Changing The Industry Podcast

Don't get to the end of this year wishing you had taken action to change your business and your life.
Click here to schedule a free discovery call for your business: https://geni.us/IFORABE

Don't miss an upcoming event with The Institute: https://geni.us/InstituteEvents2026

Shop-Ware gives you the tools to provide your shop with everything needed to become optimally profitable.
Click here to schedule a free demo: https://info.shop-ware.com/profitability

Transform your shop's marketing with the best in the automotive industry, Shop Marketing Pros!
Get a free audit of your shop's current marketing by clicking here: https://geni.us/ShopMarketingPros

Shop owners, are you ready to simplify your business operations? Meet 360 Payments, your one-stop solution for effortless payment processing.

Imagine this—no more juggling receipts, staplers, or endless paperwork. With 360 Payments, you get everything integrated into a single, sleek digital platform.

Simplify payments. Streamline operations. Check out 360payments.com today!

Sometimes you have to make the difficult decision of firing a customer. 

Andrew Knudsen and Robert Morton joined David and Lucas at The Summit 2023 to explore how they identified the signs that a customer was not a good fit for their shop.

Andrew’s background and how he got started. 0:00

What is a written and signed estimate? 5:13

The importance of making your business safe. 10:09

What was the catalyst for Andrew to start a change in his business? 13:58

When you first start going to training or events, what does it look like? 18:20

Go to other places and meet other people. 24:36

David’s time in the mastermind group. 25:28

How do you know if you’re making money? 31:52

How much are you at the shop and how much do you need to be there? 38:25

Don’t feel like you’re being attacked. 42:50

How do you know if you’ve met someone who’s a bad influence? 47:30

Did he file a deceptive trade practice lawsuit on a car? 54:08

How does it feel when a customer doesn’t fix a problem they caused? 57:40

I’m gonna get sued. 58:29

How to get your credit card company to drop the chargeback. 1:02:41

Do you have recorded calls you can take with you? 1:08:51

Don't get to the end of this year wishing you had taken action to change your business and your life.
Click here to schedule a free discovery call for your business: https://geni.us/IFORABE

Don't miss an upcoming event with The Institute: https://geni.us/InstituteEvents2026

Shop-Ware gives you the tools to provide your shop with everything needed to become optimally profitable.
Click here to schedule a free demo: https://info.shop-ware.com/profitability

Transform your shop's marketing with the best in the automotive industry, Shop Marketing Pros!
Get a free audit of your shop's current marketing by clicking here: https://geni.us/ShopMarketingPros

Shop owners, are you ready to simplify your business operations? Meet 360 Payments, your one-stop solution for effortless payment processing.

Imagine this—no more juggling receipts, staplers, or endless paperwork. With 360 Payments, you get everything integrated into a single, sleek digital platform.

Simplify payments. Streamline operations. Check out 360payments.com today!

David and Lucas sit down with Peter Leondis and Kosta Kantilaftis from The Garage Network (https://www.thegaragenetwork.com.au/), an organization based in Australia created to connect workshop owners and managers to open up communications in work and business. 

Don't get to the end of this year wishing you had taken action to change your business and your life.
Click here to schedule a free discovery call for your business: https://geni.us/IFORABE

Don't miss an upcoming event with The Institute: https://geni.us/InstituteEvents2026

Shop-Ware gives you the tools to provide your shop with everything needed to become optimally profitable.
Click here to schedule a free demo: https://info.shop-ware.com/profitability

Transform your shop's marketing with the best in the automotive industry, Shop Marketing Pros!
Get a free audit of your shop's current marketing by clicking here: https://geni.us/ShopMarketingPros

Shop owners, are you ready to simplify your business operations? Meet 360 Payments, your one-stop solution for effortless payment processing.

Imagine this—no more juggling receipts, staplers, or endless paperwork. With 360 Payments, you get everything integrated into a single, sleek digital platform.

Simplify payments. Streamline operations. Check out 360payments.com today!

In this episode, recorded live at The Summit 2023, David and Lucas sit down with Eduardo Quirindongo, the owner of Copa Mechanic in Maricopa, AZ. Eduardo shares his journey of going from a technician to a mobile mechanic to eventually owning his own business and hiring his first employees. He recounts his struggles along the way, the hard work required to make it all work out, and the lessons he learned about entrepreneurship and leadership.

Topics Covered:

How David and Lucas got started complaining on the internet. 0:00

How Ed got started in this business. 4:47

The importance of Shop-Ware and parts in your business. 12:11

All your tools are inside of the trailer?!? 15:52

How he’s doing with his production. 21:07

What is automotive training online? 25:49

Treat your employees and train your employees so they can get a job elsewhere. 32:16

What’s the future looking like for you? 39:18

Hustlers never stay mobile 44:01

The cost associated with being in business for yourself. 48:03

Biting off more than you can chew. 52:36

Stop dropping fuel tanks in someone’s driveway. 53:52

Why you have to take on the jobs you don’t want to take today. 56:23

How do you protect your business from being thrown under the bus? 1:00:41

Don't get to the end of this year wishing you had taken action to change your business and your life.
Click here to schedule a free discovery call for your business: https://geni.us/IFORABE

Don't miss an upcoming event with The Institute: https://geni.us/InstituteEvents2026

Shop-Ware gives you the tools to provide your shop with everything needed to become optimally profitable.
Click here to schedule a free demo: https://info.shop-ware.com/profitability

Transform your shop's marketing with the best in the automotive industry, Shop Marketing Pros!
Get a free audit of your shop's current marketing by clicking here: https://geni.us/ShopMarketingPros

Shop owners, are you ready to simplify your business operations? Meet 360 Payments, your one-stop solution for effortless payment processing.

Imagine this—no more juggling receipts, staplers, or endless paperwork. With 360 Payments, you get everything integrated into a single, sleek digital platform.

Simplify payments. Streamline operations. Check out 360payments.com today!

In this episode, recorded live at Vision KC 2023, David and Lucas sit down with Demeny Pollitt, the owner of Girlington Garage in South Burlington, VT.

Demeny reflects on her entrepreneurial journey. She shares personal experiences, such as realizing she had been taken advantage of in the past and getting fired from her first job after graduation. 

Demeny also discusses safety inspections in Vermont, dealing with angry customers, and handling one-star reviews. She emphasizes the importance of having a moral compass in business and communicating effectively with others. Demeny also shares insights on taking time off to reflect and the value of writing things down.

Topics covered:

How she realized she had been taken advantage of in the past. 4:02

Safety inspections in the South. 5:54

What happened to her when she got fired from her first job after graduation. 10:15

How to deal with the angriest customers. 15:09

Glitter and fart spray. 20:03

How did you escape the accent of Vermont? 23:45

You need to take time off and figure your stuff out. 27:36

The challenges she faced when she felt like she was alone. 33:12

One-on-one with Rick White. 38:19

What happens if the owner wants to change the name of the business? 44:57

Why do you have this expense line? 50:19

One-star reviews. 55:13

There’s nothing you can do or say to other people to combat what they believe to be true. 1:01:20

It’s not real if you don’t write it down. 1:06:26

The importance of having a moral compass in your business. 1:07:54

The importance of having a stern, matter-of-fact voice. 1:14:30

The biggest thing is you have to communicate. 1:27:14

Don't get to the end of this year wishing you had taken action to change your business and your life.
Click here to schedule a free discovery call for your business: https://geni.us/IFORABE

Don't miss an upcoming event with The Institute: https://geni.us/InstituteEvents2026

Shop-Ware gives you the tools to provide your shop with everything needed to become optimally profitable.
Click here to schedule a free demo: https://info.shop-ware.com/profitability

Transform your shop's marketing with the best in the automotive industry, Shop Marketing Pros!
Get a free audit of your shop's current marketing by clicking here: https://geni.us/ShopMarketingPros

Shop owners, are you ready to simplify your business operations? Meet 360 Payments, your one-stop solution for effortless payment processing.

Imagine this—no more juggling receipts, staplers, or endless paperwork. With 360 Payments, you get everything integrated into a single, sleek digital platform.

Simplify payments. Streamline operations. Check out 360payments.com today!

Recorded live at the Institute Summit 2023, David and Lucas sit down with Aaron Woods, owner of Xtra Mile Auto Care in Stillwater, OK and a Facilitator/Coach for the Institute for Automotive Business Excellence.  

Can you truly serve your customers at cut-rate prices?

Aaron has been an integral force in the industry, starting at a Chevrolet dealership as a service advisor before moving into a sales position and finally opening his own shop in 2018. With a help-first mentality and the lessons learned in his career, he knows what it takes to rise above the competition. Joining The Institute, Aaron looks to give back to the industry he loves through group facilitation, business coaching, & individual mentorship.

Aaron’s background and how he became a shop owner. 0:00

Did you walk in with a trunk of money? 6:24

The difference between price and value. 12:51

The “Gandalf of your shop”. 17:36

What happens when you have a shop owner who doesn’t have enough people to work? 20:02

Why you need to justify yourself. 27:27

How do we reach those who have been doing the work for a long time? 32:55

How do you reach the right clients? 38:42

Close the Donut Shop. 44:55

The difference between people that work out. 49:37

Fancy bourbon in Stillwater. 53:08

Don't get to the end of this year wishing you had taken action to change your business and your life.
Click here to schedule a free discovery call for your business: https://geni.us/IFORABE

Don't miss an upcoming event with The Institute: https://geni.us/InstituteEvents2026

Shop-Ware gives you the tools to provide your shop with everything needed to become optimally profitable.
Click here to schedule a free demo: https://info.shop-ware.com/profitability

Transform your shop's marketing with the best in the automotive industry, Shop Marketing Pros!
Get a free audit of your shop's current marketing by clicking here: https://geni.us/ShopMarketingPros

Shop owners, are you ready to simplify your business operations? Meet 360 Payments, your one-stop solution for effortless payment processing.

Imagine this—no more juggling receipts, staplers, or endless paperwork. With 360 Payments, you get everything integrated into a single, sleek digital platform.

Simplify payments. Streamline operations. Check out 360payments.com today!

In this episode, Lucas and David dive into the topic of friendships within a business with the author of the book "The Business of Friendship," Shasta Nelson.

Friendship is often viewed as only a personal matter. However, it plays a crucial role in a business's success and career fulfillment. Shasta shares her insights on the science behind friendships, how to build and maintain meaningful connections in the workplace, and the benefits of having friends at work.

Topics discussed:

We’re just supposed to fix the cars. 4:46

We are really mean to each other because it’s our thing. 8:58

What makes a healthy relationship and how are they developed? 16:11

What is friendship? How does it work? 19:48

How do we learn about other people’s love languages? 24:17

These are the most meaningless words in the history of social media. 28:17

Every relationship starts at the bottom of the triangle and moves up. 31:43

Can you salvage a toxic employee if you have one? 40:36

If you care about the physical health of your team, you want them healthy enough to do their job. 44:32

The first step is to talk about it. If you don’t talk to them, you don’t know. 49:15

Don't get to the end of this year wishing you had taken action to change your business and your life.
Click here to schedule a free discovery call for your business: https://geni.us/IFORABE

Don't miss an upcoming event with The Institute: https://geni.us/InstituteEvents2026

Shop-Ware gives you the tools to provide your shop with everything needed to become optimally profitable.
Click here to schedule a free demo: https://info.shop-ware.com/profitability

Transform your shop's marketing with the best in the automotive industry, Shop Marketing Pros!
Get a free audit of your shop's current marketing by clicking here: https://geni.us/ShopMarketingPros

Shop owners, are you ready to simplify your business operations? Meet 360 Payments, your one-stop solution for effortless payment processing.

Imagine this—no more juggling receipts, staplers, or endless paperwork. With 360 Payments, you get everything integrated into a single, sleek digital platform.

Simplify payments. Streamline operations. Check out 360payments.com today!

 In this episode, David and Lucas are joined by special guest Craig O'Neill to explore various topics related to business and communication.

They discuss the challenges of reaching busy shop owners and how to structure presentations for maximum impact. The conversation also delves into the complexities of multi-generational businesses and how to deal with their dysfunctions.

Additionally, they discuss clickbait, data privacy, and using voice messages instead of text messaging.

What would be the best way to reach a shop owner who is busy during the day?
6:46

If you’re going to get up and do a class, there has to be a structure in your thought process.
18:47

Lucas never wanted to be a public speaker. It makes him anxious.
20:35

How do you know if you’re talking to the right person?
26:26

Voice messages instead of text messaging.
31:11

The importance of sharing your perspective with others.
38:33

How to deal with the dysfunction of a multi-generation business.
44:54

It’s their fault they need to change, not you.
48:06

When you’ve built someone up and they leave, it’s tough.
53:02

How do you make the inspection process more efficient?
1:01:55

What does clickbait mean?
1:09:15

Why the people on the podcast will know about the frog emoji.
1:15:32 

Don't get to the end of this year wishing you had taken action to change your business and your life.
Click here to schedule a free discovery call for your business: https://geni.us/IFORABE

Don't miss an upcoming event with The Institute: https://geni.us/InstituteEvents2026

Shop-Ware gives you the tools to provide your shop with everything needed to become optimally profitable.
Click here to schedule a free demo: https://info.shop-ware.com/profitability

Transform your shop's marketing with the best in the automotive industry, Shop Marketing Pros!
Get a free audit of your shop's current marketing by clicking here: https://geni.us/ShopMarketingPros

Shop owners, are you ready to simplify your business operations? Meet 360 Payments, your one-stop solution for effortless payment processing.

Imagine this—no more juggling receipts, staplers, or endless paperwork. With 360 Payments, you get everything integrated into a single, sleek digital platform.

Simplify payments. Streamline operations. Check out 360payments.com today!

In this episode, David and Lucas are joined by Bill DeBoer of DeBoers Auto in Hamburg, NJ to delve into the question of whether or not running a peak efficiency shop is the best approach. The pursuit of efficiency and productivity is a constant in the automotive industry, but is operating at maximum capacity always the best option?

They discuss the benefits and drawbacks of this approach, including increased revenue and profitability, versus the potential for burnout, decreased quality of work, and the risk of losing key employees.

Don't get to the end of this year wishing you had taken action to change your business and your life.
Click here to schedule a free discovery call for your business: https://geni.us/IFORABE

Don't miss an upcoming event with The Institute: https://geni.us/InstituteEvents2026

Shop-Ware gives you the tools to provide your shop with everything needed to become optimally profitable.
Click here to schedule a free demo: https://info.shop-ware.com/profitability

Transform your shop's marketing with the best in the automotive industry, Shop Marketing Pros!
Get a free audit of your shop's current marketing by clicking here: https://geni.us/ShopMarketingPros

Shop owners, are you ready to simplify your business operations? Meet 360 Payments, your one-stop solution for effortless payment processing.

Imagine this—no more juggling receipts, staplers, or endless paperwork. With 360 Payments, you get everything integrated into a single, sleek digital platform.

Simplify payments. Streamline operations. Check out 360payments.com today!

In this episode, David and Lucas are joined by Maylan Newton of ESI, an expert in automotive repair shop management. Maylan shared insights and tips on appropriately streamlining the workflow in a repair shop, starting with creating appointments and then setting proper customer expectations, ultimately converting phone calls into car count.

Don't get to the end of this year wishing you had taken action to change your business and your life.
Click here to schedule a free discovery call for your business: https://geni.us/IFORABE

Don't miss an upcoming event with The Institute: https://geni.us/InstituteEvents2026

Shop-Ware gives you the tools to provide your shop with everything needed to become optimally profitable.
Click here to schedule a free demo: https://info.shop-ware.com/profitability

Transform your shop's marketing with the best in the automotive industry, Shop Marketing Pros!
Get a free audit of your shop's current marketing by clicking here: https://geni.us/ShopMarketingPros

Shop owners, are you ready to simplify your business operations? Meet 360 Payments, your one-stop solution for effortless payment processing.

Imagine this—no more juggling receipts, staplers, or endless paperwork. With 360 Payments, you get everything integrated into a single, sleek digital platform.

Simplify payments. Streamline operations. Check out 360payments.com today!

Staying afloat in a turbulent economy can be challenging for an independent auto repair shop. With economic uncertainty on the rise, it can be difficult to predict when the next downturn will hit and how it will affect your business.

Many shops will turn to cost-cutting measures. That could include negotiating better deals with suppliers, purchasing more affordable equipment, or reducing staff hours. A few shops will look to diversify their revenue streams. That could include offering additional services such as car detailing or selling used vehicles. It could also involve partnering with other businesses in the community, such as rental car companies or car dealerships.

Regardless, it is essential for owners to keep an eye on their finances and to have a plan in place for when things do take a turn for the worse.