I was relaxing after a long day of working with clients, reflecting on the strides each has made and the potential every shop owner has ahead of them when my phone rang. Looking at the caller ID, I saw that Mike, a shop owner from Sacramento and a peer of mine when I owned my shop, was on the line.
I have known Mike for more than 20 years, ever since we were 20-group members many moons ago. During that time we worked alongside each other and the rest of the group members to grow our shops and our business acumen, and were always striving to be better shop owners who ultimately improved our profitability.
One of the magical things about being a 20-group member is the bonds that are formed with one another. Even though it’s been 10 years since I was a member, I’m still in contact with many of them and the friendships remain. Picking up the phone or receiving an email is like hearing from close friends or family.
Unfortunately, sometimes those conversations aren’t good news. After the usual pleasantries, which were utterly genuine with Mike, he asked me if I had heard that one of the other shop owners who had been part of our group had recently died. His death wasn’t expected, and tragically, it had been preventable.
An explosion and resulting fire had snuffed out a highly engaged and productive member of the repair industry, decimated a family, severely injured an employee and ended a thriving business.
It is with sadness that I share this with you because it is so personal and knowing that if a few safety protocols had been followed, he would still be with us today.
I’m not trying to be a downer, but the truthful reminder is that the job we work in has its perils. My goal is to share some personal stories and remind you that being vigilant and watchful will ensure many happy days ahead for you and your family. That’s ultimately the “why” of what we do, right?
Shop Owner Stupidity
As we were nearing the end of my former shop’s first year in business, we were cooking as a shop. Success was smiling on us and we were ready to hit the second year running hard.
One of my techs asked for permission to work late on an electrical problem on a Pontiac Fiero, so I willingly gave it. Then it happened.
At about 10 p.m., I got a call from my tech who was yelling, “The shop is on fire!” I arrived only a few minutes after the call to see my vision of business success literally going up in smoke. The blaze took the better part of four hours to put out.
It turns out that my tech had an open fuel line and decided to put current to the fuel pump circuit, then crank it over. Needless to say, when spark and fuel happen in the same place, bad things happen.
The mistake was his; the stupidity was mine. I allowed an unsupervised technician – alone no less – to work after hours. Yet that wasn’t the only unacceptable risk – this all occurred when I was uninsured. Yep, it was all pretty stupid on my part.
Fortunately, the Good Lord’s grace was upon us that day because everyone was OK, other than property damage. We were down, we were not out, and no one lost their life or was injured.
Thankfully, I learned from this mistake and made massive changes to how we operated. The years that followed were highly successful, and I am grateful to those who God put around me and the fortitude to carry on.
Neglect
A few years ago, I received an email about a shop owner who had a heart attack and passed away. It turns out he was young, in his mid-40s. Compared to many in the industry that’s young!
Upon his passing, the shop shuttered…immediately. You see, he had no plan for succession that would have taken over in case of just such an occurrence.
Every one of the employees was left to find work elsewhere and, at the time it was not a favorable job market for techs. Additionally, his suppliers were left holding the bag, and his customers had to find another place to have their cars serviced.
This was a second-generation shop that had served its community for seven decades yet, in a heartbeat, was gone! The customers had a shop they loved and trusted since his father started it a long time ago. Just think about the pain, anguish and challenges that could have been avoided had he had the foresight to have even the simplest of plans in place if something like this had happened.
You might be thinking like he did: I don’t plan on anything happening. Or maybe you think, “I’ll deal with this tomorrow.”
In this case, the shop owner not only neglected to have even the simplest of plans in place but he neglected his health, which was the primary reason for his death. He all but sealed the shop’s fate by neglecting its most important assets: himself, the team members, suppliers and customers. Prevention and a little planning could have gone a long way toward mitigating the pain the survivors dealt with.
Risk Isn’t A Game In The Shop
Of course, it’s not uncommon to think “I’ve done this before, and nothing has ever happened.” Thinking this way can be dangerous. Safety measures exist not because something has already happened but to prevent something from occurring in the future. Just because an accident hasn’t happened yet doesn’t mean it won’t. The best time to address a risk is before it becomes a problem.
We never know what is around the corner, but we do know this: our industry is rife with hazards that most find to be an unacceptable risk. Have you ever wondered why your insurance premiums or the worker comp rates for technicians are so high? Risk is the primary reason, so do whatever you can to reduce it.
The best practices of some of the largest, oldest and most profitable corporations in America have safety at their core. While the Disney Corporation may promote Disneyland as the “Happiest Place On Earth,” consider this: true happiness starts with you, your family’s and your employees’ health and safety as your number one priority.
The good news is you can mitigate the risk. Planning, not taking chances and having an “Everyone comes home” mindset will ensure that your shop doesn’t end up a distant memory and remains an integral part of your life and your community. Here’s to hoping you have many fulfilling, profitable and completely uneventful years to come.