Shop Fix Academy Podcast

Here's another episode in the Quick Clue mini-series. In this episode, you'll learn 3 important insights that can help you find and hire incredible employees.

This mini-series is designed to give you something to think about, something to improve your shop, and help you make the most of the week ahead.

Another full-length episode will drop next week!

Today, we're diving deep into the transformative power of personal development. Personal development isn't just about reading a specific book, attending a seminar, or doing a few workouts -- it's about fundamentally altering how you perceive yourself and your potential. This week's guest is Darren Adams, owner of Dryfork Diesel in Missouri. Years ago, Darren found himself heartbreakingly stuck with a broken body, limiting beliefs, and an underperforming shop. In this episode, he’ll share his wild journey of self-discovery and doing the HARD work to transform himself in mind, body, and spirit to become absolutely unrecognizable from his previous self, truly becoming the beast-mode version of himself who serve his family, shop, and community in ways he never thought possible. Change is hard, but staying stuck is harder. Choose your hard.

Thank you to our sponsors:

Leads Near Me is a full-service online digital presence provider for automotive repair shops. Let Leads Near Me effortlessly increase your car count by reaching them at 888-953-2379 or by visiting them online at LeadsNearMe.com

Shop Fix Acadamy’s sole purpose is to stop the average small business from destroying the average family. Call 615-645-3683 to speak to someone on our leadership team about seeing if Shop Fix Acadamy is a good fit for your shop. Learn more at ShopFixAcademy.com

We are going to try something new!

As you know, each month, we interview some incredible folks in our industry in long-form interviews. We've been so honored by your support for the show, and are truly grateful. This week Thomas is introducing a new will be new mini-series called “Quick Clues”. The episodes will be about 5 min long… no guests, no dramatic intro, and no editing, it’s just you, Thomas, and his microphone. The goal is to give you something to think about, something to share with your team, something that can help you improve in specific areas, and most of all, be encouraged. So, we’ll try this out for a bit, and see how it works out. Perhaps make it a regular part of the podcast. Do us a favor and send us an email if you like this (or hate it) to [email protected]… Also, just to confirm, We will still be posting full-length episodes like always, 2x a month.

This week's Quick Clue: Is Your Car Count Being Manipulated?

Car count (or lack thereof) is a big topic right now. Your ability to analyze the specifics of your car count is CRITICAL to being able to grow your car count. In this episode, Thomas will break down how to tell if your shop is meeting marketing demand, or if it's being artificially held back.

Thanks to our sponsors, Leads Near Me and Shop Fix Academy. They serve our industry and help make this show possible. Learn more about them below.

Leads Near Me is a full-service online digital presence provider for automotive repair shops. Let Leads Near Me effortlessly increase your car count by reaching them at 888-953-2379 or by visiting them online at LeadsNearMe.com

Shop Fix Acadamy’s sole purpose is to stop the average small business from destroying the average family. Call 615-645-3683 to speak to someone on our leadership team about seeing if Shop Fix Acadamy is a good fit for your shop. Learn more at ShopFixAcademy.com  

So often, when we think about our numbers, metrics, and KPI's we get caught up in the "facts" we learn from these, creating a very rigid interpretation of them. Curiosity goes out the window, and we bulldoze our team with what we think is the problem. We forget that making stark assumptions often leads to flawed conclusions and our team's confusion and frustration. This week's guest is Mike Difato, Owner of three successful auto and boat repair brands with six locations across FL. An early experience in Mike's career in corporate America forever shaped how he uses data and allowed him to unlock an absolute cheat code to build a better team and an incredible shop. He also brings other powerful insights on a few other topics to help you further level up your leadership skills.

Thank you to our sponsors:

Leads Near Me is a full-service online digital presence provider for automotive repair shops. Let Leads Near Me effortlessly increase your car count by reaching them at 888-953-2379 or by visiting them online at LeadsNearMe.com

Shop Fix Acadamy’s sole purpose is to stop the average small business from destroying the average family. Call 615-645-3683 to speak to someone on our leadership team about seeing if Shop Fix Acadamy is a good fit for your shop. Learn more at ShopFixAcademy.com

This one’s for the techs. Without you, our world would look very different: Parents wouldn’t be able to make it to their kid's games, food wouldn’t make it to stores, and the world as we know it wouldn’t exist. Yet despite this, historically, your role hasn’t been appropriately respected or appreciated. The good news is that there is a massive movement to change this from organizations that want to find and train the next generation, change public opinion, and help techs build a lucrative future. My guests today are Lowell Greene of TechFix and Phil Quielln, Company Forman of EuroFix, AutoFix, and Mike’s Auto in TN. In this episode, we give an insider's perspective, covering topics few are willing to discuss --- the good, bad, and downright ugly. We hope it inspires you and encourages you. Technicians, thank you for all you do. 

Thanks to our sponsors, Leads Near Me and Shop Fix Academy. They serve our industry and help make this show possible. Learn more about them below.

Leads Near Me is a full-service online digital presence provider for automotive repair shops. Let Leads Near Me effortlessly increase your car count by reaching them at 888-953-2379 or by visiting them online at LeadsNearMe.com

Shop Fix Acadamy’s sole purpose is to stop the average small business from destroying the average family. Call 615-645-3683 to speak to someone on our leadership team about seeing if Shop Fix Acadamy is a good fit for your shop. Learn more at ShopFixAcademy.com  

Our effectiveness as leaders, employees, or any other role in our lives is often profoundly shaped by our past experiences- good and bad. Some experiences like trauma and other huge losses can leave us with deep wounds that, if left untreated, profoundly hinder our abilities in many areas of business and personal life. Moving forward is one of the most challenging yet rewarding journeys we can take. This episode's guest is an incredible shop owner named Kyle Meadows. He took on that quest and overcame some huge blows he took from his past, allowing him to build an incredible repair shop, thrive in his personal life, and now be able to support others through their struggles. This is a powerful episode. Stay tuned.

NOTE: There are mentions of overdose, addiction, and suicide. Listener discretion is advised.

Suicide and Crisis Hotline: 988 (call or text)

SAMHSA Substance Abuse Hotline: 888-662-4357

Thanks to our sponsors, Leads Near Me and Shop Fix Academy. They serve our industry and help make this show possible. Learn more about them below.

Leads Near Me is a full-service online digital presence provider for automotive repair shops. Let Leads Near Me effortlessly increase your car count by reaching them at 888-953-2379 or by visiting them online at LeadsNearMe.com

Shop Fix Acadamy’s sole purpose is to stop the average small business from destroying the average family. Call 615-645-3683 to speak to someone on our leadership team about seeing if Shop Fix Acadamy is a good fit for your shop. Learn more at ShopFixAcademy.com  

If you’ve ever purchased a shop, a house, or even a car, then you know that the closing table can sometimes be a bit tense, unnerving, and even have some surprises. Sometimes, just getting to the closing table can be a considerable challenge. When we encounter these challenges, our character, core beliefs, quick thinking, and keen negotiation skills have to shine… otherwise, the deal may be off. This is precisely where our guest Phil Webster found himself. Phil is a multi-shop owner in a small community in Illinois. In this exciting episode, Phil gives us the play-by-play of the events leading up to and closing his second shop. If you want to learn how to create win-win deals, this episode is for you! 

Thanks to our sponsors, Leads Near Me and Shop Fix Academy. They serve our industry and help make this show possible. Learn more about them below.

Leads Near Me is a full-service online digital presence provider for automotive repair shops. Let Leads Near Me effortlessly increase your car count by reaching them at 888-953-2379 or by visiting them online at LeadsNearMe.com

Shop Fix Acadamy’s sole purpose is to stop the average small business from destroying the average family. Call 615-645-3683 to speak to someone on our leadership team about seeing if Shop Fix Acadamy is a good fit for your shop. Learn more at ShopFixAcademy.com  

We've addressed the tech shortage topic from several angles here on the show, but this conversation truly surprised and inspired me. There are so many layers to the problem, so when you hear a unique perspective like the one you're about to hear, it brings a level of clarity that "obvious" answers just can't give you. This week's guest is Lowell Greene. Lowell is lifelong tech, a former shop owner, a business coach for Shop Fix Academy, and the creator of Tech Fix which launches on 7/1/2023. Lowell delivers some incredible insight and solutions to the problem which, though may be hard to hear for some, will inspire you to drive changes in your shop which will allow you to build a shop culture that increases hire and retention rates through the roof. If you want to be a part of the solution, stay tuned.

Thanks to our sponsors, Leads Near Me and Shop Fix Academy. They serve our industry and help make this show possible. Learn more about them below.

Leads Near Me is a full-service online digital presence provider for automotive repair shops. Let Leads Near Me effortlessly increase your car count by reaching them at 888-953-2379 or by visiting them online at LeadsNearMe.com

Shop Fix Acadamy’s sole purpose is to stop the average small business from destroying the average family. Call 615-645-3683 to speak to someone on our leadership team about seeing if Shop Fix Acadamy is a good fit for your shop. Learn more at ShopFixAcademy.com  

First off, let's address the elephant in the studio: This episode features our friend Ryan Burton who is the founder of Leads Near Me, which is a sponsor of this show. But rest assured you, he paid NOTHING to be interviewed on the show. We asked him to be on the show because Ryan is a master at marketing, running a successful service business, and building brands. As those in Auto Repair, it’s not only important for us to hear from our fellow owners and employees but also from those that serve our shops. Ryan came from Canada and had no intention of serving the Automotive community - it found him. His story is a shining example of the American Dream. In this show, you’ll hear how he got started, why is loves auto repair, and be given a few surprises. You’ll love getting to know the man behind the brand.

Thanks to our sponsors, Leads Near Me and Shop Fix Academy. They serve our industry and help make this show possible. Learn more about them below.

Leads Near Me is a full-service online digital presence provider for automotive repair shops. Let Leads Near Me effortlessly increase your car count by reaching them at 888-953-2379 or by visiting them online at LeadsNearMe.com

Shop Fix Acadamy’s sole purpose is to stop the average small business from destroying the average family. Call 615-645-3683 to speak to someone on our leadership team about seeing if Shop Fix Acadamy is a good fit for your shop. Learn more at ShopFixAcademy.com  

It's a well-known fact that the auto repair industry that we are in the middle of a nationwide technician shortage. In my observation, there are shops that have faired better than others. These shops tend to focus on creating a culture and system where techs know they won't have to deal with drama, can make great hours, and have a great career. In this podcast, I chat with the great Phil Quillen, who is the company Foreman for a multi-location auto repair company in Middle Tennessee. You'll love this conversation because it gives so many unique perspectives, tactics, and ideas that you can deploy to really change the game in your shop. Wanna build your dream team? Then this one is for you!