RR 193: Kirk Richardson from South Street Auto Care

Kirk Richardson is a young and successful entrepreneur. Born into a blue-collar, hard working family, he was a below average student in high school and college. At the age of 22, he left school and started his first business. He bought his first three bay shop at the age of 24. Seven years later he bought his second shop, South Street Auto Care in Rochester, MI. Today, at age 34, Kirk is a remarkably successful business owner.

Richardson really prides himself on his ability to create a family culture within his businesses. The culture is a blend of hard work, accountability, fun, and hi-jinx, which combine to make loyal and dedicated coworkers. Kirk loves business and people in general and will talk for hours about business!

Episode talking points:

  • The start of him re-building his business came from strategic planning on his ‘Starbuck Dates’ with his future wife.
  • He created a solid foundation with a strong culture, processes, pay plans.
  • He holds a core culture review with everyone in the company to modify and strengthen behavior.
  • They don’t pay flat rate or hourly. Entire team is paid on a percent of gross margin.
  • He shares his pay plan as a % of GP
  • There is a work distribution system that gets the maximum value out of every technician.
  • Hired a local consultant to kick ideas with but to hold him accountable. That is when he started his strategic plan. Plan is reviewed with managers and leader techs
  • Kirk’s team also reviews him and he was told to stop talking to customers.
  • Scrolls his culture and strategic plan on a TV in the employee break room.

South Street Auto Care Website

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This episode is brought to you by Federal-Mogul Motorparts and Garage Gurus. With brands like Moog, Felpro, Wagner Brake, Champion, Sealed Power, FP Diesel and more, they’re the parts techs trust.  For serious technical training and support – online, onsite and on-demand – Garage Gurus is everything you need to know. Find out more at fmmotorparts.com  and fmgaragegurus.com

About the author, Carm Capriotto, AAP

Carm is the founder and host of the Remarkable Results Radio Podcast and the pioneer of automotive aftermarket podcasts. Carm calls on his years of experience in the aftermarket to bring engaging stories from his guests.

Listen to raw, unfiltered, honest, and sincere stories that include insights, trends, best practices, and expertise. Each interview brings an opportunity to learn one new thing through the stories of personal achievement. Many podcast guests tell their story of transformation from working in their business to working on it.

As host of over 1,000 episodes, Carm uses his enthusiasm and passion for the aftermarket especially the service sector to take his listeners on a journey showcasing successful service professionals’ paths to Remarkable Results. He also enjoys interviews with aftermarket industry thought leaders who bring their industry perspectives to his listener.

Follow the podcast on your favorite podcast listening app and always listen to learn just one thing!