"Darren was the logical person to take it on, because he’s extremely capable and a good trade, but it was a decision that he had to make, and he was on the fence for a while because there’s a lot of stress that goes into running your ship,” Steve said. “It was just a maturity thing—and he’s at the age now where he wants the responsibility and he’s ready to step up.”

Beenleigh Batteries, south of Brisbane in Queensland, opened its doors in 1988, when Steve set up shop in his parents’ garage. Steve had done his auto electrical apprenticeship and was ready to go out on his own. In the early days, he worked on starter motors and alternators, diagnosed electrical faults and sold batteries. His father, George, would help out as his offsider, and his mother, Lynn, would do the books. His brother-in-law Shayne (Darren’s Dad) would also swing by after work to help out. So, the business has always been a family concern and, indeed, Darren literally grew up in it—starting out as an inquisitive toddler, eventually doing his apprenticeship there, before spending 20 years working alongside his uncle.

For all that time, the business has operated from the same site—the workshop that used to be Steve’s parents’ shed.

Darren, though, very nearly didn’t join the family business at all. He’d been offered an apprenticeship with a boilermaker. Not wanting to lose “an exceptional and eager” employee spurred Steve into action, and he offered Darren an apprenticeship.

When speaking with Steve in December 2024, it was the day before his retirement. And who was to be Beenleigh Batteries’ new owner? His nephew, Darren Nagorcka, of course. Not that there was any “of course” about it until about four years ago.

“It was always in the back of my mind but, when I was young, some days I’d go home and think, ‘I don’t know if I want it’,” Darren said. “But I’ve always had a passion for it and I knew that, with my work ethic, if I wanted to I could make it work. And I knew it would be good for the family to take it on.”

Now, at 35, with two kids, Darren owns the business. His wife, Mikayla, has left a job in education to join the business and run the office full-time.

What sets Beenleigh Batteries apart from many businesses in the automotive aftermarket is not that the workshop has been passed to a second generation of the family, it’s that Steve and Darren had a succession plan in place.

In 2024, the State of the Nation survey found that of the 26% of Members who plan to retire in the next five years, 27% had no retirement plan in place for exiting the business.

What is most likely to happen when Members retire within the next 5 years

Having a succession plan in place meant both Steve and Darren have been able to prepare for the transition over several years.

For Steve, the fact he owned his workshop building meant he had an asset to sell to fund his retirement. He said with so few auto-electricians around, he couldn’t have relied on finding a buyer for the business when he needed one, so having a succession plan in place gave him retirement security.

Steve set his retirement date five years out, which meant both families were working to a deadline. Having been in the business for a long time, Darren already knew a lot about how the business worked and knew their customers, but the pair took the time they had to upskill Darren in the finer points of business management, to learn and to prepare.

“The biggest thing, upfront, is I’ve been taking jobs on the weekend and after work to try to bring my home loan down and get a bit of capital,” Darren said. “Just to make us more solid financially, so we’re not up to our eyeballs in debt.”

While Steve and Darren said they never felt the need to get lawyers involved in drawing up the finer details of the succession plan, like the sale of assets, for most businesses having that layer of clarity and reassurance is considered best practice.

After a lifetime in the industry, what’s Steve’s advice to the younger generation coming through?

“Success comes with hard work; don’t expect it overnight,” he said.

As for Darren, he recommends younger technicians show the boss they’re hungry to have a conversation with them about the future.

“Put it into play and go from there,” he said.