Thanks to our partners Promotive, WickedFile, Maverick Shop Owners, and Overdryve

Your bank account just hit zero. What do you do in the next 24 hours? And if you're planning six months ahead instead, is a bank loan really your cheapest option?

Following up on last week's episode on cash reserve mistakes, Hunt Demarest, CPA, goes solo again to tackle the other side of that coin: how to actually get cash back into your shop, whether you need it today or you're planning ahead. He draws a hard line between "I need money right now" and "I need money eventually," and walks through the immediate, band-aid moves every shop owner should make the moment they run dry — leveraging credit cards, cutting the right expenses (and not the wrong ones), and diagnosing the real reason the cash dried up in the first place. From there, Hunt ranks every borrowing option available to shop owners, from real estate equity all the way down to credit card advance loans, and explains why "debt-free" can quietly become one of the most dangerous positions a shop can be in.

Whether you're staring down an empty operating account this week or mapping out a remodel a year from now, this episode is a practical roadmap for getting and keeping the cash your shop actually needs.

What You'll Learn...

00:00 Intro: last week's reserve mistakes come home to roost

03:29 Need cash now or need cash later? The question that changes everything

03:57 Already out of cash? Why it's too late for the "normal" fixes

05:51 Leveraging credit cards as your fastest lever

08:00 Cutting expenses without cutting your own throat

09:27 The real fix: understanding why you ran out of cash

15:05 How much should you borrow? More than you think

16:02 How long should you take to pay it back? Longer than you think

18:11 Real estate equity, the cheapest money you'll ever borrow

20:03 Business lines of credit and what banks actually want to see

21:33 FinCEN loans explained: Amex, PayPal, and Kabbage

23:16 Credit card advance loans, the last resort and its true cost

Thanks to our partner, Promotive

Promotive has over 40 years of recruiting and automotive experience. If you need qualified technicians and service advisors and want to offload the heavy lifting, visit https://gopromotive.com/

Thanks to our partner, WickedFile

Turn chaos into clarity with WickedFile, the AI for auto repair shops. Transform invoices into insights, protect cash flow, and stop losing parts, cores, or credits to maximize your bottom line. visit https://info.wickedfile.com/

Thanks to our partner, Maverick Shop Owners

You're working on growing a more profitable shop - that's critical. That's exactly what the 24-video Blueprint course by Maverick Shop Owners addresses - customers, sales, profit, people, systems, and freedom. Get free access for our listeners only at https://maverickshopowners.com/blueprint

Thanks to our partner, Overdryve

Overdryve is your AI-powered marketing operating system. It predicts slow weeks before they happen, automatically launches revenue-driving campaigns, tracks ROI down to the dollar, and optimizes performance in real time. Visit https://overdryvemarketing.com/

Paar Melis and Associates – Accountants Specializing in Automotive Repair

Visit us Online: www.paarmelis.com

Email Hunt: [email protected]

Get the FREE 2026 Auto Shop Benchmark Report: https://hubs.ly/Q04j-grh0

Download a Copy of My Books Here:

• Beyond the Bays: A Financial Playbook for Auto Repair Shop Owners
• Wrenches to Write-Offs
• Your Perfect Shop

The Automotive Repair Podcast Network: https://automotiverepairpodcastnetwork.com/

Remarkable Results Radio Podcast with Carm Capriotto: Advancing the Aftermarket by Facilitating Wisdom Through Story Telling and Open Discussion

Diagnosing the Aftermarket A to Z with Matt Fanslow: From Diagnostics to Metallica and Mental Health, Matt Fanslow is Lifting the Hood on Life.

The Weekly Blitz with Chris Cotton: Weekly Inspiration with Business Coach Chris Cotton from AutoFix - Auto Shop Coaching.

Speak Up! Effective Communication with Craig O'Neill: Develop Interpersonal and Professional Communication Skills when Speaking to Audiences of Any Size.

Business by the Numbers with Hunt Demarest: Understand the Numbers of Your Business with CPA Hunt Demarest.

The Auto Repair Marketing Podcast with Kim and Brian Walker: Marketing Experts Brian & Kim Walker Work with Shop Owners to Take it to the Next Level.