true to your values. And in Cedar’s case, it’s also about pushing boundaries—not just in business size, but in technology.
