CARMandP

I use a crap load of brake cleaner because I am very particular about my stuff being clean when I am done with the repair. I know is probably not good for me and I know first hand that it burns like crap when you get it in the eyes I will have to see if I can get this stuff at my Oreillys which it shows sell it.

I personally use Oreilly auto parts which is the closest to me. Napa is too far away and although I have an Advance auto parts (only about 1/2 mile from Oreilly) I don't like the quality of their parts. I would use Napa or Carquest more than I would autozone or advance. Most of them will give you a dealer account with a tax number. Most of them sell the same parts or will price match. One of the nice things about the Oreilly is they are linked to my Mitchell which allows me to see the store inventory as well as order over the internet instead of calling the store and Oreilly gives me a 2% kickback for ordering over the internet. Mitchell also does this with Napa I know but not sure about the rest of them. The trick is to go with the store that you like the parts and the store that is the easiest to deal with. Meet the manager of each store if you haven't and see which one will give you the best deal and service. As far as oil or filters, I don't use enough oil (about 150 gallons every 4 months) to bother with anything other than by the case. You can check around your area and see who deals with the wholesale oil. You can always go with a particular brand of oil and get in bulk from that supplier. As far as filters, Wix makes a Pro-tec line which you can buy $20 for a case of 12 and they make several different numbers that will work for many applications. Check that out.

Mine? None yet since I am struggling to just keep up with the business that I have.

Second for Mitchell. I have been using the program for 1-1/2 yrs. I love it. I also have them doing most of my mailings as well as they have access to my records to send out my reminders. They do both the mailings as well as the email marketing for me. Costs about $300 a month but its well worth it for me.

I like you started my own business 1-1/2 yrs ago after 12 years at a tech. Are you good at one particular thing or do you have a specialty auto you can/like to work on? I have had to do almost anything that comes through the door but as my business builds I am having to limit what I can/will do.

I send people at times to my local Advance auto parts to let them read the codes for me. Because I am by myself it helps to know what the code is before I even see the car. I know this doesn't always help in the diagnosing the code but its a good start to save me the time.

The "problem" is most auto "tech" schools are taught by people that are/were technicians not those based in the training of running a business. You can easily find those that will train you in running a business but every business type is different. You can get business training for free at www.score.org. I attended two of ATI's training classes and was not pressured to "join" their coaching system. Their boot camps were very good for me going from a technician to a business owner. I am not near big enough of a company to afford their training classes so it was an easy decision for me and them to make. I also took one class from Matt Winslow and he was at the other class that I took. He knows his stuff and he has a long background in the automotive field. So I guess it depends upon what you are looking for in a training class and what you need. I will probably take their bootcamp again when they come back to my area.

Only being my second year in business I was up a pretty significant amount. This year probably won't be as much since I hit my max for business I can do by myself.

Its like $1500 a month for the actual program which isn't bad with the 2-1 return they guarrentee. They won't even sign you up if they dont' think they could do that for you. But the 1 day was very, very valuable to me. Well worth the money.

Happy new year I am looking forward to learning more about how to properly run my business.

I am already glad I have stumbled onto this site. My name is Craig. I had 11-1/2 years of Dealership experience for Honda before I started my own shop 1-1/2 ago. Its just me and a part time helper and I have more work than I can keep up with. Look forward to getting to hear other people's ideas and learning stuff from the masters of my business. Thanks, Craig Tice CAR Maintenance and Performance White House, TN

Having had this same thing happen to me as the tech/shop owner, I have just eaten the repair cost. If I had done a close enough inspection to realize that the pins were stuck, I would have charged a little more. Of course, the last one I broke was the pastor of our church so those are a little easier to eat If I know it will need them, I price them as part of the repair. If I break them myself, I eat them.

I have done two of his 1 day classes in the last 4 months. Both of them the same class. I learned so much the first time, I went again to a different location to get the same class again. I absolutely loved it. Of course, they have a 30 month mentoring program that would be awesome but its not something this one man band can afford right now. I strongly recommend these classes. The last class I took was free. They reimbursed me the class cost after the teacher came and visited me at my shop and gave me some great advice. Hope that helps, Craig

That is funny. I sent that one to my Father-in-law who will enjoy that one. LOL

I have also listened to their information a few months ago. I agree 100% with the concept but like you said, they are little more money than I as a small shop can afford to spend at this time. They will send you great deals every few months trying to sign you up. Last months was really good but I just can't afford it right now. I will probably do this program though.