Harmonic Motion Automotive Business Podcast

"Only a fool learns from his own mistakes. A wise man learns from the mistakes of others."  In the latest episode of the Harmonic Motion podcast, Barry Lawson joins James in an open discussion on what being an independent garage owner in Scotland looks like. After leaving the dealer network, Barry joined the family business, Lawson Autotech, with his Dad. With just the two of them, they had to bec...

"I only had €42 and a toolbox. I spent that on cleaning supplies and whatever cash flow we made went back into the business." In this episode, it's J.P. D'Arcy's turn in the hot seat. Once a dealership technician, he shares how he walked away from the job when he realised the role didn't align with his morals. He had no plan, no savings and a young family, but knew he could no longer stay. Talking...

What does it really take to grow a successful independent garage? In this episode of the Harmonic Motion Podcast, we're joined by Paul Griffiths, owner of Elite Land Rovers in Clydebank. Paul shares his journey from working alone in a small unit to building what is now Scotland's largest independent Land Rover specialist. Along the way, he's faced the real challenges that come with rapid growth —...

For this Technical Synchromesh episode, James is joined by Mark Wight, Terry Stokes, Simon Parkinson, Marc Roberts and Rob Drinkwater. After a full day of Master Tech assessments, our esteemed guests stayed late to provide valuable insight on their unique experience as adept Master Technicians. In an industry where being qualified is not a requirement, they discuss the importance of flying your ow...

James sat down with Andy Crook, long-time friend, owner of Atomic Success and founder of the Garage Owners Network, to discuss a nuanced topic in the industry. Is a new garage management system the answer to the issues in your business or is it your own internal processes? Garage management systems go hand in hand with internal processes, in order to make the most out of one you need the other. Ja...

🎵It's the last pod episode of the year🎵   Hello everyone! We hope you're all well and getting ready to wind down for Christmas.   For the last HMP episode of 2024, we're bringing you some more of our esteemed Master Technician Alumni.   Michael, Mark, Josh, Mike and Dan completed their Master Tech programme with us in Jan 2023 and came back down for a visit to maintain their MT status.   All sti...

Nigel Yardley, Steve Scott, Adam Nowak, Simon Carter and David Davies are esteemed members of the Tech Topics alumni.   They completed the Master Technician programme in 2022 and were here in October to complete their reaccreditation assessments and maintain their status as Master Technician.   James sat down with the guys to discuss their personal journeys to success, the impact developing critic...

  We welcomed another group of our Master Technicians into the TT podcast studio whilst they were here at Technical Topics for the Advanced Electronics course.   James, Eugene, Steven, Callum, Malc and Frazer chewed the cud on specialising vs general repair, being clear in client communication and expectations and the integral role software has on modern vehicles.   Enjoy! Get involved in the podc...

James sat down with 3 of our current Diagnostic Technicians and some of the TT training team for another iteration of the Technical Synchromesh mini-series. Michael, Wes and Dave have been working towards becoming Diagnostic Technicians since summer 2023 and are two modules away from the big final assessment. The group discuss with Rob and James the rising cost of using and accessing dealer tools...

For this Technical Synchromesh Episode, we invited five members of one of our Master Technician groups to the podcast. These guys are coming up to the end of their programme, with only two modules left before they reach their final assessment. With a multitude of perspectives to share, our guests cover all sorts of topics like the impact of taking an apprentice on, perception of the industry and t...

In a rare turn of events during the summer holidays, we managed to get the Technical Topics training team in one room to record a podcast episode. The team behind the scenes: Kev - 2021 Top Tech Winner, Kev is an awesome new addition to team TT who contributes as both a course leader and contributor to the super secret Diagnostic Assistance project Jay - Front of House expert and German Vehicle sp...

Jeff Taylor is the owner of Sydney Eco Tuning and co-founder of The Garage Network - a community in Australia that provides support, networking opportunities and a safe space for technicians. Jeff made the move from Blackpool in 2017 with his wife to start a new life down under. He arrived knowing no-one, now he's fostered a nationwide community of like-minded people.   James sat down with Jeff on...

We'd like to introduce you to our new mini-series - Technical Synchromesh. Technical Synchromesh is an opportunity for techs in the trade to chew through the issues that affect them on a daily basis. From problem jobs and tricky customers to setting up on your own, this mini-series is a space to chat all things trade. This time, John, Marc and Simon, three of our esteemed Master Technician graduat...

One year later… Welcome to the special anniversary edition of the Harmonic Motion Podcast. We're delighted to share with you our first Podcast birthday and present to you a special anniversary episode; part one of two. In this episode, we take a look back over the last 19 episodes at the fantastic array of guests and invaluable lessons that have been shared on this podcast. We're also giving you s...

Gareth Davies, Director of Euro Performance (independent German Vehicle specialist), and James Dillon chat about what it's like to be an entrepreneur in the automotive industry. They discuss how Gareth navigated upscaling the business from a side hustle in the family home garage to an award-winning, independent, German vehicle specialist. The duo share their insight on the crucial effect planning...

Hello and welcome back to the Harmonic Motion podcast. We're bringing you a fantastically insightful episode with the Managing Director of Oldfields Garage, Tim Benson. Tim re-joined his mother and father's independent garage in Hertfordshire in 2008 to look after the customer service & forecourt shop. He has since helped grow the business into the triumph it is today. James and Tim talk about the...

Hello and welcome to the first Harmonic Motion Podcast episode of 2024! We're delighted to share this episode with you as we introduce to the podcast, Mr David Massey. Dave, son of industry legends Frank and Gene Massey, is the director and boss of ADS Automotive, a trusted specialist VW and Audi garage based in Preston. James and Dave discuss the challenges and triumphs of taking over a business,...

Hello and welcome back to the Harmonic Motion podcast!  James is delighted to be joined by the awesome Darren Darling from DPF Doctor.  In this episode, you can find Darren sharing his journey in the motor trade, his early experiences as an apprentice and his transition into self-employment to create what we all know now as the DPF Doctor network.  James and Darren discuss all kinds of things to t...

Welcome back to another episode of the Harmonic Motion podcast! This time Tina Drayson, Operations Manager at CCM, joins James as they discuss all things garage business management. CCM is an award-winning group of garages located in the South East of England. With her background in data statistics, Tina started at the company in accounting and bookkeeping. Her role at CCM expanded organically ove...

Welcome back to the Harmonic Motion podcast!  In this episode, we flipped the script. Your usual host James Dillon is taking his turn in the hot seat as he is interviewed by HR specialist, previous podcast guest and this episode's host Jennifer Webb. James delves into what he was like at school, uncovers the roots of his passion for mechanics and computers and explores how he was first introduced...

Welcome back to the Harmonic Motion podcast! This week, James is joined by previous podcast guest, business coach and mentor, Jay Wheatley from Absolutely Automotive. This time the spotlight is on the pivotal role Service Advisors play in the automotive industry. Jay has used his extensive experience of working in the industry and turning an established garage into a specialist garage, to support...

In this episode, highly successful Diagnostic Specialist Jason Bowden, from Bowden Auto Services in Torbay, joins host James Dillon to talk about the business end of automotive diagnostics. Jason has developed his expert automotive diagnostic services business over many years, focusing on the niche. He has invested significantly in both training and tools and is the go-to guy in the wider Torbay a...

Garage owners building a better automotive garage repair business. This episode see's our host, James Dillon, chat with Andy Crook from the Garage Owners Network, about how garage owners can build a better business. We talk about Andy's business improvement initiative which he has fostered through the garage owners network facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/garageownersnetwork/events T...

In the latest episode of the Harmonic Motion podcast, James welcomes Jim Lang. Jim has been helping independent garages get online when he ventured into the automotive aftermarket web services business following a diverse career journey. Jim's realisation of the importance of customer-centricity and mentorship led to a transformational shift in their business model. They focused on delivering prof...

In this episode James Dillon spends time talking to Mr Awesome himself, Steve Scott, from Simply Diagnostics. Steve and James talk about his amazing journey from Automotive Tech To YouTuber and his experiences which set him on the path to setting up and running the Simply Diagnostics Network. You'll hear about Steve's early career, his mission in Africa and what drives him to help others to be the...