From humble beginnings to a thriving Roswell shop, Renan Souza shares how grit, quality, and family values turned BR Auto Repair and Collision into a standout in a crowded market.

This episode of the Garage Grit Podcast is part of our Origin & Impact series—real stories from shop owners who built their business from the ground up.

Brad Hurlock sits down with Renan Souza of BR Auto Repair and Collision to dig into Renan’s origin story, the challenges he faced starting out with just $13K, and the impact he’s making for his team, customers, and community. Renan opens up about lessons learned from working with his dad, building a family-first culture, focusing on quality over quantity, and standing out among fierce local competition.

If you want to hear how real shop owners create lasting impact, you’ll want to catch every minute of this conversation.

Join the Garage Grit community:

Website: https://aashopmarketing.com

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/forautorepairshopowners

All Episodes: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/garagegrit

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Timestamps

00:00 – Origin & Impact intro: Meet Renan Souza

01:00 – Opening BR Auto Repair in the “auto district”

02:00 – Parking, shop setup & scaling in a tight space

04:00 – Focusing on quality, not volume

05:30 – Standing out from dealers & the competition

07:00 – Customer trust, team culture, and leading by example

10:30 – How “family-first” became a core value

11:35 – Balancing collision and mechanical services

14:40 – Working with insurance companies

16:50 – Why combined shops require teamwork

18:00 – Real talk: the years it takes to build a winning team

19:40 – Starting over after family changes

21:30 – Tracking costs and what really matters in profit

23:00 – Growing up in the business and going solo

25:00 – The impact of college (and what matters more)

28:00 – Surviving hard times and starting with $13k

32:00 – Keeping business balanced between services

35:00 – Marketing & messaging when you “do it all”

38:00 – Lessons in bootstrapping and building trust

44:00 – Team meetings & continuous improvement

46:30 – Why family always comes first

49:00 – Wrap-up & how to join the Garage Grit community

Subscribe for more Origin & Impact stories that help real shop owners win.

Website: https://aashopmarketing.com

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/forautorepairshopowners

Podcast: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/garagegrit