General Automotive Discussion

ASOG Podcast Ep 50 - So You Want To Open A Shop?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5UTRVy2s2tY   Guest host, Mitch Schneider, Mitch's World and "Misfire the Book” Mitch will speak to the 5 levels of knowledge and concentrates on the 5th; “You Don’t Want to Know What You Don’t Know”. Mitch's previous episodes HERE Virtual shop tour with John Constantin, Bison Fleet Specialists, Buffalo, NY. John's previous episodes HERE Weekly episode updates   Dorman gives people greater freedom to fix vehicles by constantly developing new repair solutions that put owners and technicians first. By always innovating, Dorman has led the way in growing the aftermarket. Here you will see a few examples of a Dorman OE Fix. An OE FIX is a Dorman repair solution you can’t get from the original equipment manufacturer. It means they found a situation where they believe the OEM wasn’t giving repair professionals what they wanted, so we fixed it. Everything Dorman does is centered around providing customer value, both in the quality of products, and the creativity of solutions. Our engineers and designers go out of their way to save repair technicians time and save vehicle owners money. Want to really go under the hood? Take the Dorman Virtual Tour at www.DormanProducts.com/TourClick to go to the Podcast on Remarkable Results Radio

You guys are lucky.  I pay 10 cents a gallon to dispose of the used oil. 

I was asked recently if it's possible to be a true absentee owner. Here are my thoughts.  First, it really depends on the staff, your position in your business and how the business is structured. There are shops that are run totally by a manager and the owner is not involved in the day to day. There are shop owners with multiple locations. There is no way to be at all locations at the same time.  Build the business by having a strong team. Find leaders in your business.  Give others control and allow others to grow.  You, the owner, do not have to be in on every single situation, and you should take time away from the business.  But remember, you are the owner and the primary leader. You set the tone.  Those are my thoughts...yours?   

Sara Fraser is a millennial who has a love for life, travel, and connecting with other humans! She has over 15 years of retail management experience, the last 6 of them as an office manager for a used car sales and service center. To bring her customer service, marketing, and business knowledge to the automotive industry she has recently joined the team at Haas Performance Consulting. Sara loves helping others grow and succeed and is excited to share her expertise on management and social media, her views on how and why the younger generations think and act, and how to work and manage a business within a multi-generational workforce. When she isn’t working Sara spends her time traveling, attending theatrical productions, music festivals, concerts, advocating for human and animal rights, celebrating life in general and connecting with other people from all over the world. Look for Sara’s previous episodes HERE. Bill Haas, AAM, is the owner of Haas performance consulting LLC, with 40 years of experience in the automotive service and repair industry. Clients have access to Bill’s solution-based focus, expertise, unique perspectives and in-depth knowledge of the industry. Bill began his career working part-time at a full-service gasoline station in Appleton, Wisconsin. His career includes time as a technician, shop owner, technical trainer and on the staff of the automotive industry’s oldest and largest association representing automotive service and collision repair businesses. While at the association Bill had the opportunity to work with all segments of the industry. His knowledge of the industry has been shared on many occasions as he has been invited to speak at numerous industry events as well as providing testimony at hearings of the US Congress and several state legislatures on important legislation and regulation affecting the automotive industry. Bill received the Accredited Automotive Manager (AAM) credential from the automotive management institute in 1996 and has been a member of the automotive management institute’s faculty since 2002. Bill is also the business manager for NACAT, the North American Council of Automotive Teachers. His services include business management seminar development and delivery, keynote presentations, business consulting, performance coaching, and strategic planning facilitation. Listen to Bill’s previous episodes HERE. Key Talking Points Boomer’s Perspective Show up, shut up, get to work Hard work means long hours Why is this taking you so long? Move out of the way, I will do it myself I will let you know when you do anything wrong The best employee will be just like me.  Millennial Perspective: I want to tell you about my weekend or night and hear about yours Don’t do my job for me, it tells me you don’t think I know what I am doing or am incapable I want to know what the business contributes to and donates to and supports in the community- does it have eco-friendly practices in place I want to be paid enough and fairly I want to be treated fairly regardless of gender, race, sexual orientation etc. I want a strong leader, to guide but not do the work for me I want a comfortable and safe working environment I don’t need a ton of supervision but like to be occasionally checked in on I want flexible hours, and want to make enough money without working overtime I want my voice, opinions, suggestions, to be heard and at least considered I want to be part of the team- working together and building each other up, no competition amongst the employees Boomers and Millennials Together Don’t judge what each other what they’re doing, judge what they’ve done/produced- are they meeting deadlines? Getting work done? Meeting expectations? Millennials want constant feedback and review, let them know when they do well and poorly- boomers never had constant reassurance and might not know how to give that feedback and how important it is. There are many things to be thankful for, make sure you voice it.  Seeing someone struggling- boomers take over instead of teaching the employee and using it as a learning experience. Delegate jobs and tasks. Happy and healthy business culture is more important than an increased dollar amount somewhere else. Giving unhappy employees more money is a short-term fix that wears off. “Hard work is long hours” for boomers, work hours to millennials can be condensed down.  “Nothing is more important to me than my job” Boomers vs “There are things more important than my job.” Millennials  Boomers will complain about an employee’s shortcomings to everyone except the employee which will bring down the business culture. Millennials want to have conversations about issues and the leader should initiate teaching moments. Is the employee the problem or is the owner not setting clear expectations and training properly?  Thanks to Sara Fraser and Bill Haas for their contribution to the aftermarket’s premier podcast. Link to the ‘BOOKS‘ page, highlighting all books discussed in the podcast library HERE. Leaders are readers. Listen for free on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spreaker, iHeart Radio, Spotify, Podchaser, and many more. Mobile Listening APP’s HERE Find every podcast episode HERE. Every episode is segmented by Series HERE. Key Word Search HERE. Be socially involved and in touch with the show: Facebook   Twitter   Linked In   Email Join the Ecosystem – Subscribe to the INSIDER NEWSLETTER HERE. Buy me a coffee This episode is brought to you by AAPEX, the Automotive Aftermarket Products Expo. AAPEX represents the $740 billion global automotive aftermarket industry and has everything you need to stay ahead of the curve.  The Virtual AAPEX Experience 2020 is in the record books. Virtual AAPEX lived up to presenting leading-technical and business management training from some of the industry’s best and brightest. Now set your sights on the homecoming in Las Vegas in 2021. Mark your calendar now … November 2-4, 2021, AAPEX // Now more than ever. This episode is brought to you by Shop-Ware Shop Management. It’s time to run your business at its fullest potential with the industry’s leading technology. Shop-Ware Shop Management will increase your efficiency with lightning-fast workflows, help your staff capture more sales every day, and create very happy customers who promote your business. Shops running Shop-Ware have More Time and generate More Profit—join them! Schedule a free live demonstration and find out how 30 minutes can transform your shop at getshopware.com/carm Click to go to the Podcast on Remarkable Results Radio

https://youtu.be/Hy-g7JKTihI Chris Chesney is the former director of Customer Training for Carquest Technical Institute. He is also a NASTF Board Member. Visit Chris’s previous episodes HERE. Jay Huh, CarMedix, Durham, NC. Jay started his business in his home garage in 2015. He didn’t have any mechanical experience but felt there was a need for an honest affordable mechanic shop. Fast forward to 2021, CarMedix has grown into a 10 bay facility and did over $1 million in sales last yr and tracking over $1.5 million this year Brad Pellman, Pellman’s Automotive, Boulder, CO. Brad first started working in the automotive industry at the age of 15 and over his career has held a wide variety of jobs at both dealerships and independent repair shops. In 1995 this dream of owning his own shop became a reality when he opened up Pellman’s Automotive in Boulder, CO with his wife, Lisa. Brad is ASE master certified and AAM designated as well. He is currently on the Board of Directors for ASE and ASA Colorado, with past board involvement with CCPN and the TECHNET Automotive Council. He has had the added privilege of being designated as one of the Motor Age Top shops in the country. And hopes to continue to raise the awareness and importance of Independent automotive repair across the country. Brad’s previous episodes HERE. Scott Brown, Cardinal Plaza Shell, Springfield, VA. The second-generation owner of Cardinal Plaza Shell, a 2,700 square feet, 5 bay independent repair shop and LEVEL 5 Solutions, an automotive technology company. Celebrated 50 years in business during 2019. Scott is a Member & Past President of Virginia Automotive Association, Member of Car Care Professional Network through the ACA. and founding partner of the Blue Ocean Buying Group for independent repair shops. Listen to Scott’s previous episodes HERE Key Talking Points What was the most rewarding experience in your career? Had already started scaling a virtual studio prior to COVID 19 shutdown and was able to launch virtual classrooms. How did you start your Allstar network of surrounding people? Connected with people through internet groups at first. Listened intently to people’s attitudes and passions.  Advice- pay it forward, remember the basics, be servants in the industry for others  How important is it to have personal relationships? Businesses grow through personal relationships. Don’t be worried about hurting someone’s feelings or being transparent when times are tough. Technology changes but you always have 24 hours in a day. Do the right things at the right time- manage that time well.  Do you have any regrets? Ideas that weren’t put into action but if you sit long enough you’ll find regrets, don’t sit on them. Service ready shop- specialization is necessary for the future. The challenge is the critical need to ensure the technicians have the skills to be able to solve problems. Competency. Technician shortage- creating a specialist/career path for the younger generation. Hold people to standard with training. Create a personal relationship with vocational school instructors and offer support. Offer to tell your story of how you started in the industry. Invest in the people you already have- growing with skills that meet your business model. Erosion of technicians- is this all there is? Is this all I’ll ever do and be? Are you charging enough so you can pay your employees what they are worth? Full EV disruption- CTI has created EV content for training (virtual and hands on), EV is a disruptor but where? Market location, and how you prepared prior (first Prius is 20 years old). Challenges- EV doesn’t only mean battery electric vehicles, most will be hybrid. Infrastructure issues for charging and hydrogen. What’s next for Chris Chesney? He isn’t leaving the industry A special thanks to Chris Chesney for his contribution to the aftermarket. Books Page HERE Listen to all Remarkable Results Radio, For The Record and Town Hall Academy episodes. Facebook   Twitter  LinkedIn   Instagram  Youtube   Email   Mobile Listening APP’s HERE Join the Ecosystem – Subscribe to the INSIDER NEWSLETTER HERE. Buy Carm a Cup of Coffee  This episode is brought to you by Shop-Ware Shop Management. It’s time to run your business at its fullest potential with the industry’s leading technology. Shop-Ware Shop Management will increase your efficiency with lightning-fast workflows, help your staff capture more sales every day, and create very happy customers who promote your business. Shops running Shop-Ware have More Time and generate More Profit—join them! Schedule a free live demonstration and find out how 30 minutes can transform your shop at getshopware.com Are you seeing auto shops in your area get hundreds of 5-star Google reviews and are you feeling left behind because your shop only has a few? Hey look, Broadly is your answer to getting more online reviews. With more reviews, your business will rank higher in search results — and that means more customers coming into your shop every day. Broadly helps you automatically request reviews so that your customers can promote your business with just one click. When you immediately ask for a review after service, when the experience is still fresh in their mind, you’re more likely to get a 5-star positive review. Plus, asking for feedback makes your customer feel valued and more connected to your business. Isn’t that what you want a connected customer? See how Broadly can help grow your auto shop.  Visit www.getbroadly.com/chat to learn more.Click to go to the Podcast on Remarkable Results Radio

Yes Indeed, If you asked me, It's about having the right mind on innovation and having the right tools and technology, That's what's going to keep us busy and in business.  

JP, I agree with you. The EV still has brake systems, steering, suspension, tire balance, tire rotations and wheel alignments.  In addition, EVs have a heating and A/C system, sound system and all the other electronic features of its gas cousin.  The biggest change is how the EV powers itself.  The industry will change, but it always has.