Ep 65 - What the Hell Did We Do? (Year in Review)

About this episode

My marketing before and after signing up with Turnkey Marketing is pretty scary. In a good way. Get your marketing right today HERETekmetric opened my eyes to just how much a good SMS will do for a shop. Their software is top of the line, and with them, so is my shop. Try them for yourself HEREMake your techs happier with Detect Auto. They'll stop getting "check noise" or "check vibration" from advisors with the customer concern tool. It will CHANGE YOUR LIFE. Book a demo HEREFor years I thought I could handle the hiring process on my own. But, after far too many bad hires, it was clear I needed help. Promotive came through for me with a rock star hire in just a few days and I couldn't be happier. Swallow your pride and bring in Promotive for that open position you have at your shop today. You can thank me later. Learn more HEREAI for Shop Owners: Open the Hood of the Future is happening June 12-13 at Carfix in Raleigh, NC. Use AI to your advantage! Register HEREIn this episode, Mike Allen, Bryan Pollock, and Braxton Critcher look back on a year of "Confessions of a Shop Owner". They play back the top moments on the podcast in 2025, and each give their most embarrassing confession thus far. Oh, what a year it has been, and oh, what a year 2026 is setting up to be. Remember, this is the last episode that Mike is current ASTA President...this is about to get good...Finally. Timestamps: 00:00 – Intro: The Year of "Edit That Out" (But Did We?) 01:12 – Amateur Podcast Setups & Tech Fails 03:12 – 65+ Episodes Later: What Did We Even Do?! 04:30 – Are We the Best Automotive Podcast in the Galaxy? 05:10 – Going Viral: Social Media Buzz & Darren’s Big Weekend 08:07 – Most Memorable Guest: Darren Barney Shares a Vulnerable Story 12:16 – The "16-Foot Trailer" Incident with Zeb Beard  17:00 – When Guest Rage Turns the Podcast Upside Down – David Roman Goes OFF! 22:00 – Saturday Shop: Do Employees Actually Want to Work Weekends? 24:36 – The Great Staffing Challenge & "Short Term Gain, Long Term Pain" 27:47 – Our Most Embarrassing Tech Confessions & Social Media Mishaps 32:43 – Confession Time: When Braxton Lost All the Podcast Files 33:43 – Misspelling Sponsor Names… and the Tattoo Bet is On! 35:01 – Who’s REALLY The Fastest Driver in the Crew? 39:09 – The All-Time Most Embarrassing Shop Owner Confession 43:20 – The Viral Aftermath & Listener Group Chat Chaos 48:30 – Hospitality Suite Stories: Couch Shopping & More Debauchery 50:00 – The Greatest Hot Mic Moment That Will Never Air 52:37 – Looking Ahead: What’s Next for Confessions in 2026? 54:24 – Favorite Moments & Listener Shout-Outs 56:06 – Parting Thoughts & Why We Love This Podcast