PROJECT / COMIX ENGINEERING
ONE PROJECT SET OFF A CHAIN REACTION.
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After Australia, a friend needed help with his business.
So I started asking questions.
THE GRIT GARAGE · AUG 2026 — PRESENT
Next: The Grit Garage →
COMIX · WORKSHOP
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01
WHAT ARE WE ACTUALLY SELLING?
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THE REAL BUSINESS WAS ALREADY THERE.
Henry's answer: digger work and gritter repairs.
So I started digging.
Sorry.
Turns out, 90% of his income came from gritter servicing and repair.
02
FOLLOW THE MONEY.
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FOLLOW THE MONEY.
I researched the UK winter-maintenance industry.
Contractors. Manufacturers. Fleets. Servicing. Competition.
The numbers were interesting.
£750m–£1.15bn estimated annual industry.
2,000–5,000 businesses.
Henry had years of specialist experience and relationships with major industry players.
He knew the machines. He knew the people.
Suddenly, chasing digger work didn't look sensible.
03
PLAY TO YOUR STRENGTHS.
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HE KNEW THE MACHINES. HE KNEW THE PEOPLE.
We had a frank conversation.
Why compete for general machinery work when you're already a specialist?
So we repositioned Comix Engineering around gritter servicing and repair.
Less competing on price. More competing on expertise.
04
BUILDING THE SHOP WINDOW.
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BUILDING THE SHOP WINDOW.
Next, I built the website.
AI makes making something look good easy.
Making everything underneath it work? That's another story.
SEO. Mobile. Speed. Metadata. Search visibility. Conversion.
A website designed to generate enquiries, not just look pretty.
05
LESS ADMIN. MORE ENGINEERING.
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LESS ADMIN. MORE ENGINEERING.
Henry needed more time engineering.
So I designed a WhatsApp and AI-assisted workflow.
Qualify enquiries. Route customers. Turn voice notes into service records and draft invoices.
Less paperwork. More time on the tools.
06
THE BIGGER REALISATION.
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Then something clicked.
Henry was solving a problem in the East Midlands that existed nationwide.
What if we could make his expertise available everywhere?
That became the next project.
THE GRIT GARAGE.
