In this episode, Margaret Light, MA, LMFT, MN LMFT of Equilibrium Therapy Services P.L.L.C. discusses the impact of stress in the personal and professional life of business owners. She talks about the stress and burnout continuum and how unmanaged stress and burnout can develop into formal mental health concerns for business owners. She concludes by sharing tips to help you better understand the impact of stress on yourself and your work and when to seek professional help to overcome chronic stress.

How do you show appreciation to your employees? How do you acknowledge all of the good they do both in the shop and in the community? How about celebrating birthdays, anniversaries, and personal wins? Today, we're talking to Bill Snow about how to appreciate your employees.

This podcast was featured on Ratchet+Wrench Radio on October 2, 2024.

September is awards season here at NOLN. Our Operator of the Year magazine issue launched this month, and if you haven't flipped through the physical edition yet, you can check out the digital edition online. 

This year, the title of Operator of the Year went to Jeffrey Crafton. Jeffrey is with the Mississippi-based Sayle Oil Company where he oversees quick lube operations. 

In this episode of the podcast, Jeffrey joins the show to celebrate the award, and showcase Sayle Oil Company and his team. Read the full Operator of the Year feature in the September 2024 issue of NOLN or on the NOLN website. 

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Whether you are a new franchisee or have been one for some time, there are many moving parts to consider. Finances, of course, play a role.

Furthermore, factors such as inflation can have an impact on components of the automotive space. But navigating financial landscapes as a franchisee doesn't have to be a solo endeavor. 

Kelly Tope is senior director of franchise development at FullSpeed Automotive, working directly with Grease Monkey, SpeeDee Oil Change & Auto Service, and Kwik Kar brands.

She joins the show to talk about finances and franchising at a high level. What are some things for franchisees, new and old, to keep in mind? What is the franchise setup like at FullSpeed? Why is financial footing important? 

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As the New Jersey-based shop owner of Automotive Magic and Magic Lube & Rubber, Shawn Gilfillan has seen every side of running a business in this industry.

Technical know-how is a must, but there is another component that he's zoomed in on: the human element. The practice of developing soft skills is important to a business and its team. 

Enter: Magical Solutions. This is Shawn's program that focuses on those soft skills—leadership, culture, and goals—through consulting and apprenticeship. Shawn joins the show to walk through what Magical Solutions has to offer auto shops in greater detail, and how people are at the center of it all. 

For more business insights from Shawn, check out "A Tale of Two Services—In One" from the May 2024 issue of NOLN.

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This summer, it was announced that Costa Kapothanasis bought out Costa Franchising LLC shareholders, which means he now has full ownership over the Costa Oil brand, which includes over 50 Costa Oil - 10 Minute Oil Change stores as well as Costa Oil Performance Filtration and Costa Motor Oils.

Costa joins the podcast to outline what franchising has looked like for the brand and what the future holds for continued growth with the oil change-only model. 

To learn more about Costa and Costa Oil - 10 Minute Oil Change, check out his 2023 NOLN Operator of the Year profile.

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In the second part of this two-part series for the podcast, W. Scott Wheeler of Automotive Consultants Group, Inc. continues the conversation on setting goals, strategizing KPIs, achieving profitability, and other business practices.

For more from Scott, check out the first part of this interview series. Scott was also featured in an April magazine story for NOLN called "Cultivating Employee Goals." 

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W. Scott Wheeler is motivated by helping others. He started Automotive Consultants Group, Inc. in 1999 fueled by boots-on-the-ground experience that showed him what shop owners really need help with: the elements that make up running and managing a business in this industry. 

Goal-setting is part of Scott's outlook on business practices, and in April 2024 he was featured in a NOLN story called "Cultivating Employee Goals". In the first part of this two-part series for the podcast, Scott talk about this idea in more detail and shares what motivates the work he does with Automotive Consultants Group, Inc. 

To hear more from Scott check out the second part of this interview, coming soon to the podcast. 

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Stonebriar Auto Services LLC, a Jiffy Lube franchisee, recently opened its 100th store location. Stonebriar has experienced an impressive rate of growth in a relatively short period of time, having opened its first location in late 2019. 

Steve Isom, executive vice president at Stonebriar, joins the show to spotlight the milestone location in Valdosta, Georgia, as well as the Stonebriar approach to overall business and team success. 

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This episode of the podcast comes from NOLN's sibling publication for repair shop owners, Ratchet+Wrench.

Ratchet+Wrench Editor Chris Jones is joined in conversation by Jay Woodall, general manager national accounts retail/branded at Interstate Batteries. Jay is also a board member of the Automotive Aftermarket Charitable Foundation. 

Chris and Jay discuss what AACF is and what AACF does to support individuals in the automotive aftermarket and their families during difficult times. 

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