The aftermarket, every Friday

The Hidden Costs Draining Your Auto Repair Shop with Lucas Underwood - Ep. 7

Want to know what your auto repair shop is worth, whether you’re charging enough for labor, or where profits may be leaking? Kaizen CPAs + Advisors offers five free, easy-to-use tools for shop owners—just enter your numbers and get practical answers at kaizencpas.com.In this episode, Eric is with Lucas to break down the financial and operational challenges behind a slow start to the year and ongoing cash flow pressure. Using the shop’s profit and loss statement, they explain why revenue does not always translate into cash and how car count, average repair order, gross profit percentage, and vehicle throughput affect profitability.The conversation also covers warranty expenses, policy creep, quality control, staffing, marketing costs, and the importance of matching advertising to the shop’s capacity. Lucas and Eric share how to work backward from financial goals to set realistic sales targets and build a practical plan for improving cash flow and profitability.Timestamps:00:00 Perfect Storm Slowdown00:40 Clean Books Reality Check02:47 Reverse Engineering Targets06:43 Why Sales Aren’t Cash07:25 Parts Margin Squeeze10:41 Labor vs. Parts Mix13:13 Debt Service Blind Spot15:01 Car Count vs. Throughput19:19 Warranty Policy Creep21:12 Marketing Costs and Location23:17 Availability and Pricing Psychology24:07 Onboarding Capacity Crunch25:13 Scaling Ads Without Overload27:00 Year to Date Profit Trends29:27 Expense Control Reality Check30:19 Reverse Engineering Targets35:15 Warranty Drag and Fixes36:54 Parts Optimizer Gotcha38:51 Three Month Action Plan40:34 Using AI in the Shop44:12 Wrap Up and Next Steps

The Decision You're Avoiding Is Costing Your Shop

Every decision costs you something. But the decisions you refuse to make might be costing you everything. Running an auto repair shop isn't just about fixing vehicles, managing employees, or keeping customers happy. It's about making decisions. And...

Stop Marketing for Car Count: Are You Attracting Customers—or Just Work Without GP$?

Is your marketing actually bringing your shop great customers—or just creating more car count without the GP$?In this episode of Auto Repair Profit Leaks, Dave Schedin and Mike Cooper flip Ask Dave Anything around and start asking the kinds of hard questions they use when coaching auto repair shops.They dig into one of the biggest misconceptions in automotive marketing: that getting more people through the door automatically means your marketing is working.It doesn’t.Dave and Mike explore the difference between discounts and incentives, why dollar-driven advertising can attract customers who never return, and why your Service Advisors are every bit as important to your marketing as your website, SEO, emails or postcards.They also discuss customer attrition, referral marketing, relationship intelligence, ideal customer profiles, communication styles and why independent shops need to stop positioning themselves below the dealership.One of the biggest questions from the episode:What is the biggest message in your marketing—the dollar sign or the relationship?Because the goal isn’t simply more work.It’s better customers, stronger relationships, greater retention, more referrals and more GP$.If you're spending money chasing new customers while existing customers quietly disappear, this episode will give you a very different way to look at marketing.Learn more about the Auto Repair Profit Leak Challenge and Profit Leak Bootcamp at CompuTrekSystems.com.

Ep 186: What If Your Leadership Problem Starts With Your Reactions with Dan Taylor

My Dad Taught Me the Hardest Lesson in Shop Ownership | William Brown & Mike Allen - Ep 51

Rick White was my VERY FIRST business coach, and trust me when I say he helped me get my shop-owner life together! 😂 Now I’m proud to have 180Biz presenting Downshift, so head to 180Biz.com and book your FREE strategy session with Rick because, honey, you don’t know what you don’t know!Y’all, if you missed the first Tektonic, you missed a GOOD one, but you've got another chance! 😂 Tekmetric is going even BIGGER in Houston, Texas, April 1–3, 2027, so head to Tekmetric.com/Tektonic and get registered because you're NOT missing out twice!Anybody can run a shop. Building one that lasts? That's a whole different story. If you're ready to build smarter systems and a better experience for your team and customers, check out Tekmetric HEREIn this special episode of Downshift with Tonnika, Mike Allen takes over hosting duties to sit down with Tonnika Haynes and her dad, William Brown, for an unforgettable conversation about family, business, and legacy. William shares how he built his automotive business, the challenges of dealing with insurance companies, and why he eventually stepped away to let his daughter take the business in a new direction. Tonnika opens up about growing up in the shop, feeling the pressure to make her dad proud, and learning some difficult lessons about leadership, employees, and standing on her own two feet. From dramatically improving her average repair order to handling an employee's betrayal and discovering the importance of business education, the conversation is packed with laughter, tough love, and practical advice for shop owners. It's a reminder that building a successful business isn't just about fixing cars; it's about creating opportunities for the next generation and knowing when to let them lead.Timestamps: 00:00 – Insurance Companies Don't Own Your Shop00:48 – Mike Allen Takes Over as Host02:09 – Growing Up in Dad's Body Shop03:00 – How the Family Business Changed06:08 – The Pressure of Making Dad Proud08:03 – Raising Kids With Work Ethic11:09 – What It Means to Hear "I'm Proud of You"15:08 – Why William Walked Away From Collision Repair20:02 – Building Connections in the Automotive Industry22:10 – The Business Education William Wishes He Had23:43 – Finding Your Place in the Industry27:34 – Turning an Inexperienced Employee Into a Shop Owner30:17 – Why Great Technicians Still Need Business Training33:20 – How Tonnika Grew Her ARO From Under $200 to $850+35:48 – Why Dad Refused to Micromanage36:54 – The Employee Betrayal That Changed Everything40:33 – William's Rules for Firing Employees43:27 – Retirement, Kangaroos, and Life After the Shop45:32 – Retiring at 57 and Building a Lasting Business