That's what they say, isn't it? You know - you have a idea, a passion, something that really matters to you and that you would actually want to drag your backside out of bed in the morning for. But always someone comes along and stamps on your choc-ice. And normally they'll say something like "Don't give up your day job..."

Now the fact you're on this site at all suggests that you probably have, at the very least, a healthy interest in motorbikes. Maybe even an unhealthy one, I don't know. And I'd be willing to bet that, every now and again, you've wondered if there's some way that you can combine the skills you use at work every day with something you're really interested in.

The trouble is, we all want to work with what we enjoy, whether it's bikes or whatever. Some of us get lucky and really enjoy what we do for a living, and some of us just make the best of where we are. Because actually it's really difficult to break into a new industry where where your only credentials are being the customer.

Well help is at hand. There's chap who runs well established recruitment company in the car business. And over the years he's noticed that actually there is space for people with a different industry background. More than just space - fresh thinking and enthusiasm actually count for a lot and people have thrived after massive career changes. Motivation is never an issue for people that have got their dream job, and employers love that. But of course the bike industry is different, right?

Yes. Very different. But in exactly the right way.

You see, we're all enthusiasts. Car users are, in the main, simply using a tool and they have the same enthusiasm for that tool as for a screwdriver. We're not like that, though. Bikers are bikers out of choice, out of enthusiasm, out of passion. And if the salesman, technician, finance administrator we're dealing with is equally enthusiastic and passionate, as well as being competent, are we going to worry about whether they've been in the trade since they were in short trousers or are relatively recent arrivals? Provided they're competent, of course.

We caught up with Rob Chamberlain, who came up with the idea, and John McAvoy, whose job it is to make it all work, for a catch up. Rob is a very smart guy, and having started the car recruitment business a while ago and seen it work he realised that nobody at all was doing it for bikes. "You could get a secretary or receptionist or someone like that from (he names a well known High St agency) but actually there was nothing that said they wanted to work in the industry, they were just taking a job they needed." Rob may not be a biker, but he did notice that unlike the car trade, enthusiasm and actually wanting to work in the bike business counts for a huge amount.

A chance meeting with John McAvoy who was just becoming available got things moving. John most certainly is a biker through and through and is hugely experienced in the bike world from a sales, advertising and publishing point of view. “When Rob told me what was on his mind, I was really keen to get involved at the start. In my previous roles, whenever I had to recruit, I was always inundated with quality applicants who were desperate to work in the bike trade, so I knew it could work” John recalls.

“The trade really like our concept of finding people with skills and a passion for motorcycles from outside the bike trade. One of the first people we placed used to sell gym memberships and rode his bike to work everyday. Now he sells Yamahas for a living. He was a VIP guest of a well known finance company at the Brands Hatch SBK round earlier this year and is one of the dealership's top salesmen. Until he came onto our books no one in the trade took him seriously. With my contacts and Rob's credibility, we got him an interview and he did the rest. Everyone wins!”

So if you fancy the idea of getting up in the morning and looking forward to work, if the thought of working i the bike industry appeals, maybe you should seriously consider giving up the day job! And a good way to start would be by contacting Bikejobs and sending your cv in.

Good luck!

SB