Ratchet+Wrench Radio

Leon Anderson, owner of Integrity Auto Care in South Beliot, Ill., opened his business in order to provide an answer for those who lost jobs at a local dealership. Today, he's in the process of opening his second location, and talks with Ratchet+Wrench on the lessons he learned from his first year in business. 

Rissy Sutherland talks to Michael Brewster, president of Gil's Garage Inc., about the challenges and opportunities of his thriving family auto shop. 

Stephen Reinarts, Dean of Automotive Programs at Dunwoody College of Technology in Minneapolis, Minnesota, discusses the challenges and opportunities of educating and hiring young employees in the body shop industry as well as the current technician shortage. 

Charlie Robertson, president of the Collision Career Institute, explains what shop operators can do to set their entry-level employees up to be assets at their facility. 

Creating an off-site location can bring about change throughout the shop, the separation creates independence among staff members. The location can serve as a separate meeting hub for the shop, and it provides owners with space away from the business. Gary Pontious Jr. of Toledo Auto Care discusses how his business recently took the leap into establishing a separate office location and how it's br...

Today, Ryan Clo is the owner of three shops in the Cincinnati area and is regarded as one of the best operators in the country. But seven years ago, Clo readily admits that his business was running him—to the detriment of his health and his relationships. Since then, he's undergone a personal transformation that challenged his beliefs about business ownership, as well as his physical and mental he...

For Aaron Stokes' monthly contribution to Ratchet+Wrench Radio, he discusses the ways in which shops can hit the goals they set for themselves. By following his steps, you can develop a better understanding of what your goal is as well as how you can get there.

Closing ratio can be broken down by many factors, including dollar amount, type (diagnostic, transmission, etc.), new customer, etc. Here's a system for better tracking closing ratio and knowing where you can improve your sales. Barry Barrett, director of RLO Training, shares his approach.

This month, industry superstar Rissy Sutherland talks to Kukui CEO Todd Westerlund and Buckley Auto Care owner Greg Buckley about the best practices when it comes to online marketing and reviews, as well as provides simple takeaways to get the most out of your online marketing.

For Aaron Stokes' monthly contribution to Ratchet+Wrench Radio, he discusses everything to consider when selecting your right-hand man, whether that be promoting someone within the company or hiring from the outside. By following his steps, you can find the perfect manager that will facilitate your vision as leader of the shop.

Implementation, and simply getting things done, has been the theme of Judi Haglin's success as an owner, consultant and ambassador for the industry. Here's how Haglin, the 2018 Ratchet+Wrench All-Star Award winner in the Executive category, built her operation alongside her husband, Dana.

Rissy Sutherland discusses the importance of developing relationships within the industry with Becki McGinnis, owner of Autovantage Service Center, and Todd Westerlund, CEO of Kukui. McGinnis and Westerlund also discuss unique ways to grow an online presence and how to measure success with Sutherland.   

Carmates is a sort of online marketplace for automotive repair shops, similar to Openbay and RepairPal. And many shop operators have raised issues with companies that offer these kinds of services. Today on Ratchet+Wrench Radio, co-founders Raju Sagiraju and Surik Torosyan explain how Carmates works and address those concerns voiced by shop owners. Editor's note: Ratchet+Wrench is aware that Raju...

Digital inspections can streamline the courtesy inspection process and lead to improved efficiency and ARO—but how do you make a seamless transition into using the software? Dan Garlock, owner of Silver Lake Auto and Tire, is here to lay out everything you need to consider, from choosing the right software to making it part of the repair process to achieving a return on investment.

On this month’s edition of the Lead Podcast, Aaron Stokes discusses how shop owners can motivate the rest of their employees if they're feeling fatigued or uninspired. As Stokes says, believing in your vision and passing it on to your employees is a great way to get the rest of them on board, even when you or your shop is in a rut.  

This month’s episode of the How I Did It Series features Frank Leutz, the owner of Desert Car Care Chandler, in Chandler, Ariz. Beyond building a $1.6 million operation, Frank is the host of  Wrench Nation , is an industry consultant and coach, and runs a successful YouTube channel. He’s always committed to trying new marketing and operational methods to evolve his business, which is currently tra...

Jon Thompson, owner of 14 locations in Illinois as a part of Butitta Brothers Automotive, joins the show to discuss how a shop owner can obtain a business loan before acquiring another business. He goes over how shops can find the right bank to partner with and the right documents that need to be prepared. Thompson also details how smaller or newer shops can work around a collateral shortfall.

In this month's edition of the Lead podcast for Ratchet+Wrench Radio, host Aaron Stokes discusses how shop owners can cut out distractions and eliminate time wasters in the shop. He details how shop owners can plan out their priorities in advance, and how they can manage distractions like text messages or emails. 

In July’s edition of Ratchet+Wrench Radio’s Grow Podcast, host Rissy Sutherland revisits one of the major issues facing the industry today: the technician shortage. Jay Goninen, CEO of technician recruiting service Find a Wrench, and Kyle Holt, president of SRSandco Automotive Partners share their thoughts, including how shops can always be recruiting, help young people understand what the industr...

Jeff Odom oversees 24 full-time employees at his shop, Evergreen Autoworks in Mill Creek, Wash., and over the years has learned how to onboard his employees swiftly and efficiently. He’s learned how to get his entire team involved in both the hiring, and initial training process, to best set up his new employees to be successful. Odom goes over the most important aspects for any shop owner to thin...

Jeff Matt owns the six-location Victory Auto Service & Glass operation in Minnesota. He details how he grew his network and offers advice for any shop owner looking to expand.

No two shops are the same, and various factors can determine a shop's efficiency numbers. However, there are universal tips that can improve one of the most crucial KPIs that determines profitability. To help, Andy Fiffick, owner of 10 Rad Air Complete Car Care locations in the Cleveland area, lays out how he builds his shops from the ground-up for maximum efficiency and how he coaches his team to...

Is there truly a technician shortage? According to Grow host Rissy Sutherland, there are just as many if not more men or women entering tech schools. The issue is there aren’t enough people staying in the industry after tech school. In June’s Grow podcast, Sutherland speaks with two members of NASTF’s Road to Great Technicians board, Jill Saunders and Donny Seyfer, whose objective is to recruit ne...

In this month’s edition of the Lead podcast with Ratchet+Wrench Radio, Aaron Stokes discusses how shops can get through slow days and slow periods. Stokes discusses the misunderstandings most shop owners have about slow periods, how to best prepare for them and how to keeping your cool and keep your staff in check when you experience a downturn.

This week, Ratchet+Wrench is launching the “How I Did It” series, where we look at some of the most successful shop owners throughout the industry, and the obstacles they overcame to take their business to the next level. Our first guest is Brian Sump, a former professional athlete who had no business experience prior to owning Denver-based Avalon Motorsports in 2007. Since that time, Sump has tur...