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Hey guys, I am a relatively young shop owner (31 next week). I currently have a single location shop in Baltimore MD. I started the company in 2006 out of my 20x20 home garage, and now have a 10000 square foot facility. We specialize only in European automotive performance, maintenance, and repair. We basically have 3 divisions here in our shop. We have a web store, a service repair shop, and our performance division. We have grown incredibly fast, and that is why i am here. i hired general managers to operate the administration of the company and always stuck to what i did best, working on cars. While those guys were really good and loyal, they inadvertently handicapped our company because they were without my support, and made some poor decisions, and were forced to be reactive instead of proactive. I re-took control of the administration of the company and I have very big goals for growth. I am here to learn from you much more experienced guys on how to further do this. We kind of differ from most general shops, but the core operating remains the same. We manufacture our own parts, and stock many other performance parts. We also have international relationships with companies that distribute our products. We also burn a lot of money in R&D as well as engineering and performance equipment. I was not fortunate to have any financial backing starting this and pretty much built it as I could. This shop is my life's work, just like most of you, and I am truly terrified of making mistakes that can cost me and my personnel dearly. i look forward to knowing you guys and receiving guidance from you. My goals are to have a very state of the art facility for my development, and multiple franchise locations for my service shop. But I need to get the groundwork built first. Its pretty sad that we are at this level and I am just learning to properly run a business. Thanks for reading and I will be up for a while browsing!

Posted

Welcome to the site Ray. As a young shop owner myself (35) I am encouraged by your success in this business. I have also learned a lot from the "older" owners on this site that have been doing this business longer than you and I have even been alive. Ask questions and don't be a stranger here.

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  • Have you checked out Joe's Latest Blog?

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      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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