Today we’d like to introduce you to Joshua Gonzalez Roman.
Hi Joshua, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I am an artist. Growing up I was always experimenting with art. My mom is a creative person and always encouraged me in my art lessons: drawing, painting, designing, sewing, and arts and crafts. So as a kid who was really into art, seeing my first low rider magazine at the grocery store is what actually sparked my interest in cars. The artistry and the paint jobs that went into those builds opened my eyes to a whole new world of expression. Then, as a teenager, I fell in love with the import car scene, so in 2003 I enrolled in an auto body trade school mostly for the paint aspect of the profession.
I come from pretty humble beginnings. Not being able to have the things I wanted or sometimes even needed as kid, turned me into a natural hustler. I was always trying to figure out ways to use my art to support myself and help my family. So in 2005 I began doing mobile paint and body work out of my ‘99 Mitsubishi Eclipse. I took it very seriously. I did as much work as I could back then, even if it was for free, just to gain experience and learn how to do things right. That experience made me think I could open my own paint and body shop.
After about five years of working in the industry, I had the opportunity to move to South Korea and focus more on art. I grew so much as an artist there! My skill and technique really matured. After a few years I moved to Central Texas committed to opening up my own body shop.
When I first opened my shop, I did a lot of collision work and overalls. Gradually, I started getting customers who wanted work done on their classic cars. The work on those classic cars became bigger and more involved, and I was excited, but my heart was still set on custom paint. Luckily, the host who runs one of the largest classic car shows in our area needed some trophies custom painted, and asked if I was interested. Of course I said yes and that was it! Not only was I hooked, but I started to get people who wanted custom paint.
Since then, I’ve had the privilege to work on some awesome cars, bikes, and trucks. I’ve gotten to meet legends in the industry and I’ve had the most amazing experiences with clients and enthusiasts. My shop was even voted one of Central Texas’ top 4 shops for 2021. It has really just been such an exciting journey for me.
I feel so blessed to be one of the lucky few who get to make their passion their profession. Its taken a lot of hard work, but I’m just so grateful to be in this position.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Well, it’s been a gravel road, not smooth, but definitely straight. If you know what you want, there aren’t a lot of turns, but definitely expect bumpiness.
I had to learn how to hire. Although, hiring sounds easy, it’s probably the one of the hardest aspects. You have to find the right employee with the right skill set for the job. The kind of employee that will work at your level or above.
I’m not the type of business owner who rushes through jobs; no matter how big or small, it has to be done right. So, keeping my business profitable while still putting out a product to the best of my ability, has been another learning curve.
Then, there was the time management aspect: scheduling, carving out personal time, finding time for my other passions, all that stuff. It still is a challenge, but I’m getting better at it.
On the other hand, owning a business can be empowering. You get to grow in so many ways, it’s yours to build however you like and you get to experiment. Will it be scary at times? Absolutley, but if it’s something you have been wanting to do don’t wait.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Our specialty at Inline Paint and Body is custom paint work and all types of restoration work on classic American cars and 80’s & 90’s imports. We also do collision, fiberglass and metalwork.
We have a team of really passionate and talented people who love this work. We’re a small shop, which means customer interaction and collaboration has become our top priority. We try to personalize the experience. I mean, restoration and customization work is a delicate and sometimes really complicated process. We take the time to educate our customers on what will or won’t work for them according to what they want for their build and their budget. We work to deliver what they expect and we want that build to last for years to come. We do our best to set them up for success.
Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
Our team has really high expectations for this coming year and we’re working on some very exciting projects. We’ll be collaborating with other artists and small businesses, and we’re working on launching some exciting new content with hints, tricks, and tools for our social media followers. In addition, we’re also working on getting some custom art available for our fans. It’s going to be a busy year but work is in progress so follow us on all our social pages and we’ll keep you posted.
I also want to thank Voyage Austin for their vision and commitment to small businesses, entrepreneurs, and artists and for this opportunity to share my story and reach more people in the Austin area!
Contact Info:
- Email: inlinepaintandbodyshop@
gmail.com - Instagram: www.instagram.com/
Inlinepaintandbodyshop/ - Facebook: www.facebook.com/
Inlinepaintandbodyshop/
Image Credits
@iffla_media took the picture of the gold buick and blue el camino.
