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Five Minutes: Talking Your Way Into More Sales http://www.tirereview.com/Article/73132/five_minutes_talking_your_way_into_more_sales.aspx

The 1% Solution: Knowing Your Break-Even Point http://www.tirereview.com/Article/73130/the_1_solution_knowing_your_breakeven_point.aspx

A few years ago we had one of our techs (Tech A) start hanging out with another tech (TechB) and his wife. The end result was Tech A began an affair with Tech B's wife and then she moved out from Tech B and moved in with Tech A. We wound up with a situation of near fistecuffs. We sat both of them down and told them that one of them had to go and that although Tech A had been there the longest that Tech B was the one on the higher morally ground (of course if they hadn't of settled it we would have had to fire one of them). However, after some arguing Tech A quit. In a way that was unfortunate in that he was the best tech of the two. If I had the situation you describe I would set them both down and tell them that one of them had to find another job or that I would be forced to either terminate one or both of them for cause if that doesn't stop.

This should be good news for our businesses:

Now you would just know that Gonzo doesn't even scrap old parts in an ordinary way. There is probably a story to be told in that.

We are selling all of our scrap and accumulating the money. It will become a bonus kitty for the guys at the end of the year. We currently have $800 and I expect to have somewhere around $3-4,000 by December. It will be split 5 ways. We also will add the profits from our Soda Pop machine to that total.

I'll collect the money for you guys while you and Gonzo sign books!

Our hours are 7a.m.-2p.m. We would stay later if we have work.

It seems that AutoMD could care less about the repair shops: Beware your 'armed' customers - AutoPro Workshop Blog post - Where Professionals Gather for Better Business

What hours do you run on Saturday?

MOTOR Magazine Article | MOTOR Information Systems

If AutoMD estimates the repair to cost $180 and I quote them $220 does that make me somehow and unscrupulous businessmen? I don't think so but that is what they are insinuating. If only one estimate was less than AutoMd's estimate maybe AutoMD was too low. Who says AutoMD estimate is correct. They certainly don't know my pricing structure or overhead costs. By the way, Ivroth it is good to hear from you!

Seven days a week is not good. Your personal relationships and family life suffer. It is not good for you mentally or physically. One can do this type of thing in short spurts but eventually you will burn out and you and everyone you are connected with suffer but you didn't need me to tell you that did you?

Do any of you do business with LKQ? We discovered them about 3 years ago and they have been a useful tool for our business. I thought that I would mention them in case that it would benefit someone. They describe themselves as: Through them we purchase mostly used engines and transmissions with a 12,000 mile 12 month parts and labor warranty. That has became a substantial business for us. As a rule we do not use very many used parts but they are a great source when such is needed.

You sound a little like me. When people ask me how I got onto this business most of the time I tell them it was a moment of temporary insanity.

Good to have you! How about filling us in a little on what lead you to start your business.

We own our own parts washer and use mineral spirits as our solvent. Mineral spirit is a non-hazardous compound except for flashpoint. If you use the regular type it has a flashpoint below 140 degrees which makes the used mineral spirits a hazardous waste due to the explosion hazard. However, one can buy mineral spirits formulated with a flashpoint greater than 140 degrees. This type is non-hazardous. We use this type and buy it by the 55 gallon drum. A drum will last me about 2 years. When I want to change my parts washer solvent I then simply mix the old parts washer solvent in with my waste oil and it is all recycled and I get paid for it. I can do this because this material is simply non-hazardous minerals spirits, oil, and grease all of this has BTU value so the oil transporter is happy to get it. This is the cheapest option I have on waste handling and is a perfectly legitimate way to handle the waste according to the Indiana Department of Environmental Management and Federal EPA rules.

We have a 300 gallon tank. Sometimes the waste oil haulers don't want to pay you for quantities of less than 100-150 gallons at a time. All of the haulers take this oil and sell it. Mostly it is mixed with diesel fuel and burned in cement kilns. There are usually 2-3 companies or more in each area who handled waste oil. As a general rule Safety Kleen is the most expensive option. The state department of environmental management whatever it is called in your state should be able to give you a list of used oil haulers. I would get it and call the haulers and ask them if they buy used oil and if so what is a minimum quantity. This is an area in which I have great familarity since I spent ten years in environmental consulting and contracting. At one time we were working with a major discount retailer redesigning and renovating the oil-water separator system in their Tire and Lube Expresses. We even did a few stores in New York state. We came within an eyelash of landing the contract to handle all of their used oil disposal East of the Mississippi. Here is a list of Companies for Tennessee: http://tn.gov/environment/swm/pdf/Procandtranslist.pdf

We do not although we reserve the right to and we have threatened to in order to get something going. We will tack storage fees on if we go the mechancial lien route.

Great Story!