Joe Marconi

You jogged my memory banks again! I think you’ll like this story. About 12 years ago a car appeared in my parking lot on a Monday morning and had no idea why the car was there or who owned the car. I waited the entire day but no one called or stopped by to claim the car. A week goes by and now I am getting a little concerned. I called the local police. They came down, walked around the car, wrote the license plate number down and told me they would check into it. From the plate we realized that this car was from another state, Maryland. A few days go by and nothing from the police either. Another few days go by. One morning I needed to get to the shop real early to meet a contractor about work on one of his trucks. I got to shop around 5:30am and what do I see? Someone getting out of the car that I thought was abandoned for two weeks. I ran over to the guy and said, “Hey buddy, who are you and what are you doing here?” He told me that he just got a job in the area but had no place to live so he decided her would park somewhere for the day, come back at night to sleep in his car and go back to work each morning. When I asked him how in the world he thought this would be ok, he just replied, “Well, I didn’t think I was hurting anyone”. He turned around, got into his car a drove away.

I am a Mechanic turned shop owner. I opened my business in 1980. From my perspective, being a mechanic hurt my business. For the first 10 to 12 years I felt that my business could not run unless I was the focal point in every aspect of the business. I had this notion that no one could do as good a job as I could, and the consequences of this attitude were not good. I nearly lost everything and just about went broke in the process. When I finally put away my tools (for the most part) and learned about the mechanics of business, things started to turn around. I had to have trust in other people, hire the right people, put policy and processes in place, watch my numbers and understand what it took to turn a profit. Little by little I dug myself out of the deep hole I was in and by the late 90’s I was well on my way to growing a nice business. Since the late 90’s I have expanded 3 times and now have 2 facilities and looking for another. One of reasons I cofounded AutoShoOwner.com is to share my experiences and help others like yourself. My advice to you: if you are going to do it, then do it right. One of key things that helped me was getting involved with a company called Elite (http://www.eliteworldwidestore.com/). Elite is a company that helps automotive shops become more successful through proper business training and coaching. I actually work now as a business coach for Elite helping other shops around the country. One more thing, you will need to become proficient in business and in the world of automotive, but your success is not dependent upon your mechanical skills. Your skills as a leader and management will be your greatest asset. Great post, hope to hear more from you and best of luck!

There are not a lot of details. We have no idea what the facts are. Was this a DIY, trying to install the battery himself? The article is so vague. Any part that is sold over the counter has the “propensity” of risk. I wish there were more details. What was the defect?

I was wondering what other shops are doing for the day after Thanksgiving, are you open or closed?

I want to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving and want to thank all our members for making AutoShopOwner.com a valuable resource for the automotive repairs shops around the world. Enjoy the holiday with friends and family, Joe Marconi Cofounder, AutoShopowner.com

You are in a position that many of have been in. You need to have faith and build a plan to grow. I am not saying you need to build an empire with 10 stores, but doing it alone will not end up good. Take it from someone who has been there. You went into business not to kill yourself, and it seems like you building a good customer base. Train you mind to think "business" and put down your goals on paper. Formulate a plan and work each day on this plan. If you put the time into your plan, you will acheive it. Set aside all negative thoughts and always remain positive. This advise has helped me greatly. Best of luck, and please, let ASO help you in any way we can!

As a one-man shop, you are splitting yourself up all day long and going in different directions. Do you have plans to grow and hire?

Amazing story!

I tip my hat to you! Your evaluation of the younger generation is outstanding and should be a lesson to us all. My hope is that there are more people as yourself; we need people like you for the sake of our future. The younger generation has much more opportunity than guys of my generation, that’s for sure. The way you were brought up was a lot like mine, and at the time I thought my father was tough on me. All he was trying to do was to prepare me for life. You brought back some fond memories, such as Saturday mornings. Before I could go out with my friends, I had to make sure all my chores were done. All I can say is, don’t change. Your core values will be your key to success! Thanks, GREAT POST!

Do you feel you have any advantage being a franchise? Marketing, systems, policies?

The only major franchise stores in my area are Sears and 2 Valvoline quick lubes. We do have an independent Goodyear store and another Tire Store, Mavis Discount Tire. There are many independent shops, and they all seem to do ok. For my area, the franchise stores do not appear to be a threat. I do know that this is not the case around the country, where many shops are located with minutes of a Pep Boys, multiple quick lubes, major tire stores, AutoZone, etc. How do you compete with this, or do you need to?

I was speaking with one of my parts rep the other day and he told me that he is hearing of a lot of strange driveability issues due to the ethanol in the gas. The gas in our area, (and it’s probably the same around the country, expect for E85) has 10% ethanol. I know for many older cars, this could be a problem, but I have not seen others problems to date. Also, when we go to training, this topic is brought up a lot. Just like to hear from other shops to see what’s happening.

Thanks to all for your help, if I get more infor, or if I decide to try the program out, I will follow up.

Your story reminded me of an old customer. Back in the 80’s I had this customer who insisted on bringing his shop manual with him and reviewing the work on his car before I worked on it, just to make sure I was doing the job right. I was a lot younger then and had a lot more patience. He would leave me the manual, just in case I had any issues. Imagine that! Also, he would tell me that if I got stuck, just call him. He will run right over to give me a hand. Why I put up with that back then I can’t answer you. Now, I just laugh about it.

My tip this week is a recurring theme, and one that will be repeated often: During the holiday season, spend time with family and friends. Automotive shop owner are among the hardest working group of people on this planet. We all need a little down time to enjoy life and recharge our batteries. Work is important but we need to prioritize the things in life that are free and are most important. Happy Thanksgiving to all ASO members and their families! Joe Marconi

Let's clear things up a bit. As far as my political status is concerned, I really don't care about left or right. I look at the person. If Cain is wrong, he is wrong. If Clinton is wrong, he is wrong. There are no "gray" areas in my book. Any political stance that favors one side to the extreme can be dangerous. For example: if you’re a democratic, only voting for a democratic, or if you are a republican, only voting republican. I don't do that. I vote for the person I feel will do the better job, no matter what the party he or she is affiliated with. To be quite honest, I am not happy with either party these days. I try to see people for who they are and what they stand for. While my views are more conservative than liberal, I don't like labels and will disagree with any political party that I view as unethical. In retrospect, I should have phrased the post differently. I respect all views and observe everyone’s right to voice their opinion. That’s what this forum is all about. We can discuss and argue and may never see completely eye to eye, but that’s ok. That’s what makes this country so great. I do not wish to win people over to my views, but I will from time to time bring up controversial issues. This is how we learn from each other. PS: Time for a new topic?

You bring up valid points, and I can clearly see your view point on this. I guess my original purpose to the post got lost in the discussion. I want to hold everyone to the same standards, and I do not want segments of the people taking sides just because they favor a political party. Wrong is wrong in my heart and I do not stand behind anyone who does not uphold honesty, ethics and morals. I appreciate your replies and opinions, it's the strength of the this forum and it's how we learn, thru the exchange of opinions and ideas.

A true American hero and what this country stands for. The sacrifice so many have given must not be forgotten or minimized in any way!

I find that many of today’s younger workforce value their free time more than many people from my generation did when we were that age. I got started business in the 70’s and actually held a job all through high school. My “free” time back then I usually spent working. I had my fun, but work was top priority. I also held two jobs before I started my own business; I worked in a gas station as a mechanic during the day and worked driving a tow truck at nights and on weekends. We don’t usually find this today. And there are many other generational differences. Should we not judge today’s workforce by my early experience or your experience, but rather understand today’s different workers and bridge the gap between us?

I started in the auto repair business in 1974 BC (Before catalytic converters). I remember going on a road call with my boss one cold morning. He popped the distributor cap off, took a peak, took at his matches and used the thickness of the match book to adjust the points. The car started and he told me, “Drive it in”. Now, those were the days. Technology is moving at light speed these days and I can appreciate your speculation, but I agree. It’s like that famous saying, “Whatever the human mind can conceive and believe he can create”.

You are right Gonzo, I have lived by the creed, especially in business. I guess posting something so controversial was not one of my better ideas.

Simply amazing!

Welcome to AutoShopOwner.com! As cofounder of the site I can promise you that this site will become a valuable resource for you. I am glad to see that read the E Myth. One thing that I know, if you want to suceed, you need to grow your business skills. I struggled for many years, mostly due to the fact that I was a great tech, but a poor business man. Once I began learning the Mechanics of Business, things started to fall into place. I look forward to future posts and will help in any way I can. Joe Marconi

I am neither campaiging for Cain, nor am I defending him, if the acusations are true. Consensual???? He was the President and he was married and he lied on national TV. I clearly do not see how it's "OK" if it was consensual.