Wayne Stewart and his Precision Tune Shop Transformation - Bonus Zoom Episode 11

0:00Good morning. Glenn Piccolo here with Adams Automotive, bringing you another episode of Master Tech to Millionaire presented by Auto Shop Answers. Today on the line, we've got Wayne Stewart, owner-operator out of Newnan, Georgia. Precision Tune, one of the number one precision tunes in the country. Just an amazing operator, but man, just such a powerful story that Wayne has to share with everybody this morning.

0:29I'm so excited for this. You so much for listening. Let's dive in. All right, good morning, good morning, good morning, man. This morning on the line, we have got Wayne Stewart out of Precision Tune. I'm so excited for this. Everybody has been texting me like, man, this is going to be awesome. I'm so excited for this. Wayne is incredible. I know you've been down to Key to Key many times.

0:55We have a, you know, just a a big following from Precision Tune. I think you guys have like 300 stores or something like that, I think is what you were telling me. And man, this is gonna be so exciting. I know you've got one of the number one stores in the country. And so man, this morning we're gonna kick it off with Wayne, man.

1:13I'm so excited to have you. How you doing this morning, Wayne? Good morning. Just if I had to be honest with you, I am trying to get going. It takes a minute for me to get going on Monday, but I'm up and rolling. All right, man. Well, hey, we're happy to have you on this morning, man. This is going to be so great.

1:31So for those that don't know Mr. Wayne, man, Wayne, can you just, can you tell us a little bit about you? A little introduction, kind of backstory and kind of how you got started in the automotive industry? Yes, sir. I guess it always seemed like I was drawn to the automotive industry. I don't know why. My dad had showed me a few things just to be mechanically sound, just to be able to, I guess, get by.

1:56And I remember doing things like that with him. But speeding up to where I really got plugged in at Precision Tuning of Newton, I used to be a frequent flyer for vacations, extended vacations when I was younger growing up. And what that means is I had originally paroled out of prison after making some not so good choices in life and ended up basically applying to Precision Tuned Auto Care of Noonan, where I had previously known the owner, the original owner of the store, the one that broke ground.

2:33And I was just trying to get parole off my back, man, and came in as a lube tech and was just trying to just break the cycle of the lifestyle that I had lived for so long. And in time, I just found that I couldn't do it alone. I give all credit to God to where that part of my life has been repaired and mended, and a lot of good people around me.

2:58And a lot of good people around me just extended through to today. I just worked every position in the shop, really unknowing what I was doing, all the way up to general manager. Worked that position for probably 6 or 7 years maybe, I would assume. And then after that, I just, the previous owner, of the shop sold and had a group of guys that I knew, had built a rapport with over a period of time.

3:32And they offered me an opportunity to buy in as an owner and I took it. And, you know, the last 6 years of ownership have been amazing. And then the last year has been really kind of a an area that's just blossomed because it's allowed me to be able to meet people outside of my circuit, outside of my network that is in the same industry, that has the same victories, that has the same struggles.

3:57And it's just really been an eye-opening experience for me to be able to really see just how cool this industry is. One of the things I can say that I've told people from my group is that Within 15 minutes of being in Key2Key, it wasn't so much the new things that they were teaching me that I was learning, but within 10 or 15 minutes, we talk about that presentation, we talk about those things that we notice in the industry on the shop floor at ground zero.

4:28I was connecting with what you guys were saying immediately. It was like, man, I recognize that. But then you guys started to try to spiderweb off of that to where it grew and I was able to connect the dots in a way to where I realized this thing was much more bigger than I was all along, but it was much more bigger than I ever expected.

4:51Yeah. I mean, you're one of those people, we talk about it all the time, where it's like you make that instant connection where it's like they get it. We know they get it. There's a lot of people in there and there's a lot of faces staring back at us in those trainings and we can tell Like who gets it and who is going to go back and implement immediately.

5:11It's like that, you know, there's those light bulb moments that everybody has and sometimes people have it immediately and sometimes it's halfway through day 1 and, you know, sometimes it's at the end of day 1 or whenever. And I just remember, I remember meeting you and I was like, wow, man, I really, I mean, I just, man, I was like, man, I love this guy.

5:30You have a passion You have a passion for your team and it's incredible. So like when you came over to Precision Tuned, like you started at the bottom and you worked your way like through all these different positions in the company. Like what was that journey like? Man, that's hard to cram into this hour, but I guess, let's see. I guess from oil bay to working top bay of the oil bay, everything with the oil bay was kind of a rebuilding stage for me mentally and emotionally.

6:10I was learning how to work a job, man. I mean, as crazy as that sounds, at 26 years of age, I was learning how to make an honest living. And that's just the truth of the matter. And then when I become service advisor, I knew there was something there. You know, as you and I was talking yesterday, Glenn, that we talk about, you know, staying humble.

6:36But at the same time, I remember in our conversation, we both said something kind of like, we know we're all good, you know? And I think that's important to acknowledge. Like, you should acknowledge the blessings that God has bestowed upon us. We should acknowledge those blessings that, you know, 'cause it all comes from him. And, you know, Sometimes in the automotive industry, we can begin to think that we're running the shop, even sometimes solo.

7:02We think that they can't live without us. And there's always somebody that can replace any of us at any given time. Just like our teaching says, that there's not a shortage of technicians, there's a shortage in the way we go after 'em. And I had to really come to a place with myself that I wasn't as special as I thought I was.

7:21And there were some times where I had to really, Um, eat that. And but when I started selling, I knew I had something there that was gifted. Um, young, didn't know how to really contain it. And then I, um, you know, as time went on, there were some bumps in the road and some detours, uh, but I stayed with the company and, um, ended up becoming GM.

7:49And then from there, I really remember my mentor at the time and someone I really look up to, he was talking about, you need to take your management hat on and put your owner's cap on. And when I began doing that, looking at things from an ownership mindset, you know, I began seeing why he would complain about how many cans of brake cleaner are we using now, or this and that, all the different things.

8:14It sounds like some parents griping and complaining about because they are. And I began seeing things in a different way, how to approach your people, How to do the business side of things. And then I think really along the way, somewhere along the way, and being an owner, knowing that at the end of the day, when you have a problem, there is nobody else to ask questions to.

8:38You gotta figure it out. And then learning how to deal with difficult customers, learning when it's time just to stroke a check out and just keep moving, even if it's not your fault. And I can just go on and on. I know that a lot of people that are probably listening right now are probably connecting and hearing and, you know, being able to connect with those things.

8:58But there's just so much that, that could be there. I know my wife has been a super influence in my life. I got to give her credit where credit's due because I wouldn't be here without God using her or my children to help get me, you know, right in the head sometimes when I want to make stupid decisions. Remember, I don't have that opportunity because I got such a bigger responsibility than a shop.

9:22That people are watching me, and those people that are watching matters most. Yeah. Very, very powerful. And it's just, man, it's just so great to be able to hear so many different perspectives. And we were talking about yesterday, just different people going through different things and You know, one thing that, you know, a lot of people see is, man, they see all the, you know, they see all the wins, they see all the celebrations, they see, you know, all the high-fiving and all that.

10:00And sometimes they don't see, you know, like kind of behind the curtain in terms of like what it takes to get there. And, you know, maybe just some of the different struggles that people go through. So we're gonna circle back to that here in a second because I think that's important for people to understand. Like what does go on behind the curtain to make these shops, you know, so great.

10:22But, you know, before I get into that, I really want to talk a little bit about, you know, you coming down to Key2Key. And I know you've been through Courtside and your team is always, you know, always there. And, you know, just from Key2Key, I mean, obviously you came in and you were like, wow, you know, you got it right away. But how can you say Auto Shop Answers really kind of changed your business or your perspective on your business and some things that you took away maybe for people that are listening that have never heard about Auto Shop Answers or maybe heard about it and just haven't made the trip yet?

11:02Well, I want to say 2 things. One that we probably are all, we all hear is the numbers. And then 2, what it's done for the culture. Look, we talk so much about numbers that sometimes it's all about the numbers, but sometimes because it's all about the numbers and that's all that we hear, we get lost in the numbers. Almost like if someone's spitting out numbers, you're hearing them, but you might be listening to them, but you're not really hearing them.

11:33And so what I want to say about that is that it becomes such the norm that it's what kind of gets us off and all that kind of stuff along the way. On the backside of it, if this is really an industry that is truly dear to your heart, it's gonna do something. It becomes, let's see, how can I explain this? It's awesome to get those numbers 'cause you know the money's coming, but sometimes you hit the numbers and it's not even about the money.

12:01It's just about, we did that. And you get to see and celebrate with the team. And so the first week back, from key to key. It was like pulling teeth to get me down there. It's not that I didn't want to go, I just had other things going on and life was lifing and getting in the way. And my people who are very patient with me, who were very patient with me and getting me down there, I had lots of different things that were going on just like all of us do.

12:38And I remember getting down there and I was struggling, man. I got a son right now who is incarcerated and that was on my mind a lot and knowing what he's going through right now and very different place than it was when I was in there and wasn't really dialed in. I was just distracted. I was glad to be there. And I had, uh, I had one of my mentors, uh, you know, almost a, you know, a friend, mentor, father in the faith, what do you want, you know, all these different things.

13:13We were late, which he's not big on being late to meetings, you know, he's one of those people. And, um, he got in my face right there, not like physically, but just he, he made me focus on him about— he asked me the question, he's like, you really don't want to be here, do you? And it's not that I didn't wanna be there, I just wish things was different.

13:35And I was allowing life to get distracted. And I think it's just a picture of the owner-operator-manager-partner that had a lot going on, who's almost a pastor, if you will, of his location. And Glenn, can you hear me okay? I just wanna make sure that you're able to hear me fine. Yeah, yeah, I hear you fine. Okay. You know, he just, you know, I just had to answer it honestly and we were able to get past that.

14:02And I think it broke the ice on what I was holding in. But we got down there that first day late for the original Zoom meeting that we all used to be in. That was the meeting that we had held back on. And that's where I began hearing things down there that I connected with. And so first week back, our store has been in business for going on 25 or 30 years.

14:25'98 is when I think the doors opened. Coincidentally, believe it or not, I actually helped open the doors of his shop in '98. I worked there briefly before, you know, bailing after about a month, but I did open the doors there at my location. And we get back and we do a $75,000 week. Now, $75,000 a week to some of you guys are, you know, a lot because of size, volume, and experience at the shop.

14:49But for us, we have 2 repair racks, an oil bay, and at the time we didn't even have our speed rack. And we came in and did $75,000 the very next week. So there's the numbers. And then I began seeing that, okay, I've been made a believer. This stuff works. I'm an all-or-nothing type guy. I'm an A personality, addictive personality. I'm all the way in or all the way out.

15:16I want all of it. I don't want none of it. And that's just the way that I am. And myself and Randy began to slowly implement every little entity of Auto Shop Answers. We started, we painted the floor, we did the ceiling, we did the presentation station. We didn't worry about if the money wasn't there. We didn't really worry about— now, obviously, there was a line we had to walk and be wise, but we were okay if the distributions were not that high.

15:45We looked at it as an investment season, and we really just began to add something each, actually, a week, a month, whatever we had to do to get where we're at now. And now, we're finally at a place now where we're setting up our phone system, which will be incorporating through, you know, have the AI capabilities and that sort of stuff. But the culture, let's see, it was hard to get people to buy in at first because it hadn't been.

16:17And we have a little 6-bay store, it's a little small store, and I've got at times 12 to 13 employees in there because I've always believed in overstaffing if you can make it make sense. And so we started sending people a little bit at a time, and I had 1 or 2 people that caught fire with it. That are still there with me, 3 actually, and they began to go.

16:39Then I have another guy at another location that had been who, you know, his time at his other store come to an end. They were moving. We grabbed hold of and brought him in. And then I have actually my son-in-law who's actually been to Courtside as well. And, and so it was about getting people to buy in and believe that this new system really works.

17:04And then when you can see that that caught fire, you know, knowing that it's important to them to do something really different with their life. Like, this isn't so much about the money, but this is doing something different than nobody— nobody else is doing this around here, and I, and I can prove it. I encourage you to put civilian clothes on and go into these stores, which I do regularly.

17:26Check out the scene, check out the atmosphere, check out the clientele. Pull a Joe Adams even when you're out there and put a cherry on top and recruit someone, which I do that all the time. I don't think it's tacky. I think it's professional. And they get mad about you taking their employees, and obviously there's something there that they're not doing right, which should even prove what you're going in there to see when you see these things.

17:47But it is cool about being of something, you know, much bigger than I, but much more different than anything around us. And when Todd says that the injuries— the industry sucks, it's got a black eye, it doesn't take much more to do some of this stuff to be different than your competition, it's absolutely And I think all of us know that. So to be able to be that special in your area and not have to put too much effort into getting to be able to see it and then watch the results, it's— I've always said the key to key is not so much intellect or money that it takes to be able to implement, but

18:22it's not— for me, it's 90% discipline. Either I'm gonna keep working this program in my life or either I'm gonna slack off and stop. Yeah. And, you know, you're 100% right about that. I mean, it's always been about people and it's always been about execution and it's just being committed to a process that we know works. It's a perfected business model and you just really can't poke holes in it because there's nothing to poke holes in.

18:49You know, Todd does a whole entire program called, you know, How Can This Be Wrong? And it's like, if you go through our whole process, there's nothing you can take away from it. Right? I mean, there really isn't anything you could take away from it, and there's really not much to add to it. I mean, it's, you know, I mean, we add technology to it, we make it better, and we enhance it.

19:08But like you just said it right there, you went back, you painted your floors, you painted the ceilings, you cleaned up the shop, okay? Like these are all things that everybody probably knows they need to do, but just, you know, they don't do it. And you called it an investment season. You weren't focused on the score, you were focused on the process.

19:26And then when you focus on the process, well, you know, you end up, you know, you end up winning games. And when you end up winning games, you know, your team is winning and it starts to just kind of snowball this great culture. And, you know, it's very important that you have people on board. And like you said, you have a few people, it sounds like, that are still with the team now.

19:52So when you went back and you started making these changes, you said it was hard to get people to buy in. So did you have some turnover at that time? Um, I do believe so. Um, you know, I, uh, yes, I do remember us having some turnovers. Um, I've got a lot of long-term people. Um, and man, that is encouraging for me.

20:13I've got this one guy, y'all met him. I make sure that y'all don't contact him often. No, I'm just kidding. I'm cutting up. But Devin, you know, talking about his story, um, talking about what this industry does, And it is, it's like, you know, I hear it in Joe's voice, I hear it in your voice, you know, sometimes you can hear it in my voice 'cause the passion's there.

20:33But man, there's something too, and I hope I'm not getting off track. I do got ADD like crazy. I think that's why I'm so successful 'cause I miss nothing, but then I miss everything, right? And so Devin, who has not been, who's our technician, he, man, I remember walking up, I remember him walking up literally with his bags in his hand. I think he still had his county jail bracelet on.

20:53He was like, man, just gimme a shot. Just, I'll do whatever you want me to, just gimme a shot. And now he's our lead technician. And no, it's not a perfect world, but I was there for every key moment of his recovery and his walk with Christ. You know, he walked up with his driver's, his paper driver's license in his hand. You know, like, I just got my license back.

21:14I just got my car. You know, man, I just met this girl. We're getting a house. I'm getting my kids back. And it's like, I remember that. I can't remember what his name was, but I remember the guy that you guys used in the presentation. Up on the screen about now this guy can afford to send his kid to private school or just not have his kid subjected to an environment that might be in the streets.

21:36And I know there's no perfect world, but those moments is what helped me continue to be able to go forward on Kitty Kitty. And then when I get back, realizing that I made a believer out of it, to keep the discipline rolling even when it's difficult to do, realizing that Hey, I haven't seen a shop tour all day. What's up? You know, or something like that.

21:59But just the team has been very instrumental. My GM, Julie, who's in here often, she doesn't know it, but I mean, she does know it 'cause I tell her, but she didn't know I was gonna say this. Sometimes I get that from them. She's one of 'em. And she's as consistent as consistent can be, almost like a breath of fresh air. And I know I'm overcompensating a little bit, but really there's been days where I've come in and just, really not been feeling it and not had the best attitude either.

22:28And to have a team like that that has went through the process, that understands on the days that we're pushing this because maybe this doesn't feel like we want to do it that day, you know, and to know that they've been on board and know how much it costs for the investment and know how much it's blessing us. Just there was a season there.

22:48But I will say that right now It is understood this is non-negotiable. We are going to do this. And if you can't be a part of this, maybe this just isn't the best place for you. And if it's not and you leave on good terms, we will do everything we can to make sure you get a good reference and a good pool to be able to go down to one of those streets that you're not going to enjoy when you get there because you've already seen what takes place in there.

23:13Right. Right. And we talked yesterday briefly about, you know, like what goes on behind the curtain. And I'll circle back to that because I think that's important. And that's a big, that's a big part of, you know, of change. That's a big part of trying to implement something new. And, you know, as far as the buy-in with the team, and you'd asked me a question yesterday, and it was such a great question.

23:39And I was like, man, I can't wait to talk about that because you asked me a question. We see Moneyball. And Moneyball, for those of you listening, is our group chat within the Auto Shop Answers family, all shops across the country, and it runs nonstop. Okay? It's a Slack channel that we have and we post our numbers and we post our stories and we post our pictures of our Take 5.

24:09And we post our, you know, our picture at the end of the day and all these strategies and shop tours and high-fiving and all the, you know, the great culture, you know, that Wayne is talking about. And Wayne called me yesterday and he's like, I know you run the store and, you know, I just kind of asked you. And he's like, I think I know the answer to the question, but he's like, you know, we see all the high-fives and all the pictures and all that stuff.

24:36And it's like, you know, is there ever like behind the scenes— uh, I forget, how'd you ask me that question? Like, I'm trying to remember. Drama. Drama. Drama. There you go. Is there ever any drama, you know? And I was like, oh, Wayne, man, let me tell you, man. Uh, look, yes, we have fun, we have a great time, but to say that we don't have things that happen, you know, whether it be, you know, drama or bickering or, you know, like trying to figure out for, you know, ways for people to agree to disagree or, you know, because remember, we're talking about players, we're talking about A-players, we're talking about hammers, we're talking about,

25:21you know, just like highly competitive people that are driven just to be the best. And so I said, absolutely, 100%. There's no doubt about it. Okay. But there's a difference. And the difference is, is it that or is it cancer? Is it toxic? Because there's a big difference. Okay. So as an example, we may have a couple of advisors that, you know, they're busy, they're blowing and going and, you know, and maybe there's a disagreement.

25:53Maybe there's something that, you know, maybe somebody rubs somebody the wrong way. Maybe somebody commented, you know, something and, you know, it pissed somebody off. That happens. Okay. Look, that's just the way it is. But the difference is, and you know, it never happens, you know, it never happens in front of a customer or shouldn't ever. You know, it's never going to be in some big blowup situation, right?

26:19We got to grab them and say, look, man, like, dude, let's get past it. Like, let's get past this. Forget it. Right? Let's work it out, dude. Let's take a walk. Right? Mike Quinn talks about it all the time. Like, take a walk. Let's take a lap, dude. Let's take a lap. And you just kind of recenter, refocus, and it's all under the umbrella of the team.

26:41We're all focused on the same thing. Everybody still has the same goal in mind, which is, man, take great care of the customer and execute. And so when you're able to do that and just kind of Walk away, come back, work it out. No big deal. You have to manage that. That's part of managing hammers is you gotta be able to manage these, you know, the egos and the personalities.

27:10That's just the way it is, right? It's like, you know, the Chicago Bulls, Michael Jordan and Dennis Rodman. And, you know, you think about that team and like some of the stuff like behind the scenes, right? But when it's game time, it's showtime, Everybody, you know, shows up to execute, you know, and they go on and win championships. Okay. So every team is going to have that stuff that happens in the locker room.

27:36Every team is going to have that stuff that happens off the court. The difference is what happens when you're on the court. And so I said, look, Wayne, I said, yes, but there's one thing that is very, very important to understand is it's never going to be a cancer. It's never going to be something that is a cancer that is going to spread, that I cut out immediately.

27:57I can, I can grab the egos and I can grab and I can manage, right? You know, it's like the saying, like, if you treat everybody the same, you're treating everybody unfairly, right? I love that saying because I have to manage different people differently. Some people need it straight. Some people need it to be massaged. Some people need finesse. Some people, you know, you have to talk to daily.

28:20Some people you have to talk to weekly. Some people you have to talk to, you know, every so often. And so you have to understand and know that you can't treat, you can't manage everybody the same way. But the most important thing is that everybody that's listening out there is to understand that, man, at the end of the day, man, it's an auto repair shop.

28:42In our world, it's auto hospitality. But at the core of it, right, we're fixing cars and we're in that environment. And stress happens, and it does. The difference is how much of that do we eliminate by eliminating decision fatigue, by having the right people, right? And so our goal is to just minimize it as much as possible. But yes, for those of you out there listening, man, it's not all rainbows and butterflies all the time.

29:05Do we have fun? Yes. At the end of the day, are we high-fiving? Yes. And I told you one thing yesterday also, which was regardless of whatever happens, When you see the picture or you see the video and you see the hug, that's real. 10 minutes before that, maybe there was a little spat and something happened, you know? But when you see the, when you see the hug or the picture and the smiles, those are real smiles.

29:31That's not fake. Okay. And so I believe, and probably any winning team has got to be the same, it's got to be the same way when you have these type of players, right? Because man, they're high caliber, high energy, high driven people. And I just feel that that's, you know, I just feel like that's gonna happen. So what are your thoughts on that and our conversation about that yesterday?

29:54Did that help? Yeah, it did help. A couple things about that. Well, one, 2 things that are funny here. One, you know, I'm that guy that'll walk the neighborhood and get, you know, my walk in and I'll just be asking chat, questions, like crazy questions. And I, and I can, I'll copy and paste this and put it in the group, uh, or if it's appropriate, I don't know if it is, I'll send it to you first, Glenn.

30:19And I asked Chat, what do you know about Glenn? What do you know about Wayne Stewart? And boom, it pops up and talks about these different things about the automotive industry, how basically in a nutshell they're hammers, uh, and I'll let you fill in the blanks, but that's what Chat said. I said, would we work well together? Talking about me and you.

30:37And it said, uh, there's a very good chance that you guys would work well together. Here's the pros and cons. And on the, on the other, the pros, we— I'm assuming we probably all kind of understand what the pros are going to say. But on the cons, it said you are both professionals, you are both basically headstrong in what you do. Um, your biggest downfall would be because of Basically, you're both good at what you do.

31:04That's what it said. And so, real life story, I posted for the first time in a while in Slack one of those celebration pictures. It was just 4 of us. It was at the end of the day. We always have this saying about when we do have a holiday off, we're going to do 6 days of work in 5 days, period. Non-negotiable.

31:28We're going to figure out a way to do it. We're going to strategize how to do it. 6 days worth of work in 5 days. And we're not going to let a holiday, if we choose to take that holiday off, be a punishment. It's only an asset if we get to take the time off, rest up, and still get the same pay, or with work stays the following week that'll balance it out.

31:49And we did that, and we actually rolled over some other work, and we were probably on the minimal average of what we do each week, but we did it in 5 days. Well, we took a picture, celebrated just like a lot of us do, um, and that was a tough week for me, man. It's gonna be straightforward with you, uh, not a tough week at home.

32:11It was tough to get shot. It was a tough week for me mentally and emotionally, uh, and there were some decisions that I had to make that week that really— I, I don't know how to say it, but, um, A person like me, um, has to watch out for resentments and bitterness. Um, and there were some things that were really beginning to grow, uh, in my heart.

32:38Uh, and, um, and I've, I've dealt with it since then. I've given it to the Lord. I may have to give it back to him again by the time I get to work, I don't know. But I have since— it's not what I'm waking up— it's not what I'm thinking about the moment I wake up. Um, but I realized that it had been a tough week, a hot week too.

32:55And I think this plays into what we're talking about the temperatures right now, the heat, is that I had to be that guy whether I wanted to or not, round everyone up, get the totals on what we did, get someone to make the little sign, all that stuff that we do before we're going to post it, smile, bragging rights, whatever you want to call it, and realize that those are the things that tear teams apart.

33:25Those are the things that makes other shops exactly like— the difference is whether you deal with it like you're talking about a cancer or is it a problem that you can work through? And I believe that when it comes to mental and emotional, now if there's anything illegal going on or anything that's unethical or Dishonesty, that, that's different. That's, that's cancer. Um, uh, you know, but, but most of this stuff is petty bullcrap, differences of opinions, personalities, tones, um, facial expressions, all that kind of stuff that sparks this stuff.

34:07And we made our little picture, and you know what? Um, it felt genuine. It felt genuine. It didn't feel like we were just trying to put something up just to say, hey, look at what they did. And I'll be honest with you, pride sometimes gets in the way and I don't want to post those numbers to Slack simply because we are a smaller shop.

34:25We are looking to do $300,000 a month. That's where we're at. We're there. And, but you know, again, that's pride in itself and not allowing you to grow. But, you know, I got one guy that's been with me for 11 years and some days I want to rip his freaking head off. Just being honest with you. And he's probably listening this morning.

34:44But at the end of the day, He has seen me through a lot of stuff and I've seen him go through some stuff. And no matter how bad it gets, there's an understanding that we're going to get through this and we're going to make this work for the common good, not just for us, but for the other people around us that are counting on us to be the leaders that we are, to help everyone have that living that they're used to.

35:08I mean, one of the things that tore the— the number one thing that tore the Chicago Bulls apart, if we're talking about that, is the fact that in the back curtain they couldn't get it right. And none of the players wanted to play despite having 3 championships in a row, 2 different times. The behind-the-curtain stuff they couldn't get right is ultimately what tore the team apart.

35:29Voluntarily, they just said, we won't be back. Yeah, man. Good point. There's a difference between passion— Charlie posted it— just intensity, right? Because people care. I think that's the biggest driver of a lot of, you know, any type of disagreements that might happen is it's always centered around some type of like passion and intensity, whether it be move faster or get the car done faster, or, you know, it's like this car before that car.

36:08Like that's some of the stuff that we deal with, right? And it's all in an effort to give the customer a great experience and not drop the ball. But the toxic part is when it's happening not behind the curtain, but behind the scenes where you've got chatter and you have to cut that out really quick. I have an example where I had somebody that I had to have that conversation with.

36:39And sometimes it's just as simple as a conversation. It's as simple as a conversation that's like, look, it's one thing to be passionate. It's one thing to just have the intensity. But if it becomes toxic and it starts to spread, that won't happen. You won't work here. Today will be your last day. And I need to understand and know, what do you want?

37:05And so I won't get into the details of that. But since that conversation, this employee is, oh my gosh, just absolutely amazing, absolutely crushing it. And it was just that talk. And then I get a text message and it's like, thank you for having that conversation with me. I just had one of the best weeks I've ever had here. I think the best week.

37:35And I was like, man, that's all you. I mean, all I did was just kind of, you know, guide you there, but I can't make the change. Like, I can't change the mindset. And so when I identified that as the difference between a cancer and just intensity and passion, I had to go and I had to nip that in the bud immediately.

38:01Right now, right? Like this second. Yes. Right now. We're not gonna wait. We're gonna do this. Yeah. I get it. You have to do it right now. You can't say, I'm gonna have that conversation Monday morning when it's Thursday. Right? It's like there can't be delayed consequences. Right? It has to be the problem just happened. I have to address it. Right? You know, and, and, and I think it's important that we talk about that.

38:25And I'm glad you asked that question. Because, you know, everybody does see the big numbers and everybody sees the, the just, man, the great accomplishments and celebrations. But, you know, there is stuff that happens. But man, it's just not, you know, like, it's not that bad, man. It's just managing those type of people. And you, and, and the, and the alternative is, you know, it's like Todd's rules.

38:54Find the right people, make it a great place to work, give them a financial stake in the outcome of the business and train them. How do you know you have the right people? Immediate impact on sales. Customers love doing business with them. Team loves working with them. And they make you money. And the middle 2 of the second part is, you know, customers love working with them, team loves working with them, and average people, B players, as Amy Bartel would say, an NGB on the line, Amy, of course, Nice guy, but love that.

39:27The big but. Hey, what do you think about so-and-so? Oh, nice guy, but, right? Because we have a lot of those people. That's what a lot of our industry is. A lot of B players, really nice people, get along with everybody, right? And so the alternative to not having those high caliber people are, or is just people, everybody just gets along and that's great, but like they don't produce.

39:55And so you have to find that balance there and you have to find A-players that produce and then you have to learn how to just manage those people, right? Like the best, you know, the best of the best, you know, typically we talk about all the time, there's some kind of gray area and we're not talking about gray area like integrity, that's a non-negotiable.

40:14I think that's very important also for us to say when we, because we throw the word gray area out there, And I think it's very important for people listening to understand when we say gray area, it's, you know, gray area people associate with integrity, and that's never what we're talking about when it comes to gray area. We're talking about gray area by way of personal distractions or, you know, personality, you know, differences or whatever that is.

40:38So very, very important to make sure everybody understands that and is clear on that. It's never integrity ever, ever, ever, ever. That's immediate termination. But you have to learn how to manage what we call that gray area, which is just those different personality types. So I'm glad you brought that up so we could talk about that. Thank you for that. I'm glad we got to have that conversation yesterday.

41:04So, man, so as we wrap up, because we're running out of time, you know, just some advice that you would give to somebody listening right now. That's never heard of us or has heard of us but hasn't made the leap to come down, what advice would you give somebody about the program and how important it would be for them? Well, I think that the number one thing is that I don't know how many are in the group that haven't been down, But I really think before you can make a believer out of someone else, you have to believe in it yourself.

41:47Look, I didn't talk to too many people about Christ until I actually genuinely had a core belief system that this stuff is for me was more than just stuff. It was a part of who I am. And the likewise is, is that when you go to teaching something, we know that the teaching is the highest level of learning that you'll ever get.

42:08And when you find that that someone just doesn't get it, um, if they're doing all the things that is leading up to knowing that it's not going to be a waste of your time and money to send someone down, um, I think again we talk about gray areas, but I do believe at the end of the day, in most majority if not all gray areas, um, and I know you're talking about being productive or being a Cancer, I get that But almost in all gray areas, it's going to lean more toward black or white.

42:40And maybe that's just my personality coming out, but you know, and I think we also know when we've got someone that is going to be a candidate that is going to believe in this program as well. And they're already going to be doing things. They're going to be doing things. You're going to see the support. You're going to see the fact that maybe they're coming to Take 5.

42:58They're wanting to learn the system or whatever's being taught. If someone's already been to Key2Key and they're trying to implement it, but I believe you'll know But I'm gonna tell you something, Glenn. The things that helped me buy into this was, again, connecting with you guys when I got there. But it wasn't a lot of the things that you may seem. For me, it was like, I gotta have that sign in my shop, no negativity allowed.

43:26I've gotta have that sign in my shop, you don't have to have permission from a boss to make a customer feel good. And these were things I were already not only preaching to others already, but I was preaching to myself. Look, some days that no negativity sign is for Wayne Stewart, period, point blank, no gray area. It's for me. Um, and, and then coming back and doing the things that don't cost no money, learning how to answer the phone right, knowing that any person that steps on our lot, our goal is to meet the customer on the lot, uh, whether it's raining or not.

44:03Uh, and, you know, So I think all these conversations, the topic that we're talking about centers around knowing that you're not alone in the struggles while you're trying to implement something that is so difficult and so easy at the same time to catch fire. I'm gonna share just, I don't know if I'm gonna get in trouble, I don't know if you're gonna get in trouble or someone, but let me tell you something, something small here.

44:28The small things is what matters to me. One of the things I knew that Adams Automotive was human, okay? And they weren't deity. Was, you know, because that's the way it comes. I don't want— you know, when you're thinking about the big picture, the big, you know, you know, trying to take a big bite of all this, it can seem very hard and it can seem like everybody else has got it so together that where am I going to start?

44:52But anytime I come to Houston, I simply have always had— I enjoyed driving around the parking lot. Nobody knows I'm in the car. Last time you guys were at a wedding and your guys were super helpful and super— I mean, it was end of the day, end of the day. It was end the end of the day, uh, Saturday I believe it was.

45:10Uh, we were down there for the convention for Precision Tuning. It was a Saturday. Um, but I pulled onto the lot knowing that y'all's goal is to also meet customers on the lot, uh, to the best of your ability. Uh, and I pulled onto the lot almost expecting, as portraying a customer, to get tackled. And it didn't happen. And I rode back around.

45:33Instead of thinking anything negative, I thought to myself, I mean, I rode around twice, you know, and again, I'm not saying that to be critical at all. I'm saying that it encouraged me. It was like, man, even though this is a non-negotiable at our shop, it sure does feel good to know that none of us get it perfect. None of us get it right the first time, and we only get better at what we do as long as we're trying to stay in the bounds of what we believe in, our core values, roots, and biblical principles that we try to live by.

46:07And so those are the moments that when I'm in my right mind and right heart, even though there's non-negotiables and there are things we have to correct, sometimes remembering those moments, knowing that Adams Automotive has a sign on the wall that says no negativity allowed, knowing that sometimes there may be a customer that slips through the cracks that doesn't get met on the lot, knowing that behind the pictures that we take and celebrate where it looks like Facebook world, and I think we all know what we're talking about, somewhere behind all that, just knowing that we're all genuine and authentic and we struggle from day to day, we've got personal issues our homes, we got

46:40kids sometimes that don't act right, we got employees sometimes that don't act right. It's knowing that we all have the same struggles, just on different levels. And sometimes knowing that, for me, is just as big a knowledge as it is working what's in the handbook of Auto Shop Answers because it brings things down to a ground level for me to understand that we're all on the same road, we're just at different places in the race.

47:07Yeah, great point. You know, it's like Moneyball is kind of like the ESPN highlight reel, you know? But when you think about any professional team, because we look at it like professional sport, right? Any professional team, you know, whoever wins the Super Bowl this year is going to throw some interceptions. They're going to fumble the ball, right? They're going to even lose some games.

47:31And that happens. Right? Now, when you turn on ESPN, you're going to see the highlights, right? You're going to see the dunk from the free throw line, or you're going to see, right, you're going to see the grand slam, right? You may not see the 3 strikeouts. Okay? It happens. The difference is, man, how close to perfection can you get? But you are going to have stuff that slips through the cracks.

47:52That's just, man, that's just life, you know? And so, great point on that. I'm glad you brought that up because, yeah, we're definitely not even close to perfect. But man, we're just so much closer when it comes to auto hospitality than the industry, which is just really not that hard to do. Unfortunately, I say that, you know, unfortunately, I wish, you know, it's like we talk about all the time, like no competition, it makes it so much easier for us.

48:19But you know, it's really tough out there and there's a lot of people working out there in bad environments. And You know, they just, and they don't even know it, honestly. Or maybe they don't do it, you know, or maybe, or maybe some do, but, but a lot of people don't know it. And then they come and they get into a winning culture where people are hugging and high-fiving because that part's real.

48:41And they're like, wow, you know, like, I didn't know this existed. And so, man, thank you so much for, for sharing. Man, this was awesome. We are up on time. This was just a blast getting to to talk to you and get to know you a little bit better this morning. I'm so excited 'cause I get to see you. You're coming down soon, which is great.

49:03I missed you last time, but this has been awesome. Wayne, thank you so much for jumping on this morning. We love you. We love Precision Tune, your team. You guys are amazing. Yeah. And I'll say this, shout out, talking about people catching fire. I think there's probably out of all our team, I think there's probably, I think there's 7 or 8 or more that are listening right now.

49:24So just the fact that they're in here, here, uh, listening. And it's not just because I'm on there. They're regular here on Monday. They just kind of just listen. Um, and so that's encouraging. Um, also Courtside, I don't think we talked about that. Uh, just a quick commercial there. If you, if you've been to Key to Key and your people have been to Courtside, um, think about doing that investment.

49:45It is, uh, definitely, uh, an awesome experience to be. It's interactive. Matt and Charlie do a great job. There. And, uh, you know, I'll see you guys in August. Boom, let's go! Hey, thank you so much, Wayne. This was awesome. Everybody have an amazing, amazing day. Thank you so much for listening. For more information, reach out to Todd Westerland at 925-980-8012 or visit autoshopanswers.com.

50:12You can get more information about key-to-key to callbacks, uh, courtside. We have a VIP Rack Attack Day where you spend an entire day in the trenches with our team learning this perfected business model. We offer leadership classes, we have an AI academy, and also get more information about auto shop callbacks. We have auto tech training. We are literally your one-stop shop. Once again, that number for Todd Westerland is 925-980-8012.