Ratchet+wrench Radio

Leon Anderson, owner of Integrity Auto Care in South Beliot, Ill., opened his business in order to provide an answer for those who lost jobs at a local dealership. Today, he's in the process of opening his second location, and talks with Ratchet+Wrench on the lessons he learned from his first year in business. 

Rissy Sutherland talks to Michael Brewster, president of Gil's Garage Inc., about the challenges and opportunities of his thriving family auto shop. 

Stephen Reinarts, Dean of Automotive Programs at Dunwoody College of Technology in Minneapolis, Minnesota, discusses the challenges and opportunities of educating and hiring young employees in the body shop industry as well as the current technician shortage. 

Charlie Robertson, president of the Collision Career Institute, explains what shop operators can do to set their entry-level employees up to be assets at their facility. 

Creating an off-site location can bring about change throughout the shop, the separation creates independence among staff members. The location can serve as a separate meeting hub for the shop, and it provides owners with space away from the business. Gary Pontious Jr. of Toledo Auto Care discusses how his business recently took the leap into establishing a separate office location and how it's brought positive change to the establishment.

Today, Ryan Clo is the owner of three shops in the Cincinnati area and is regarded as one of the best operators in the country. But seven years ago, Clo readily admits that his business was running him—to the detriment of his health and his relationships. Since then, he's undergone a personal transformation that challenged his beliefs about business ownership, as well as his physical and mental health. In this week's podcast, Clo digs deeper into his journey, as well as provides easy health and wellness tips that every shop owner could—and should—implement.

For Aaron Stokes' monthly contribution to Ratchet+Wrench Radio, he discusses the ways in which shops can hit the goals they set for themselves. By following his steps, you can develop a better understanding of what your goal is as well as how you can get there.

Closing ratio can be broken down by many factors, including dollar amount, type (diagnostic, transmission, etc.), new customer, etc. Here's a system for better tracking closing ratio and knowing where you can improve your sales. Barry Barrett, director of RLO Training, shares his approach.

This month, industry superstar Rissy Sutherland talks to Kukui CEO Todd Westerlund and Buckley Auto Care owner Greg Buckley about the best practices when it comes to online marketing and reviews, as well as provides simple takeaways to get the most out of your online marketing.

For Aaron Stokes' monthly contribution to Ratchet+Wrench Radio, he discusses everything to consider when selecting your right-hand man, whether that be promoting someone within the company or hiring from the outside. By following his steps, you can find the perfect manager that will facilitate your vision as leader of the shop.

Implementation, and simply getting things done, has been the theme of Judi Haglin's success as an owner, consultant and ambassador for the industry. Here's how Haglin, the 2018 Ratchet+Wrench All-Star Award winner in the Executive category, built her operation alongside her husband, Dana.

Rissy Sutherland discusses the importance of developing relationships within the industry with Becki McGinnis, owner of Autovantage Service Center, and Todd Westerlund, CEO of Kukui. McGinnis and Westerlund also discuss unique ways to grow an online presence and how to measure success with Sutherland.   

Carmates is a sort of online marketplace for automotive repair shops, similar to Openbay and RepairPal. And many shop operators have raised issues with companies that offer these kinds of services. Today on Ratchet+Wrench Radio, co-founders Raju Sagiraju and Surik Torosyan explain how Carmates works and address those concerns voiced by shop owners. Editor's note: Ratchet+Wrench is aware that Raju Sagiraju was recently involved in a lawsuit. Sagiraju pleaded no contest to three felony counts of securities fraud and three felony counts of grand theft. He was sentenced to five years in jail, but was pardoned soon afterwards. Carmates is separate from that court case.

Digital inspections can streamline the courtesy inspection process and lead to improved efficiency and ARO—but how do you make a seamless transition into using the software? Dan Garlock, owner of Silver Lake Auto and Tire, is here to lay out everything you need to consider, from choosing the right software to making it part of the repair process to achieving a return on investment.

On this month’s edition of the Lead Podcast, Aaron Stokes discusses how shop owners can motivate the rest of their employees if they're feeling fatigued or uninspired. As Stokes says, believing in your vision and passing it on to your employees is a great way to get the rest of them on board, even when you or your shop is in a rut.  

This month’s episode of the How I Did It Series features Frank Leutz, the owner of Desert Car Care Chandler, in Chandler, Ariz. Beyond building a $1.6 million operation, Frank is the host of Wrench Nation, is an industry consultant and coach, and runs a successful YouTube channel. He’s always committed to trying new marketing and operational methods to evolve his business, which is currently tracking year-over-year growth of 15 percent. Leutz details his career journey, how he grew Desert Car Care Chandler and how other shop owners can implement creative marketing tactics to improve their own operations.

Jon Thompson, owner of 14 locations in Illinois as a part of Butitta Brothers Automotive, joins the show to discuss how a shop owner can obtain a business loan before acquiring another business. He goes over how shops can find the right bank to partner with and the right documents that need to be prepared. Thompson also details how smaller or newer shops can work around a collateral shortfall.

In this month's edition of the Lead podcast for Ratchet+Wrench Radio, host Aaron Stokes discusses how shop owners can cut out distractions and eliminate time wasters in the shop. He details how shop owners can plan out their priorities in advance, and how they can manage distractions like text messages or emails. 

In July’s edition of Ratchet+Wrench Radio’s Grow Podcast, host Rissy Sutherland revisits one of the major issues facing the industry today: the technician shortage. Jay Goninen, CEO of technician recruiting service Find a Wrench, and Kyle Holt, president of SRSandco Automotive Partners share their thoughts, including how shops can always be recruiting, help young people understand what the industry is all about, and build a pipeline for entry level technicians.

Jeff Odom oversees 24 full-time employees at his shop, Evergreen Autoworks in Mill Creek, Wash., and over the years has learned how to onboard his employees swiftly and efficiently. He’s learned how to get his entire team involved in both the hiring, and initial training process, to best set up his new employees to be successful. Odom goes over the most important aspects for any shop owner to think about when implementing an onboarding program.