Latest Blog

Really… a Certified Financial Planner?

By Carm Capriotto, AAP | May 4, 2026

You’ve probably been bombarded lately with ads reminding you to trust only a Certified Financial Planner with your investments and retirement. Why? Because that designation means something. It represents a standard of education, examination, experience, and ethics. Now imagine this… You’ve built a great professional automotive repair business. Strong culture.…

Read More

All Articles and Blog Posts

Five Ways to Spot a Toxic Employee

By Carm Capriotto, AAP | 11/10/2022

Recently in episode 713 with Dr. Dave Weiman, we talked about handling toxic employees. The episode was a refreshing…

Only One Way to Go and That is UP

By Carm Capriotto, AAP | 10/20/2022

We’ve got over 1,100 episodes inside the Aftermarket Radio Network. And since our inception 7 ½ years ago, there…

How is Your Power of Curiosity and Intution?

By Carm Capriotto, AAP | 10/11/2022

Curiosity is a powerful tool. It helps us to stay open-minded and creative. Intuition is a way of knowing…

Tangible Mechanism

By Carm Capriotto, AAP | 10/03/2022

Recently on a podcast with Coach Dave Schedin, (HERE) he mentioned ‘Tangible Mechanism.’ I quickly put those two words…

Repair Order Audit

By Carm Capriotto, AAP | 09/12/2022

I listened to Hunt Demarest’s episode on Shady Service Advisor, where he discussed how things could go wrong managing…

Top of Your Listen List

By Carm Capriotto, AAP | 08/27/2022

Every shop owner in North America has the privilege of not letting their education get in the way of…

One Choice: Fix the Business or You First!

By Carm Capriotto, AAP | 08/09/2022

The strongest recurring theme when I talk to top shop operators is that every business needs a clear goal…

Training as a Required Pillar

By Carm Capriotto, AAP | 07/27/2022

So many discussions lately, both on and off the podcast microphone, have prompted me to drive a training strategy…

Paycheck to Paycheck

By Carm Capriotto, AAP | 07/24/2022

We are all feeling the pinch of inflation. In the last gas crunch, there were many on the expressways…

Motorist Assurance Program: A Listening Challenge

By Carm Capriotto, AAP | 06/27/2022

A Listening Challenge A challenge: After you listen to the entire episode, please let me know why you would…

From Employment to Ownership

By Carm Capriotto, AAP | 06/19/2022

Many shop owners would like to find a path to retirement, and they are sitting on the sidelines waiting…

The Undeniable Power of Processes

By Carm Capriotto, AAP | 05/31/2022

Call it procedures, operations, methods, actions, approaches or techniques … great processes win wars. Great processes are the true…

Five Must Dos to Make Your Ethics Rule

By Carm Capriotto, AAP | 05/16/2022

The word ‘ethics’ is derived from the Greek word ethos, which means ‘custom’ or ‘habit’. It is a system…

Know Your Strengths

By Carm Capriotto, AAP | 05/09/2022

Recently we released a Town Hall Webinar on Knowing Your Strengths. My panel really helped set up the power…

Get Your Shop Lean – Implementing Six Sigma

By Carm Capriotto, AAP | 03/29/2022

I believe that taking a deep dive into your procedures will become an important strategy to growing a stronger…

Latest Episodic Education

Turn Your Parts Spend Into Team Rewards with the NAPA Team Tool Rebate [THA 483]

05/01/2026

Detective Mind Mapping: A Forensic Approach to Automotive Diagnostics [RR 1089]

04/28/2026

The Dealer Alternative Advantage in Today’s Auto Repair Industry [THA 482]

04/24/2026

Build Customer Loyalty: Branding, Event Planning, and Community [RR 1088]

04/21/2026

Meet Paige: The Auto Repair Industry’s First 24/7 AI Recruiter [THA 481]

04/17/2026

Your Shop Might Need Marriage Counseling: Fixing Communication in Auto Repair [RR 1087]

04/14/2026

How to Get Unstuck When Your Auto Repair Business Stops Growing [THA 480]

04/10/2026

The “Monster” in Your Head Is Costing Your Shop Money [RR 1086]

04/07/2026

Batman Needs a Robin: Meet Your Shop’s New Sidekick Ninja App [THA 479]

04/03/2026

Stop Leaving Money on the Table: How to Master Your Shop Management System [RR 1085]

03/31/2026

Smart Glasses in the Shop: Inside NAPA Autotech’s XcceleratoR Training [THA 478]

03/27/2026

Is Your Shop the Problem? Hard Truths from the Voice of the Technician Survey Results [RR 1084]

03/24/2026

General Service Technician Academy: Building Educational Foundation For Tomorrow’s Careers [THA 477]

03/20/2026

Own the Technician Shortage: How One Shop Owner is Transforming Industry Recruitment [RR 1083]

03/17/2026

The Affordability Myth in Auto Repair: Rethinking How Service Advisors Present Repairs [THA 476]

03/13/2026

Stop Winging Human Resources in Your Auto Repair Shop [RR 1082]

03/10/2026

The 250K Mile Maintenance Mindset: Mastering the Art of Vehicle Delivery [THA 475]

03/06/2026

Why Employee Reviews Are Broken and What to Do Instead [RR 1081]

03/03/2026

Why Women are the Secret Weapon in Auto Repair Shop Hospitality [THA 474]

02/27/2026

The New Economics of Auto Repair: Rising Rates, Fewer Cars, Higher Profits [RR 1080]

02/24/2026

The Superhighway to Estimating: Canned Jobs and Categories For Shop Efficiency [THA 473]

02/20/2026

Beyond Service Advisors: Embracing the ‘Repairathist’ Mindset [RR 1079]

02/17/2026

Looking Rich VS Living Free: The Hidden Truth About Success and Money [THA 472]

02/13/2026

Executing a 25 Year Plan: Retired at 47 [RR 1078]

02/10/2026

The Digital Front Door For Auto Repair: SEO, Google, and Website Marketing [THA 471]

02/06/2026