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Thanks for the offer. Looks like she is on the opposite side of town from you about 19 miles away.

By the way is this a very good question.

Joe is spot on when he says....... Success is based upon the right systems, right processes, and right people period.

I like the look of your website. My main suggestion would be to either go with a bigger font or heavier type font. My eyes aren't what they once were and I found the small print a little hard to read. By the way my youngest daughter has just moved to Actworth which looks to be pretty close to you.

I started a new franchise with no experience, no customer base, no employees, no building, and no background in automotives. We bought the property, built the building, bought all the equipment, all the inventory, and hired all the employees and all with BORROWED MONEY . I had guidance and training from the franchisor but nothing great. It took us about 5 years to get established and we are now 15 years into the project. We haven't done bad in that I have earned a living but it has been much harder than I imagined. I would be in better shape if I had had better business guidance. I probably could have made more money pursuing some other interests that I have. You need to have guidance from someone who is successful and knows what they are doing. You must have a good POS system with good financial control. I do not think we would have survived and finally succeeded if we hadn't had literally the best location in our town.

Will Bolt on Technology ever do a shop management program?

Mike, I am in an almost identical situation shop size wise. My plan is to scale back to only working two days per week on site only as relief help. I am working on systems and procedure. It is a challenging undertaking that I want to implement in 3-4 years if not sooner.

We should send all the crazies and problems to Gonzo that way he won't run out of writing material.

Yes! Master Tech moving into the area from Texas. Fired dealer experience. He was a total flop. I let him go after 4 weeks.

I tried using them early on but found that I did not get enough bad checks to justify the cost.

Here is another young hero. Watch this video then stop all excuses and go do what you need to do.

What a story book ending for Jeter at Yankee Stadium: two hits, three RBIs, one run score. He hit the game winner a walk away single.

Joe, you have been doing excellent writing of late.

Jeter is a first ballot Hall of Famer and rightly so. It is hard to find a REPLACEMENT FOR SOMEONE LIKE HIM.

Congratulations to Wes Daniel who opened his new shop in August in Atlanta. Wes is one of the two forum members that I have had the privilege of meeting in person. He has taken an old building and did a beautiful renovation, has picked out a great name, and has now been opem for about 6 weeks. I wish him the best and great success. http://www.anthemauto.com/#!photos/c1vew http://www.anthemauto.com/

Autozone can sell the cheap part with a lifetime warranty. However, if you have to replace it three times in the first year how cheap is it? A lot of consumers just don't get it. They tell me that they can get a water pump with a lifetime warranty for $30 so why do they want me to sell them a water pump for $60? They don't realize that the installation will take 2 1/2 hours if one knows what they are doing and probably 4-5 hours if you do not. By saving that $30 they give up any warranty except for the $30 part. The chances of the cheapest they can buy water pump out of Mexico are pretty good. Besides my water pump is going to be better quality (I hope). Most of ours come from NAPA.

I agree! It is always easier to get forgiveness than it is to get permission.

The customer has a junk insurance company.

Omnique is cloud based.

Just got a call from a girl who said that since we did an alignment she has a shaking when she brakes and it wasn't there before.

And oh the smell from some cars. It makes you want to take a bath after you pull it in.

Locally the USPS has their own service repair shop. They hire towing companies to tow in vehicles from distant locations and work on them here in town. Sounds about like the government. Paying towing companies to truck in vehicles from 75 miles away. It cannot make financial sense.

I own my parts washer and buy the mineral spirits with a higher flashpoint in a 55 gallon drum. A drum will last about 2-3 years. Because of the higher flashpoint it is not considered to be a hazardous waste. When it is dirty we change it ourselves and mix it in with our used oil and sell it for about $1.00 a gallon. We can do this because it is not a hazardous waste and the BTU value is higher than the used oil so the end user likes it as well. Having worked In the environmental consulting world for ten years I know better than to deal with Safety Kleen. Safety Kleen has always been a premium priced option for small shops.

Great summation.

Joe has hit another home run in the September issue. This is a truly great column with great writing. http://www.ratchetandwrench.com/RatchetWrench/September-2014/Never-Lose-Sight-of-What-You-Stand-For/