How do they do it? I asked this question several years ago, as a new member of my local Toastmasters International club. The meetings were held every Tuesday, and the room was always packed with aspiring speakers. At the district conventions, the leaders of the other clubs complained about member count being down in the area. When…
As the shop owner, you carry the responsibility for the safety, health, and financial well-being of your team and yourself — and most of the time, you are not compensated enough for that responsibility (and liability, if things go wrong). It’s time we changed that. What is profit? Your accountant might tell you that you…
Change is a constant in our lives. All around us, technologies, processes, people, ideas, and practices often change, affecting the way we perform both in our lives and our businesses. Leaders need tools to implement changes more smoothly and effectively and to have those changes be accepted and implemented by their teams. Leaders need to…
Are you on the fence about hiring your replacement? This question reminds me of an encounter I had with a shop owner named “Carla.” After several years of struggle, she had grown her business to where she could finally pay herself without having to invest her own money to pay her people. Her margins were…
Who is usually the lowest paid person in your auto repair shop? Most of the time, it is the shop owner. When we account for every hour you spend working at the shop open to close and then the time you put in after-hours on maintenance, book-keeping, marketing, and fill-in-the-blank, I often find that the…
Are you interested in using the smart formula to create North Star budget goals for your business and associates? Well, sit back and take a moment to read about the smart formula for goal achievement. If you don’t know the direction you’re going, you will never get to where you want to be. Directionless is…
It was the worst recording of an incoming phone call that I’d ever heard. It was so bad that I was sure Ashton Kutcher would appear to confirm that the call was really fake and I was being “punk’d” as a surprise guest on his hidden camera reality show! “Linda,” who drove a Toyota Camry,…
We all can choose our path in life and at work. We first must know how we want to represent ourselves in this world and at our workplace. Knowing who you are, what your values are, and how you are seen as a person through your own eyes and others’ eyes becomes your compass —…
Jimmy Johnson was the head football coach of the Dallas Cowboys from 1989 through 1994. He had a reputation for being a no-nonsense disciplinarian who was tough on his players. Falling asleep during one of his meetings was considered a “career-limiting move.” Everyone knew this. Everyone, except for a backup linebacker named John Roper. During a…
You just got a bad review on Google. It’s a 1-star with a nasty one-sided story about what a terrible job you did, or how your shop ripped them off. As the shop owner, your head is ready to explode. You want to reply with your side of the story. I know the feeling. As…