Free Owner Overload Check for Established Auto Shop Owners.
Published: April 1, 2026 AI is getting a lot of attention right now, and shop owners seem to fall into two groups. Some are curious. Others are already tired of hearing about it. I understand both. Like anything else in this industry, AI can be useful, overhyped, misused, or all three at the same time. …
In this episode, we discuss the journey of an unstoppable auto shop owner. In the fifth installment of the “Unstoppable Framework for Auto Shop Owners” series, Maryann Croce, a coach from Small Biz Vantage, shares her expertise on building resilience and effective planning for automotive professionals. Maryann emphasizes the importance of a resilient mindset, proactive …
Join Maryann Croce in the fourth episode of the Unstoppable Framework for Auto Shop Owners series. Discover these essential strategies for building trust, loyalty, and a thriving business by staying customer-focused and flexible. Being customer focused and flexible means learning about gathering and acting on customer feedback, streamlining customer experiences, offering added services, building referral …
It’s amazing how an old, worn address book has become a cornerstone of our 27-year journey in the auto repair business. We call it “The Book,” but it represents so much more than just names and numbers. It’s about a legacy business. Reflection When we bought our shop in 1999 from Tony’s boss Jack. We …
Focusing on the third part of a five-part ‘Unstoppable Framework for Auto Shop Owners’ series, Maryann Croce discusses strategies to optimize processes and empower your team. Maryann shares insights from her coaching experiences, including a case study of a client named Steve, who overcame burnout by streamlining operations and delegating tasks. Helping him get on …
Published July 2024. Aligning work and life is challenging for many auto shop owners. The reality is auto shop ownership can feel isolating at times. Making it difficult for owners to create a healthy alignment between work and life. Many end up sacrificing their personal life. Mistakes as Opportunities I saw this podcast episode as …
Why Sustainable The first step of auto shop business fundamentals is asking yourself, are you creating and building a sustainable business? A sustainable auto shop business is one that can operate without you being part of the day-to-day. This is a business that becomes manageable and sellable for any auto shop owner focused on business …
Separate for Shop Growth Auto shop growth is the goal for a business to become more valuable. Yet, many owners think of their business as part of them. I get it. No lack of grit and drive in the automotive industry. But it can be a trap. Ego can get in the way of your …
As women it’s important to trust your experience and the journey as entrepreneurs or business owners. You will learn lots of lessons along the way. Don’t stay stuck in the the lessons by living in the past. Those lessons learned were earned as women business owners. They can help you become resilient to roadblocks and …
Most owners and leaders are so busy with the day to day of their business, it leaves little time to work on their business. I get it because it happened to Tony and me in the early years of owning our transmission shop. No words of wisdom suddenly made us see the light. We were …
Just as babies need to crawl before they walk, businesses need to survive before they thrive. Keeping this in mind during a crisis is key to staying focused on the bigger picture. Whether it is a local or global crisis it is important to understand where your thoughts are at, to best serve your business …
We use the technology all the time. The purpose of a GPS (Global Positioning System) is location. You need to know where you are to be successful in getting to your desired destination. You wouldn’t take a road trip without a destination, a map, and a vehicle. Business success is achievable when we: Focus on …