Maximum Octane

Have you ever wondered if it is possible to run a successful business, keep it stable and solid for almost thirty years, grow and evolve, then transition from business owner to CEO, and do all that while working with your spouse? The answer is yes, it is possible, and the Weatherbys, Kelli, and Lee are with us to share their story of how they managed to pull that one out. 

Kelli and Lee Weatherby are the owners of Accurate Automotive; they have served the greater Phoenix and East Valley since the 1990s. They feel privileged to work side by side, responsible and proud for creating a fantastic crew they consider part of their family and honored by keeping the vehicles of their community running safely from A to B. 

In this episode, we had a fantastic conversation about boundaries, the right ways and moments to show gratitude, appreciation, and criticism, and how to deal with the intersection of family and business affairs. We also explore the tools and strategies that most helped them evolve and transition from business owners to CEOs, the importance of keeping communication clear and respectful, and much more. 

Tune in to episode 5 of Maximum Octane, and take a closer look at this family that learned to put the best of their marriage in their business and vice versa. 

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

• Feeling comfortable being uncomfortable. The importance of setting boundaries (3:12)
• How important it is to recognize each other's contribution to the family and the business (5:51)
• How an organizational chart changed Kelli and Lee's lives (12:51)
• Family life bleeds into your business (22:51)
• Just as your kids, your team wants stability (24:55)
• The importance of establishing anchors you can rely on when things get messy (37:51)

Resources:

• Accurate Automotive website

Connect with Kelli:

• LinkedIn

Connect with Lee:

• LinkedIn

Let's connect:

• LinkedIn
• Facebook
• Email: [email protected]

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Every time someone mentions hypnosis, the first image that comes to mind is grandpa's pocketwatch balancing in front of someone, and five minutes later, the hypnotized person is quacking like a duck or running in the house pretending to be a chicken. Actually, hypnosis is about overwhelming the conscious mind and making it want to escape to the subconscious. It's a state of mind we reach several times a day; it happens when we drive our car home and don't remember doing it or when we are watching a movie or TV. When we are hypnotized, our minds are in a state entirely open for suggestions; that is why advertising works so well. 

Today, our guest, Robert Radnoti, a Clinical Hypnotherapist, Podcast Host, and Life Coach, explains how hypnosis works and enlights our show with his infectious positive energy. Robert is a Chemical Engineer with experience working for Exxon, who then decided to become a high school Track and Field Coach, and then moved to a University Division One Program and became their Head Coach. As a Head Coach of Pepperdine University, he had to compete with UCLA and other prominent universities. He wanted to beat them so badly that he thought of learning hypnosis to hypnotize his students and help them run faster.   

The good news is that after a few hypnosis sessions, some students started improving their performances. The bad news is that Robert's Athletic Director called and informed him he wasn't allowed to do that. 

In this episode, Robert shares parts of his incredible life journey from Chemical Engineer to Track and Field Coach to Hypnotherapist. We explore the benefits of hypnotherapy, understand how our mind works a little better, and get some valuable tips to implement in our lives and get the best of ourselves. 

Tune in to episode 4 of Maximum Octane, and learn about the power of rewiring our minds, hypnotherapy, and positive thinking.

Some Questions I Ask:

You live life to the fullest. So can you talk to me about that a little bit? (2:33)

How do you go from being a chemical engineer to a Hypnotherapist? (4:31)

Life can swing at us pretty hard, right? How do you not let that get the best of you? How do you turn that around? (17:35)

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

A lifelong journey. What were some of the changes and shifts Robert went through during his life (2:45)

The arm raising technique. How did Robert hypnotize his students to help them run faster (7:12)

We are hypnotized several times a day, every day (13:31)

How can understanding how our mind works help us (19:01)

Resources:

Radnoti Hypnosis website

Raditude podcast

Book: Julia Cameron - The Artist's Way

Connect with Robert:

website

LinkedIn

Instagram

Facebook

Twitter

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For most successful business owners, especially those who build their businesses from the ground, the hardest part is to stop being involved in everything. The transition from business owner to CEO is particularly tough for leaders who come from an operational model. Mike Bennett, our guest today, believes that business owners must acquire the CEO mindset for a company to expand and grow. They must dedicate themselves exclusively to CEO tasks and stay as far as they can from day-to-day operations. 

Mike Bennett is an Automotive Management Coach at Automotive Training Institute, a successful Business Owner, and a dear friend. Mike and his wife, Shelle, own Mike's KARS, a company they bought from Shelle's parents, who started it back in 1981. Both of them believe deeply in self-development, not only for them but also for their teams. 

In this episode, Mike shares some precious insight about what it means to be a CEO and how hard it is for traditional business owners to transition into having a CEO mindset. We explore the different areas in which business owners should invest to change their mindset, the role of a CEO in an organization, and their responsibilities. We also talk about the importance of setting our company's strategy, developing and shaping our business values and culture, assembling the right leadership team, and much more. 

Tune in to episode 3 of Maximum Octane, and learn everything you need to know about transitioning from business owner to CEO. 

Some Questions I Ask:

• What is the difference between acting and thinking like a business owner and acting and thinking like a CEO? Could you talk a bit about that? (1:53)
• What are some tips that you have for business owners that want to improve themselves? (9:43)
• What's one unproductive habit that most business owners have? (20:30)

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

• Becoming a CEO is the evolutionary step for business owners (2:03)
• The key pieces of our business we miss as entrepreneurs (6:34)
• The importance of providing structure and direction to our companies (11:18)
• About the primary responsibilities of every CEO (12:39)

Resources:

• Mike's KARS website
• Book: Jocko Willinck, Leif Babin - Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win

Connect with Mike:

• LinkedIn

Let's connect:

• LinkedIn
• Facebook
• Email: [email protected]

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Although the difference might seem subtle, and every company needs both, managers and leaders are not the same. For instance, managers have people working for them; leaders have people following them. Managers take responsibility for a situation; leaders take charge, they're influential, they set the example. Al Oramas, our guest today, was seated at the Jacksonville Superconference organized by ATI when he had a realization: "I've been training managers forever. How much effort have I made in training leaders?"

Al Oramas, our very first guest to the show, is the President of Pro Auto Care and a dear friend. He started his company almost 30 years ago, in 1992. Since then, they've been pillars in the Denver and metropolitan area, serving their clients with excellence, and giving back to the community, supporting local schools, various charities, and organizations like Alzheimer's Organization, Gateway, Habitat for Humanity, and many more. 

In this episode, our conversation revolves around Al's decision to turn their internal customers into leaders. We explore the circumstances that made him decide that, how he promoted that change, his internal customers' reaction, and the results he got from it. In a frank conversation, Al shared the details of that transition, how it was for him to leave the "daddy syndrome" behind, and give more freedom and autonomy to his teams.

Tune in to episode 2 of Maximum Octane, and learn more about Al's transition from being a dad that knows and solves everything to a leader that encourages and promotes leadership.

Some Questions I Ask:

• You wanted all of your internal customers to behave like leaders. Can you share a bit about how this came about? (2:53)
• What are the differences between a manager and a leader? (6:20)
• How are you learning to step aside and let everyone else start taking the lead and doing their jobs? (18:52)

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

• An aha moment, turning managers meeting into a leadership meeting (5:28)
• How did Al's internal customers react to his new approach to the business (7:48)
• The importance of defining and understanding what success means for our team members (9:49)
• How important it is to create a safe space where ideas can be expressed and discussed freely (15:38)

Resources:

• Pro Auto Care website
• Pro Auto Care Facebook
• Pro Auto Care Twitter

Connect with Al:

• LinkedIn

Let's connect:

• LinkedIn
• Facebook
• Email: [email protected]

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It took me over 13 years of generating more than a million dollars a year in sales, working seven days a week, and still having no money to realize I was doing something very wrong in my business. I've learned the hard way that I didn't have to do it all by myself, that I was charging much less than I should, was lacking leadership skills and many other mistakes. 

But I sought help, got coached, and learned how to run a business properly; I made myself obsolete in my own company, and now I do the same thing for others. 

In this episode, we walk hand in hand through my journey into the automotive industry that started thanks to a shady service advisor that tricked me into paying for something my car didn't need. We explore the details every business owner should consider when hiring, retaining customers and associates, advertising their business, and more. We also introduce the concept of internal customers, and we look at why we treat our external customers better than our employees when they have the same importance. 

The automotive industry sees itself as a silo; we do things together but ignore what other industries are doing. That is one of the many beliefs this podcast came to debunk; we plan to have guests from several industries sharing their knowledge, expertise, and value. 

So buckle up, start your engine, and join me on the first episode of Maximum Octane, where together, we can learn how to be better leaders, run a successful business while still having a fulfilling life, and most importantly, happy internal and external customers. 

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

• What this podcast is about, and what you can expect from it (2:31)
• Changing high for a low altitude of the tires. The sad habit of ripping people off (5:10)
• Renting a space in the middle of nowhere? Yes, the world needs me (11:04)
• Learning the hard way. Making millions in sales and praying to the payroll gods (14:11)
• The importance of being aware of what is going on in the world, and your associates' world (22:49)
• What internal customers are, and why do we treat them different from our external customers (24:56)

Resources:

• Book: Michael E. Gerber - The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It

Let's connect:

• LinkedIn
• Facebook
• Email: [email protected]

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.