The TV star said there is ‘never a good time’ to quit your job and take a risk
Dominic Chinea, the metal works expert from The Repair Shop, has opened up about the daunting experience of leaving his job, conceding that “it’s never the right time” to make such a move.
In a recent Q&A session on his YouTube channel, Dom addressed his followers’ burning questions. One fan was curious about how he transitioned into television and his previous career trajectory before joining The Repair Shop.
The craftsman, who has recently moved from Kent to Cornwall, shared his journey: “I got a job in London working for Rankin, a photographer.”
He recounted his progression to becoming Rankin’s set designer, which led him to manage the set design department after several intense yet rewarding years.
Dom revealed the bold step he took next: “I literally quit my job on the Friday, left there Monday that weekend whenever it was, signed the lease to my workshop, my new workshop in Hackney Wick in East London, which was an absolute derelict workshop, and started my own company being a set designer,” reports Gloucestershire Live.
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He candidly spoke about the subsequent period being fraught with uncertainty as he embarked on his entrepreneurial venture. Dominic described the initial phase of his business as one of the most frightening times in his life, saying, “The next few months, from there on, were some of the scariest weeks, months, literally, I’ve ever had.”
Facing the pressures of new financial responsibilities without a clear path forward, he admitted, “Having that commitment to pay that workshop rent, having no job, no idea where the next job is going to come from, was a really scary time.
“And I think that moment in my life, that time has given me a real appreciation for every single person that comes on to Make it a Market Show.”
He empathised with the guests on his show, noting the common ground he shares with them: “They’ve got so many of their situations I can relate to. They’ve got full-time jobs, they’ve got real jobs, and they want to do a craft for a living, but it’s taking that leap from that full-time job to doing your own thing.
“And I think because I’ve been there, I can relate, and when I speak to the people on that show and so many other people, I get it. I know how scary it is.”
Discussing the daunting prospect of leaving a secure job to pursue a passion, Dominic stated: “And there’s never the right time. It’s never going to feel comfortable, it’s never going to feel safe, but sometimes you have got to do what feels right.”
Dominic encouraged taking risks despite uncertainties: “And even though you don’t know all the answers and you’re not sure which way it’s going to go, what’s going to happen, just try and just go for it.”
Ending on a note of encouragement to take chances, he expressed a preference for trying and failing over never attempting at all: “I’d rather get to later in life and regret having tried something and it failed, than regret not trying it.”