Latest Blog

It’s Not Personal, It’s Business

By Carm Capriotto, AAP | Aug 31, 2026

Sometimes the hardest business decision is the one we already know we need to make. There are decisions in business that are easy to make. Then there are the decisions that keep you awake at night. Personnel decisions. Policy changes. Changing a supplier. Moving away from a system you have…

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Shop Fire – Protect Yourself

By Carm Capriotto, AAP | 03/14/2021

Sometimes I do, and sometimes I don’t comment in my blog about an episode recently released. I’ve got no…

Rant From a Listener

By Carm Capriotto, AAP | 02/21/2021

I get emails and messages regarding the awesomeness of the work we do in building a learning library of…

Beyond the Awards. The Story Behind the Story.

By Carm Capriotto, AAP | 02/07/2021

Early in 2021, I interviewed the recipients of the first annual AAPEX 2020 Awards; Shop Owner of the Year,…

Have You Felt the Impact?

By Carm Capriotto, AAP | 02/02/2021

Have you walked one of your regional malls lately? I recently spent time at our one big regional 1.6…

Knee Hurt?

By Carm Capriotto, AAP | 01/22/2021

Feet ache? Can’t see well? Back hurt? Does your knee hurt? You may need a specialist in each of…

Charging What You Are Worth

By Carm Capriotto, AAP | 01/16/2021

Of late there has been a lot of dialogue around my circles about being paid for the value you…

When We Teach

By Carm Capriotto, AAP | 01/04/2021

Have you learned and experienced the powerful adage ‘When We Teach We Learn’. Ask any trainer if it is…

Inspired by the Beatles

By Carm Capriotto, AAP | 12/19/2020

This past weekend, Sirius XM played the top 100 Beatles songs, voted by their listener. During a busy weekend,…

Follow the Yellow Brick Road

By Carm Capriotto, AAP | 11/23/2020

Flipping through channels, there it was, the beloved ‘Wizard of Oz’. I just can’t help but stop and get…

How Can You Help the Next Generation of Shop Owners

By Carm Capriotto, AAP | 09/15/2020

If you had known then what you know now, would you have opened your own shop? Every day new…

Are You Meeting Your Customer Expectations?

By Carm Capriotto, AAP | 09/08/2020

Customers want a great experience. They have preconceived expectations on how their experience with you is going to happen.…

Is it Just Me or Do You Feel the Forces of Change?

By Carm Capriotto, AAP | 08/31/2020

Are change forces blowing harder and faster than we realize? And are we creating them? A restaurant in my…

How Good Are Your Customer Basics?

By Carm Capriotto, AAP | 08/23/2020

Flour, water, salt, and yeast makes bread. Just about every recipe has these ingredients. That’s pretty basic and most…

A Rolling Billboard Got Me Thinking

By Carm Capriotto, AAP | 08/23/2020

Traveling on the New York State Thruway I came upon a semi with a massive ad, on its back…

Ingenious. Clean – Part of the New Normal

By Carm Capriotto, AAP | 07/27/2020

Visiting a Tim Hortons Coffee shop I experienced what is the new normal as it comes to cleanliness at…

Latest Episodic Education

Daily Habits That Build a Stronger Auto Repair Shop Culture [THA 501]

09/04/2026

Rapid-Fire Automotive News: AI, EVs, Autonomous Vehicles, and the $19B Trade School Boom [RR 1107]

09/01/2026

Brakes for Breasts: How Auto Repair Shops Are Fighting Breast Cancer [THA 500]

08/28/2026

Top 5 Qualities of a Genuine Service Advisor [RR 1106]

08/25/2026

Your Shop’s Toughest Competitor Is in the Mirror [THA 499]

08/21/2026

Bring the Classroom to the Shop: Raising the Bar For On-Site Training [RR 1105]

08/18/2026

Engage, Educate, Reward: How Today’s Class Is Changing Auto Repair Training [THA 498]

08/14/2026

Inside the ASTA Expo 2026: Training, Technology, and Tribal Networking [RR 1104]

08/11/2026

Mastering Shop Flow with Online Scheduling and AI Communication [THA 497]

08/07/2026

Why Employees Disengage and How Leaders Reconnect Them [RR 1103]

08/04/2026

The AI-Informed Customer Has Arrived: What It Means For Auto Repair [THA 496]

07/31/2026

Get Out of Your Own Way: Leadership Lessons for Shop Owners [RR 1102]

07/28/2026

The “Kohl’s Cash” of Auto Repair: Turning Customer Rewards Into Repeat Business [THA 495]

07/24/2026

Deferred Work: The Most Overlooked Growth Opportunity in Auto Repair [RR 1101]

07/21/2026

The Truth About ADAS Calibrations Every Shop Needs to Hear [THA 494]

07/17/2026

Curing Organizational Drag: The Courage to Fire a Non-Fit Employee [RR 1100]

07/14/2026

Maximizing Profit Through Effective Labor Rate Strategy [THA 493]

07/10/2026

Selling to the Curb: How AI Turned More Calls into Customers [RR 1099]

07/07/2026

AI Search Visibility: How Customers Find Your Auto Repair Shop [THA 492]

07/03/2026

Building a Winning Scoreboard For Your Auto Repair Shop [RR 1098]

06/30/2026

How to Sell Your Auto Repair Shop for Maximum Value [THA 491]

06/26/2026

How a Purple Heart Veteran Became a 6-Shop Auto Repair Owner [RR 1097]

06/23/2026

Why Auto Repair Specialists Leave Our Industry (And How Shop Owners Can Keep Them) [THA 490]

06/19/2026

2026 Automotive Training Trends Every Professional Shop Owner Needs to Know [RR 1096]

06/16/2026

Motor Oil supply Crisis: Fact, Friction, and What Happens Next [THA 489]

06/12/2026