Local Business Profile: Barry Kelly, K2 Cars NI

Name: Barry Kelly (joint-owner with Jonathan Kirwan)
Business Name: K2 Cars NI
Business Location: Omagh

How long have you been in business? 18 months.

How many staff do you employ? Five.

What are your strengths? I try every day to do what is best for my business to succeed in the current climate.

What are your weaknesses? Not switching off and taking enough time to myself.

Has Covid-19 affected your business? Yes, it has been a challenging time for us over the past few months, just like every other business out there. We have put all the policies and procedures
in place to keep our staff, family and customers safe.

What makes your business unique? We pride ourselves in listening to what the customer wants and needs. We have an excellent after-sales service and we keep the customer central to everything we do from start to finish.

What does your business mean to you? K2 started from nothing and over a very short period of time it has grown from strength to strength. This has happened by people believing in us and supporting us. We have had great local support since opening and both myself and Jonathan are very appreciative of this. We have also given back in recent months by sponsoring the up-and-coming boxer Tiernan Bradley.

Aside from family and friends, who has been the greatest influence on your life? This is a hard question to answer… I have had a lot of influential people in my life over the years but I would have to say my mum.

What are your plans for the future? To keep growing and expanding K2 Cars NI to the best of its ability. We would like to be able to create more employment over the coming years for our local economy.

Any advice for anyone starting out in your industry? This is like any other industry. It will try your patience and also make you some times question yourself! But, in saying all that, always follow your dream and take a chance. You will never know unless you try…

If you weren’t in this field of business, what would you be doing? I would probably be in some sort of sales as I like what I am doing now and meeting different people on a daily basis.

What do you do to relax? Spend time with family, watch football and have a wee beer…

What would you do if you won the lottery? Tell no one lol! We might be limited in our travel at the moment but where is your favourite holiday destination? Spain, definitely Spain.

What do you miss most about Tyrone when you are away? K2 Cars NI lol!

If you could swap lives with someone, who would you choose and why? Never really thought of it, to be honest, but I always liked Robbie Fowler growing up #Liverpool

And finally take the chance to give a shout out to another local business who you think is doing great things (expand on why you’ve chosen them). I would like to take this opportunity to
wish all businesses well in these uncertain times. We all have to work together as a small close-knit community and make sure everyone survives. #Stay Safe

Ulster Herald Local Business Profiles in association with Omagh Chamber of Commerce