On The Ramp - The Independent Automotive Garage Owners Podcast.

This episode is sponsored by Castrol and The Race Group. To learn more about Castrol Service, please visit:   https://www.castrol.com/en_gb/united-kingdom/home.html Fleet work divides the trade. Some garages swear by it, others swear at it. In this episode, Alex and Leo are joined by Tim Guidotti, second generation owner of Ferdotti Motor Services and founder of Fleet Guy, to tackle the myths head...

This episode is sponsored by Castrol and The Race Group. To learn more about Castrol Service, please visit: https://www.castrol.com/en_gb/united-kingdom/home.html This week it's not a story episode, it's a business one. Alex and Leo sit down with business coach Phil Brookes, who has spent his career in the tyre and garage trade, from the workshop floor to training and running parts of a na...

This episode is sponsored by Castrol and The Race Group. To learn more about Castrol Service, please visit: https://www.castrol.com/en_gb/united-... Joanne Knowles is the Event Director for Automechanika Birmingham and the UK Garage and Body Shop event, the two biggest trade shows in the UK independent garage calendar. She joins Alex and Dawn on this episode to talk about what actually goes into r...

This episode is sponsored by Castrol and The Race Group. To learn more about Castrol Service, please visit: https://www.castrol.com/en_gb/united-kingdom/home.html Jordan from JLK Vehicle Solutions, better known online as The Norfolk Tech, joins us to share how a Covid redundancy pushed him into self-employment and how he's built one of the healthier mobile businesses in the UK. In this episode...

If you are a garage owner thinking about starting, specialising or scaling, this episode offers a clear look at what actually drives results. In this episode we cover how this specialist garage was: - Built With Clarity From Day One - Built Without Guesswork- Built With Purpose, Not Pressure - Built Through Focus, Not Expansion - Doing the Right Things Early This episode is kindly sponsored by Cas...

Most garage businesses start broad. General repairs. General customers. General positioning. But over time, staying general can make growth harder, not easier. In this episode, we explore the journey from a traditional town-centre garage to a specialist Land Rover business and the structural decisions that built long-term resilience along the way. We cover: - Transitioning from petrol station to f...

Running a garage does not come with a manual. In this episode, we sit down with  Sarah Petty , co owner of JP Petty Motors, to talk honestly about what it is really like to learn the motor trade while already carrying the responsibility of running a business. Sarah did not come from a technical background. She learned on the job, asked questions, made mistakes and slowly built confidence in an ind...

In this episode of On The Ramp, Jamie shares an honest account of his journey through the motor trade. From starting out in a small local garage and working through dealerships and independents, to running his own business for nearly a decade, this conversation looks at what life is really like behind the scenes. Jamie talks openly about going mobile with very little planning, the pressure of keep...

Modern diagnostics demand far more than plugging in a tool and changing parts. In this episode of On The Ramp, we talk about what working on today’s vehicles really requires from independent garages. The conversation covers process, responsibility and decision making in a world of complex systems, EVs and ADAS. We discuss why fault codes are only the starting point, why structure and method matter...

We sat down with Jennifer Webb from HR Vitals to break down the HR essentials every garage owner needs to understand. From contracts and onboarding to conflict, conduct and difficult conversations, Jen explains the practical steps that protect your people and your business. In this episode, you’ll hear about: - The most common HR mistakes garages make - What every employee contract should include...

This week, we sit down with Ellen Plumer from Ben Charity, the organisation supporting everyone in the automotive industry. We talk openly about mental health, financial struggles, and the pressure of running or working in a garage. From business owners to technicians and suppliers, Ben offers free, confidential support when life gets tough. Listen to find out:- How Ben helps anyone in the trade -...

From sweeping floors to running 36 MOTs a day... We sit down with Matthew Pestridge of D&D Autos to talk family business, garage growth, diagnostics, and why the trade’s future looks brighter than ever. This episode is sponsored by Castrol and The Race Group. To learn more about Castrol Service, please visit:  https://www.castrol.com/en_gb/united-kingdom/home.html 00:00 – Meet Matthew from D&a...

Tina Drayson returns to On the Ramp to talk about the data every garage owner must track. From workshop efficiency and labour recovery to front of house sales and cash flow, this episode strips it back to the numbers that make or break your business. If you have ever wondered why your team is busy but the bank balance is not, this is the one to listen to. Powered by Castrol and The Blend.

Alex and Nathan are joined by Tim Guidotti (The Fleet Guy) to talk about the rise of fleet work, the importance of building relationships with fleet managers, and how garages can adapt to the industry shift away from private vehicle ownership. We also ask the question - why should a busy garage be concerned about fleet work today? Tim also shares details about upcoming Fleet Guy training, Q&A...

This episode of  On The Ramp  is proudly sponsored by  Castrol  and  The Race Group . 👉 Learn more about Castrol Service:  https://www.castrol.com/en_gb/united-kingdom/services/castrol-service.html From family garage beginnings to building  Garage Vitals , Mark shares how diagnostics, OEM tools, and dealer access shaped his journey — and why even top independent garages often need support. We cov...

This episode is sponsored by Castrol and The Race Group. To learn more about Castrol Service, please visit: https://www.castrol.com/en_gb/united-kingdom/home.html Tyres are often treated as an afterthought — but they might be the biggest untapped opportunity in the aftermarket. We sit down with Quentin from GiPA UK to look at the data behind tyre sales, EV wear patterns, MOT failures, and why so m...

This episode is sponsored by Castrol and The Race Group. To learn more about Castrol Service, please visit: https://www.castrol.com/en_gb/united-kingdom/home.html From two Ford apprentices in a tiny workshop to running a multi-site operation with its own EV battery repair lab — this is the story of Kevin Pearce and Cedar Garage. We talk about growing through mistakes, how to buy a business the sma...

This episode is sponsored by Castrol and The Race Group. To learn more about Castrol Service, please visit: https://www.castrol.com/en_gb/united-kingdom/home.html From burnout in retail to building a garage brand from scratch, this episode tells the powerful story of Louise Baker, founder of Womanic. With no formal qualifications and just £400 to her name, Louise started fixing cars in her apartme...

This episode is sponsored by Castrol and The Race Group. To learn more about Castrol Service, please visit: https://www.castrol.com/en_gb/united-kingdom/home.html Fife Autotech’s Chay joins us to share how he went from a dealership technician to building one of the most successful specialist garages in Scotland – hitting £1M turnover in just 3 years. In this episode, Chay breaks down the reality o...

This episode is sponsored by Castrol and The Race Group. To learn more about Castrol Service, please visit: https://www.castrol.com/en_gb/united-kingdom/home.html Finance can be one of the hardest things for independent garages to get right — and one of the least talked about. In this episode, we sit down with Lee Schofield, founder of One Funding, for an honest look at the real challenges and opp...

This episode is sponsored by Castrol and The Race Group. To learn more about Castrol Service, please visit: https://www.castrol.com/en_gb/united-kingdom/home.html From five-star hotels to fault-finding on the road, this episode dives into the journey of Cathal, better known as The Car Nerd. He didn’t take a traditional path into the trade. After starting in hospitality, Cathal moved into car sales...

This episode is sponsored by Castrol and The Race Group. To learn more about Castrol Service, please visit: https://www.castrol.com/en_gb/united-kingdom/home.html A full year of On The Ramp and the journey is just getting started. In this episode, Alex, Leo and Nathan reflect on the past 12 months, sharing honest insights about their businesses — the wins, the setbacks, and the bold decisions shap...

This episode is sponsored by Castrol and The Race Group. To learn more about Castrol Service, please visit: https://www.castrol.com/en_gb/united-kingdom/home.html In this episode, we’re joined by Mark Field, Chief Executive of the Independent Automotive Aftermarket Federation (IAAF), for a wide-ranging conversation on the future of the independent garage sector. We explore the real-world impacts o...

This episode is sponsored by Castrol and The Race Group. To learn more about Castrol Service, please visit: https://www.castrol.com/en_gb/united-kingdom/home/partner-with-us/independent-workshops.html In this episode, we sit down with Jay Wheatley, founder of Absolutely Automotive, to discuss how garage owners can extract themselves from the daily grind and take their business to the next level. J...

This episode is sponsored by Castrol and The Race Group, to learn more about Castrol Service please visit ⁠https://www.castrol.com/en_gb/united-kingdom/home/partner-with-us/independent-workshops.html In this episode, we sit down with Matt Cleevely, owner of Cleevely Motors, to explore how the rise of electric vehicles (EVs) is reshaping the automotive industry. Matt shares how Cleevely Motors has...