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Hey Guys,

After reading a recent article in the ASA magazine, myself and another shop owner have been kicking around the idea of starting an informal 20 group, but maybe limit it to maybe 10 folks. We have put together a list of some like-minded shop owners we would like to invite to join. The only problem is we are not sure where to start or exactly what to do. A few of us have been in or are currently in coaching programs. Has anyone else tried this or have any suggestions?

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Think tanks, support groups, 20 groups, mastermind groups are always great!

 

Love to see what your progress is. In my opinion though the reason why 20 groups work so well is that the group members are financially invested in the group. Since they are paying, they will take participate and remain responsible for their duties and deadlines set forth by their group or facilitator.

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I understand that point about being invested. We are not close enough to be in direct competition with each other, but close enough to drive to meet for meetings. It would give us a chance to meet regularly to bounce ideas off each other, evaluate other members shops, and help encourage each other. And since we are all in the same area, we are all familiar with the economics, parts availability, and other stuff we feel is unique to our area. The forum is great, but there is something to be said for checking out your neighbors shop and networking with you local peers.

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  • Have you checked out Joe's Latest Blog?

         5 comments
      I recently spoke with a friend of mine who owns a large general repair shop in the Midwest. His father founded the business in 1975. He was telling me that although he’s busy, he’s also very frustrated. When I probed him more about his frustrations, he said that it’s hard to find qualified technicians. My friend employs four technicians and is looking to hire two more. I then asked him, “How long does a technician last working for you.” He looked puzzled and replied, “I never really thought about that, but I can tell that except for one tech, most technicians don’t last working for me longer than a few years.”
      Judging from personal experience as a shop owner and from what I know about the auto repair industry, I can tell you that other than a few exceptions, the turnover rate for technicians in our industry is too high. This makes me think, do we have a technician shortage or a retention problem? Have we done the best we can over the decades to provide great pay plans, benefits packages, great work environments, and the right culture to ensure that the techs we have stay with us?
      Finding and hiring qualified automotive technicians is not a new phenomenon. This problem has been around for as long as I can remember. While we do need to attract people to our industry and provide the necessary training and mentorship, we also need to focus on retention. Having a revolving door and needing to hire techs every few years or so costs your company money. Big money! And that revolving door may be a sign of an even bigger issue: poor leadership, and poor employee management skills.
      Here’s one more thing to consider, for the most part, technicians don’t leave one job to start a new career, they leave one shop as a technician to become a technician at another shop. The reasons why they leave can be debated, but there is one fact that we cannot deny, people don’t quit the company they work for, they usually leave because of the boss or manager they work for.
      Put yourselves in the shoes of your employees. Do you have a workplace that communicates, “We appreciate you and want you to stay!”
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