Matt Ebert opened his first body shop with $100K in credit card debt, no formal education, and no safety net. Today, he runs Crash Champions—one of the largest collision repair companies in America, with over 600 locations across 38 states.

But Matt didn’t scale overnight. He bootstrapped for 15 years, maxed out SBA loans, stretched every dollar, and nearly lost everything trying to get past four shops. He didn’t bring on private equity to cash out—he used it to double down.

In this episode, Matt shares what it really takes to scale a gritty, blue-collar business into a national powerhouse—without losing control, culture, or clarity.

In this candid conversation, Matt reveals:

Why most businesses break at location #2 (and how he survived)

How he grew past cash flow hell and vendor delays

What he looked for in a private equity partner—and what scared him most

How he keeps culture strong at 600+ shops

Why staying founder-led gives him an edge

What he’s building toward now—and why he’s not slowing down

Key Lessons:

Survival Comes Before Scale – You can’t grow what you can’t keep alive

Think Bigger, But Know Your Numbers – Dreams need discipline

Use Capital, Don’t Depend on It – PE should be a lever, not a life raft

Don’t Rob Peter to Pay Paul – Scaling can backfire without the right team in place

Founder-Led Still Wins – When you’ve done the job, people trust your leadership

Host: Tyler Martin, Think Business Podcast

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