The day I stopped trying to fix my shop and started fixing myself. When I was growing up, one of my favorite Looney Tunes was Marvin the Martian. If you’re old enough to remember the Looney Tunes cartoons, you may remember one episode where Marvin had what looked like a giant gumball machine with a […]
The Hardest Person to Coach Read More »
How Exceptional Communication Can Transform Client Expectations A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Conference…I stepped out of my house, loaded up my Avalanche and prepared to head off toward Houston. Tektonic 2026 was upon me, and I was excited. I woud be podcasting, presenting a session and participating in a coaches panel.
Listening To Learn Read More »
Leadership lessons from weather delays, diverted flights and a late-night drive home. If you’ll recall last month’s travelogue, the final day of my recent Vision High Tech Expo experience started like most travel days do, with a plan and the expectation that everything would go smoothly. The bags are packed. The show is almost done.
When the Plan Falls Apart Read More »
What a trip to Vision High Tech Expo reminded me about service, expectations and the power of people.Travel has a funny way of teaching you things. You might leave home thinking you’re simply headed to another conference to see the latest scan tools, attend a few classes and reconnect with friends in the industry. But
THE EXPERIENCE IS THE BRAND Read More »
Why charging more than the dealer might be the best leadership move you’ll ever make! Walk into any restaurant, coffee shop or trade event where a group of shop owners are sitting together, and the conversation will eventually turn to labor rates. Someone will lean in and say,: “Well, the dealer down the road is
Setting Your Labor Rate Read More »
Every once in a while, an email lands in your inbox that is more than words on a screen. It reminds you what your leadership has really been doing all these years. Recently, I heard from a former team member who worked in my shop long ago. She was our service manager and was sure
The Invisible Legacy of Leadership Read More »
You built your shop from the ground up; you hired your first technical specialist; and you satacross that desk as a service advisor, asking the questions that mattered. You know the pulse of this business: it’s equal parts heart, horsepower and hustle. Over the years, in my columns for ShopOwner (including “You Can’t Beat the
The Power of Peers – The Right Kind of Pressure Can Keep Your Shop Moving in the Right Read More »
There I was at The Venetian Hotel during AAPEX, standing with a familiar group of old friends: Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion. Of course, they weren’t real, just life-like figures. Yet something hit me: this unlikely team from The Wizard of Oz was as realistic as any successful operation –
Leadership Lessons From Oz for Today’s Auto Repair Shop Read More »
Owning a shop takes real grit. If you’ve been in the business for a while, you already know this; for new owners, remember that every shop owner faces challenges in the beginning. Running an independent repair shop will test you before it rewards you. Success isn’t decided by tools, equipment, software or marketing. What truly
The Character Behind the Keys Read More »
Many of us are fascinated by the idea of time travel. Books, movies and television often make it a central theme, whether it’s going back to fix a mistake or jumping ahead to see how things turn out. The stories stick with us because they tap into a simple question we all carry around: What
