FTR 008: Rick White – I’m Tired of You Giving Up!
RR 348: Vinnie and Anthony Lucido from CoAuto – Community Conscious Car Care
Community Conscious Car Care
Vinnie and Anthony Lucido started CoAuto in 2014 at Reno, Nevada. The brothers are both ASE Master Technicians with Anthony holding 15 ASE Certifications.
Their shop CoAuto which stands for Community Conscious Car Care ran Veteran car giveaway every year, Local art display in waiting room which shop doesn’t take commission from sales, High school internship program, Reverse carbon footprint which Partnered with Arbor day foundation and have tree planted with every oil service and Women’s Car Care Clinic.
The brothers are taking a step back from business, letting employees learn by themselves and not micromanaging the company. They remained motivated from seeing the previous employer working to the bone as the owner who couldn’t let go of control and knew they didn’t want to be that type of owner. Both Anthony and Vinnie on a 5-year plan to have the shop run by itself.
THA 077: Business Coaches LAB – Standards
Business Coaches LAB on Standards
Standards, in a business is the bar, the rules that set the level of quality, service, experience, caring, and engagement. The problem is so many times the owner is so busy doing whatever he’s doing in his business mistakenly believing his job is to make sure cars are fixed.
Owners forget about the standards that set the tone and pulse of the business when it comes to customers, processes, training, conduct, dress code, ethics, financial, execution and performance among others.
You do not want your ‘standards’ to be set by others so you must create them if not chaos is ensured and as panel member Cecil Bullard says, “In business, there is no floating. You either going up or down.”
FTR 003: Chris Cloutier on Taking Ownership | Training | Technology
THA 076: Improving Your Soft Skills. How To Lead and Spread a Positive Vibe.
Improving Your Soft Skills. How to Lead and Spread a Positive Vibe.
Soft skills are the personal attributes that go a long way in building and enabling you to interact effectively and harmoniously with other people. A soft skills inventory can be active listening, Enthusiasm, Attitude, Communication skills, Teamwork, Work ethic, Flexibility, and Courtesy, among others.
Our panel Amy Mattinat, from Autocraftsmen, Mt. Montpelier, VT, trainer, Former President of Women in Autocare, along with Greg Buckley, Buckley’s Personalized Auto Care, Wilmington, DE, and Jeremy O’Neal from Freedom Automotive and CEO of AdvisorFix.
Our Academy panel dives deep into the value of soft skills for a leader and among the entire team. We talk roles and responsibilities, the value of a success coach, and the value that soft skills bring to the technician, service advisor, customer relationship.
THA 070: Business Coaches LAB – Leadership
Business Coach LAB on Leadership
“Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality”. –Warren Bennis
The passion behind the vision is what makes people leaders. This is a first in an episodic series called the Business Coaches LAB. With me for the ‘Leadership LAB’ is Cecil Bullard, Bob Greenwood, Jude Larson, Rick White and Murray Voth. Find the coaches bio, previous podcast episodes and their companies website on the show notes page: remarkableresults.biz/a070. Also, find the cliff note ‘talking points’ there that can act as a great action to do list for you.
We get into some very deep discussion on the value of leadership, but also on how you can start to be a better leader. Yes, leadership can be learned and practiced. The value of this lesson will bring you rewards for years to come.
RR 333: Keith Benline & Jeremy O’Neal – 10 Steps to a $1M Shop
10 Steps to Build a Profitable Million Dollar Shop
In the 2018 Vision KC Studio longtime friend of the podcast Jeremy O’Neal from Freedom Automotive and Advisor Fix and shop owner and business trainer/coach, Keith Benline.
The goal of these 10 steps is to give you the Freedom to have a stronger work-life balance and to lead your people to run your business.
Benline says working smarter not harder as business owner, being a strong leader and don’t be afraid to let go and empower your employees. He also says you need to allow mistakes to happen and use them as a coaching moment.
Find your strengths and implement while surrounding yourself with people whose strengths are your weaknesses and don’t forget it’s the people that make the business run, always treat them and respect them as people.
RR 331: Kelly Bennett – ‘Kelly The Coach’
It’s Different Here; An Overused Excuse.
Business coach and trainer Kelly Bennett known in the industry as Kelly the Coach brings light to the most common excuse he hears. ‘The universal excuse, that shop owners give when they are struggling to find success, You Don’t Understand; It’s Different Here.’
Kelly also shares a concept called ‘The American Dream’, the role of a business coach, the four points of contact in a service business and the five wins necessary to find your success.
Kelly says that the average independent repair shop is doing 50% of their potential and he says you must be prepared for customers that shop prices. You need to talk warranty and quality with them. It is important to educate and advise your customer what is in their best interest.
RR 327: Prepare to Change – O’Neal – Barrett – Cloutier
Are You Prepared To Change?
Jeremy O’Neal from Freedom Automotive and AdvisorFix, Barry Barrett from RLO Training and Chris Cloutier from Golden Care Auto Care and Autotext.me bring a lively discussion and debate on the need and necessity of change.
President John Kennedy said: “Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or the present are certain to miss the future.” We all realize that our industry is in constant change, however many do not embrace the vision necessary to keep pace and improve.
Listen to how these aftermarket professionals look at and embrace change. It is part of the vision. We cover two ways leaders lead. First is the fear of change, and second is that we are willing to change as long as there isn’t any pain.
We get into communications, connecting, and that winners and losers have one thing in common. Listen to find out what it is.
THA 063: Making Business Partnerships Work
The Qualities of a Good Partnership or How to Make Partnerships Work.
Partners and brothers Vinnie and Anthony Lucido from CoAuto, Community Conscious Car Care in Reno, NV and partners Shawn Kline and Jeremy Austrum from Next Generation Auto in Baldwin, WI., share how they make their partnership work.
They share advantages and disadvantages of having a partner, the role of each partner, and the qualities of a partnership. They say that knowing each other’s communication style or DISC respects each other’s way of getting and sharing information
These partners believe that their business coach has improved the partnership. These partners also share the pitfalls or challenges that can creep into a partnership. You’ll also hear about buy-sell agreements, life insurance and work-life balance.
RR 308: Mike Bennett from Mike’s Kars and an ATI Coach
Why Don’t Shop Owners Bring the Same Level Of Curiosity They Had As Techs To the Business Side Of The Business?
Mike Bennett from Mike’s Kars in Gettysburg, PA is a full-time business coach for ATI. His personal light bulb moment was when he realized he needed more training on business and leadership. That training changed his business. As Mike prospered he realized that he wanted to share his success by coaching other shop owners.
Mike say the best employees are empowered and understand their role and that great leaders show their people how to succeed. Learn what Mike believes is the most important part of building a great business and what happens when you gain control of your business.
RR 289: Tony Adams from Weavers Auto Center
The Leadership Challenge
Tony Adams, Vice President of Operations at Weavers Auto Center in Shawnee, KS, has an inspiring story about change and leadership. Listening to stories like Tony’s, who have achieved success while toughing through challenges and learning from mistakes, can build strength in all who listen.
Tony admits to what all good leaders know; admit your mistakes, learn from them and move forward. It builds strong leadership. He shares his very transparent story. You’ll either relate to it or learn from it.
We all will experience a story like Tony’s at least once in our lives. Never stop learning and build a fire under your team to serve the customer.
RR 287: Bill Haas – Millennials – How to Lead and Engage This Generation
Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Hiring and Leading Millennials
Every twenty years or so a new generation of workers arrives. For many of us, we raised today’s Millennials or Generation Y. They are made up of the 22-40-year-old’s who number 79 million in the workforce; the largest segment.
If we are to seed our industry with youth and grow our own, we must look at the Millennial Generation. We must understand how to integrate them and nurture them into our workforce.
Each generation has its quirks. Gen Y is no different. Once you learn what moves and motivates them you’ll find it so much easier to accept and keep millennials motivated in your business culture. The lessons here works for all team members, but you’ll learn what really makes the Millennial tick and why they behave like they do.
THA 046: Revving Up Your Business Culture | AMi Credit
Building a strong business culture can be one of the hardest things a business owner can do yet the most rewarding.
It is one of the key principles in the business that you cannot touch. It’s the soft stuff. For many, it is tough to get your hands around it. This academy panel does a great job explaining culture and shows you many ways to implement and lead it.
The power of a strong business culture can be one of your biggest differentiators as a business and a strong reason you attract top talent.
THA 043: Book Club – Favorite Books That Have Made Me A Better Leader/CEO
Books That Have Made Me a Better Leader and CEO
Harry Truman said, “Not all readers are leaders but all leaders are readers.” Our Academy panel will share with you the books that have impacted them. They’ll explain their big take-a-ways that have impacted their lives both personal and business.
Many service professionals, that have shared their story on the podcast, credit books as an important resource for building their knowledge on leadership, business culture and personal growth.
THA 042: Impacting a Difference For Those Struggling For Success
The Power of Peer To Peer Help.
When you commit to helping a struggling service professional you help lift all ships. The tough part is starting the engagement. When a shop owner asks for guidance that is the first step to really make change. The teacher arrives only when the student does.
It is very altruistic in nature to help a colleague. These actions help the entire industry. Marginal operations contribute to a negative image problem. A stronger independent service industry brings strength to the industry and compounds success.
Together everyone blossoms and grows as servants to the motoring public. This episode shares a few examples and starts to write the action items you need to take to build a stronger aftermarket.
RR 277: Andy Bizub from Midwest Performance Cars
There Should Never Be A Year That You Don’t Make More Than The Year Before.
Andy Bizub purchased Midwest Performance Cars in Chicago, IL after 25 years as a commodity trader. He was a customer of Midwest and needed a change in his career, so he purchased the Porsche, BMW, Audio specialist.
His love of cars and his passion to build a growing successful business eclipsed his lack of experience in the industry. Andy shows that being a good CEO and leading your team to greatness is what it takes to be successful.
Andy is the perfect example of taking a commitment to culture, relationships, leadership and problem solving and transforming a business that is adding its second branch.
THA 041: The Value of Knowing Your Customers Observable Behavior (DISC) | AMi Credit
Become A Better Communicator By Learning The Power Of Observable Human Behavior.
Kim Auernheimer, Shari Pheasant and Jeremy O’Neal bring their wealth of knowledge using the DISC profiles in their businesses. You need to understand that DISC is an evaluation of your four basic behaviors. There is a science element to our discussion but don’t let that get in the way of this very powerful communication tool.
The value of knowing your DISC and how to discover your customers or co-workers behavior traits and then communicate in their basic way is the power of this lesson. Once you know them the world is your oyster because you can now start to converse with them in their language, not yours.
THA 040: The Extreme Value in Doing a SWOT On Your Business
The Power of Performing a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunity, Threats) Review of Your Business.
Join Maryann Croce, Greg Bunch and Murray Voth for a wide-open discussion on the power and value doing a SWOT on your business. These three aftermarket professionals know the worth and outcome of a well-done SWOT.
Involve your team, assign priorities to the outcome and create a timeline to do the things discovered in this exercise. You are creating a strategic plan to best prepare your company for doing business in today’s market and into the future.
Go to the show notes page for this Academy episode #40 to download support tools.
RR 268: Scott Wheeler from Automotive Consultants Group
Let’s Do Some Math on the Foundations of a Million Dollar a Year Shop.
As a 36 years industry veteran and he’s been a business coach for the last 17 Scott Wheeler holds numerous ASE credentials and we jump into some extremely important topics of discussion that will have you engaged and shaking your head slowly up and down as you will relate to many of our key talking points.
Don’t shy away from the financial discussion. These are some of the most critical topics for a successful business. Life is a big math problem and we do some of it here.
From the tech shortage to learning leadership qualities and the extreme importance of good financial statements Scott Wheeler covers a broad range of important aftermarket subjects.
RR 267: Brian Bates from Eagle Automotive
Your Business Model Needs to Be Fluid and Flexible as Tech and Business Transformations Abound.
Brian Bates from Eagle Automotive in Littleton, CO is a multi-store operation where the strength of his business culture and leadership is based on firm values and integrity.
Brian points out that leaders are not born and being a great leader can be learned. Studying leadership is your most important role as a business owner. You must learn how to be a great leader. He’s built his business based the relationship he has with his team and how they function as an organization. He says, “Customers can feel that.”
An early adopter of Digital Vehicle Inspections a member of the NAPA advisory team and his local Business Development Group has helped influence his business success.
THA 034: Nine Tips For a Better Work Life Balance
If you want Work Life Balance, first, you must BELIEVE that it’s possible. Once you believe that it’s possible, you must DECIDE that is what you want and set your INTENTION to make it so.
Become an expert at work-life balance by making it a habit, planning for it. You’ve heard many of the principles in this episode but you may have never heard them in an unfiltered way from your industry peers.
Make the choice what you are going to be. Be the master of your business. Be the master of your family when you are with them.
RR 260: Vic Tarasik – Part 2 – Life’s Lessons
Life’s Lessons that Establish Your Strengths as a Leader.
After nearly 30 years of successfully operating Vic’s Precision Automotive, a fourteen-bay automotive repair facility located in The Woodlands, TX, Vic Tarasik sold his beloved shop, however, he remains active in the industry he loves.
In the episode, Vic’s shares the remaining 5 life’s lessons. He covered the first five in episode 234. He’s very transparent as he speaks to how these lessons changed him as a leader.
THA 022: Hiring for Team Dynamics
What would you do differently if you knew you could never fire anyone?
Hiring the right team member continues the culture and team dynamic in your business. Hiring the wrong person can crash your culture and create friction in your team.
You need to hire slow and fire fast and hire for attitude, not aptitude; because we usually fire for attitude.
This team of aftermarket professionals brings their experience along with great advice on how to hire smart and for the long term.
THA 027: Performance Reviews – Best Practices
Are your Performance Reviews Creating the Best Behaviors from Your Team?
Performance reviews for many business owners never get done. There are many reasons why not and this episode tackles them head on and the best way to get them done.
There is great wisdom from the Academy panel like the review starts at the interview, that reviews need to be used to create personal performance goals, reviews is a formal way to be sure accountability sticks, and your core values are the key points to apply all behavior against.
There are over 20 key talking points that will help you in your process or get you started on the right path. The panel agrees that becoming a better leader will be key to using performance reviews to grow your business culture with performance reviews