Scott Alexander

Joe and XRac, Thanks for the feedback. I have not found a place yet, but I have befriended a local shop owner to get an inside view of the operation. From a business model perspective it's not much different than anything else - get profitable customers, control costs, keep enough cash to weather the down times, and have outstanding employees. That last part is what scares me and is what I have observed as a big problem in my friends shop. In my earlier venture I made the mistake of expecting my employees to be as excited as I was about my company. I couldn't depend on anyone. I'm starting to think that doing something like this absentee will almost be impossible. I think I can put the systems and procedures in place to keep my thumb on the business remotely, but having a strong manager that I can trust and depend on will be the undoing of the entire operation. On the other side, though, I probably wouldn't be a very good manager as I have very high expectations and very low tolerance for B.S. and laziness, which appears to be a problem for all shop owners. Any ideas on finding this key person? Thanks again for your input, Scott

First of all, hello to everyone. I just found this site and am glad I did. It has answered many questions, and of course, created new ones. I'd like to hear some feedback on my plans. Any input or advice is greatly appreciated. I'm a management consultant, an entrepreneur, and have 20 years experience in technology and business strategy. I have a masters degree as well. As a result of all of this...I AM BURNED OUT! Make great money, but can't see myself doing it beyond 5 more years. I'm mechanically inclined (used to build and race cars). I'm considering buying a small auto repair shop as an investment. My plan is to be an "absentee owner", but handle all of the business sides of things (accounting, marketing, etc). This means I will depend on a shop manager to run the day-to-day shop operations. My biggest concern is having the right people. Frankly, this scares the hell out of me. In my current job I have many smart and educated people working for me......yet I can't depend on them. Is the thought of doing what I'm describing nuts? I have no desire to want to work "in" the business. In fact, I can't because I have a 50 hour per week job already. Is it realistic to find a dependable shop manager that can run things without me? What do I need to look for? How do you find, hire, and retain these guys? I appreciate any advice you have. Thanks, Scott