His CPA firm focuses on auto-shops.  It seems that he is crowd-sourcing his topics by asking for topics or creating topics from frequently asked questions.  There was a podcast on advertising.  How much should you spend?  Is zero enough?  Is 100K monthly enough?   There was another on Tax Tips and common questions, such as "Can I pay for my goomah with business funds?"  (OK, not really, but you get the picture).  Where are the legal boundaries with taxes?  What qualifies and what doesn't?  Is accelerated depreciation best?

TLDR:  Great podcast.  Not boring, in spite of being accounting.  Auto Shop focused.   I recommend that you listen.

I have always appreciated this forum and not sure how I didn't think to ask this question here to begin with!

I received an unexpected phone call from a gentleman whom I've never spoken to or met before the day after Christmasz but he was aware of me and my recent achievements while managing an independent franchise of a national auto repair chain (honestly doesn't make a difference to me if you know where u can msg me if u want. Just didn't know the rules on it) 

In less than 60 seconds he was able to explain who he was, where he was from, and that he would like to move me out there for the purpose of taking over his shop and running it for him until he retires at which time I could buy it if I wanted it and I told him it is certainly a discussion we can have and would get back to him the following day. 

Our next conversation I had the chance to interview him about the shop and a little about himself to which I have no objections and went on to inform him that picking up my life and moving out of state would not be a quick decision and would require a process in which 3 things would need to take place.

1.  We would need to meet in person obviously, but also spend a decent amount of time in an environment outside of the work setting to get to know a little more of each other and assuming no red flags (very doubtful there are any to find) move forward 

2.  I would need to see the shop and be able to shadow how it's currently operated for a day or 2 and if no issues were to come up that within a few days at most I woulr let him know what it would take and the cost needed in order for me to commit to this and move. 

3. We would both have to mutually agree to or re negotiate a deal to be out in writing and signed and any upfront requirements fulfilled. 

Until late May I had spent the last 3 1/2 years as general manager for another franchise of the same chain that was nearly bankrupt when I started and lead it on to achieve new reocrds parts and labor sales . I wrote out a business plan outlining all new policies, procedures, products, and pay structure that changed everything from the ground up. 

The first year reflected an increase in more than 150k of gross sales at just shy of 1m and the second was the highest gross sales recorded at 1.29m, and I parted ways respectably in late May on track to exceed 1.5m. (sadly, they did not make this mark)

During this time my compensation was a base salary of $1000/week, 1% of gross sales, and a weekly kicker of $250 per week gross sales ended over $20k, and an additional $250 for each $5k after for that week. 2021 I grossed $109k and this year was on track to end at $150k if I had remained. 

There was nothing negative involved or that created the reason my departure. The regional manager for the 166 stores or whatever it is in the NW asked me long ago if I would ever be willing to relocate and run another "franchise store"  and I had a couple people email me that I couldnt even take seriously, but never let them go any further. 

I am scheduled to leave by train this Monday 1/9 where he has provided me with a hotel and rental car for a 3 day stay to complete the other steps needed to move forward. 

Below is a general idea of what I have in my head as far as what I expect out of a relocation package, but I've never had to hire or been hired this way before. Needless to say I could use and would appreciate any insight from anyone that has experience or any history with this process and reasonable expectations. 

1. Move in costs including first and last months rent, security deposit, and any application fees.

 (I was going to put a cap on the amounts, but the cost of living there is ridiculously higher than here and I don't feel like moving from a nice 3 bdrm house that I have here to go live in some cheap 1 bdrm apartment there is the right direction lol)

2. All personal property will be prepared and packed by myself and then loaded and delivered at owners expense. 

3. Pay structure to remain the same as previous Midas employer with a $250 increase to weekly salary. 

4. Employee discount will be all products and parts at cost.

5. One time payment of $15,000 as incentive to ease the complications that come with relocating. 

(,Thought of splitting up? 1/2 up front and other half dispersed with regular pay over next 6 mos?)

Any feedback or thoughts is welcomed and appreciated. 

None of the presentations were about perfection.  As a matter of fact, most presenters shared information about how they did things stating that this may or may not apply to your situation.  No one told you what to do, but rather offer tools for analyzing your own situation.   None of the presenters were making sales pitches.

In other sessions, real shop owners share tips and techniques on a number of topics that we see here.    Being a live event, these were more dynamic conversations.

I've returned from the conference with a renewed sense of urgency analyzing my numbers to see where we had success and where we need to improve.   I do expect to make real changes, but don't yet know exactly what changes I'm going to make.   Got to crunch some numbers first.

I signed up for the conference when it was first published, but sat on the CC screen for a while debating the value of this conference.  Should I go, or should I stay?   I reluctantly pushed the GO button.   However, looking back, I should have enthusiastically smashed that GO button!  

The next one is in Denver.   I recommend that you consider attending.

A side benefit is that I got to meet Joe Marconi and in a session that we jointly attended, I overheard Joe say that he was mentored by Jerry Holcom.  Later in the conference, I had the pleasure of talking with Jerry as well.  In the many networking sessions, we met many different shop owners and had great conversations.

--brian

We have a rather small waiting room and have removed a few chairs to aid in social distancing (we now have only 4 chairs total). I wanted to know if your shop is requiring customers to wear a mask while they are inside the waiting area?  How is your experience? Do you have a sign up on the front door stating they must wear a mask?

Stay safe and healthy!

Nick 

Around here, most of the body shops are large chains, and trying to forge a relationship with them is difficult as people switch jobs often.    The few independents that I know, I'm suspect of their quality (because of my ignorance).    I recently took in a collision repair which was about $18K of mechanical with only about $5K amount of body work.   We sublet the body work out to yet another place that I was leery of... and they are way too far away...  but they did good work.  Was a referral.   Now, the same jeep is back in my shop with another collision and it's all body work.  (His dad is way too nice and believes what his teen+ son is saying.  We don't.  LOL).   I tried gently pushing this guy to a body shop, but he trusts us and wants us to handle it.   I told him, that I would be subletting it to a body shop anyways. 

I'm going to go on a referral hunt for an independent good body shop, but I have questions on the definition of "good".

How can I qualify them?   What makes a body shop top of class vs bottom of the barrel?     As they say, you can't judge a book by it's cover and most smaller body shops have ugly covers.   For sure, I'll be looking for a body shop that stands behind its work.    Part of what makes me skeptical is that we often see the carnage from body shop repairs that are shoddily done during inspections for general mechanical work.  The outside is shiny and you are sometimes lucky to find that they replaced or installed a radiator support.   Yet, if it's done right, we don't need perfect looking hidden repairs.   And the opposite is likely true, in that we see great work, but don't realize that it was repaired, so there's no admiring what you can't recognize.

In one query yesterday, I mentioned on of the big chains names and I got back a "crooks" response, likely more implying gouging.   How do the smaller body shops compete with the bigger chains?   What's the value?   Would and why would my customers be better off by avoiding them?

In general, I see two types of body requests:  1) Insurance jobs and 2) Minor body work that is looking for a more custom control.   e.g. "Paint this front fender and don't blend the next panel so that I can save money"  Or "Stick this part back on, but don't bother painting it."  "Pop the dent out of this plastic bumper, but no need to repaint."   Do body shops even want these types of #2 requests?

With sublets, such as this one, should I be looking for or expecting a business-to-business rate or not?   Most of the time, I'd rather not be in the middle anyways.  Most people would rather go direct too.   I'd be happy if I can find someone that would help me fix our at-fault goofs for a favorable rate and let all referrals be regular retail.   I don't even know if this is a valid question.

Unrelated to my questions, I found that Service King, is only taking on insurance jobs.  No customer pay jobs due to staffing and parts shortages.

Thank you for any feedback!

best, 

Carter

As he moved into a larger facility and hired more people. I'm working on efficiencies.  The current goal is to have common hardware an supplies on hand, always.  I am looking for a service to handle this.  I have spoken with Rogo, Fastenal and Kimball Midwest.   Any other suggestions?  Runs to the hardware store are costly...

TIA,

Dave

How (if at all) has COVID19 changed how you operate your automotive shop? Are you changing procedures in greeting customers? Offering special protection equipment or barriers? Are you now using plastic and disposable seat covers, steering wheel covers, etc? These were just a few thoughts running through my head since businesses are due to open soon. 

Thanks in advance for your responses.

Stay safe, healthy and well! 

Nick

Obviously we’re entering a new economy. At no other time have we witnessed wide sweeping changes to how we do business; what’s expected of us; how customers respond and what we need to do. 

I released this brand new training to show you three things you can do right now. Shop owners who have done at least one of the strategies I explain in the training, have already got results booking appointments. You’re welcome to grab a pad and pen and copy any of the details to help you.

Hope this helps

Matthew
“The Car Count Fixer”

Hope this helps!
Matthew
"The Car Count Fixer"

But wait... there's more! 😉

But here’s what happened. I had conversations with shop owners after releasing that video. After talking to them, they told that what I didn’t say was really more important than what I did say! So I decided I would reveal that - but only to serious shop owners. 

All you need to do is text the work “hello” to 716-402-5998. That will get you an invitation to Car Count Hackers Elite - I share shot bits of information with serious shop owners who want to earn the money you know you deserve.

Hope this helps!

Matthew
"The Car Count FIxer"

P.S.: How to Get More Customers for Your Repair Shop - 2020

P.P.S.: Like and Follow Car Count Hackers on Facebook

P.P.P.S.: Have you registered in my FREE Training? "How to Double Your Car Count in 89 Days"

Could you use an extra $9,780.39 in Bottom Line Profits!

Thank you for any suggestions you might have. Scott

Thanks in advance.

How are mechanics paid?

How do I pay myself and recoup my investment?

Shop management software? Looked at MaxxTraxx, Alldatapro.

What types of insurance must I carry?

I've found a nice place with three bays to rent but will need to install lifts. Should I shop used or new?

Etc etc etc.

Thanks for any help you can offer.

My question is this- how do I get a scanner for my mechanic without spending thousands and thousands of dollars.

Our last mechanic had a $4000 scanner, and now we had to fire him for stealing money, so I am about to hire a new guy. I'm wondering how I can get this done without spending a ton of money. We are cash flow NEGATIVE right now, so I gotta get it done cheap.

I've seen stuff on the internet for $100, are these any good? What would you recommend?

thanks guys for the advice.

The article goes on to claim... “By 2023, there will be about 84 million vehicles on the road that are at least 16 years old, reflecting a 240% increase from 35 million in 2002, according to IHS.”

Are you getting your share?

There’s only 90 days left in 2019 and the market is changing. Sorry, it HAS changed. Are you ready? Do you have your plans laid out for marketing your shop in 2020? 

Auto Service Marketing - Fix Your Car Count FAST!

Hope this helps!

Matthew
"The Car Count FIxer"

P.S.: Join me on YouTube at Car Count Hackers! FREE Help to grow your Car Count, Income and Profit! 
P.P.S.: Like and Follow Car Count Hackers on Facebook
P.P.P.S.: Have you registered in my FREE Training? "How to Double Your Car Count in 89 Days"

In our observation, it looks like a scuff mark maybe from hitting rubber debris on the road, but at the same time, it appears to be under the clear coat as it won't rub off.   See the attached pictures.  I'm hoping someone that knows paint might be able shed some light on what I'm seeing.   We've only taken pictures and tried to rub it off with fingers and fingernails.  We have not tried any solvents or cleaners.   I'm sure he would bring the car back for another inspection.

Our current supplier for shop supplies just announced a 25% increase on nitrile disposable gloves (Ouch), as well as a 10% increase on wiper blades and metal spin on filters. I have limited to no choice in forwarding these increases to customers. However, I am in the market of seeking other suppliers. What companies do you currently use for such stocked inventory? Any recommendations? 

What are your thoughts in asking the techs to supply their own work gloves? Perhaps a non disposable nitrile grip?

Kind Regards,

Nick

I am opening up a new shop from scratch. Its a larger shop (8 bays, 5 lifts, tire machine/balancer, alignment machine, etc.) I know this is a very poor question but how many techs should I have opening day? What I mean by this is I don't want to hire 2 guys and have to lay them off the 2nd week because we don't have business yet or have to turn away 50% of my work because we are busy and only have 2 guys. Any good solutions you guys could think of the help combat this issue? Thank You 

Can anyone recommend a finance company that does not require checks?

Jeff

CLICK HERE TO JOIN THE SUCCESSFUL SHOP OWNERS FACEBOOK GROUP

[transcription]

Could Auto Repair Flat Rate Be Dead?

TECHNICIAN shortage today is real. Last study that I saw said, for every eight shops that’s looking for a technician, there’s only one tech available so I know many of you watching this are experiencing that same thing. And I’ll also say one thing that I found: most technicians, when I mention flat rate, their cheeks kind of pucker up. They hate it. Why? There’s risk. They’ve been burned before. So often in the technicians starved market, what’s a shop owner left to do but put technicians on hourly or even maybe salary? And what that leads to is, really what I’m going to call an “uninspired performance.” Why? They get comfortable, they’re able to pay their bills without exerting a ton of effort.

So what’s a shop owner to do? The answer I’ve uncovered recently in my shop is to have a Win Number. For every single employee. See one of the truths I discovered in my 30 plus years of being a shop owner is that often we don’t get the most out of our employees because we never really sat down and told them what we expect. I know that’s been one of my mistakes.

So one of the things that I’ve done recently is I’ve given each employee a weekly Win Number, and that’s why it’s so important. For example, I recently sat down with each of my technicians and shared with them their Win Number. What do I mean by win number? What I expect out of them in parts and labor production for each employee. The numbers are based on my desired technician cost as a percentage of sales. It’s worked so well with my technicians that I now sent it out and established that win number with both my CSR and my service advisor.

I’ve got to tell you the results have been incredible. Not only are my sales and profits up through the roof lately, it’s led to believe it or not, happier employees. Why? They drive home at the end of the day or at the end of the week knowing that they hit their goals. Knowing that they’ve contributed to a successful week for the shop and that certainly led to a happier shop owner!

So, let me leave you with a question. Does each and every one of your employees on your team clearly know what you expect of them?

If your answer is not a resounding YES, it’s time to put a pencil to paper and figure out each team employee or each team members weekly and daily Win.

What are your thoughts? Do you think customers are attracted to brand new facilities or can they be satisfied with just good service alone?

Again we are a small rural shop, out of the main town about 10 miles. We have several tow companies in the area that will haul by our shop & take to another shop. We mainly do tires but are able to do light mechanic work like brakes, alternators, batteries, starters, etc, etc. I know some customers may request to take it to another shop but I also feel that we are an option that gets over looked & the tow companies may make a little more buy driving on by. 

My Question is does anyone have a program that they are working with a tow company to bring cars to the shop when a customer does not have a preference. We have a loyalty program that I thought for every dollar the customer we will give the tow company the same value in points. Do we offer to pay the tow bill upon del so they don't have to mess with? How do we know if the tow driver is bringing to us on his own or the customer requested? Open to ideas & maybe it is what it is.

Thanks

Any input is appreciated

Randy

The accident was caused by trying to do too much at once resulting in working on a car in an unsafe manner.

I've talked to a number of one man garages recently and it seems they all struggle in a similar fashion.

So, my question is this.... How best to run a one man business. There seems to be little interest in joining forces with another one man setup.

So, how/when to make appointments, schedule work, order parts, get paid etc

I'm looking at Google docs to see if there's any way to put an appointment calender into action.

Not even sure what are the real problems faced by a one man shop...Can anyone point me in the right direction?

Thanks

As an independent automotive shop we service most makes and models. We recently experienced a situation where a customer brought a vehicle for a no start diag, authorized certain repairs, and did not come to pick up vehicle since additional repairs were needed to complete the job.

We soon learned the reason why was because the owed balance isn't worth the cars value. I personally believe it isn't worth the headache, time, or money to deal with a mechanics lien for a car that's worth not much.

How do you guys handle diags? Do you collect the fee upfront to secure payment of your actual time covered?

And if a customer approves repairs, do you request a deposit? Only if repairs exceeds the cars value? (Older vehicles)

Thank you all for your thoughts and opinions in advance.