RR 494: Women In Auto Care 2019 Honorees
The winners of the 2019 Women of the Year Awards are: Auto Care Woman of the Year: Jennifer Maher, Chief Executive Officer, TechForce Foundation and America’s Automotive Trust Auto Care Woman of Excellence: Cindy Frasca, Chief Operating Officer, Kukui Female Shop Owner of the Year: Jamie Carlson, Owner, Ervine’s Auto Repair and Grand Rapids Hybrid…
Listen and view episode notesTHA 148: Generating Repeat Business
THA 148 Generating Repeat Business
We are talking marketing, mining and relationships with Kelli Weatherby, Accurate Automotive Mesa, AZ with husband Lee and David Roman from Done With Care – Auto Repair, Merriam, KS
Kelli and David shook the trees as it relates to the all-important follow-up visits, referrals, texting, emails, customer shop tours, mystery shoppers, the importance of using your own organic content for your emails and social posts.
Listen and view episode notesTHA 131: Preparing Your Shop For the Next Five and Ten Years
THA 131 The Future – Preparing Your Shop For the Next Five to Ten Years
What is your future? Have you planned it? What are you doing to ensure your success in the next 5, 10 or 15 years? If you do nothing you get what you currently have and that may not sustain you to far into the future.
Your panel: Kelli Weatherby, co-owner, with husband Lee, in Accurate Automotive, Inc. in Mesa, AZ., Bill Nalu, owner of Interstate Auto Care, Madison Heights, MI and AJ Nealey, Nealey Auto Service, Edgewater MD. This diverse group has some similar yet some different strategies for their future. It is so refreshing to hear the dialogue and then compare their tactics to your current or long term plans.
We are in a dynamic industry that is in a heightened change curve. Keeping up at all levels will bring you spoils. And keeping your eye on your business with the future in sight is an important responsibility you have to your employees and your family.
We talk BHAG’s, Debt, Branches, Succession, Training, refinancing, and SWOT among others.
Listen and view episode notesRR 452: Danielle and Brett Bohlmann – Creating Work/Life Harmony
Danielle and Brett Bohlmann Finding the Right Balance Between Work and Life
Brett and Danielle Bohlmann are Shop Owners at Hwy 7 Service Center. They agree that they are everything the other is not and they know it and use it to their advantage instead of it being their demise.
OK, Brett and Danielle Bohlman agree that they are everything the other is not and they know it and use it to their advantage instead of it being their demise. Brett and Danielle own Hwy 7 Service Center in Newell, IA. Danielle wasnt in on the business at start because she is a mother of 4 and for her, family is first! Find out how Danielle changed her comittment and how they make family and business work so they have a life.
Listen and view episode notesRR 449: Maryann Croce – What Advice Would You Give a New Business Owner? Will this advice benefit the established business person?
Maryann Croce – What advice would you give a new business owner? Will this advice benefit the established business person?
Would you like some advice on starting a business. What if you could apply this advice to your established business. With me is Maryann Croce from SmallBusinessvantge.com. She and her husband Tony also own Croce Transmission in Norwalk, CT.
As a business owner, she can chalk up many a mistake that has turned into wisdom. She has been there and done that and shares 5 key principles to help a startup business person get ahead of the game. She is speaking to resilience, commitment, getting help, being curious and giving. Learn why messaging, relationships and financials are vital no matter what stage you are and your business is currently in. Don’t believe you need to go it alone.
Maryann is also a member of Women in Auto Care and owns smallbizvantage.com. Her biggest mistake as a new business owner was thinking she had to do it all. This is one of the reasons why her signature talk “Gain Control by Letting Go” was created.
Listen and view episode notesFTR 048: Amy Mattinat – Our Technicians Are Car Doctors
Our Technicians Are Car Doctors
Amy Mattinat delivers her impassioned perspective on the value and benefits of ASE. It may be time for you to understand why you support ASE and if you don’t, to understand why you must. If there was ever a time to embrace ASE it is now. The high tech world of the automotive creates the need for highly trained technicians and through ASE certification allows us to differentiate ourselves and improve our image.
Listen and view episode notesTHA 107: Discover How To Keep Your Women Customers For Life
Discover How To Keep Your Women Customers For Life
We heard the stats that the female makes up over 50% of your customer base. That is based on certain geographies and demographics. Some are higher, some are lower. But no matter your mix you’ve got to have important tactics in place in order to create loyalty in your women customer.
We’re going to serve up a strong discussion building loyalty from your women customers. My panel includes Kim Auernheimer, Co-Owner of CS Automotive, Brentwood TN, Kathleen Jarosik, Xpertech Auto Repair, Englewood, FL, and Jonathan Ortiz, Foreign Affairs Auto, West Palm Beach, FL.
They bring their A game and serve up the important issues, from their perspective, that will help you create the right environment so you can have a long and lasting relationship with all your women customers. We talk about trust, safety, relationship, environment, and amenities among many others.
Listen and view episode notesRR 401: Family Succession Part 1 – Our Future Female Shop Owners
Family Succession Part 1 – Our Future Female Shop Owners
We are talking to three millennial ladies who are geared for the succession of the family business. Many of our aftermarkets family businesses want to retire knowing that the business they have built is in safe hands, is moving forward and continues to succeed. Grooming a family member to become the CEO is a big decision and challenging journey.
Our guests are young and energetic female successors; Carly Paiva from Elite Auto Repair, in Warwick, RI, Jacquie Hower from Zimmerman’s Automotive in Mechanicsburg, PA, and Lauren Anderson from Victory Auto Service and Glass in Minneapolis. They understood very well the stakes and the responsibilities. They are not shying away and have shown maturity above their young age.
Carly Paiva has been actively participating in service advisory classes to better herself, Jacqui Hower recently graduated from Northwood and Lauren Anderson is finding ways and solutions to better equip her staff for success. The energy and passion of these three must make their parents proud.
Listen and view episode notesRR 392: Shop Talk 7 – The Leading Ladies
Shop Talk 7 -Leading Ladies
Judi Haglin, from Haglin Automotive, Boulder CO, Shelle Bennett, from Mike’s Kars in Gettysburg, PA and Kelli Weatherby from Accurate Automotive in Mesa, AZ.
These three ladies are members of an ATI twenty group that is called Leading Ladies. They are proud of their numbers. They are the top twenty group in performance within the ATI program. How is that for ‘strength in numbers’.
We had a really relaxed and wide open chat in the AAPEX18 Studio where we touched on the disciplines they have in their 20 group, what they believe is the secret to a successful business, finding your humility will change your world, and why the fear of sharing hold businesses back. There is plenty more especially the talk on the secret sauce.
Listen and view episode notesRR 386: Shop Talk 6 – Making it Work – Husband and Wife Partners
Making it Work: Husband and Wife Partners
Our married partners are Judi and Dana Haglin of Haglin Automotive Boulder, CO, along with Kim and Rob Auernheimer of CS Automotive in Brentwood, Tennessee. They share their experiences in running a shop, together with their life partners.
They make it sound simple, however as you’ll hear there was and continues to be a learning curve in their path to ‘harmony’. We’ll learn how they brought out the best in each other while improving their business’s and continuously making each other better.
They persisted with the patience, hardships, struggles, fulfillment and the joy of owning and managing a business as a husband and wife tandem.
They are like any couple but have the additional dynamic as business co-owners and partners. Learn from their tribulations as they share how each overcame their challenges to make their partnership amazing and strengthen their relationship over time.
Listen and view episode notesRR 384: Women In Auto Care 2018 Honorees!
Women In Auto Care 2018 Honorees!
In this episode, we are talking with the 2018 Women In Auto Care honorees. Share their achievements, triumph and the road to their success in this long-form audio interview recorded at AAPEX 2018.
Tammy Techlenburg, President of Women In Auto Care and the Vice-President of Global Sales and Marketing Operations for Spectrum Brands, Dawn Zieren, SVP Global & Strategic Initiatives, The NPD Group, Kathleen Jarosik, Owner, Xpertech Auto Repair, and Nicole Huard, Manager, Category Management and Consumer Insights, Robert Bosch LLC, grace the remarkable results radio airwaves discussion this industry milestone.
Listen and view episode notesRR 357: Shop Talk Volume 2- Women Shop Owners
Shop Talk Volume 2- Women Shop Owners
Kim Auernheimer of Cool Springs Automotive Brentwood Tennessee, Mary Ann Croce of Croce’s Transmission Specialists, Norwalk, Connecticut, and Kathleen Jarosik of Xpertech Auto Repair, Englewood, Florida comprised the roundtable of the second edition of Shop Talk the Series.
Kim went to her first WorldPac training expo when she was in a tough financial situation. A light bulb came on. She is naturally competitive so she and her husband Rob decided they were going to be one of the best shops in the United States.
Maryann wanted her business to be sustainable. In the beginning just being able to take a paycheck home was a challenge, but keeping an eye on the goal will help you make important decisions to grow and sustain the business.
Kathleen hired a business coach who gave her the courage to step forward. She did a women’s car care clinic that ultimately led to her first Women In Auto Care meeting. That is when she realized she was not a unicorn and there were other female shop owners that inspired her.
Listen and view episode notesRR 336: Bogi Lateiner “On the Road” with the ’57 Chevy Montage
Bogi Lateiner’s Completed Project: The 1957 Chevy Pick-Up Montage All Female Build.
Bogi and her all-female team completed this unique project with women team members from all over the country. The truck was unveiled at SEMA 2017.
Carm met up with Bogi in Buffalo New York at the Autorama, as Bogi took the truck ‘On the Road’ to present the final build to car and truck enthusiasts.
Get behind the scenes stories and the purpose of project.
Listen and view episode notesRR 326: Sherri Stock from InMotion Auto Care
Five Years A Shop Owner and a Succession Plan in Place.
The secret to success, according to Sherri Stock is doing the right thing for the right reasons. No matter for your team members or your customers she is passionate to always treat people well.
Sherri Stock from InMotion Auto Care in Lincoln, NE has worked at dealerships for over 25 years and had the opportunity of a lifetime to go into business for herself. She shares some early strategies that has set up her succession plan.
We talk with the Sherri Stock, the ASA Midwest Service Facility of the Year 2017, about the power of a strong business culture, technician pay, business coaches, vendor partners and her commitment to technician training.
Listen and view episode notesRR 320: Kathleen Jarosik from Xpertech Auto Repair
Trial By Fire Was the Pathway and Learning Curve for This Shop Owner.
Once Kathleen Jarosik from Xpertech Auto Repair in Englewood, FL bought the business from her former husband she went from the background to the foreground of the business. Trial by fire was the norm.
Her story is one of renaissance as she knew there was a better way. Working with her business coach, industry colleagues and association members, Kathleen started her turn around. She is actually doing what she loves to do most for the business.
Kathleen is not without her challenges, but she sees great light ahead and hopes one day to be an industry coach. She wants to help people and give back to the industry. She’s worked hard to build the reputation of the shop and create a positive culture for her team and an environment that her customers feel comfortable in.
Listen and view episode notesTHA 055: The Importance of Back Office Operations – Part 2
The Power Center of your Business is in the Back Office PART 2
Amy Mattinat, Jacquie Walter Hower, Maryann Croce and Kim Auernheimer discuss Human Resources and Marketing. Two very important responsibilities of the CEO and back office team.
Highlights: The legal document called an employee handbook, hire slow-fire fast, know your candidate’s personality and hire for a culture fit.
Track your marketing efforts, never shoot in the dark you may not be spending your money wisely. Have a good referral program for your advocate customer and your brand’s image needs to be consistent and must match the face you put in the web and social media. This group also shares some great marketing ideas.
Listen and view episode notesRR 291: Bambi Crozier from Car Clinic and ASOG
Changing the Image of the Industry; One Customer at a Time.
Bambi Crozier and her husband Neil own Car Clinic in Lowell, AR. They are dedicated to lifelong customer relationships and are working to change their customer’s image of the industry to that of a profession and not just a trade.
With her background in customer service, she and Neil set out on a mission of change. She started by asking her customer’s a lot of questions about their vehicle. She discovered that her customers wanted the down and dirty truth about their vehicle needs.
Listen to her story of startup and transformation. She knows that the rapid change in technology and the way tech is affecting how business is done today will require a smarter, wiser business owner. She believes in the power of the statement: ‘You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know.’
Listen and view episode notesTHA 044: The Importance of Back Office Operations – Part 1
The Power Center of your Business is in the Back Office.
In this Part One Amy Mattinat, Jacquie Walter Hower, Maryann Croce and Kim Auernheimer discuss controls, operations and accounting/finance.
Highlights: Cash accountability, bank statements, trust and verify. The three stages of a business and the power of communication. With good systems, you can find where any breakdown occurred. Also discussed is team buy-in, QuickBooks, keeping good records, budgeting and cash flow.
Listen and view episode notesRR 256: Rachael Wacha from City Auto Repair
Joined the Family business and doubled sales within a year.
Thirty one-year-old Rachael Wacha from City Auto Repair realized she was more like her dad than she thought. She also didn’t realize how important she was to the business.
You’ll be moved by her story and very open discussion of her very personal journey as she walked through life’s challenges and overcame them all. She has the tenacity to achieve every goal she sets for herself.
Having completed a succession plan to own the business, Rachael has joined a coaching and mastermind group. She is the president of the local ASA chapter and Is investing her time in vocational training and engaging with students.
Listen and view episode notesRR 245: Kate Jonasee from K-Tech in Sebastopol, CA
Do you remember when you started in business? What humble beginning did you have?
Kate Jonasee from K-Tech and Pauline’s Auto worked her way across the country after graduating from automotive technology college in upstate New York. She persisted through every opportunity to own two shops in Sebastopol, CA.
Kate says she learned something along the way from every shop she worked at and always had the goal to own her own shop, let alone two and possibly more.
Listen to the smart choices she made along the way, what her personal motivations were and how she is working to improve herself and her business.
RR 217: Stacia Hamp from Community Auto
Father & Daughter Team Keep their Strong Culture at the Forefront of their Shop and Get Recognized by BBB with their Highest Honor.
Stacia Hamp and her dad Eric Warrington have worked together for 13 years. They’ve forged a strong working relationship and the business has blossomed.
Stacia’s dad Eric, built the business on trust and ethics. She says dad has the heart of the business culture firmly in hand and no better tribute than in being recognized as the winner of the 2017 Northern Colorado Better Business Bureau Torch Awards for Ethics in the Small Business Category.
Stacia talks training, the value DVI has brought to their business, the value of having a mentor, how dad and daughter bring their diverse personalities into a perfect focus for the business among many more key talking points.
Listen and view episode notesRR 211: Judi and Dana Haglin from Haglin Automotive
Husband and Wife Team Keeps Careful Watch on all Details of their Business.
Judi and Dana Haglin work together so well because they say ‘They are opposites’. Each of their own passions help drive their successful business. Haglin Automotive, a twelve bay shop in Boulder, CO, was recognized in 2015 as Motor Age Top Shop of the Year. They continue to look for ways to improve their systems and marketing that will give them a competitive advantage.
The Haglin’s are all about team and culture and share many great ideas and insights on marketing, training, and stress relief. They share their rules for finding harmony in their personal and business relationship, their core values and their top strategy to corral new customers.
Listen and view episode notesRR 202: Bogi Lateiner and the Chevy Montage All Female Build
Bogi Lateiner creates an exciting opportunity with the 1957 Chevy Pick-Up Montage All Female Build.
Her mission is to create a learning opportunity for women interested in exploring the trades, and ultimately help attract new people to the industry.
Through the build project women from all over the country will be building the ’57 Chevy Truck that will be unveiled at SEMA 2017.
The episode takes you into Bogi’s world, her mission and passion with the project and a lot of behind the scenes on the project and how you can get involved.
Listen and view episode notesRR 201: Margie van Lierop from Beach Cities Garage
Unlikely pathway to shop ownership.
Margie van Lierop from Beach Cities Garage purchased a shop from friends after being a successful magazine publisher. She has had an interesting career in corporate radio and in the music business.
Margie has made a strong transition to a shop owner and tells you the things she is doing to make improvements to her business every day. She makes no mistakes that is has been trial by fire for her.
She has a great spirit and her personal drive and commitment shines throughout the interview. She shares her experience in working with a beta program from Bosch called Sweetworxx.
Listen and view episode notesRR 149: Carolyn Coquillette from Luscious Garage
Carolyn Coquillette discovered wrenching in 2000, shortly after graduating from college. A rare female mechanic, her nickname at the service station and in professional circles became “Luscious Garage.” Carolyn owns Luscious Garage, a hybrid specialty shop in San Francisco and probably the best known hybrid shop in the country. She also owns Shop-Ware, a software…
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