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Hello ladies and gentlemen of the AutoShopOwner community. I am new to this forum but have almost 8 years of professional automotive industry knowledge and know-how. Although new to this forum and progressing toward the ownership of my shop (started the bank process last week) I look forward to flipping though this forum and hopefully making some great friends in the community and learning what I can. I come from Fixed Operations management and have received a couple of accolades from manufacturers (foreign and domestic)  and publications. I wont post any public information on this forum until the day I leave my current employment for fear of being terminated by them. This next comment is not to sound cocky or over confident in myself or my ability but I know that they would fear that I would take my pick of their techs, advisors, and a large customer base and for that terminate me at their earliest convenience.  added note, if you work for a dealership now I will show you how to put over $100,000 on your gross profit annually without cutting pay or expenses. Not here to advertise that just want to help the world around me. 

First questions I would have for anyone:

lease or purchase a building?

Stand alone or row (contiguous)?

DMS or invoicing software used?

Labor rate (understand that location is a major factor)?

Mitchell or Alldata?

Bays per Tech? (mechanical)

Square footage of shop area?

average parts markup in your store?

average gross per tech? (1mo)

with a wife and two Kids would you leave a good job to chase your dream?

What is your google star ranking?

How many customer/cars a day?

Hours of operation? 

do you do SEM / SEO? 

what type of marketing do you do? 

any other advise? 

 

Thank you all, not sure if anyone will play 20 questions but I am really curious of what everyone's opinions. My goal and probably everyones goal is to walk into day 1 with a clear understanding of what needs to happen over the first couple of months to make things happen. If anyone has any questions for me I would be happy to answer them. I understand that I am as novice to the independent world as I could possibly be, I do however know dealership fixed operations very well and am only perusing this as it has been a dream of mine and I need to take this leap of faith to fulfill my personal goals in life. 

 

Cheers, good on ya, and lets rock this thing! 

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  • Have you checked out Joe's Latest Blog?

         0 comments
      It always amazes me when I hear about a technician who quits one repair shop to go work at another shop for less money. I know you have heard of this too, and you’ve probably asked yourself, “Can this be true? And Why?” The answer rests within the culture of the company. More specifically, the boss, manager, or a toxic work environment literally pushed the technician out the door.
      While money and benefits tend to attract people to a company, it won’t keep them there. When a technician begins to look over the fence for greener grass, that is usually a sign that something is wrong within the workplace. It also means that his or her heart is probably already gone. If the issue is not resolved, no amount of money will keep that technician for the long term. The heart is always the first to leave. The last thing that leaves is the technician’s toolbox.
      Shop owners: Focus more on employee retention than acquisition. This is not to say that you should not be constantly recruiting. You should. What it does means is that once you hire someone, your job isn’t over, that’s when it begins. Get to know your technicians. Build strong relationships. Have frequent one-on-ones. Engage in meaningful conversation. Find what truly motivates your technicians. You may be surprised that while money is a motivator, it’s usually not the prime motivator.
      One last thing; the cost of technician turnover can be financially devastating. It also affects shop morale. Do all you can to create a workplace where technicians feel they are respected, recognized, and know that their work contributes to the overall success of the company. This will lead to improved morale and team spirit. Remember, when you see a technician’s toolbox rolling out of the bay on its way to another shop, the heart was most likely gone long before that.
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