What do Kobe Bryant, Ben Hogan and the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team have in common? They were all underdogs who used their unique approaches to stay focused on their processes—to unbelievable results. In this episode of From the Editors, vice president of content Bryce Evans and editorial director Anna Zeck dive deeper into three unique stories of triumphing over adversity, and how this month’s feature on the Best Workplaces ties into that concept (2:00). On the 40th anniversary of their historic win against the Soviet Union, we take a look at Herb Brooks’ unique strategy for coaching the U.S. Olympic Hockey team (4:50). Next, we discuss one of Bryce’s favorite golfers, Ben Hogan, who dominated the scene in the late 1940s and early 1950s, despite numerous injuries and disadvantages. Finally, Kobe Bryant’s untimely death resurfaced a powerful speech from his jersey retirement (14:50). 

In this special podcast, the winners of Ratchet+Wrench’s inaugural Best Workplace awards sound off on what makes their shops worthy of the title.

Chip Broemmer, owner of Advanced Car Care,  shares how he worked with his staff in order to allow him to be able to provide tools to his technicians (1:00); Bryan Gossel, owner of BG Automotive, shares how he maintains his award-winning culture across multiple locations (5:35); and Ricky Jordan, one of the owners of Fifth Gear Automotive, shares what he believes puts his shop above the rest.

It's fun to make New Year's resolutions, but so many of us struggle to stick to them. In fact, a recent study from Strava found that approx. 80 percent of people who make New Year's resolutions drop them by the second week of February (so, yeah, right about now).

If you are one of the many that contribute to this statistic, it may be time to find a better approach.

On this episode of Ratchet+Wrench Radio, we're talking with Jim Murphy, a business coach with Elite Worldwide, on the best ways to identify (15:00) and stick to your personal and business goals (3:44, 4:58, 8:30, 9:04), including how they relate to one another (1:24) and when it's time to reassess them (5:23, 13:53). We even discuss a personal goal to visit every U.S. National Park, one shared between R+W staff writer, Abby Patterson, and Murphy (2:43).

Here's some more insight on achieving your goals:

Reach Your Goal: https://www.ratchetandwrench.com/articles/8606-reach-your-goal

Proper Goal Setting: https://www.ratchetandwrench.com/articles/9222-proper-goal-setting

Monthly guest Aaron Stokes shares his secrets for increasing ARO. 

Monthly guest Frank Leutz, a podcast guru, shares how to make your own podcast. 

1:00: Introduction 

5:15: Why you should have a podcast 

7:30: Business plan for your podcast 

11:30 Format and structure of the podcast

12:30 Podcast logo 

14:00 Getting ideas for content  

22:30: Recording, broadcasting and editing 

27:30: Grow your audience 

32:30: Podcast payoff 

38:00: Wrap-up 

In the inaugural episode of From the Editors, vice president of content Bryce Evans and editorial director Anna Zeck break down the biggest stories in the February issue of Ratchet+Wrench.

Casey Welch, CEO and co-founder of Tallo, a hiring platform, shares how shop owners can attract Generation Z and how they're different from Millennials. 

2:00 minute mark: Who Gen Z is

3:00 minute mark: How Gen Z differs from Millennials 

6:00 minute mark: Gen Z's similarities to the Baby Boomers 

7:30 minute mark: How to attract these job candidates 

11:00 minute mark: What Gen Z is looking for in an employer 

Grote Industries was recently highlighted by Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb for its partnership with Ivy Tech Community College and the Indiana Department of Correction. Through the program, Grote provides workplace experience and training, as well as opportunities for permanent employment to women returning to the workforce. 

Andrew Garrett, human resources officer at Grote, discusses the benefits to the program and why automotive repair shop owners should consider getting involved in something similar.

Monthly guest Aaron Stokes shares his pick for the KPI you should be tracking (but probably aren't) and how to go about improving it. 

This week on Ratchet+Wrench Radio, we talk with two marketing experts from Podium on how to up your game in the marketing playing field.