Posts by Carm Capriotto, AAP

We’re back from AAPEX 2025, and what an incredible event it was! Tracy and I had the chance to reconnect with so many friends, record exciting new podcast episodes, and participate in some amazing industry conversations. I also had the honor of facilitating a Mastermind session for shop owners — always an energizing experience.

One of the highlights of the week was seeing Tracy recognized as a Woman of Excellence by the Women in Auto Care, a community of the Auto Care Association. I couldn’t be prouder. In just four short years in the industry, Tracy has made a tremendous impact — learning, growing, and being embraced by so many in the automotive repair community. Thank you to everyone who’s been part of her journey! Congrats to Lauren Briggs, Heather Antrim, and Cass Tomac, who were also honored for this award.

And as if that weren’t enough…
We also unveiled our new brand identity — moving from ARN to the Automotive Repair Podcast Network (ARPN). This rebrand better reflects our mission and the focused content we’re creating for the industry.

But wait — there’s more!
We’ve officially launched the ARPN Listening App, bringing every show on the network right to your fingertips. Watch the short video below to explore its features — from creating personalized playlists to watching videos right inside the app (and plenty more).

We’re already hard at work on version 2.0, and we’d love your feedback.

When we look back on our success in the shop, we rarely see one big defining moment. There’s usually no day when everything suddenly clicks — no dramatic turning point that signals “we made it.”

Instead, progress happens quietly. We start implementing better processes. Communication improves. The numbers are trending in the right direction. Before we know it, we’re hitting more goals than we’re missing — but we can’t quite remember when the shift happened.

That’s what I call sloppy success. It’s the kind of success that doesn’t look perfect. It’s made up of trial and error, small adjustments, and lessons learned in the middle of busy days and full bays. It’s not glamorous, but it’s real.

In our industry, we don’t always stop to celebrate these wins. We’re too focused on the next car, the next KPI, or the next fire to put out. But taking a moment to look back is powerful.

Recognize how far your shop has come — how your team communicates better, how systems are tighter, and how your culture has grown stronger. These are victories worth acknowledging.

Success doesn’t have to be polished to count. Even if it’s a little messy, even if it came with mistakes along the way, sloppy success still means you’re moving forward — and that’s worth celebrating.

Be a Sponge! A wild thought.

You’re heading to AAPEX, VISION, or ASTA. You’ve got your schedule packed — breakout sessions, networking events, maybe even a few supplier dinners. You’re ready to soak up every idea, insight, and best practice you can.

During the event, you’re engaged. You’re taking notes, highlighting ideas in your workbook, swapping stories with shop owners, and discovering new ways of thinking. You feel the energy. It’s like being in a room full of sponges, all absorbing new information and inspiration.

Then, you get home.

Reality hits — back to the shop, the team, the customers, the workflow. Suddenly, that sponge starts to dry out. The pages of your notes stay closed for a week. The handouts collect dust on the corner of your desk.

Here’s the challenge: What good is a sponge if you never squeeze it?

When you return from an event, the real work begins. The squeezing part means releasing what you absorbed — sharing it, applying it, teaching it. Your brain soaked up all that knowledge for a reason. Now it’s time to wring it out into your business.

So how do you do that?

• Debrief with your team. Don’t just say, “I learned a lot.” Instead, tell them what you learned. Hold a quick 15-minute huddle to share your top three takeaways and discuss how they might fit your operation.

• Take one idea and implement it. You don’t need to overhaul your shop overnight. Pick one actionable idea and put it into motion. Momentum builds from small wins.

• Stay connected to your network. That business card you collected? Reach out. The shop owner who shared a great hiring tip? Follow up. Staying connected helps you stay accountable.

• Teach to retain. When you explain what you learned to someone else, you reinforce your own understanding. The best leaders are teachers.
  

You can’t drink from a dry sponge, and knowledge doesn’t create change unless it’s shared, practiced, and lived.

So next time you head to a conference, remember: be a sponge — but don’t forget to squeeze.

We love getting things done. There’s nothing better than checking off a task and feeling that little hit of accomplishment. But here’s a question worth asking: why is your to-do list always so long?

If you let them, your challenges will change you. Stop and think about that.

Actually, stop is the keyword. In this business, we’re always moving — cars to fix, customers to call, bays to fill, techs to support, invoices to close. But growth doesn’t happen in the rush. It happens when you take a moment to reflect on what those daily challenges are really trying to teach you.

Every comeback job, every tough customer, every slow week — they’re all part of the process that’s shaping you into a stronger leader and a sharper operator. You’ve already proven you can handle hard things. The real power comes when you pause long enough to learn from them.

Don’t let your challenges keep repeating themselves. Turn them into teachers. Maybe it’s time to dig into the data, invest in continuing education, or lean on your network for ideas. Every time you do, you grow your shop, your team, and yourself.

Because when you stop, reflect, and grow — your challenges stop controlling you.
You become the driver of change.

NOTE: This is why we create incredible content to challenge your thinking and to prop up your world with Episode Education, which we are very proud of.

“Fear makes you stupid.” This line from the movie Under the Tuscan Sun hit me harder than I expected. Fear clouds our judgment, limits our imagination, and tricks us into believing we can’t handle what’s in front of us. When fear takes the wheel, we stop thinking clearly, and worse, we stop moving forward.

I’ve realized that many times it wasn’t a lack of skill or opportunity that held me back—it was fear. Fear disguised itself as hesitation, overthinking, or even procrastination. The truth is, the only way to gain the stamina and confidence to do something new is to actually do it. Action beats fear every time.

So the next time fear shows up, don’t let it make you “stupid.” Acknowledge it, then step forward anyway. Fear loses its power the moment you act in spite of it. You don’t have to be fearless—you just have to be brave enough to try.

Shop owners who work hard to build and maintain a strong culture of behavior and values also know that career pathing, recognition, and celebrating go a long way in making your shop a great place to work. 

It goes without saying that you need a clean, organized, safe facility with good equipment and a commitment to training with a pointed focus on the customer experience.

One of the smartest tactics is celebration. In fact, a great way to video and bring the happenings inside your business is to be sure that these celebrations are chronicled on your social media accounts.

Here is a short list of the celebrations that can be highlighted.

Business anniversaries, new babies, birthdays, new equipment, ASE Certs, community awards, community fundraising, community support, new training for the team, new homes, wedding anniversaries, employment anniversaries (years at the shop), graduations, holiday parties, remodeling, paint on the building, new uniforms, BBQ Fridays, classic cars, safety concerns, latest coolest EV in the shop, and the list goes on.

Most of your important video content is there for the picking. If not you, someone in the shop should be in charge of getting your celebrations on video so your customers or potential customers see the excitement and energy in your shop.