Joe Marconi

Wow! How times have changed!

The more we learn about Sears, the more we understand how out of touch this company was.

Below is an article I wrote found in the recent Ratchet and Wrench Magazine. Read it, I am sure all shop owners will relate. www.ratchetandwrench.com/articles/12124-marconi-shop-owners-what-keeps-you-up-at-night Marconi: Shop Owners, What Keeps You Up at Night? Joe Marconi January 28, 2022 It’s 6:15pm, Friday night. As you lock the door to your shop, you reflect on the week and happy that it has come to an end. The events of the past few days consume your mind: Employee issues, expenses going up, and every other detail about running your business. You get into your car, turn on the radio, take a breath to relax, put the car in drive, and you begin your ride home. All is good. Or is it? While you may have locked the door to your shop, you haven’t locked out all the emotions and issues that are still stirring around in your brain. A few hours later, it’s time for bed, you’re tire and your body needs sleep, but that becomes an issue too. The hours pass and now it’s the middle of the night and you find yourself staring at the ceiling. Sound familiar? You’re not alone. Only a shop owner knows how it feels to be a shop owner. The challenges and struggles of running a business are ongoing, even after years of working on the business to get every detail dialed in just the way you want it. This can lead to a condition that plagues many shop owners; the dreaded 2:00am unplanned wakeup call. There are many reasons why shop owners have a tough time sleeping. Worry about their business, the feelings of being responsible for so many people’s lives, the second-guessing yourself if you made all the right decisions, and perhaps the most harmful of all are the “What-ifs.” What if Larry, my manager, leaves? What if my lead technician decides to quit? What if we don’t hit our sales goal? All these what-ifs increases brain activity, and while you are desperately in need of sleep, your conscience mind is in high gear, wondering and worrying, sometimes until the sun comes up. I know it’s aggravating, and while I don’t wish it on you, not being able to sleep at times means you care. As business owners, you are committed and responsible for not only the success of your business, but for the success of others around you. The worry and fear that things make go sideways at any time can haunt you. So, your brain continues to review and relive all conditions and situations that have occurred and wonder about the things you think may occur. Your body gets stuck in fight or flight mode, a natural human response to perceived or real threats. This condition overcomes you and prevents you from getting a good night's sleep. What do we do about this condition? First, we need to recognize it as part of who we are and then identify the reasons why we can’t shut off our brains. It usually boils down to issues and problems we feel we are not in control of. For example, you feel something isn’t right with your staff. You feel there’s a morale issue. Then the thought of losing employees enters your mind, and that scares the hell out of you. The best way to approach this fear, and any fear, is to confront the issue head on and do something about it. Make it a top priority to sit down with your employees. Find out if your fears are true, and if so, deal with them head on. Getting employees engaged and improving morale will and calm down your fears of people leaving you. However, you should also consider a recruiting plan, to build a pipeline of potential future employees. The point here is to be proactive with any issue that’s bothering you and not sit on your hands hoping and praying that things don’t go downhill. There will always be challenges in business. Have faith that you can overcome those challenges. Build a company with a strong culture and with great people around you. Also, learn to rely on your employees to take some of the load off of your back. I know you feel that it’s your shop and that the buck stops with you, but trust me, your employees want to help, and they can help. One last word, make sure you have clearly defined goals. Goals give you purpose, a clear direction, and provides a sense of accomplishment for you and your team when they are reached. This will go a long way in keeping you in a positive mindset, which will help with getting a good night’s sleep. Tonight, when you mind begins to shift to business issues, remind yourself that this is a normal reaction. However, it’s also important to be thankful for all the good in your life. It’s far better to focus on positive thoughts about family, friends, and accomplishments. Remember, your business should never consume your life, your business should enrich your life. Now get some sleep!

I do hear that a lot, about morale and team building.

Great comment! Call tracking can literally be a goldmine. Thanks for the post!

More shop owners are crunching the numbers and realizing that in order to thrive, it will come with the right labor rate, and labor dollars. I too have seen shop owners more concerned with labor margins, than part margins. This is a step in the right direction, in my opinion, especially when so many jobs today require little to no parts, such as complex electrical problems and computer-related issues. I also agree that with increased labor rates, shops can pay their techs better, and in fact, all employees.

Continuous training is one of the keys to success in any profession. Everyone needs to grow, whether they are business owners or employees. It's too bad that you had a few bad experiences with training, but I guess there is good and bad in everything.

Ha! Love it!

Take a look at the Forgetting Curve chart below. Does anyone need a better argument for continuous training?

Amen. A shop should always base their prices on what they need to earn a profit, never the shop down the street. I guess it's nice to know what other shops are doing, but in the end, you need to know the numbers of YOUR business, then set your prices accordingly.

I really do believe this type of advertising/marketing promotes overall value. You mention transparency, that too has value to the customer. We did something very similar, using a company call True Video. The tech would make a quick video of the inspection, which was sent to the customer showing any needed work and why. In my opinion, anything that engages the customers and moves their mind away from price is a win.

Great advise! I agree, you need to perform your due dillegence, and also speak to the right professionals. Put the plan on paper, it becomes real at that point.

I have seen this before, and yes, let this be a lesson for all!

Shop Owners, do you have an apprenticeship program at your shop? If not, why not? With so many shops looking for techs these days, perhaps one of the best ways is to grow your own. On of the best programs out there is the NAPA Apprenticeship Program. https://member.napaautocare.com/getmedia/3f59adca-04c7-4be1-9f79-c551a25f0065/1-AutoCare-Apprentice-Program-Handbooks.pdf?ext=.pdf I know, I know, you may have immediate needs for a tech, I get that. But if we all start today to hire an apprentice, we are building for the future. And with the right program, you can get a tech up to speed in a lot less time than you think. Plus, how long have you been looking for that tech you need? I would like to hear from shop that have an apprenticeship program, and how it's working for them.

Yes, Agee. As a landlord, it's your responsibility to qualify the tenant. Plus, never assume that the tenant will take care of the building and property the way they should and obligated to do as per their lease agreement. Trust But Verify!

You just outlined the secret to great customer service! With this stratgey, which really isn't a strategy, it's just be a good human being, you will also remove price from the customer's mind. Value up, sales are made, and the price fades from the customer's mind. Great stuff!

The past few years have been like a wild roller-coaster ride. What was normal in 2019 no longer holds true today. And while many of have a hard time sitting down and writing out of goals, I feel that now more than ever, shop owners need to plan out their future with clearly defined written goals. This is especially true for shop owners who plan to be in business beyond 2030. What are your business goals? Improve your existing shop? More locations? What plans do you have for your personal life? How much longer do you plan on working in the business?

Wow! BBB complaint, not good!

More words of Wisdom! Your story is common with so many shop owners. The thing that other shop owners should take notice to is that you realized when it was time to exit and you did something about it, and that you built a business worth selling. As I tell ALL shop owners, "You are never too young to plan your exit stratgey, and build your business as if you are going to sell it tomorrow." Thanks for sharing! Great information!

No matter where go, there is a common theme. It seems that every shop owner is looking to hire a technician. So, I thought that a poll would be a benefit to all of us, and plus get a gauge on where our members are at with regard to hiring. Please take the Poll so we can all share and learn.

You gave lot of great advise. I am sure the readers will benefit from it. Owning the real estate does put you in a better position and with more options, especially when retiring. If buying the property at the shop is not possible, then investing in other real estate properties should be considered. Again, great story, great advise.

Strongly agree!!!

Sometimes out of Crisis comes Clarity. I think that is what is happening now. The build up of the tech shortage, low wages, low shop owner profit, and rising expenses has come to a point of crisis for so many shop owners. But, for it's worth, lessons have been learned and it reflected in so many shop owners increasing their labor rates. I would urge all shop owners on this forum to spread the word and give other shop owners that you know, the confidence that they can have a labor rate that is in line with what they need to earn a living, pay competitive wages and turn a profit.

Only? I would say you did good! And luck is when preparation meets opportunity. So, you need to give yourself some of the credit too.

My approach was similar. If I made a presentation to a customer, they needed it. And for my long time loyal customers, once you will build that trust it's really a matter of "telling" and not so much "selling" And what a great argument about discounting to new customers!