Chris Cotton Weekly Blitz

Your experience, investment, and hard work have helped you build your auto repair shop. What are you doing today to keep it moving forward? In this episode of The Weekly Blitz, we unpack Nick Saban’s message about the importance of “nothing” and apply it to shop ownership. From customer updates and repair verification to team accountability and your own follow-through, we explore how discipline, p...

Where have you decided that “good enough” is good enough? Inspired by Nick Saban’s perspective on normal versus special, this episode of the Weekly Blitz challenges shop owners to examine the standards they accept—in their margins, customer experience, leadership, and team culture. Using lessons from football, we explore what it takes to build a shop where people prepare, take ownership, and impro...

A customer says, “Go ahead and fix it.” Your team orders parts, schedules the repair, and completes the work. Then comes the surprise: the customer disputes the charge, says they never approved the price, or never returns to pick up the vehicle. On this episode of The Weekly Blitz, Coach Chris Cotton explains why clear repair authorizations, upfront pricing, and a consistent deposit process are es...

The seasons are changing, and 2027 will be here before you know it. Before the holidays fill your calendar, take an honest look at your business: What went right in 2026? What didn’t? And what needs to change next year? On this episode of The Weekly Blitz, we’re talking about turning this year’s lessons into a practical plan for 2027. From gathering your decision makers to building your marketing...

Your Phone Skills Suck Yes, we’re talking about phone skills again. Coach Brent and Chris recently discussed a client who wanted to invest more money in marketing to generate five to eight additional cars per week. Before recommending a larger marketing budget, they listened to the shop’s phone calls. There was some good news: the service advisors were asking callers to schedule appointments. Unfo...

Why should an experienced professional be paid less simply because they can solve a problem faster? In this episode of The Weekly Blitz, Chris Cotton explains why value should be based on expertise and results—not just the number of minutes a task takes. A coaching lesson might take 40 minutes to deliver, but it can contain knowledge that took 35 years to develop. The same is true for automotive t...

Hope is powerful—but hope alone won’t fix your business. In this episode of The Weekly Blitz, Chris Cotton dedicates a direct and personal conversation to his friend and former client, Rich Young. Chris explains why “hope is not a strategy” and connects that lesson to the Cotton family motto: “Have a plan and execute the plan.” Chris also speaks candidly to struggling shop owners about taking resp...

What happens when a shop owner finally reaches their personal financial goals? In Episode 272 of The Weekly Blitz, Coach Chris Cotton challenges successful shop owners to reconnect with the deeper purpose behind their businesses. Reaching your personal finish line doesn’t mean you have finished leading—especially when employees still have dreams they are working to achieve. The inspiration for thi...

The E-Myth, Owner Dependence, and Coaching to Valuation What would happen to your auto repair shop if you stepped away for 30 days? In this episode of The Weekly Blitz, Coach Chris Cotton explores the lessons of Michael Gerber’s The E-Myth Revisited and connects them to our current focus on coaching to valuation. Many shop owners started as talented technicians. But being excellent at repairing ve...

Your Coach Doesn’t Know Squat About Marketing Your auto repair shop business coach may be great at improving operations, financial performance, leadership, and profitability—but that doesn’t necessarily make them a marketing expert. In this episode of The Weekly Blitz, we explain why shop owners should be cautious about accepting marketing advice from someone who isn’t actively studying and practi...

Coaching to Valuation: What Is Your Shop Really Worth? You may believe you own a million-dollar shop—but would the financials support that number if a qualified buyer examined your business today? In this episode of The Weekly Blitz, we introduce Coaching to Valuation, a new approach that builds on the proven principles of Coaching to Profits. The goal isn’t just to improve this month’s numbers. I...

Podcast Description If you won't show up for yourself, why should anyone else? After four shop owners scheduled discovery calls and failed to show up in the same week, Coach Chris Cotton decided it was time for an honest conversation. This isn't an episode about phone calls. It's an episode about commitment. In this tough-love edition of The Weekly Blitz, Chris challenges shop owners to stop makin...

Podcast Description Last week we discussed the purpose of answering the phone. This week we're taking the next step—how to coach service advisors after the call. Coach Chris Cotton shares the exact process he uses with AutoFix Auto Shop Coaching clients, including why advisors should evaluate themselves first, how to use a simple Pass/Fail coaching system, why you should coach behaviors instead of...

Most service advisors think their job on the phone is to answer questions. They're wrong. In this episode, Coach Chris Cotton explains why the only objective of every incoming phone call is to secure the appointment and how that one mindset shift can dramatically improve your closing ratio, increase car count, and create a better customer experience. Chris dives into why shop owners should be list...

Build a Business Worth Owning... and Worth Buying What is your business actually worth? If you don't know the answer, you're not alone—but it's one of the most important questions every shop owner should be asking. In this episode of The Weekly Blitz, Coach Chris Cotton introduces AutoFix Coaching's new Coaching to Valuation philosophy. Instead of focusing only on monthly KPIs, this approach start...

5 Lessons Every Shop Owner Should Steal from the Top 10% The 2026 PMA Benchmark Report is packed with data—but numbers only matter if you know how to apply them. In this episode, Coach Chris Cotton breaks down the five biggest lessons hidden inside the report and explains why leadership, productivity, systems, and accountability consistently separate the best repair shops from everyone else. If yo...

The latest PMA Benchmark Report confirmed something we've been teaching at AutoFix Coaching for years: the biggest problem facing most independent repair shops isn't labor rates, marketing, or even the technician shortage—it's leadership. In this episode, Coach Chris Cotton breaks down the coaching-related findings from the PMA report and explains why top-performing shops consistently outperform t...

Many auto repair shop owners struggle with cash flow despite having decent sales and respectable margins. Why? Sometimes the answer isn't on the Income Statement. In this Weekly Blitz episode, I discuss why owner draws can become one of the most overlooked causes of cash flow problems inside an auto repair business. After reviewing a shop's financials, I discovered multiple family members were tak...

Want to know one of the fastest ways to determine if an auto repair shop is struggling? Look at the parking lot. If the same vehicles are sitting in the same spots for two weeks or longer, there is a good chance the shop has serious operational problems hiding beneath the surface. In this Weekly Blitz episode, I share one of the biggest warning signs I learned from my own experience as an absentee...

Episode Overview Technology is moving fast in the automotive repair industry — and that’s not a bad thing. AI phone systems, automation tools, communication platforms, and workflow integrations all have the potential to improve efficiency, scalability, and customer experience. But here’s the hard truth discussed in this episode: Bad implementation creates bad customer experiences. Coach Chris Cott...

“Volume without margin is just organized chaos.” “If your ARO doesn’t reflect the work, your process is broken.” “Busy is not a business model.” “Diesel shops don’t lack opportunity—they lack execution.” “If your pricing doesn’t match your capability, that’s a decision.” “Throughput—not car count—is what drives profit.” “Fleet work should support your business, not control it.” “You’re not running...

Objective: Elevate the conversation beyond the topic. Questions (open discussion): “What does this season teach us about leadership?” “How does going through something like this change how you lead your team?” “What would you say to shop owners who are currently struggling in silence?” Core Message: Leadership isn’t tested when things are easy Emotional intelligence is a performance multiplier Str...

Quotes “Capacity doesn’t create demand—demand earns capacity.” “Hope is not a hiring strategy.” “Keeping people you don’t have work for isn’t kindness—it’s avoidance.” “Skinny spending is discipline, not fear.” “Your business can’t breathe if you suffocate it with payroll.” “Car count problems are usually process problems.” “You don’t learn leadership when things go right.” “Volume inconsistency e...

In this episode, Coach Chris Cotton breaks down the hard truth most shop owners avoid: your team’s performance is a direct reflection of your leadership. Using the Toyota/GM production story as a foundation, Chris explains why the same employees can produce drastically different results under different leadership environments—and what that means for your shop. You’ll learn: Why blaming your team k...

In this episode, Coach Chris Cotton breaks down key principles from Die With Zero and applies them directly to independent auto repair shop ownership. You’ll learn: Why most shop owners delay life too long How business growth can become a trap The importance of memory dividends vs. financial accumulation How to align your shop operations with your life goals Tactical steps to start reclaiming your...