October 09, 2017

113: Jason Whitfield of Whitfield Fab has built his business by doing everything he can in house, including manufacturing weld-ready cages for drag racing

1 hour 48 minutes

Jason has been hustling to make money ever since he was a kid! He started by mowing lawns, washing cars, putting grip tape on skateboards, and painting other kid’s bicycles. When he was 14, he bought a VW bug and immediately began working on it and modifying it. Then he bought a Mazda mini truck slammed it with hydraulics and did other modifications to it. During high school, he teamed up with an older friend to start working on other people’s cars and trucks.

After a brief stint in college, Jason realized that wasn’t for him. So, he got a full-time job but still did the side hustle of running his shop. He opened his own shop, employed 1 tech, and quickly expanded this side business to a larger location. As things got more and more busy, Jason decided to take the leap and run Rage Performance (now Whitfield Fab) for a living! He downsized his life to help prop up the business during this transition.

After he started working full time, the retail parts sales really took off. While this was great money, it took Jason away from what he loved – racing and making cool stuff. So, he pivoted his business model and focused his efforts to manufacturing parts, doing engine swaps, and building roll cages. Now, he is working hard to make roll cage kits for every car possible.

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