Terry Thorpe, owner-manager of Cranbrook-based D. G. East, an independent supplier of vehicles to business and private clients, says big is not always best.

The last 40 years have witnessed the most significant revolution in the motor trade that's ever been seen and it's taught me priceless lessons. Not just about cars, but also why loyalty is the most important asset for any business.

I've been sourcing cars for customers for more than 30 years and I've discovered people will stick with you if you do your job well and come up with the right product for the right price. And listen to what they really want.

Not that capitalist concepts such as sales and profit were part of my vocabulary as a pupil at Tunbridge Wells Technical High School (now the grammar school), when my political views were some way to the left of Karl Marx.

Terry Thorpe, proprietor of D. G. East Partnership

I particularly upset my headmaster by producing a project on our school uniform, where I came to the conclusion that as it was supplied exclusively by a shop owned by one of the governors, this was blatantly unfair to the town's independent outfitters. Not surprisingly, aged 16 and with 11 O-levels to my name, I left school shortly afterwards.

I was taken on full-time at the Sandhurst village garage, where I'd already had a weekend job, progressing from manning the petrol pump to producing bodywork estimates and invoices.

In 1978 I joined Central Garage in Tenterden, which was appointed as an Opel service dealer until General Motors stopped importing Opels. We then took over from the local Caffyns selling Austin, Morris, Rover and Triumph models.

I was only 23 when I was appointed sales manager. Business was great, despite some serious manufacturing issues. Which is where I first discovered customer loyalty. Despite the problems, our customers kept returning for new cars and for servicing and repairs.

Business got even better when Honda linked up with Triumph. Quality standards shot up, not least because the Japanese insisted their cars were built exactly to spec.

Soon Rover cars were being made to the same standard and small town Central Garage was regularly in the top 10 – out of 1,700 dealerships – in customer satisfaction surveys.

So it was quite a shock when in 1994, BMW, which had by that time taken over Rover, decided to sell exclusively through main dealers. Overnight, our franchise was terminated.

We decided to focus on selling low mileage, high quality, nearly new cars. And still the customers stuck with us, proving that loyalty isn't a product, it's about long-term personal relationships.

Five years ago I decided to develop my passion for motorsport into a business and go self-employed. I was already event manager for European rallycross champion Will Gollop from Canterbury, Ireland-based British champion Helmut Holdfield and latterly British supercar rallycross champion Andrew Jordan.

At the end of 2007, I also met up with Denis East in Cranbrook, who I'd known since we were childhood neighbours. He had become one of the country’s foremost private suppliers of cars.

Denis has a peerless reputation, has been a high profile media spokesman for the industry and has even designed a software system to help employees calculate the tax implications of having a company car.

We joined forces and founded the D.G.East Partnership. We both knew how to source new cars at the best price but I also bought complementary skills in servicing and accident repairs.

Denis decided to step down this summer, so I became sole proprietor. But running my own business means I can spend more time with my wife Jillian and the family, as well as playing a bit of golf and attending as many motorsport events that I can fit in.