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New Shop In NY


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Hey,

 

My name is Luis and I am on the verge of opening up my first shop in Monticello NY. I am 30 years old with extensive experience in repairs and shop management. I've spent a majority of my career working at big box repair shops. Started off as a service adviser, moved up to a tech and eventually management. 3 years ago I left my job because I was tired of corporate politics, to start my own mobile repair business.

 

My mobile repair business took off , but, I found myself maxed out half way into my second year. I spent a lot of time driving and not being able to get to my clients fast enough. This resulted in a lot of lost revenue. I even expanded into towing, which I saw a huge increase in revenue. Eventually , I realized I need a brick and mortar shop. I need employees and I am better off managing than trying to do everything myself. Shortly, a shop that I've had my eye on for a number of years went up for rent. It has been my dream shop, for as long as I can remember. It's an 8 bay shop on a busy rd, in a town that is getting a new casino in the next few years. I'm in the process of a trying to negotiate a reduced rent for 6 months, so I can get my feet planted. Things are looking pretty good so far.

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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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