Maximum Octane

Most shop owners and virtually anyone who gets insurance are reluctant to go through policies' thousands of small print pages; they kind of "just trust."  In today's episode, we are educated by Richard Sharman on all things insurance. Richard is an Executive Coach at ATI with over 40 years of experience in the auto collision industry and insurance claims professions. He explains what to look...

When investing in our business, we should look at three main components: improve our marketing, how the company looks, and most importantly, how it operates. Almost every shop owner ignores a crucial part of that third component: developing internal customers.  Today, Chuck Lafferty visits us to share his thoughts on the importance of developing our team members, why it is crucial, and the be...

When new customers visit a shop, the unwritten rule is to give them the best treatment possible, providing that potential new client with a WOW experience. If the experience is satisfying enough, the new customer will undoubtedly recommend that shop to friends and close ones. Still, what about the second, third, or fourth time that same customer visits the shop?  In today's episode, Charlene...

The life of an auto repair shop owner is so fast-paced, so full of thousands of things to think about, that even if they try to squeeze in a couple of hours a week for marketing, they never can.  Meet Dave Martin, second-generation owner of Martin's AUTO REPAIR, a shop that has been in business for the last 51 years. After many years of thinking about investing more time and money in marketin...

Today's episode proposal is slightly different as we still deal with Hurricane Ian's aftermath. The first sensation that comes to mind is gratitude for staying healthy and being so blessed. I've been lucky enough to stay safe, to have plenty of water and food, and to have my house barely touched by the Category 4 storm, with only minimal damage.  Still, as the city stands on its feet again, I...

Many shop owners' retirement plan is getting out of their business feet first. That is a plan, but it is not a good plan. Retirement is unavoidable, it may feel far away from now, but it'll come, and spoiler alert, it is not cheap.  In this episode, Jim Groves joins us to talk about the endgame, a sensitive subject that many business owners prefer to ignore or leave for later. Jim is a Sales...

As shop owners, the price we pay for coping with toxic employees is higher than we think. Meet Keith Katz and learn about his story of dealing with a toxic employee for almost a year, which affected his business and health and made him lose several valuable internal customers.  Keith has been part of the automotive industry since 1981 and a shop owner since 1998, when he founded Quality Servi...

Kenneth Martin joins us today to discuss a subject that is often treated as taboo by most shop owners and has the potential to literally take your business to the next level: metrics. Ken is a Process Mastery Instructor, Consultant, and Analyst at the Automotive Training Institute. He has over 35 years of experience in the industry and has owned a collision repair center for 17 years. He is also a...

We are thrilled to welcome the inspiring Mary Kelly to the show for the second time. In this opportunity, she uses her superpower of boiling complex issues into simple ideas to discuss the concept of service and how we should think of it, taking into consideration the global, social, domestic, and economic issues that affect our customers' lives.  Mary is an accomplished writer and co-author...

Joining us today are Cassandra Bergum, GM and Owner of Hi-Line Service & Hydraulics, and her daughter Autumn to talk about the importance of culture and nurturing personal relationships in the workspace.  After managing an oilfield trucking company for almost a decade, Cassandra relied on his mechanic's background from her time at the Army's National Guard to accept managing Hi-Line Servi...

In today's episode, Eric Twiggs unravels the best techniques to stop procrastinating and maximize every second of our day. Eric, aka The Accountability Coach, is a Certified Guerrilla Marketing Coach, Certified Life Coach, and a Certified Executive Coach. He is a top 10 finalist in Amazon's Elite Author award for his book "The discipline of now," he is a husband, father, an internationally renowne...

Joining us today is George Zeeks to crack the code of fruitful, productive, and satisfactory relationships in the workspace and at home.  George's coaching style blends his experience in the Army, where he saw himself in charge of groups of people, convincing or forcing them to do things they didn't want to, and several years of experience in the automotive industry. George is a Management Co...

Unpredictable things happen all the time, and there is nothing we can do about them; it's in their name, right? They cannot be predicted. However, a business that relies on serving people MUST have a plan B or a blueprint of what to do in case the unexpected happens. Clients, whether longtime customers or new ones, will understand if there is some issue that'll delay their appointment. The differe...

Between the hundreds of corporations constantly competing for our attention and the monumental efforts political parties make to distract us from what is happening, it's easy to get lost chasing our own tails, worried by things that have absolutely nothing to do with us. Today, Brian Hunnicutt joins us to share his epiphany about how we decide to spend our time and focus on the power we have to ch...

Even if it sounds crazy, the same marketing principle applies to multi-billion dollar companies and small businesses: advertising and marketing must be done consistently, regardless of the economic context and the business needs.  In today's episode, Chris Messer joins us to crack open some of the most valuable marketing and advertising secrets. He is the Vice President and Group Publisher of...

We can learn a lot about leadership, empowering internal customers, and becoming the CEO of our business from our guest, Jason Meyer, who transformed a 7200-square-foot shop into a successful business with 30 locations.  Jason is the Director of Corporate and Partnership Stores Tirecraft Ontario Inc. Although his father wanted him to become a CPA, Jason decided to follow his passion and went...

Mary Kelly joins us today to give a mini masterclass on how to be more effective throughout our days, increase productivity, and retain our internal customers. Mary is a High-performer and a Super-achiever. Wrote, co-authored, and edited over 15 business, leadership, productivity, and personal finance books. She is a Motivational Leadership Speaker and Growth Business Consultant. Mary served over...

We have an inspiring, educational, and as successful in business and entrepreneurship as humble to educate us about cryptocurrency, blockchain, and how to revolutionize our company, Dr. Mark Hale.  Mark is the Founder of Facepay, a company that most likely will change the payments landscape forever. He has a P.h. D in Aerospace, created four startups, and advised dozens more. Mark is also pas...

Even if we don't realize it, and perhaps just like any other industry, the automotive space is traversed by biases that determine how we treat and expect our internal customers to be and, above all things, how we attract and retain them.  In this episode, Charlene Parlett visits us to raise awareness over the importance of thinking more about diversity and inclusion when writing our hiring ad...

Joining us today is Matt Barnes to talk about the benefits of empowering internal customers, removing the fear of failing, and being aware of our state of mind at work.  Matt is the Owner and Operator of B&B Automotive and Superior Auto Service in Bryan, Texas.  In this episode, we travel to the land where everything's bigger to learn about Matt's unique perspective on leading a busi...

Aden McDonnell joins us today to talk about how rebranding and becoming the CEO of his businesses transformed his life.  Aden owns two companies, McDonnell's ATS (Automatic transmission Specialists) and GOS Performance, and ran a third business, Destroked, a machine shop in Denver where he managed the sales and tech support. He rebranded and now operates his businesses under the umbrella of G...

In this episode, Pam Tures brings a magnificent example of how liberating can be to develop a good second in command and a solid staff we can rely on. As the co-owner of Lee Hill Auto Service, Pam built a supportive team that gave her the freedom to nurture her passion for artistic expression. She founded Bee-Potsitive Creations, the space where she produces fused glass and pottery sculptures, one...

We are thrilled to have Bruce Spencer again on the show. This time, our conversation revolves around habits, creating space and time to rest, transparency, and freedom.  After a long and successful trajectory in corporate America, Bruce decided to pivot and get into the automotive industry, buying Walt Eger's Service Center in Maryland.  In this episode, Bruce talks about the importance...

Visiting us today is Bruce Spencer to talk about his experience joining the automotive industry as an "outsider." After several relocations following the needs of his corporate career, Bruce decided to pivot and find a way that allowed him and his family to settle down. Bruce found a fantastic opportunity to do so by buying Walt Eger's Service Center in 2016.  Bruce Spencer is the Owner of Wa...

After attending ATI's last conference in March, our guest, Wendy Hawk, decided to do something different with the information she gathered throughout the event.  In previous years, the notes, the brilliant ideas, and the revolutionary methods compiled in a notebook would lie on a shelf, slowly drowning in oblivion.  This time, Wendy decided to act, organize the notes, and use them to hel...