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I went from a dream 2 years ago to opening our doors today. This site has been a tremendous resource and Joe's articles have opened my eyes to many issues I would not have foreseen.

 

Today was just our soft opening but it went better than expected. I have a huge amount of respect for owner/operators with out any employees. We have our tech, shop manager(my partner), and myself(mainly absentee owner). It was a huge learning day with new software(garage partner pro and all data). We had 5 cars 2 being organic and 3 friends and family. We have a timing belt job we are quoting tomorrow as well.

 

The last 3 weeks we spent cleaning, painting, and remodeling the shop from the previous owner who did not do any of those for 10 years.

 

We have had a lot of success from handing out flyers to our neighbors in the many industrial parks around us.

 

here are some before pictures of the shop

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after

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Posted

Congrats!!!! How exciting! Great job on giving the building a 'face lift'. Even greater job on hanging on to that dream for 2 years and not giving up! Look forward to hearing updates on business

  • 2 weeks later...
Posted

Joe, appreciate your response and hope one day I can contribute as much as I have gained.

 

2 weeks later things have been getting busy. We had over 10 cars last week. we have implemented daily tracking spreadsheet to keep up on daily metrics(car count, closed tickets, gross sales, and gross profit).

 

Our news paper ad starts tomorrow and we(my partner) have been winning over some fleet accounts with our first fleet service Monday. We are pushing for next week to push into some daily net profit and never look back.

  • 3 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...

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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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