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Best advice I can give is before you do anything go out of town to a successful shop and spend a week either working or observing. You have no idea what you are buying or what a well run shop should look like. That would give you some background. Also start getting training in the business. AC Delco, NAPA, Federal Mogul, etc. all offer online training including sales, service writing, and management. Buy and read all the books by Mitch Schneider before you do anything. If I had no background I would also hire someone who does (like Joe, or someone from Elite, or any other number of owners on this forum) to evaluate the business I am buying, the purchase price, and to tell me what they think of the deal. I would also read everything in this forum. There is a world of helpful information here. That is some of my initial thoughts. Everybody thinks they want to own their own business but I can tell you from experience that the automotive business is not an easy business. It took me about ten years to enjoy modest success. That was all possible only because of the people I found and hired. Your employees will make or break you. Locally there was a guy in a situation similar to yours. He quit a job at Crane Naval Weapons. Used his retirement money to buy an auto repair franchise. He bought and renovated an existing building, hired employees, and opened up the business. He lasted less than 18 months. Closed up shop, sold everything off and went back to work at Crane minus his retirement money. The instant that I learned he had opened in the location he had chosen I knew he would not succeed. How did I know? The location doomed him to failure from the get go. It is hard enough to build a successful business in a good location let alone at the end of some dead end street that no one drives by especially when you are the new place in town. Without a clientele already established no one could have succeeded there. Evidently either the franchisee people who advised him were ignorant or were only interested in collected the up front franchise fee. Car-x would never have approved of that location in a million years. May I ask why you want to own your own business and why would it be automotive? By the way, welcome to the forum and good luck. I am not trying to be negative but trying to educate. I am an owner in a successful repair business and have been at it for over 16 years. However, If I went back in time I can honestly tell you that if I had to do it over again I would not do it. The reason is I believe that there are other business that I could have chosen that I would have been more successful with. There have many many days that I absolutely hated what I was doing but felt trapped. Five years in we were losing money and trying to sell the business. However, once I was $700K in debt it was either make this thing work or go bankrupt. I could not just walk away.

Here is a compliation of my existing and other input from Framingham. Any suggestions or input? 3.2 ASSISTANT MANAGER /SERVICE MANAGER JOB DESCRIPTION OBJECTIVE: To assist shop manager in attaining sales goals, profit goals and operational goals. To present a positive image and maintain a professional atmosphere so that all customers are completely satisfied. To maintain shop motivation at consistently high levels. To assist in the operation of the shop with the interests of the shop being paramount. STANDARDS OF PERFORMANCE: Sales Look up and greet all customers promptly and courteously. Incorporate principles of “VALUE SELLING”. Incorporate principles of “OPT. 3. Always give customer the opportunity to say yes. 4. Talk about selling and sales with team members. Develop a good selling atmosphere in your shop. Become the example, DO IT RIGHT. Determine times for repairs / maintenance and allow additional time for up-selling. Use customer history and Technical Service Bulletins to up-sell. Distribute two business cards to all customers. Customer Courtesy Be pleasant and courteous on the telephone. Be yourself. Let the nice person in you out. Maintain an honest, professional, friendly and informative atmosphere while dealing with customers. Always be positive when dealing with customers. Always say “Thank You “. Treat people the same way you like to be treated. Safety Care about your team. Remind them to follow safety policies. Use common sense. If it looks wrong, it is wrong. Think safe. Pay attention around you. Take action if needed. Never drive a customer unless they buckle up. Inform management of possession or use of illegal drugs or alchol by anyone on premise. Shop Presentation Always be clean, shaved, hair combed and neat. Use our “clean as you go” program. Keep work area clean and orderly. Take pride in your shop; lead everyone in making it shine inside and outside. Teach everyone to enjoy the benefits of a clean and organized shop. Reinforce to all team members the proper attitude concerning the appearance of the shop facilities and the customer service area. Make sure all old parts, scraps, nuts and bolts, grease, etc. are picked up after every job. Put together a shop-cleaning schedule with the manager and follow through on it. Supervise a parking lot management plan. Strictly enforce a clean work environment. Inventory Management Lead the shop in keeping the inventory clean and organized. Help check in orders properly. Don’t assume its all there. Lead the shop in putting up orders the first chance you get. Assist manager in keeping track of returns and cores. Assist manager in keeping the proper parts stocked. Assist manager with supply and small parts lists. Profit Management Help team members buy right, not convenient. Treat your inventory like cash, it is! Be pro-active in controlling expenses such as utilities and maintenance. Help write up returns daily. Ensure sublet information (costs) is allocated to repair orders. Verify all times posted on repair order to actual times of technicians. Maintain a shop technician labor efficiency of at least ______. Professional Service Encourage courteous attention at all times. Uphold shop standards of repair. Provide quality workmanship and materials on all vehicles, by demanding attention to the details from the entire team. Maintain high standards of service and operating practices. Maintain fast, professional installation skills for all product lines and help others to learn same. Control the scheduling of work flow. Provide the technician with accurate details of the customer's complaint on the repair orders. Make sure that only needed repairs / services are sold. Inform customers immediately if delays are expected or additional repairs / services are needed. “Manage Business While Walking Around” and verify that work-in-process is being performed as expected and customer promised time is being met. Complete a walk-around inspection on all customer vehicles. Tools/Equipment -- Ensure proper tool and equipment care and maintenance. Inform management of all areas of concern included needed equipment or tools or needed equipment service. Training Assist in training new team members on company practices and installation skills for all service lines. Participate in personal training as required. Communication and Teamwork Talk to your shop manager, he will help. Talk to your team members, they will respond. Help your fellow technicians any way you can. Help your manager any way that you can. Leadership -- Always remember that your behaviors will set examples by which people learn. Your effectiveness with your staff depends on whether you walk your talk. Make sure you follow what you preach and keep rules the same for everyone including your superiors. Don’t be a “do as I say, not as I do“ leader. Never accept your own excuses. Never accept your team members excuses. Use your own ideas, try them, fix them, perfect them and share them. Follow company guidelines, seek changes where needed and continue to follow until changed. GENERAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: Arrive at the shop at least 15 minutes prior to scheduled start time. Maintain less than 1% customer complaints. Acknowledge and rectify customer complaints. Attend all company meetings. Answer telephones courteously in a timely manner when other personnel cannot take the call. Maintain a valid state driver’s license ( where employed ). Limit cell Phone use during work hours. GENERAL REQUIREMENTS: Possess a high school diploma or equivalent training in field. Formal service advisor experience or training or willing to attend training. Assume management responsibilities. Be neat and clean in appearance. Be detail oriented. Be a problem solver. Be reliable. Perform with minimal supervision. Like dealing with the public. Speak fluent English. Read English language and write neatly. Possess good telephone skills. Possess a mechanical knowledge of an automobile. Develop exceptional verbal and written communication skills. Be upbeat and enthusiastic. Possess good manners.. Work under stressful situations without losing control. Possess general computer skills and willing to learn garage management systems. Be able to listen attentively to customer complaints. Be able to lift 60 pounds. The above areas of your job description are a guide. Never use them as an excuse for not doing something, it won’t be accepted. Look for a reason to do something. This is an aggressive company, if you are not self-motivated you will be left behind. The only limits to your success are the ones you make! You can lead team members to do things they didn’t think they could. If you don’t think your team members are following you, it may be because you are not leading them

Welcome to the forum. You have an excellent publication.

Same to you Joe and to all of the members of the forum.

My two youngest grandchildren: Grayson Jones and Ezra May. They are 7 weeks difference in age and best buds. The shorter one is definitely the leader.

What better cause for the holidays.

90% of all vibration is either tires or wheels. People don't believe you sometimes because they have "new" tires. They don't understand that "new" tires does not always mean no vibration issues.

It was my privilege to meet Ben Davis from Davis Auto Repair and Performance in Woodstock, Georgia today and to see his shop. He has a nice large shop and several classics in various states of repair. He started this thread and is the third participant I have met in person but hopefully not the last.

We had a guy once who complained about a vibration in his BMW when he went over 85 mph. We advised him to drive under 85.

Yes thanks for the post. I am going to work on those to fit my needs over the next few days. I may post what I come up with.

O'Reilly is a better partner to the DIFM then Advance is in my opinion. If it happens it means we are down to three big players. This is exactly what I expected would happen.

I think that is smart. If you have enough traffic why do them. If you don't have enough traffic then do them.

We just had a Chevrolet Tahoe with the cooling fans not shutting off which was caused by water getting into the PCM and PCM Connector plug.

Maybe you can post the audio version on here so we can hear it or we can have Carolinahigear or Chuy Reyna sing it for us?

Why as a one man shop would you do cheap oil changes? The best thing I ever did was get rid of cheap oil changes. Our base oil change price is $32.95. 26 years and you have the same price. That doesn't sound logical.

This year we will also be closed on Saturday after Christmas.

Good to have you!

Merry Christmas Gonzo! You have provided good information and plenty of entertainment to all of us this year! Thank you my friend!

I would appreciate see any job descriptions that anyone has for Service Writer and Service Manager. I am doing a revision.

I would appreciate see any job descriptions that anyone has for Service Writer and Service Manager. I am doing a revision.

Great post! Things begin to change when we work on the business's not in the business.

Jeff, the problem with one man shops is that so many operators do not charge enough and they become trapped in working too many hours and making no more money than they could working for someone else. Add in the fact that it is hard to take vacations or if you break a leg as you did it is very difficult to stay in business and it is a very tough gig. However, it can be done. I know a guy who has been a one man shop for close to 30 years and he has done very well. However, he was never super cheap. I use to have a one man environmental consulting/contracting business cleaning up special and hazardous waste. In those days I had to spend all day either marketing, selling, or doing field work and then I spent all night report writing and paying bills. Fortunately that only lasted about 6 months and I made my first hire. However, it would be very exhausting to follow that type of schedule for more than a few months. A one man shop needs to be selective about the projects they take and what they charge.

Another book I value is Integrity Selling for the 21st Century: How to Sell the Way People Want to Buy.

That is too funny and I have days I do the same thing!

Good idea. We had a car come in once with an exhaust rattle. What we found was a flashlight sitting on top of the catalytic converter. It was distorted from the heat but not melted to the converter. It couldn't fall off but it could bounce around. Strangest exhaust repair I ever had.