From College Basketball to Automotive Leader | Gabby Oglesby - Ep 34

0:00My family name is on the front of my shop, but it doesn't say Tanika Haynes. And Tanika Haynes cannot fix— I cannot fix a car. You can't? You can't fix a car? Mm-mm. You don't want me to fix your car, man. Uh-uh. You don't be able to do it? Nope. But what I can do and what I've learned to do is lead a team.

0:18Welcome to Downshift with Tanika Haynes, the automotive auntie. The thing about Tanika, she gets to know you. She'll laugh and cut up with you, but then she'll hit you with some knowledge that you may not want, but that you need. Let's downshift. I think I'm even more addicted to TikTok, though. Tickety-tock. I mean, people are funny. People are really, really flipping funny.

0:46In the comments? I just sit on— like, sitting on the toilet, just like, haha, that's so funny. It's just— and then you share like 100 TikToks with my kids, and they probably never open them. Hey, well, you gonna mess up my algorithm. Forget you and your algorithm. You're gonna watch what I want you to watch. I pay for that phone. I'll mess up your algorithm, boy.

1:05Spell it. Spell algorithm, damn it. Um, hey, how you doing? What's up? I'm good, I'm good. It's Wednesday. I worked 3 days this week so far. I'm stressed. Oh my goodness. Everything's good. Almost, almost there. Got one more day for me because we do 4 days, so I just got one more to deal with the stuff. But, um, hey, it was fun to meet you at Tectonic.

1:34I've been trying to figure out who, who is the Gabby, like, who was you? And, um, you played basketball at Guilford Tech? Guilford College. Oh, Guilford College. Guilford College, I'm sorry. Yep, I can see it. I can see it. I did play ball there. Um, I actually just made Hall of Fame a couple years ago, so that's exciting. So yeah, Guilford holds a really special place with my heart.

1:59Yeah. How long— like, you played as a kid, all through middle school, high school, and all that good stuff? Yeah, grew up playing. Um, so I'm the youngest of 6. Oh, 3 of which are, are boys. 3 boys, 3 girls. And so I hung out with the— with my brothers and they put me through some stuff. I am the oldest of 5 girls, but my uncle is 2 years older than me and I call him my uncle brother.

2:26Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. They tough you up real quick, real quick. Yeah, yeah. I grew up playing with the boys and my dad didn't let me, you know, back down. So grew up playing, played all through high school in, uh, Winston-Salem. Okay, that's what's up. And you said you made Hall of Fame? I did. Uh, I was in the 2024 class Hall of Fame.

2:50Like, how does that feel? You gotta elaborate. Come on, don't be shy now. Um, it's surreal. Like, it's one of those things where, like, I remember when I was playing and we would go to the Hall of Fame ceremonies and it was like all these old people. And I'm like, all right, you know, we were a good team, so one day when we're all old and decrepit, we'll be coming back to campus too.

3:10And, uh, so when I got the email, um, saying that I had been nominated, um, I, I didn't think it was true. I thought it was spam, but ended up being true. And they were trying to avoid just that, having a lot of old people, so they wanted some younger alumni that made an impact. So, um, it was cool, it was cool.

3:26And I love being a mentor to the younger players because giving back to, to who made me. So I like that. So with Teamwork. My baby ain't made nobody Hall of Fame, but they did sports as a kid. I got 2 boys, we did a lot of team sports, travel basketball. And, uh, Santana ended up going to— my oldest went to Wofford for a couple years, football scholarship.

3:50So I know all about teamwork and the stress of being on the team. Together everybody achieves more. Yeah. How does that weave into your position at Kukui? Well, first of all, skirt Yes, Gabby works for Kukui. She wears one of those horrible green shirts, but they work. Are the green shirts a requirement? You sign up, you fill out your application, you get hired, and you have to sign a contract— contract that I have to wear the green shirt from Kukui?

4:21You gotta wear the green shirt. You gotta wear the beads. I don't— I don't have my, uh, my Kukui beads on me right now. Oh my God, you get sworn in. You gotta, you gotta be a part of the club. But I did not wear— I don't have the green pants. Yeah, I was gonna say, what about the green pants? I, I— that I, that I did not sign up for.

4:39You ain't signing up for that because you got a set of long legs. Yeah, you would be walking around like a Jolly Green Giant. Yeah, you know, so I didn't sign up. I didn't sign up for the pants, but the shirt, I'll rock the shirt. You rock with it. So you are, uh, different facet of the automotive industry, work for Kukui. How long have you been with them?

5:01Uh, actually almost 4 years to the day. Okay. Uh, so I joined back in, uh, May of 2022. So, um, I'm the director of product there, so I'm responsible for a lot of our products and services that we provide to folks like you, um, to help your shop run better. So it was so interesting at Tectonic being on that side of it because I actually don't talk to our clients much.

5:25Okay. If I've got a new product or release coming out and we do like a beta test for it, obviously, you know, at that point I do client interviews and have someone test it out, see how it's going to fit into their business, make sure it'll work for our broader client base. Um, but yeah, at Tectonic, I got a chance to speak to some of our owners, some of our clients, which is really cool because again, I don't speak to our clients much.

5:49Um, and then meeting folks like you. Um, I don't know that I knew that this industry had that kind of close-knit relationship, right? So it was cool to see everybody kind of interacting. It's like, oh yeah, I know this person. And man, it's like, y'all are cool. Y'all are some cool people. Isn't it really, really cool? Now here's the— we gotta— we've got a job to do, but we're going to talk about that in a minute.

6:13But I want to know how you go from the court CrossStage College to Kukui? Like, did you— what was your job in between? Interesting journey. So, uh, my first job was with Deloitte Touche. Um, I was a technical analyst there. As soon as I graduated, the— actually the weekend after graduation, my mom and dad got me in a car. I moved up to DC.

6:38I had a job, and me being a country girl from North Carolina Going to DC out on my own, complete culture shock, right? Um, but looking back, it was probably the scariest time of my life, but also the most necessary time in my life. I met so many people. More than half my network I can relate back to that move to DC.

7:00Auto repair shop owners often reach a point where they cannot answer basic questions about their business. How many cars are in the bay? What's today's revenue? What advisor closed the most jobs this week? Not because they're not paying attention, because the information is scattered among different tools and no one has the time to connect the dots. That's exactly what TechMetrics solves. Shop management, payments, and marketing.

7:24One platform, one place to look for your shop's insights. Always knowing where things stand. That's the kind of clarity that changes how you lead and win. Learn more at techmetric.com or use the link in the show notes. We already know what to do. We've been to the trainings, paid for the coaching, learned the right way to inspect cars, build estimates, and talk to our customers.

7:47That's not the problem. The problem is consistency, because some days it only works when the right person is working, and when they're not, it's a whole different shop. So now you're stuck in that cycle. You need a strong team to run a great shop, but you need a great shop to attract a strong team. Make it make sense. That's why I rock with Detect Auto.

8:05Detect Auto streamlines your service processes with automations that save time, increase maintenance sales, and improve productivity without changing your whole system. It plugs in, guides your team through inspections, recommendations, and even customer communication. Now that's not just based on memory or mood. That's how a shop runs. And let me tell you, I've been using it for over a year now. My ARO is up 63%.

8:32That's not new knowledge. That's just consistency. If you're tired of your shop depending on who showed up today, go check out Detect Auto. Book a demo. Um, so work— started working in the tech industry, eventually became a consultant, uh, switched over to the banking industry mainly because that was mainly my client base at Deloitte. And again, started working in product. And then, uh, worked for Bank of America for a little bit, did some of the same kind of work.

9:01And I just found that I didn't, um, loved it. They took great care of me, but I found that even as a banking consumer, I couldn't relate to the products. I wasn't interested in it. Okay. So when I found Kukui, I was like, huh, okay, I, I'm a customer of an auto repair shop. I know how that feels to have to take a car in and get serviced.

9:22My dad worked on cars in his garage all of his life. So I was close to the industry, but in a different kind of way. So when I joined again, not knowing too much about it, instantly fell in love. I could relate to, you know, as a, as a shop owner, okay, I could see how, how this product would work for them.

9:40And it kind of gave me drive to want to create products and services that you guys actually will use. And it also, customer side, benefit me. I like being notified when my car is ready. I like knowing what's going on. As you guys are working on the car. So it's kind of— it makes it a little bit easier for me to design things with a customer perspective in mind, but also with my clients in mind as well.

10:03So that's kind of how I got to Kukui. I like that I'm getting to talk to you because hopefully that this podcast will reach somebody that's not sure how they want to be a part of the automotive industry, or maybe they don't even think they want to be a part of the automotive industry. But it sounds like you are a— you have the mind of a designer.

10:24Like, you have— you're an artist. Um, and then that artistry and the leadership that you learned in basketball, you probably can use that right there at work. And so you don't have to be wrenching and under the car and under the hood, so to speak, to be in the industry, right? Yep. Yep. So 4 years, that's what— and you finally came outside to come play with the crazy people.

10:43I did. I've been— I've been joking with the sales team. They got— they got to invite me to more. Yeah, you're right. Winston-Salem, you've got to come to ASTA in September. They told me that that's on the books. So yeah, we'll see if I see you there. Yeah, you— if you look, we 2 hours up the street. If I don't see you there, I'm coming to Winston-Salem or wherever you at.

11:04I come to the Trade Forum. What do they call Winston-Salem? Oh boy, yeah, the Trade Forum. I don't live in the Trade Forum. I'm from the Trade Forum, but, uh, I'm right outside of, uh, Greensboro now. I'm in Kernersville. Okay. I, I went to UNC Greensboro. Greensboro stink. It really— it's like a paper plant. I don't know what is it in Greensboro.

11:22As soon as you turn on, it's like Greensboro stink. I had fun at UNC Greensboro and I was out. He was out. All right, so we got that. You've been to Kukui, you was all up in DC acting like a big girl, but you was like, no, I'm gonna take my country butt home. Um, get the basketball. How much do you think basketball attribute it to your leadership skills?

11:47Because I know you got them. You've got a presence about you. I like to think I do. Um, it's funny, as, as big of a presence as I was on the court, I didn't vocalize it a lot. I wasn't, I wasn't cocky. I wasn't, you know, I can remember games being interviewed after and they're like, oh, you did this, this, and this in that game.

12:09And I was like, all right, that's news to me. That's cool. My goal was I, I wanted to win, and right, they put the ball in my hand and I was at the basket, I was going to shoot it. And they just so happened to go in more times than they didn't. So I think that for me is, from a leadership perspective, we got one goal.

12:27If, if my team is here to deliver a certain product, that's how we're going to do it. I don't need the credit for it, no matter how much work I did on it. I don't need the credit for it. Nobody really needs the credit for it. Our team did this. Right. Um, when you hang up a championship banner, which we did 2, almost 3, um, when you hang up that banner, they don't put your individual name on there.

12:48They don't put who the team MVP was for that year. They put your team year on there. Now, if your jersey gets retired, that's something completely different. But recognizing the accomplishment that the team did, we did that together. And going, you know, down the years, people who look at that banner they're going to see a team that did that, not an individual person.

13:10So that's kind of how I try to approach it. Um, I have a pretty small team at Kukui, um, but we're super close-knit and we really, we really are a team. Um, so that's, that's really how I approach it. I kind of like to be the quiet but strong leader. Um, if I need to speak up, I will, but for the most part, I, I try to stay pretty cool, calm, and collected.

13:32And like you said, for me it's more of my presence. I need, I need my team to know I'm here. I need my boss to know I'm here. I need the other people who are depending on me to know that I'm here and we're gonna do this thing together. I like how you said that. I really did. I'm excited about you, girl.

13:47You sound like you giving a, a interview to ESPN. But it sounds good because I really think that if more shop owners— which you don't know that side of it What you said, the teamwork and the leadership, that is a whole ball game. And I've been talking about that every podcast, so if you get tired of hearing about it, I don't care.

14:05Well, we're gonna keep talking about it. Like you said, your name's not on that banner. It says, you know, uh, whatever, '93 to '92 to '93. That season is when that team won. And usually our names are not on the front of our shop. My family name is on the front of my shop, but it doesn't say Tanika Haynes. And Tanika Haynes cannot fix— I cannot fix a car.

14:26You can't, you can't. You don't want me to fix your car, man. Uh-uh. Nope. But what I can do and what I've learned to do is lead a team, meaning we got superstars all the way around. And yes, I got the biggest— I got the red lipstick, I got this and I got that. And at the end of the day, I am responsible for that team, but just go ahead and letting them do their thing.

14:53Everybody has shine, just like on a basketball team. I don't know basketball. I've I barely know football, but you got your position. You got— what you got, point guard? Whatever. What's some positions? So if everybody knows their position and plays to the peak performance levels up there, championship level, then together you win. That's how you get a banner, and that's how you keep moving forward.

15:17So yeah, you win. That's how you win. That's how you win. So here's a— here's another secret in case anybody didn't know. Um, Gabby's Black. She is. I was wondering if people gonna find out. I don't— yeah, she, she is a Black female. And, um, I'm just gonna put this out here, and most people that's listened to this already know me. If you don't, if you don't know me, then just keep listening because Auntie will say— it's my podcast, say what I want to.

15:48But one of the truths in the industry for us is when we go to, uh, what— this Tectonic was your first one— is we go to an industry conference or training and we don't see no Black people. So with that being said, I never thought it would be my soapbox or my responsibility to be the face of, hey, uh, y'all come on in here and get some training.

16:17Come on in here and learn about kakui. Come learn about this. Come learn about that. Because there's a lot of Black shop owners that somehow in their mind— and I'm doing all of this on purpose because that is something that can be just the story that you're telling yourself— is, I can't go up in there. I don't belong up in it. You do.

16:37You do. You do tell them, Gabby, don't they? They do. They do. I was And I'll tell you, I was— when I— as soon as I saw you, we were actually, um, sitting, we were having some appetizers, and I saw you, and I didn't know if you were part of the conference or not, uh, but the sales guys I was with, my team, they were— they said, yeah, yeah, we know her, we know she's got a pretty big podcast.

16:59And, uh, again, I'm looking around, just like you said, I'm looking around, and it's like, uh, this is cool. Yeah, this is cool. Yeah, yeah. But it is a joke. Yeah, yeah, you have— but you have this presence about you that, that is so bold, and I admire that. As soon as I met you and we started talking, immediately first thing you said— I asked, I think I asked you your name, you said, call me Auntie.

17:24I said, my people, my people. Um, but I, I thought that was so interesting, and I admired that about you because of the presence you had there and the people that were coming up to you, um, and just knew you from, you know, the podcast and the work that you're doing. Um, but I just love that you— I mean, you, you was working the room every time I saw you.

17:44It wore me out. It wore me out. I couldn't even talk the next week. But it was— it's so much fun and it's so rewarding because I know, um, for those that listen to my podcast all the time, I'm going to sound like a little bird saying the same thing over and over again, but I really want to be what I needed 30 years ago.

18:02So if that's— you know, it's not just the fact that I'm a Black woman. It's like I'm also a female and I'm also an outlier, so to speak. But also showing you that the automotive industry is diverse. We up in here, everybody's up in here, um, and, and that is needed. All the different perspectives are needed. All, all the village people are needed.

18:26And so if I need to be Automotive Auntie, Aunt Neek, Tanika, Miss Haynes, whoever you need me to be, I want to be that for that person that wants to come into the room and learn more, network more, find out the latest and greatest technology and all of those things to bring their shop up each step. Like when I first started, a lot of people already know what I'm telling you, I went to ASTA.

18:51Girl, it was so many big old bobs in there. I mean, it was just— it's just like a sea of old gray-headed white men. And it can be all of my people. I love them. I love them. And you know, you— we can learn from each other Yes, you know, at every level, every aspect of the industry. But I, I just— I'm excited about that, bringing more diversity in there.

19:14And then people that don't— like you say, you don't work on cars, you know, your daddy did that. You can probably change a little oil, a little something something. But there's so many job opportunities. Yeah, if it's not in the shop— like, in the shop, you can be a service advisor, you can do this, you can do that. There's accounting and marketing, such as what you guys are doing.

19:31There's something there for everybody. And, um, so I think it's important that we show our mugs, be like, yep, that's right, we in there, and you can do it. That's right, you're gonna be— that's right. Yeah, so that's, that's, that's what— that's why it's so important to me. It's just I can't help that I'm cute. I get, I get away with a lot of stuff.

19:53But, um, as I get older and my shop runs a lot better by itself because I've been to the trainings And I'm, I'm still learning every day, and I know how to find a kakui when I need it. Okay, this is what I need in my business. I'm smart enough to do that now. As— but 8 years ago, I was just stuck.

20:16I was stuck. So to those that are listening and you're still thinking about it, and there's one person in particular that I'm talking to, and, um, every time I put a Facebook post on, he'll tag his wife. And so one day I'm gonna get them to talk, but I'm letting you know there, I'm letting you know right now, you know who you are.

20:37You know who you are. I'm calling you out. I told you, you told me your wife have a shop. It was either Georgia or South Carolina. So wherever you see me going, you are allowed. Nobody is going to bite you. Okay, okay, back to our regular scheduled service. Yeah, I had a great time. It was a good time. Yeah, it's a good time.

20:57It's great networking and this, that, whatever. So walking into the room, let's do that. Let's do that more. Yeah, for sure. Um, so you got team spirit, you got skills on the court, you're a natural leader because you, you, you probably still— your knees be hurting though. These be hurting. Yeah, you can't— I don't have Megan knees no more. They ain't got them no more.

21:23Girl, you keep living, keep living. Do you ever, ever, ever feel underestimated? Uh, yes. Um, I'll be honest with you, I've— I a lot of times feel underestimated until people— until I open up my mouth and speak and I can visibly see, you know, facial expressions change. Um, you've been there. And, uh, you know, it's a lot of times will assume, I wonder what this person is doing there.

21:56I wonder what she's— because look, I stick out like a sore thumb. He's tall, tall girl, tall, you know. So I stick out. And so, uh, a lot of times I think people don't really know what to do with me, right? Not only as a Black woman, but as this masculine-presenting Black woman. Now I really don't know what to say to this person.

22:16Um, so yeah, I, I get that feeling. And then it's But if I didn't have those leadership skills and that confidence, especially that basketball gave me, um, I would stay in that place versus I know what my value is, I know what I'm able to speak to. So when we started to have a conversation, I don't have— I don't share that same thought or sentiment about myself as far as being underestimated.

22:39So I think that helps in a lot of situations. It helped me at Tectonic. There were times where my sales guys were tied up and I had to step in and start talking to some clients. I don't think I made any sales, but I definitely started the conversation that led to a couple. So yeah, um, that's it. So yes, short answer to your question, I do.

23:01Well, we don't like short answers. I like long answers, and I like to, um, push stuff. If I'm gonna push this one, you said that you're a masculine-presenting female. Mm-hmm. There's a lot more, um, I don't— I'm not politically correct when I say anything because I'm just as country as I can be, girl. But I've seen a lot more of the— okay, am I wrong to assume anything?

23:31Are we— no, gay or anything? No, of course. Okay, that's fine. So, but okay, I'm just making sure because I think you got— you got some cheering too, don't you? I've got 2 little girls. I do. Okay, so I don't want— I didn't want to get nothing wrong. I did not birth them, but yes, I have, I have 2 little girls. You do?

23:52I do, I do. Yeah, I'm nosy. The oldest one, the oldest one, yes. Okay. Youngest one, uh, we did reciprocal IVF, so she is biologically mine. Okay. But, uh, My partner carried her. So it's amazing what they can do. That is amazing. Yeah, that is, that is amazing. Worked the first time. My baby girl's 4 years old now. So science and money.

24:22Yep. 4? Who is she? The boss? She the boss? You know it. A 4-year-old girl? I'm the old— like I said, I'm the oldest of 5 girls. We get— I get on our nerves. I've been seeing a lot more of the community come out into the, um, to the training or whatever. Really? Okay. Yes, yes, yes. So I met a couple there while I was there.

24:49Yep. So, and I wondered, I was curious about that, um, because I'm starting to see more of the community, like when I go to take my car to the shop, um, more and more here and there. And it's like, huh, that's, that's interesting. It's not something that I would have typically associated with the industry. And when I think of auto repair shop, especially, you know, independent repair shops, you know, I— that is not the persona that comes to mind.

25:18And so it is more true than you think because I, I'm, I'm very observant of that stuff. And I'm not gonna call anybody out. Like, I just— I hope I didn't feel like I just called you out. So if I did, I'm okay. But I, of course, I can't think of his daggone name right now, but him and his family have a Mercedes shop.

25:36And first time I met him was up in Asheville. Is Asheville the mountains, or is that— yeah, Asheville. Okay, Asheville. Because, you know, we got Asheboro and Asheville, one of the Ashes. And he was just like, yeah. I was like, man, ain't nobody saying nothing to you? He's like, nobody has ever come out their mouth to me. He's— again, story that I told myself.

25:54Story that he was telling himself. And I said, listen, somebody say something, you tell Automotive Auntie, I will cut them long, deep, and continuously. But that's, that's a stereotype. And did you know what? Just like you just assumed that you wouldn't see those people in the garage, that is, that is kind of on, on you and on me to assume that me walking into ASTA was going to be weird.

26:19I made it weird. Yeah, because at the end of the day, I have not experienced anything but love from the whole automotive family. And if anybody got any hate for me, they better keep it to themselves because I got a whole lot of big burly brothers that will take you down. You talk junk about me, so that's kind of family we've got.

26:35And so I am glad to see— I'm trying— I'm, I'm so glad to see all the everybody coming out and coming together and learning to get this industry to a better place, get all the stereotypes out the way. All the ignorance out the way, um, so we can take the time to inform our customers a whole lot better. For sure, for sure, for sure.

26:55Yeah, it changed my perspective on, on that completely. And you said it changed your perspective completely? You broke up just a little bit, I'm sorry. Yeah, I was saying technology completely changed my perspective as far as the demographic of people that, that I would meet. Absolutely. Very interesting people, some that I was like, I would have never thought. Like you said, that's on me, that, that kind of stereotype and, you know, that kind of thinking.

27:23Um, but yeah, I'm, I'm even more so excited now to continue having community with, with those folks. Community, automotive community, that's what we are. Even on the— I'm assuming that you don't get on the automotive forums. Don't do it, don't do it, don't do it. It sounds a bunch of mean people. And everybody's wrong, and everybody— you're wrong and everybody's right. But it's all about part prices and stuff like that.

27:45But as far as anything else weird, sister ain't never felt it. So I'm, I'm going down this whole rabbit hole just to say to that one person or 2 to 3 people that happen to listen right now, and you're just like, man, I can't go to those things because I don't know nobody there. And I don't care if you, you know, if it could be a white person Straight white male, and you still don't feel comfortable coming in the room because it seems like it might be cliquey, and that's the furthest thing from it.

28:13Or you feel like your shop's not good enough to start going to these, these meetings, or your shop is too small, or you only have one shop. Listen, my, my ARO was just trash when I started training. My shop was— I mean, our skills were just trash, but it's just part of the learning experience. And, um, I just want to definitely— I'm, I'm gonna beat— I'm gonna beat it like a dead horse.

28:36That's— you can't say that no more, can you? That just sounds terrible. I think it's a little bit frowned upon, but yeah, we won't say that. Braxton ain't gonna cut it back because Braxton will not— Braxton, please take that out. So that means he's gonna leave it in. But I hate to keep saying the same thing over and over and over again, but I want everybody to know that training in the automotive industry, it's a very diverse place, and I want my brothers and sisters from all walks of life to come up in them rooms with me.

29:03Yes, please do. So you talk about, um, how you come up— how do you guys come up with new software and new developments? Like, I know that, well, TechMetric— I just got an email from someone that actually lives close by, and he was like, hey, I want to see how you use TechMetric in the shop. And he's going to come and be nosy and, um, see how it's used in real life.

29:28How do you guys just come up with the stuff that you, you bring out? Do you visit the shops? So we do have folks that visit shops, um, and that is a big part of where that feedback comes from. So we also look at the numbers, right? We look at the trends of our products and where they're going, the products that are heavily used, you know.

29:47All right, well, how can— if our text platform is the biggest thing that we have, how can we make that better? How can we make that easier for you guys. Um, when we do have client interviews, we ask some of those same questions like you were just talking about. How do you use this every day? Because every shop is different, and that's probably the hardest part of my job because every shop is different.

30:10One shop may not use my product the way that another one does, and so how do I build some sort of solution that's kind of, kind of, kind of be an umbrella for everybody to use. Um, that's probably the hardest thing because while you might want to send, you know, certain ongoing email or text campaigns, another shop might not want to make their customers annoyed with too much, too much noise.

30:35So then that's where my thinking comes in. All right, well, what kind of settings can I put in there to make this configurable, um, so that one shop is also happy versus another one? Um, so a lot of the ideas come from existing things. Ain't nothing new under the sun, right? Just make it better. I never thought about it like that because that's a lot of choices.

30:56It's a lot of choices, and you, you don't want to make all the toggles. You the toggle maker. You and my, uh, if my designer listens to this, she's gonna not be happy with me. She does not like toggles, and we love to add a toggle somewhere. Really? That's funny because it's the quickest solution. Um, a toggle. Yeah, turn it, turn it on, turn it off, turn it on, turn it off.

31:18And you guys, you're so busy you don't have time to be clicking a bunch of different buttons. I don't want to. Let's turn it on or off, yes or no. Switch. Yeah, exactly, exactly. But you're not allowed to do that. They don't— easy for you guys. Yeah, you got to make it, make it user-friendly and easy for you to use, um, because you're busy.

31:38You don't have time to be sitting in front of a computer. We old too. Shop owners are old. We don't like new stuff. We like it, but we want to— we just want to put it in and make it work. That's it. Yeah, you want something out of the box I can start using. Yeah, maybe very minimal setup. That's it. A lot harder to design than you think, than one would think.

31:59But, uh, yeah, that's the feedback we get. We need this to be easy because I don't have time to learn a completely new platform. I don't have time to learn every time you guys release something, you don't have time to sit down and learn it. If it's, if it's too complex, you're not going to use it. That's why I got young people up front, because Haley is smart.

32:19She's like, oh, something came up, like, yay, I want to know about it. Yeah, yeah, go handle it. Like, take— make sure you just made an update. I believe you. Um, that's the importance of having young people in the shop and a young shop culture, especially up front, because you— I am only 49 point 3, 5 years old, and I just got a new cell phone.

32:41Oh, I'm so unhappy. Like, I'm— I have not turned in my old cell phone yet because I really am thinking, uh-uh, all the apps and downloading and repack— no, everything is an app these days. You got to get an app for everything you do. So that's why ease of use must be important. Please keep it, keep it up, keep it up. So what trends are you guys seeing?

33:02What, you know, customer experience You know, they're saying AI is taking over everything, AI this and AI that and blah blah blah blah blah, and they're not talking about Alan Iverson. No, we're not. Um, that— I mean, yeah, that's, that's the big buzzword right now. Everybody's talking about AI. Um, and what, what we've kind of done at Kukui is taking us— taking a step back and saying, all right, what exactly is AI and what does it mean for your business?

33:30You know, everyone's real big on, you know, ChatGPT now and asking it to do everything, which cool. But on a day-to-day basis, how exactly can AI really help you get to where you're going? How can it help you with your goals in the shop? How can it make your folks at the front desk, how can it make their day smoother? How can I get more folks calling in?

33:51So what we do is, is look at our products where we can incorporate it. Um, our first AR product was an AI review responder. Um, that's exactly what it sounds like. You get reviews, especially if you're a shop that gets a lot of reviews every week. I don't have time to sit there and read all of them and come up with a different response every time.

34:14Oh my God. Yeah, so we've got an AI review responder that'll do it for you. You can set it to do it automatically where you don't have to see it. Or it can generate a response and you go approve it. And again, that goes back to preference. Some shops don't want— like, I don't want to hear about it. Cool. I trust you.

34:31Other shops, no, I don't quite trust it yet. Let me look and see what it did. And then as I gain more confidence, I'll change it to auto. But that's the biggest thing we're seeing right now is, is how exactly does AI fit into the shop? Um, and we're starting to see more and more products hit the market with AI. People are learning more about AI and paying more attention to it, learning how it works.

34:57And so our big thing is educating people on it because it can either be a tool to help you or it can be also a tool that hurts you. Um, we see that all the time now with a lot of these fake, uh, news articles that are AI-generated fake pictures out there on Facebook. They look real. That's crazy. Like, I'm sitting there, even like we talk about TikTok, and I buy a lot of clothes.

35:24Those— they are not real people wearing the clothes anymore on TikTok. I was like, that is not a person. It is crazy. But I mean, like, some AI is going to take my job. AI— but you, like you said, it's a tool. It's a tool, just like in a toolbox in the back of the shop. It's a tool up front, and you just have to use it correctly.

35:41Or she'll tear some stuff up. Yeah, I don't think AI is going to take, take over any specific role because, um, humans still want to speak to other humans. You know, people want to be known and seen. But there are certain things that can't— you can do with AI. You can just send a quick message just to make a contact or whatever, answer that 4 million reviews because you're supposed to answer each one of them.

36:02And if it was me, it would be the same response, copy paste, copy paste, because it is exhausting sometimes to try to come up with a different response. Each time, like, oh, come on, man, come on. Yeah, yeah. So other than AI, are there any other trends that you think shop owners should be paying attention to? Uh, the other big thing is we're seeing a lot with customer and client retention.

36:28How do I keep those customers? Now I've got them in my shop, I got a steady customer base, how do I keep them coming back? What tools can I use? What incentives can I use to keep them coming back? Um, I actually talked to a couple shops at Tectonic where they saw us and they saw us as this, you know, marketing company.

36:45He was like, I'm already trying to, you know, keep up with the amount of customers that I have right now. I don't need any more. But it's not just that. How do we— how do you keep the ones you got? How do I make sure they want to keep coming back here versus going to the one that's down the street that just opened, that's 10 minutes closer to their house and shiny and new?

37:05Right, right. They got popcorn. Yeah, got popcorn. They got the good water. They even got a little bit of sparkling water in there, all the little bubbles and stuff. Yep. Yeah. What keeps them coming down the road further, 20 minutes out their way to go to your shop versus going to the new shiny one? And those are why we build products like we just released our loyalty program.

37:27That's the reason we do things like that. So now you get to reward those customers that's, that's already been coming to you. They're faithful. You know, now their sons and daughters are coming to your shop. How do I keep that? How do I keep that going? So programs like that, um, that actually help with retention, because like I've learned, it's not always about getting more people in.

37:46I want to keep the ones that I've got too. Yeah, I was able to look at my metrics and saw that my attrition rate was rising. It's like, why? Well, because you're in the retirement community and some people pass on, and we're also in a college town when people move. Once you get a degree, you move. Master's degree, you're moving. And so the thing, like you said, how do we keep the same people here?

38:08Or the thing is, believe it or not, you know, cars go much, much longer between services. People will forget you. Like, we think we, we can get arrogance as shop owners saying, oh yeah, you're definitely coming to me, you're going to come see me. Why wouldn't you come back and see Tanika at Brown's Automotive? Because there's a new shiny shop down the street.

38:26Or one closer to my job or whatever. So customer retention, I didn't think about it that way until recently when I started paying attention to different numbers on reporting, saying, oh yeah, and you know, new customers are important, but I don't know the stats on how much it costs to get a new customer with marketing. What I understand is much cheaper to keep them, just like a bad relationship.

38:49Sometimes it's cheaper to keep her, cheaper to keep her, cheaper to keep her. Okay then. So what scares you? Like, I don't know how involved you are in the industry. Like, what scares you about the industry coming, coming up? Like, there's something you're like, um, I don't know how we can get in front of this. Anything you can think of? Um, you know, it's a— it has become— we have a lot of competitors, a lot of new players popping up everywhere.

39:21Yeah, and they're— and a lot of them literally come out of, come out of nowhere. And that factor of, okay, they may offer basically the same services and features that we do. What makes us stand out? How do we continue to set ourselves in the forefront? Um, so that always is in the back of my mind. I'm constantly thinking and when I'm designing products and features.

39:49All right, well, what's going to make this different? Everyone's, you know, already got texting services. They're already— already got nice websites. What's going to make us stand out? Um, and that's a scary thing looking forward because a lot of times in my head I'm like, oh, I'm running out of ideas. But that's where the, the continuous improvement, and that's where speaking to folks like you, understanding what you do and how your job is evolving, because we can't evolve without knowing how you guys are evolving.

40:19Our products and services don't get better and improved upon unless we have these type of conversations and unless we're on the ground in these shops understanding what you guys do every day. Um, so yeah, it's, it's scary to think, you know, what else can we do? Yeah, how else can we make your, your lives easier and, and, uh, get you to the places that you guys are trying to go?

40:40When I see all the new AI products coming out from, um, different people, because like you said, people coming out of woodwork. Um, I was at Tools last week and I was like, who is this vendor? I've never heard of you before. Oh yeah, I got this new product, I got this new product. And it's so much easier to come up with these things because I can imagine, which I don't know if this is happening, they look at you, they look at, um, you know, Shop Genie, and I don't know all the other companies, and say, oh, what can— not steal, that's mean.

41:07How can I improve on what they've already done? And then like they're 20, 22 years old, they got these good techie brains but ain't never stepped foot in the shop. And it sounds really good until you implement it, and then you done messed up. You signed up with this program and got rid of a Kukui or Auto Shop Solutions or whatever, and now you done messed up your whole shop because this was exciting and new, but you didn't really— didn't even go in there and look at everything.

41:31Now your number's all off. Your number's all off. And you just, you're just sitting there sad because you want the greatest, the newest thing. But sometimes it seems like getting the first model of the car, yeah, or like a whole new design on the car, you had to go buy it. Now look at you waiting for parts that ain't even on the, on the shelf yet.

41:50That's messed up. So people need to stick to what's tried and true, like Kukui Neil. They know what they're doing because look at their shirts. You can't wear a shirt like that in public and not know what you're doing. You got to know what you're doing. You got, you got to be a confident person to walk around in that mess. And I love them.

42:12But here's the thing about that, that is a wonderful marketing idea. Whoever thought of that, that's the kind of, that's the kind of people you need to hire in your shops. You see somebody walking around with really weird clothes on, just know that that person is probably very smart, very artistic, and they can bring some flair to your business so you won't be boring.

42:33And so they won't be running down to the shop with the good bubbly water and the brand new, uh, brand new everything. They want to come to people with personality. Personality matters. You come to us and get you some green pants. Yeah, get you some. That shop ain't got no green pants, dude. Nope. You're gonna get no green pants over there. You're gonna get no green pants over there.

42:55Alrighty, so what kind of legacy in this? How long you think you're gonna stick with this? Is this a forever and ever? You really, really loving it? I do. I love it. Um, I, I, I'll, I'll be very honest. I don't have any plans of going anywhere. Yeah, my boss. Um, I don't have any plans of going anywhere. Like, I, I've fallen in love with the community.

43:17I love the people that I get to work with. I love being on this side of the shop. I'll say Um, and I hope that I get more opportunities to, to meet some folks like you at some different shows. Um, it was a huge eye-opener. Um, actually came back very motivated. So, um, I don't have any plans of switching industries. Um, I would love to get more involved and, uh, join you in being a face, um, and not just having a seat at the table, but having a voice when you're at that table as well.

43:50I think it's super So, um, yeah, I'm, I'm here for the foreseeable future. You can't just sit at my table. You need to bring— if you can't cook, bring some red cups. And if you can't cook, bring me your favorite dish, because we can't— we having a seat at the table and diversity, this is my— this is, this is what we gonna say about that.

44:09Ain't gonna talk about that no more this time today. All right, so we're gonna have Thanksgiving dinner, we're gonna have a cookout or whatever. All right, if we all bring the same thing That's boring. Boring. But imagine you had a cookout and I bring some macaroni and cheese because I'm macaroni and cheese queen, right? Oh, you want macaroni and cheese? Oh, macaroni and cheese, collard green queen.

44:30I'm on the grill. I'm on the grill. You want the grill? Okay, so you on the grill and then like, uh, Enrique— Enrique can bring us some tamales or something. Yeah, Rico, I'll put you out there. I had so much fun with him at Tectonic. Um, And then, and then look, Brenda can bring some brisket. I mean, and then such and such can bring this, but if we're not diverse and bringing stuff to the table, that's gonna be a normal meal.

44:56Yeah, yeah. So when we're thinking about diversity, that's what we mean, people. That's when we say like, bring, bring some new flavors to your business and to your, your, um, the way you think, the way you do things in your shop. Because what, truth be told, I saw— I laugh about old, old white men. I'm old. I'm old. I like having 49.

45:19I feel like I'm not old. I'm cute. And I'm gonna live till I'm about 7— I think I'm gonna give myself 97 years old. That's when I'm leaving. I'm done with y'all at 97. Ain't nothing else left for me on the earth after 97. Like, you can forget that. You want to turn up? No, I want to be 100. That just sounds scary.

45:35But anyway, we got to make room for the young people. That's my thing, young people, because they know what they're doing. And if they don't, they, they learn it a whole lot easier than we do. So I'm gonna need, I'm gonna need your face up in there in the different, different conferences. You got to come from behind the computer screen. All right, all right.

45:55You're gonna have to come to tech, uh, to ASTA. Okay, okay. And then we see people like, oh, this shit looks cool as I don't know what. All right, all right. And then there's gonna be other people, they were like, yeah, that, that Gabby girl, she— yep, yep, she looked like she can cross me up. But I don't even know, my kids say it all the time, so she can break some ankles and she up in here.

46:21Yep, that means you, you too, nephew, come on through. You too, niece, come on through. That's right, that's right. You know what I'm saying? All right, tell people where they can find Gabby Kakui, because we gotta plug. Yes. Yep. Um, you can find us at kakui.com. Um, all of our contact information is there. Um, I've got some really good friends over in sales that'll be happy to talk to you guys.

46:45Um, if you want to find me, I am Gabby Oglesby. Um, it's really an uncommon last name, so you'll probably find me as soon as you search me anywhere. Very uncommon last name for a Black woman, but we'll talk about that on the next podcast. Who your daddy? I was like, well, maybe I'm saying that. I was like, no, that's how you say it.

47:06But okay, I digress. You know, I ain't got no sense. That's it. That's me. That's her. That's her. All right, so I really appreciate you taking the time to let your voice be heard and your face be seen on this podcast, and I'll let you know when it comes out. So we can share it. And then, um, you tell the people over at Kakui to go ahead and give you a little bonus check because we did a whole free commercial for y'all.

47:32Free, free, free, free. That's right. So I want some Kakui swag. I know I'm not a client, but, um, I'm a president of Kakui. Look, I got green on today. I found something green. I didn't have anything else. Yeah, I tried. I tried. Okay, send me some swag. Brown's Automotive, Chapel Hill. I'm not far from you, so no, please come visit me.

47:57Yeah, yeah. And then, um, when we're doing something local, like local activities, uh, local trainings, I'll let you know about them, and then maybe you guys can set up tables. I think you guys have, um, sponsored a couple things for ASTA, for the smaller things that we do, and we're definitely going to see you in September. Okay. All right. Yes, either way, we're gonna see each other.

48:17Yeah. Yes. Okay. Alrighty then. Well, thank you so much. I appreciate it, Auntie. Had a great time. Yeah, I'll talk to you soon. All right, I'm gonna go stalk you on Facebook and you better accept my, uh, friend request. I don't care how old I am. Friends already? I think it's on TikTok. I don't know, I don't keep up with all that stuff.

48:34I just be in there. Yeah, I got you. Okay, because I want to see the babies. All right, I got you. Downshift with Tanika is where we slow down long enough to have real conversations hosted by myself, second-generation shop owner Tanika Haynes. This goes beyond your car count, your KPIs. We want to talk about leadership, legacy, mindset, and the messy, beautiful journey of building something that lasts.

49:02You will hear stories from shop owners, technicians, and other industry leaders who are figuring it all out by themselves in real time. This is a space for growth, Tough love, laughter, and leveling up.