The Institute’s Leading Edge Podcast

186 - What Intentional Growth Looks Like in a Real Shop: The Story of LaFlamme’s Auto & Truck Services January 14, 2026 - 01:03:10   Show Summary: JR and Sarah LaFlamme share how running a four bay shop with too few hands pushed them to seek coaching and build structure instead of burnout. They walk through the turning points that changed everything including adopting digital vehicle inspectio...

185 -Ask Me Anything Webinar The Lie We Tell Ourselves “I’ll Start When I’m Ready” January 07, 2026 - 00:57:29   Show Summary: Wayne Marshall and Cecil Bullard explain why waiting to feel ready keeps shop owners stuck and why coaching should be viewed as an investment with real returns. They share how coaching can quickly reduce stress, improve cash flow, and create more time and quality of life....

184 - Family Shop to Scalable Success: John White on Trust, Numbers, and Leadership December 16, 2025 - 01:05:05   Show Summary: After leaving for college and returning unexpectedly, John worked his way from the shop floor into leadership, eventually purchasing the business in early 2024. He explains how focusing on KPIs, especially gross profit per hour, transformed profitability while maintainin...

183 - Multi-Shop Growth Done Right, Integrity Driven Choices Build Long Term Trust December 11, 2025 - 01:10:46   Show Summary: A San Diego shop owner shares how he grew from technician to three-location operator. He explains why scaling requires new leadership skills, written processes, and empowered managers. The episode covers a simple referral program, the importance of knowing your numbers, a...

182 - Cybersecurity for Auto Shops: Simple Fixes to Avoid Costly Breaches November 11, 2025 - 00:53:59   Show Summary: Cybersecurity expert Dan Anthony explains why auto shops are common targets and how simple changes can dramatically reduce risk. He outlines key problem areas including weak payment security, shared logins, and flat networks that expose the entire business during a breach. Dan sha...

181 -Tech at a dealership to owning two shops. William Bowe Shares his journey to ownership. December 09, 2025 - 00:32:16   Show Summary: William Bowe shares how he went from tinkering with his grandfather to earning his Red Seal and owning two shops in Canada: Bruno Automotive and CG Motorsports. He walks through buying a business during COVID, learning cash flow the hard way, and working two job...

180 - The Ownership Evolution: Systems, Coaching, and the Next Chapter for Northeast Motorworks December 17, 2025 - 00:48:05   Show Summary: Wayne interviews Freddy and Lucas of Northeast Motor Repairs about launching their shop from scratch and overcoming early financial struggles. They explain how trust, communication, and coaching helped them correct underpricing, improve processes, and quickly...

179 -Ask Me Anything: The State of the Industry and Private Equity’s Impact - Featuring Cecil Bullard & Michael Smith December 10, 2025 - 00:57:47   Show Summary: Private equity and family offices are accelerating consolidation in automotive repair, and Cecil Bullard and Michael Smith explain what that means for shop owners. They break down valuation multiples by shop size, profit, and owner d...

178 - How Running a Lee Myles Shop Gave Lance Lupi More Freedom Than 20 Years in Finance Ever Did November 25, 2025 - 00:50:02   Show Summary: Lance Lupi shares his unexpected journey from live sound engineering and financial services to running his family’s Lee Myles franchise in New Jersey. He explains how stepping into the shop during the height of COVID opened his eyes to the opportunity withi...

177 - How Chris Pietrzak Went from 2 Bays to 11 Lifts and Is Redefining Mike’s Garage November 25, 2025 - 00:50:46   Show Summary: One year after buying a tired 2nd-generation shop, Coast Guard veteran Chris “Pizza” Pietrzak has turned Mike’s Garage in Pennsauken, NJ into an 11-bay, tech-forward operation with rising profits and a loyal team. In this episode of The Leading Edge Podcast, host Jimmy...

176 - Building Anchor Motorworks with Seth Lancaster: Diesel Dreams, Euro Cars & a 4-Day Workweek November 20, 2025 - 00:48:28   Show Summary: When Seth Lancaster was five, he already knew he wanted to be a mechanic. Today, he’s living that dream as the owner of Anchor Motorworks in Laurie / Gravois Mills, Missouri, a growing five-bay European specialty shop serving Volkswagen, Audi, Porsche,...

175 - "Ask Me Anything" with Cecil & Lucas: Mentorship, Margin, and Marketing That Actually Works December 3, 2025 - 00:46:44 Show Summary: A rapid-fire AMA with Lucas Underwood and Cecil Bullard cuts straight into the hard stuff shop owners wrestle with daily. They break down how to hire and develop entry-level techs without burning them out, why hourly plus incentive beats flat rate for appr...

174 - Know Your Numbers or Pay the Price: A Shop Owner’s 20-Year Wake-Up Call November 18, 2025 - 00:49:58   Show Summary: Todd Compton shares how a childhood surrounded by NASCAR legends and go-kart engines pushed him toward a life in automotive repair. His path moved through military service, dealership work, and an intense side-hustle era before finally opening Compton’s Automotive in 2005. Tod...

173 - Trust Your Gut: How Levi & Sally Built Arvu Auto to Three Locations (and Counting) November 18, 2025 - 00:42:39   Show Summary: Growing up in a tight knit Finnish farming community, Levi Hendrickson learned to fix equipment out of necessity long before he ever turned a wrench in a shop. He shares how that background, plus time in the North Dakota oil fields and a hydraulic shop, led him...

172 - Three Locations and a Whole Lot of SOPs with John Lascuola at LMW Auto Repair November 20, 2025 - 00:42:47   Show Summary: This conversation follows how LMW Auto Repair grew from John Lascuola’s dad working out of a home garage in the 1980s to a three location multi shop operator (multi shop operation) in Maryland. John shares how his father, mother, and brother held down a tiny three bay sh...

171 - The Leading Edge Podcast: Standing at the Crossroads featuring Carl Hutchinson, Complete Automotive November 20, 2025 - 01:42:21   Show Summary: From technician to multi-shop owner, Carl Hutchinson of Complete Automotive in Missouri shares how he built a thriving, people-first business rooted in ethics, mentorship, and accountability. A Master ASE and AMI-certified professional, Carl opens u...

170 - Ask Me Anything: Financial Education and What the Numbers Are Really Telling You November 19, 2025 - 00:55:59   Show Summary: This AMA with Cecil Bullard, Founder, and Wayne Marshall, CEO, dives deep into the financial realities shop owners face and how to interpret the numbers that drive the business. They open by addressing slow seasons and share practical strategies for building consisten...

169 - "Ask Me Anything" with Cecil & Lucas: Culture, Accountability and Real Leadership November 12, 2025 - 01:12:13 Show Summary: What starts as a casual catch-up between Lucas Underwood and Cecil Bullard quickly turns into a no-filters AMA on the realities of running a modern repair shop. Together they examine why stepping back onto the counter resets an owner’s perspective, and how broken e...

168 - Pay Plans, Profits, and People: Inside Lake Sumter Auto Repair with Bobby Lambert November 11, 2025 - 00:25:28   Show Summary: Jimmy Lea sits down with Florida shop owner Bobby Lambert of Lake Sumter Transmissions and Auto Repair to trace his journey from VO-tech student turning wrenches to successful multi-shop owner. Bobby shares how a high school instructor opened the door to transmission...

167 - Owning the Alignment Niche and Building a Happier, High-Margin Shop with Alejandro Muñoz October 30, 2025 - 00:40:23   Show Summary: From sweeping floors in New Jersey to leading All Four Tires in Marietta, Georgia, Alejandro Muñoz shares how he built a tire and suspension focused business that fits his life. He scaled up to 18 bays, then intentionally downsized to six to reduce stress and r...

166 - Brad Updegraff on Scaling Dave’s Ultimate Automotive the Smart Way October 30, 2025 - 00:38:17   Show Summary: Brad Updegraff’s journey from a small gas-station lube tech to leading a thriving multi-shop operation in Austin, Texas is packed with lessons for shop owners hungry for growth. In this episode, Brad shares how mentorship, smart partnerships, and a forward-thinking approach to techn...

165 - Cruise Control to Cash Flow: The Mobile Auto Repair Journey with Clinton Coffman October 30, 2025 - 00:36:10   Show Summary: Starting a mobile shop in December took grit, but Clinton Coffman shows how discipline on costs and smart marketing can outpace top-line growth. He walks through lessons from dealerships to Firestone to launching Cruise Control Convenient Car Care. Clinton breaks down...

164 - What’s Your Shop Worth? with Michael Smith & Cecil Bullard October 29, 2025 - 00:56:06   Show Summary: Discover how real buyers value auto repair shops and how to increase your multiple. In What’s Your Shop Worth with Michael Smith and Cecil Bullard, they explain how to calculate true business value using EBITDA, owner compensation, and accurate add-backs. They share how profit consisten...

163 - Real Stories, Real Results: Shop Owner Success with The Institute’s Group Process October 22, 2025 - 00:52:00   Show Summary: When shop owners come together, powerful things happen. In this conversation, Jimmy Lea sits down with Jennifer Hulbert, coach and facilitator for The Institute’s Gear Performance Group, and Cindy Reason, owner of Frontline Automotive in Fairbanks, Alaska, to discuss...

162 - A Coach’s Perspective: Why the Service Advisor Is the Most Important Role in the Shop October 15, 2025 - 01:00:44   Show Summary: Front counter, center stage. Kent Bullard and coach Aldo Gomez break down why the service advisor is the shop’s heartbeat, fielding fires, translating tech talk, and guiding customers with clarity. Aldo shares how accountability, preparation, and smart communicati...