Confessions of a Shop Owner

Keep shop management, payments, marketing (all the things) all in one place with Tekmetric. It will CHANGE YOUR LIFE. Click HERE

Turnkey Marketing has made my life SOOO much simpler, AND they've helped keep the phone ringing. Do you need these two things too? Learn more HERE

Tired of your shop’s social media looking like every other repair shop on the internet? Stand out with 47 Consulting. Learn more HERE

When I used the maintenance tool for the fist time with Detect Auto, my mind was blown. My advisors had the same reaction - and then SO MUCH MORE TIME. Learn more about Detect Auto and book a free demo now!

Elite Worldwide's Ignite 2027 is coming up in February and NOW is the time to sign up. It's happening in Vegas February 4-6 and it will be the best 3 days of your shops year when you attend. Learn now HERE

Mike Allen sits down with Stacia Aeschbach of Aeschbach Automotive and the Driven for More podcast to talk about leadership, growing a repair shop, raising five kids, women in automotive, and how her shop turned social media into a massive part of its brand. Stacia breaks down how Aeschbach Automotive grew an audience of tens of thousands of followers, generated nearly 100 million Meta views in a year, and started hearing from customers who discovered the shop through TikTok and other social platforms. They talk about why generic stock photos and boring repair content don’t work, how controversial content drives engagement, what shops should actually post, and why becoming more human may matter even more as AI-generated content becomes everywhere. Mike also realizes that an auto repair shop is basically a reality show full of misfit toys—which might actually be the best marketing opportunity in the industry.

Timestamps:
00:00 – How Social Media Keeps Your Shop Top of Mind
00:56 – Meet Stacia Aeschbach
03:15 – Leadership & Your “Emotional Wake”
07:39 – How Aeschbach Automotive Got Started
09:11 – From Tinder to a $3 Million Repair Shop
12:24 – Five Kids, Shop Ownership & No Excuses
14:48 – Women in the Automotive Industry
19:43 – Building a Massive Shop Social Media Following
23:18 – Nearly 100 Million Social Media Views
24:13 – Making Money From Shop Content
26:40 – How Often Should a Repair Shop Post?
31:38 – Does Social Media Actually Bring in Customers?
34:21 – Why Your Shop’s Social Media May Be Hurting Trust
36:52 – Controversy, Engagement Bait & Going Viral
39:15 – How Shops Can Start Creating Content
41:22 – Humanizing the People Behind Your Business
42:51 – Why AI Makes Being Human More Valuable
44:56 – Which Automotive Podcast Is the Worst? 😂

Tekmetric opened my eyes to just how much a good SMS will do for a shop. Their software is top of the line, and with them, so is my shop. Try them for yourself HERE

My marketing before and after signing up with Turnkey Marketing is pretty scary. In a good way. Get your marketing right today HERE

Tired of your shop’s social media looking like every other repair shop on the internet? Stand out with 47 Consulting. Learn more HERE

Make your techs happier with Detect Auto. They'll stop getting "check noise" or "check vibration" from advisors with the customer concern tool. It will CHANGE YOUR LIFE. Book a demo HERE

Send your service advisor to hands down the BEST service advisor training in the industry (even other coaching companies agree). It's Elite Worldwide's Masters Program. The next one is happening in Dallas Texas, September 10-12. Learn more HERE

Mike Allen sits down with Matt Lofton at ASTA 2026 for another Carfix coaching call—and this time they finally have data from Mike’s decision to start charging for diagnostic work at one location. They break down what happened to car count, gross profit, effective labor rate and average repair order before diving into the much bigger debate around flat rate, hourly pay, technician trust and whether pay plans actually motivate employees. Matt explains why incentive programs often create a short-term bump without changing long-term behavior, why writing an SOP is not the same thing as training, and why repetition and accountability matter more than another complicated compensation plan. Mike also admits that sometimes the recurring employee problem might actually be an owner problem. It’s a conversation about diagnostics, technician pay, leadership, training and what it really takes to build a team that consistently executes.

Timestamps:
00:00 – The Technician vs. Shop Owner Problem
00:56 – Live From ASTA 2026
01:30 – The Free Diag T-Shirt Conspiracy
04:25 – Mike Defends Free Diagnostics
08:44 – We Started Charging for Diag: Here’s What Happened
12:09 – Should You Quote Diagnostic Fees Over the Phone?
18:25 – The Complimentary Consultation Strategy
20:15 – How to Sell the Value of Diagnostic Testing
25:57 – Should a Faster Technician Cost Less?
28:03 – Flat Rate Isn’t the Problem
33:46 – Changing a Technician’s Pay Plan Without Losing Trust
36:06 – Does Money Actually Motivate Technicians?
39:01 – The Cobra Effect: When Incentives Backfire
40:49 – What Actually Motivates Employees?
43:49 – Are Shop Processes Becoming Too Complicated?
44:49 – Writing an SOP Is NOT Training
47:29 – Why Great Shops Execute Better
51:33 – Mike’s 72-Page Parts Manual 😂
52:36 – “I’ve Told Him 22 Times!”
53:10 – Mike Admits He’s Been the Problem
54:40 – Matt Has Screwed Up Just About Everything
56:57 – Why Small Shops Struggle to Train
58:12 – Scale Gives You Time to Train
1:00:11 – What Mike Needs to Fix Next

Tekmetric transformed my shop. Plain and simple. Want that for yours? Touch HERE

Turnkey Marketing takes the stress of doing something I'm not good at off my plate. And gives it to someone who is. Click HERE for more.

Tired of your shop’s social media looking like every other repair shop on the internet? Stand out with 47 Consulting. Learn more HERE

Send your service advisor to hands down the BEST service advisor training in the industry (even other coaching companies agree). It's Elite Worldwide's Masters Program. The next one is happening in Dallas Texas, September 10-12. Learn more HERE

When I used the maintenance tool for the fist time with Detect Auto, my mind was blown. My advisors had the same reaction - and then SO MUCH MORE TIME. Learn more about Detect Auto and book a free demo now!

Mike Allen and Bryan Pollock sit down with Avern Collins to find out what it actually takes to build a legitimate, profitable mobile mechanic business instead of becoming another guy fixing cars out of the back of a truck. Avern breaks down why he charges nearly $250 upfront for diagnostics, how professional branding and communication help him avoid competing on price, what a productive mobile technician can generate in revenue, and why knowing which jobs to turn down is just as important as knowing how to fix cars. The conversation also gets into $250–$300 labor rates, technician hiring, customer expectations, mobile-mechanic stereotypes, and why shop owners need to stop letting ego turn every nightmare vehicle into a personal challenge.

Timestamps:
00:00 – Aftermarket Parts Aren’t What They Used to Be
00:57 – Bald Heads, Hairlines & Pollock’s Hair Polish
05:24 – Meet Avern Collins: Building a Mobile Repair Business
06:56 – Why So Many Mobile Mechanics Fail
08:15 – Why Avern Never Wanted a Brick-and-Mortar Shop
10:05 – Escaping the “Cheap Mobile Mechanic” Reputation
11:29 – Why Avern Refuses to Do Free Diagnostics
12:28 – $250 Before the Mechanic Even Shows Up
17:18 – Customer Communication Like Amazon and DoorDash
27:42 – Teaching Mobile Mechanics to Run a Real Business
34:21 – Why Professionalism Changes What Customers Will Pay
36:58 – $250–$300 an Hour for Mobile Auto Repair
38:00 – Why Great Mobile Technicians Are So Hard to Find
43:14 – When Should Kids Get Their First Phone?
49:49 – How Much Revenue Can One Mobile Mechanic Produce?
50:30 – Stop Saying Yes to Every Repair
51:27 – Stop Trying to Be the Hero Shop
54:06 – Why Nightmare Cars Should Cost More to Diagnose
54:46 – Why Avern Won’t Work Behind Other Mechanics
57:13 – Sometimes the Best Business Decision Is Saying No

Tekmetric transformed my shop. Plain and simple. Want that for yours? Touch HERE

If you're like me and aren't good at marketing, don't do it on your own. Let the experts handle it. Touch HERE for more on Turnkey Marketing.

Tired of your shop’s social media looking like every other repair shop on the internet? Stand out with 47 Consulting. Learn more HERE

Send your service advisor to hands down the BEST service advisor training in the industry (even other coaching companies agree). It's Elite Worldwide's Masters Program. The next one is happening in Dallas Texas, September 10-12. Learn more HERE

When I used the maintenance tool for the fist time with Detect Auto, my mind was blown. My advisors had the same reaction - and then SO MUCH MORE TIME. Learn more about Detect Auto and book a free demo now!

Mike Allen sits down with Eric Joern of Kaizen CPAs & Advisors and host of Under the Hood CPA to talk about the financial side of shop ownership that most technicians never signed up to learn. They get into disastrous QuickBooks files, surprise tax bills, R&D credits, ERC abuse, sales and payroll tax mistakes, buying versus selling business assets, tax strategy when selling a shop, and why your CPA needs to hear about major decisions before you make them. Eric also brings his background as a dealership service advisor into the conversation, leading to some extremely questionable water-pump sales advice from Mike. If you own a repair shop and have ever looked at QuickBooks and immediately closed the tab, this episode is probably for you.

Timestamps:
00:00 Brown Water and Being Confidently Incorrect
00:56 ASTA, STX & the Confessions Hospitality Suite
03:24 Meet Eric Joern of Kaizen CPAs
04:08 Tax Deadlines and Mike’s Financial Responsibility
05:43 How Bad Are Most New Clients’ Books?
07:36 Mike Confesses His Podcast Books Are Terrible
09:08 Paying Taxes Means You Made Money… Right?
09:40 How Aggressive Should Your Tax Strategy Be?
10:37 Is the R&D Tax Credit Worth Exploring?
13:04 The Tax Credit Eric Saw Abused the Most
15:34 Does Cheaper Mean More Trustworthy?
16:12 Eric’s Life as a Dealership Service Advisor
17:22 Mike’s Terrible Water-Pump Sales Advice
18:49 Don’t Solve a $3,000 Problem With a $50,000 Solution
19:05 Toyota Warranty Work and the 300% Rule
21:10 Why Does QuickBooks Online Suck?
23:20 Are There Any Real QuickBooks Alternatives?
24:45 Shops Still Running Everything Through QuickBooks
26:18 Is Saving $300 Worth Wasting Your Nights?
26:47 “My Wife Does the Books and She Loves It”
27:25 Why Eric Started Under the Hood CPA
30:11 Shop Owners vs. Other Small-Business Clients
31:18 “I Don’t Know What I Spent $50,000 On”
32:14 The $50,000 Amazon Bill
34:17 Shop-Owner Bookkeeping Horror Stories
35:07 The $60K–$80K Sales Tax Mistake
35:54 Mike’s Payroll-Tax Acquisition Nightmare
38:32 Buying Assets vs. Buying the Business
39:09 How Deal Structure Can Save Millions
41:06 Could Your Shop Eventually Be Sold Tax-Free?
44:28 Which Coaching Group Has the Hardest Financial Reporting?
45:50 Why Shop Owners Need Their Numbers Faster
46:08 What Is Live Bookkeeping?
47:33 The One Thing Your CPA Wishes You’d Do
48:03 Talk to Your CPA BEFORE the Big Decision
49:33 Mike’s Idea for a Personal Board of Advisors
50:44 Getting Your CPA, Advisor and Attorney on the Same Page
52:10 Every Financial Meeting Needs an Agenda
53:11 How to Find Kaizen CPAs
54:04 Free Financial Tools for Shop Owners
55:23 The Biggest Profit Leak in Mike’s Shop

Keep shop management, payments, marketing (all the things) all in one place with Tekmetric. It will CHANGE YOUR LIFE. Click HERE

Turnkey Marketing has made my life SOOO much simpler, AND they've helped keep the phone ringing. Do you need these two things too? Learn more HERE

Tired of your shop’s social media looking like every other repair shop on the internet? Stand out with 47 Consulting. Learn more HERE

When I used the maintenance tool for the fist time with Detect Auto, my mind was blown. My advisors had the same reaction - and then SO MUCH MORE TIME. Learn more about Detect Auto and book a free demo now!

Elite Worldwide's Ignite 2027 is coming up in February and NOW is the time to sign up. It's happening in Vegas February 4-6 and it will be the best 3 days of your shops year when you attend. Learn now HERE

Mike Allen sits down with Carrie-Lynn Rodenberg of Turnkey Marketing to kick off a new monthly series that lets listeners sit in on the marketing side of running Mike's shops. They break down marketing budgets, customer acquisition, direct mail, attribution, branding, customer retention, phone performance, and why simply making the phone ring means nothing if the shop can’t convert the opportunity. Carrie-Lynn also uncovers a painful number at Mike’s flagship store: hundreds of first-time callers but only a fraction turning into customers, potentially representing tens of thousands of dollars in missed revenue. Along the way, Mike admits he may be Turnkey’s worst client, explains why shutting marketing off when you’re busy can come back to haunt you months later, and learns that sometimes the marketing isn’t broken — the operation is.

Timestamps:
00:00 Seven Years Since Turnkey First Visited Carfix
00:41 Mike Used to Sleep at the Shop
03:15 Meet Carrie-Lynn Rodenberg and Turnkey Marketing
05:24 Mike Buys Marketing Tools… Then Forgets to Use Them
07:05 How Mike Started Working With Turnkey
08:57 Mike Tried Doing His Own Marketing — Then Came Back
09:07 Why We’re Recording Mike’s Marketing Calls
11:21 The Hidden Cost of Bad Marketing
13:25 Sniper Marketing vs. Spray and Pray
13:41 Carrie-Lynn Went From Doing Everything to Building a Team
14:44 Mike’s 115-Episode Long Con 😂
15:51 Stop Making Your Marketing About Yourself
17:28 Why Most Small-Business Marketing Becomes White Noise
20:14 Your Competition Is Better Than You Think
21:36 How a Business Responds When Things Go Wrong
23:07 Every Shop Says They Have Great Service
23:53 How Do You Actually Stand Out?
26:24 Why Direct Mail Takes Time to Work
28:50 Every Shop Has Blind Spots
29:33 Want to Ruin Mike’s Day? Listen to His Phone Calls
30:12 Did Your Marketing Actually Make the Phone Ring?
30:59 Why Marketing Attribution Is So Difficult
32:27 The Creepy Side of Modern Targeted Marketing
34:29 Can You Target Technicians at a Competitor’s Shop?
36:12 What Turnkey’s Marketing Onboarding Looks Like
37:26 SEO, AI Search and Building the Right Marketing Mix
40:04 Bad Marketing Can Cost You Technicians Too
40:24 Mike Confesses He Might Be Turnkey’s Worst Client
42:34 Carrie-Lynn Finds a Painful Number
43:41 What Should Your Call Conversion Rate Be?
44:25 229 New Callers… Only 56 New Cars
44:55 Mike Explains Where Carfix Dropped the Ball
46:16 How Service Advisors Say “No” Without Saying No
47:06 More Staffing Means More Opportunity to Say Yes
49:54 Did Carfix Leave $84K on the Table?
50:24 The Marketing Worked — Carfix Didn’t Convert It
50:49 Why You Shouldn’t Turn Marketing Off When You’re Busy
51:23 Today’s Marketing Decisions Affect Your Slow Season
52:47 The Cheapest Customer Is the One You Already Have
53:16 Why Customer Retention Matters So Much
54:18 Why Shops Should Prebook the Next Appointment
54:54 Convenience May Be Your Biggest Competitive Advantage
55:21 You Might Be Paying to Market Your Competition
56:20 A $100 Lead Could Become a $32,000 Lost Customer
57:33 What This New Monthly Marketing Series Will Look Like
58:51 Mike Finally Promises New Pictures

Tekmetric opened my eyes to just how much a good SMS will do for a shop. Their software is top of the line, and with them, so is my shop. Try them for yourself HERE

My marketing before and after signing up with Turnkey Marketing is pretty scary. In a good way. Get your marketing right today HERE

Tired of your shop’s social media looking like every other repair shop on the internet? Stand out with 47 Consulting. Learn more HERE

Make your techs happier with Detect Auto. They'll stop getting "check noise" or "check vibration" from advisors with the customer concern tool. It will CHANGE YOUR LIFE. Book a demo HERE

Send your service advisor to hands down the BEST service advisor training in the industry (even other coaching companies agree). It's Elite Worldwide's Masters Program. The next one is happening in Dallas Texas, September 10-12. Learn more HERE

Mike Allen sits down with Saurav Kumar and Kamran Rahman from 47C to talk about what actually makes social media work for an auto repair shop—and why going viral might be the wrong goal entirely. They break down the difference between generic content and real brand-building, why local relevance matters more than raw views, how shops can create trust before a customer ever needs a repair, and why the right audience is more valuable than a huge one. Mike also admits one of his shops is now charging for diag, gets on a soapbox about technician pay and training, and somehow turns a discussion about marketing into another story about his pants coming off.

Timestamps:
00:00 Generic Social Media Is Everywhere
00:59 Was This the Worst Recording Day Ever?
01:27 What It’s Really Like Filming Inside a Repair Shop
03:00 Can Shop Owners Mix Their Own Content With Professional Content?
04:00 Mike’s First Impression of 47C
05:53 Why Saurav Never Carries His ID
08:08 Mike Admits He Didn’t Understand 47C at First
09:47 The Confessions Lounge and Studio
12:00 The Story Behind Mike’s Throne
13:51 Meet 47C
17:10 Why They Chose the Automotive Industry
18:33 Are Repair Shops Actually Bad at Business?
20:05 Why Automotive Attracts Private Equity
21:56 What 47C Actually Does for Repair Shops
25:19 Why Customers Want to Feel Like They Belong
26:45 Mike Finally Buys Into Social Media Brand Building
28:52 Are Repair Shops Still Early to Short-Form Video?
30:11 Why Mike Doesn’t Want to Be the First Early Adopter
31:05 Landscape vs. Portrait Video
34:24 Mike Is Now Charging for Diag at One Shop
35:58 Learning Dynamic Pricing From an Ice Cream Truck
37:36 Technician Pay, Training and Labor Rates
41:18 The Reality of Entrepreneurship
43:22 No Booze, No Cocaine While We’re Working
44:46 You Can Run a Good Business and Still Have Fun
45:52 Why 47C Limits How Many Clients It Takes
49:55 The Biggest Problems Facing Repair Shops
52:55 Focus on What You’re Good At and Hire Out the Rest
54:00 Why Generic Social Media Isn’t a Strategy
55:00 Are Viral Shop Videos Actually Useful?
56:00 Mike’s Million-View Video Reached the Wrong Audience
58:40 Mike Learns What Kind of Content His Audience Really Wants
59:09 Closing Thoughts

Tekmetric transformed my shop. Plain and simple. Want that for yours? Touch HERE

Turnkey Marketing takes the stress of doing something I'm not good at off my plate. And gives it to someone who is. Click HERE for more.

Tired of your shop’s social media looking like every other repair shop on the internet? Stand out with 47 Consulting. Learn more HERE

Send your service advisor to hands down the BEST service advisor training in the industry (even other coaching companies agree). It's Elite Worldwide's Masters Program. The next one is happening in Dallas Texas, September 10-12. Learn more HERE

When I used the maintenance tool for the fist time with Detect Auto, my mind was blown. My advisors had the same reaction - and then SO MUCH MORE TIME. Learn more about Detect Auto and book a free demo now!

Mike Allen sits down with Matt Lofton for another open-book coaching session, digging into the real numbers behind one of Mike’s shops and figuring out what has to change to push it past 20% net profit. They break down car count, closing ratio, effective labor rate, gross profit per billed hour, staffing capacity, revenue per employee, and why a shop can look busy while still leaving a lot of money on the table. The conversation eventually forces Mike to reconsider one of his favorite controversial strategies—free diagnostics—and whether qualifying customers and charging for testing could actually improve the shop. As usual, there’s plenty of math, sarcasm, questionable financial decisions, and Mike reluctantly admitting that Matt may have a point.

Timestamps
00:00 Mike Forgot the Most Important Podcast Preparation: A Drink
01:21 A $734 Power Bill vs. Matt’s Accidental Backyard Rainforest
04:25 Growing the Business Just Creates New Problems
07:35 Are Shop Owners Bad at Celebrating Wins?
11:33 Opening the Books: $115K Revenue, $530 ARO & 24% Closing
14:40 The Shop’s Best Month of the Year
15:18 Building a 20%+ Net Profit Goal
18:18 How to Calculate the Revenue Your Shop Actually Needs
20:41 Can the Current Team Produce Enough Hours?
25:45 “I Have No Excuse Not to Put $25K–$30K in the Bank”
27:04 Could This Be a 30% Net Profit Shop?
27:45 The Gross Profit Per Billed Hour Every Shop Needs to Know
30:21 The Problem With a 24% Closing Ratio
31:47 Your Loss Leader Doesn’t Have to Be for Everybody
34:29 23 Cars Out of 110 Generated $0
34:57 “We’re Not Hospice for Cars”
35:19 Should Repair Shops Have an Age Limit on Vehicles?
36:32 Mike Admits He’s About to Make a Bad G-Wagon Decision
39:58 Matt Sees Mike’s Effective Labor Rate and Gets Sad
41:12 Mike Calls Capacity Calculators “Mental Masturbation”
42:02 Should Mike Finally Start Charging for Diagnostic Testing?
43:15 What McDonald’s Can Teach Repair Shops About Pricing
44:04 Qualifying Customers Before Giving Them Something Free
46:25 Mike Promises to Rage-Bait Matt Again
46:54 Raising Effective Labor Rate Could Add $500K in Capacity
49:11 What Should the Entry-Level Diagnostic Fee Be?
51:41 The Revenue-per-Employee Hiring Benchmark
55:05 Is It Already Time to Hire Another Technician?
55:49 Why Your Shop Can’t Operate at Redline Forever
57:17 “Good Dude Is Not a Qualifier for Employment”
59:42 Mike Prepares to Admit He Was Wrong About Free Diag

Tekmetric transformed my shop. Plain and simple. Want that for yours? Touch HERE

If you're like me and aren't good at marketing, don't do it on your own. Let the experts handle it. Touch HERE for more on Turnkey Marketing.

Tired of your shop’s social media looking like every other repair shop on the internet? Stand out with 47 Consulting. Learn more HERE

Send your service advisor to hands down the BEST service advisor training in the industry (even other coaching companies agree). It's Elite Worldwide's Masters Program. The next one is happening in Dallas Texas, September 10-12. Learn more HERE

When I used the maintenance tool for the fist time with Detect Auto, my mind was blown. My advisors had the same reaction - and then SO MUCH MORE TIME. Learn more about Detect Auto and book a free demo now!

In this episode of Confessions of a Shop Owner, Mike Allen and Bryan Pollock get into technician pay, work ethic, training, shop culture, and whether today’s owners are expecting too much from the modern workforce. Bryan questions whether the self-motivated technician is disappearing, while Mike pushes back on the idea that someone should receive six-figure pay before developing a six-figure skill set. They also get into government regulation and price-gouging enforcement, bad repair shops, Mike’s anonymous Facebook trolling, and why sometimes the industry’s problems feel impossible to fix. And because this is Confessions, Mike also explains how he managed to injure himself playing kickball on the beach.

Timestamps:
00:00 Mike’s Casino Decisions & Bryan’s Corvette Disaster
04:54 Mike Gets a Letter From the Attorney General
07:34 Fraud Alert…Live During the Podcast
08:05 Mike’s Fake Career as a Professional Blimp Folder
12:23 Confession: Mike Has Been Trolling Shop Owners Anonymously
17:17 Why There’s More Than One Right Way to Run a Shop
19:37 Three Shop Owners With Completely Different Business Models
21:44 David Roman Wants Absolutely Nothing to Do With Mike
24:19 Cheap Labor Rates & Buying Failed Shops’ Equipment
25:07 Is Bryan Becoming a Cranky Old Shop Owner?
27:05 Are Technicians Becoming Too Dependent on Shop Owners?
29:22 Bryan’s Crash Course Into Becoming a Technician
32:26 Is the Self-Motivated Technician Disappearing?
33:23 Should You Make $100K Before You Have $100K Skills?
35:31 What Happens When Newer Cars Get Even More Complicated?
35:58 “I Want to Learn”…But Won’t Use Free Training
37:10 Technicians Who Say Training Is “Too Basic”
39:18 Bryan’s Government Intervention Rant Begins
41:00 Price Gouging vs. Shops That Can’t Fix Cars
43:43 Who Gets to Decide What an Auto Repair Shop Should Charge?
47:01 Why Government Regulation Won’t Fix the Real Problem
48:10 Should Shops Call Out Bad Repairs From Other Shops?
52:44 Mike Adds Four Employees to His Shops
55:10 Mike’s Most Embarrassing Kickball Story
57:02 Mike Defends His Sumo Wrestling Record
58:25 Why You Need to Be at ASTA Expo

Keep shop management, payments, marketing (all the things) all in one place with Tekmetric. It will CHANGE YOUR LIFE. Click HERE

Turnkey Marketing has made my life SOOO much simpler, AND they've helped keep the phone ringing. Do you need these two things too? Learn more HERE

Tired of your shop’s social media looking like every other repair shop on the internet? Stand out with 47 Consulting. Learn more HERE

When I used the maintenance tool for the fist time with Detect Auto, my mind was blown. My advisors had the same reaction - and then SO MUCH MORE TIME. Learn more about Detect Auto and book a free demo now!

Elite Worldwide's Ignite 2027 is coming up in February and NOW is the time to sign up. It's happening in Vegas February 4-6 and it will be the best 3 days of your shops year when you attend. Learn now HERE

In this bonus audio-only episode, Mike Allen sits down at Tektonic 2026 with Tekmetric President Lauren Langston and Chief Product Officer Jared Haleck for a conversation that starts spicy and quickly heads into the future of automotive repair. They discuss whether industry coaches can remain relevant after years away from shop ownership, why repair shops have earned some of the public’s mistrust, and what real-world data says about the massive impact of consistent DVIs. Mike also gets an inside look at SmartDVI, automated estimating, integrated phone systems, AI call assistants, and other technology that could dramatically change how service advisors and technicians work.

Timestamps

00:00 The Coaching Question That Made the Panel Spicy
01:01 Can Coaches Stay Relevant After 10 Years Away From Shop Ownership?
03:23 Why Tektonic Stands Out From Other Industry Events
04:26 Tekmetric Digital Ads & Why Google Maps Matters
08:08 The DVI Numbers That Should Shock Shop Owners
09:00 Longer DVIs = Nearly $200 More ARO?
09:32 SmartDVI: Using AI to Build Better Inspections Faster
13:48 Can AI Understand Your Technician’s Accent?
15:27 Building New Features vs. Fixing What Customers Already Use
19:15 We’re 20 Minutes In…Maybe We Should Introduce the Guests
22:41 Every Shop Owner Thinks They’ve Built the Next Great AI Tool
24:35 What Happens When Software Companies Build Your Integration’s Feature?
27:06 SmartDVI, Meta Glasses & Hands-Free Inspections
30:24 How Close Are We to Fully Automated Estimates?
34:17 Let Service Advisors Build Relationships—Not Estimates
35:53 Personalized Service Plans & Eliminating Customer Surprises
37:21 Has Auto Repair Earned Its Bad Reputation?
41:24 Does Showing Future Repair Pricing Encourage Price Shopping?
46:06 Tekmetric Phones & the Next Big Integration
49:12 AI Call Assistants Listening in Real Time
53:11 Mike Announces Tekmetric’s Entire Future Roadmap…Without Permission

Tekmetric opened my eyes to just how much a good SMS will do for a shop. Their software is top of the line, and with them, so is my shop. Try them for yourself HERE

My marketing before and after signing up with Turnkey Marketing is pretty scary. In a good way. Get your marketing right today HERE

Tired of your shop’s social media looking like every other repair shop on the internet? Stand out with 47 Consulting. Learn more HERE

Make your techs happier with Detect Auto. They'll stop getting "check noise" or "check vibration" from advisors with the customer concern tool. It will CHANGE YOUR LIFE. Book a demo HERE

Send your service advisor to hands down the BEST service advisor training in the industry (even other coaching companies agree). It's Elite Worldwide's Masters Program. The next one is happening in Dallas Texas, September 10-12. Learn more HERE

In this episode, Mike Allen, Ryan Ragan, and Tony Mercury dig into the power of networking and relationship-building at automotive industry events like the ASTA Expo. They talk about how rapid advances in technology, especially AI, are reshaping both vehicles and shop operations. They also stress the huge benefits that come from dropping egos and openly sharing struggles, with honest conversations paving the way for growth and support among shop owners.

Wanna win a ticket to ASTA? If you're a shop owner who has never been, register to WIN HERE

Timestamps:
00:00 Survivor-Style Competition: The ASTA Expo Gets Wild
01:36 Why Every Shop Owner Needs Car Tribe Connections
04:01 The Miata, the “Fun Car” & Shop Owner Cred
10:08 The Future of Self-Driving, Subscription Cars & AI in Auto Repair
12:16 From T-Mobile Number to Success: Meet Tony Mercury
18:01 The Honest Shop Owner Life Cycle (and Why We Stagnate)
20:08 Crushing Ego and Building Teams in the Shop
25:46 Why First-Time Expo Attendees See HUGE Growth
26:07 The Ultimate Training and Networking Lineup at ASTA
30:01 Inside the ASTA Survivor Pre-Party: Obstacle Courses, Axe Throwing & More
32:28 How to Win Free Tickets & Why You Have No Excuse
33:14 The 80+ Classes that Actually Move the Needle in Your Shop
36:24 Shop Owners Only: No-Vendor, No-BS Roundtables
40:08 Raw Entrepreneur Talk, Family Fails, and Real-Life Shop Disasters
42:02 How to Get Involved, Confess, and Join the Next Event