In this episode, Jesse Sammons of Thoroughbred Motors in Ramona, California, talks about the lessons he's learned in his first two years of shop ownership. Jesse opened his auto repair shop—45 minutes from downtown San Diego—during the height of the pandemic in 2020. 

Today, he reflects on his career as a technician and the takeaways he got from working at other shops that have helped him succeed in his own.

Jesse discusses:

• Opening a shop during COVID

In this episode, Tonnika Haynes of Brown's Automotive in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, discusses boundaries and expectations. Every shop needs to have a protocol on how to help customers who don't fully understand what shops can and cannot do within reason. 

Tonnika discusses:

• Being a second-generation shop owner

In this episode of Ratchet+Wench Radio, my guest is R+W columnist Joe Marconi. Joe owned his shop Osceola Garage for 41 years before retiring in 2022. Today, he talks about the things that keep shop owners up at night and other situations shop owners face. 

We discuss:

• The 'What if's" that cause anxiety in shop owners

In the second installment of this two-part series, Jimmy Lea, product evangelist at Kikui, is back to show shop owners more about developing and growing trust online through Google. 

This week, Lea talks about:

• What the sweet spot is for Google Reviews.

In this episode, Jimmy Lea, product evangelist at Kikui, kicks off this two-part series on how shop owners can develop trust online through Google. 

This week, Lea talks about:

• Why shop owners need to pay attention to Google Reviews

In this episode, Ratchet+Wrench Radio welcomes Tyler Peartree and Jim Nawrocki of Silver Lake Tire and Auto Centers. They discuss how Silver Lake successfully implemented ADAS services and what shop owners need to know about cost, benefits, liability and space requirements.

In this episode, the last in our 2023 Best Workplaces podcast series, our guest is Curt Rock, owner and founder of Curt's Auto Repair in Phoenix, Arizona. He talks about his shop, how he developed his people-focused inverted pyramid leadership style, his hiring process, how he takes care of his technicians and what serving multiple generations of families means to him.

In this episode, the first in our 2023 Best Workplaces podcast series, Will Dunford, chief operating officer at SimplyTRUE Auto Group, talks about the shop, its culture, what makes it an anomaly in the auto care industry and the value of nurturing people (and their families).

In this episode, Rissy Sutherland, CEO and president of Drive Automotive Services, an Atlanta-based corporate office that runs repair shops for all major vehicle brands across six states and under a handful of operating banners, talks shop with host Chris Jones.

Rissy talks about her childhood in her father's auto repair shop, going to tech school as a female, the triumphs and challenges of being a woman in auto care, how she built her business and more.

In this episode, Cathy Heying, founder of The Lift Garage in Minneapolis, Minnesota, visits Ratchet+Wrench Radio to talk about the inner workings of nonprofit auto repair shops. Heying, who was once a social worker, made a career change at 38 in order to help more people in real time.

Here's what we discussed:

• Her time as a social worker