I can't tell you how many times I'm on a call with a shop owner and they say: "I'm drowning. I think I need to hire another tech." And 10 minutes later we realize: Another tech won't fix it. It'll magnify it. Here's what usually happens on those calls. Owner says: "We're booked out two weeks. Cars stacked up. I need another tech." I ask: "How often do your techs wait on approvals? Parts? Dispatch?" Long pause. "Honestly… a lot." "Cool. Then the problem isn't production. It's feeding production." Here's the hard truth nobody wants to hear: When cars are backed up, it's usually NOT because you need more production. It's because: → Work isn't approved fast enough → Parts aren't sourced fast enough → Jobs aren't dispatched fast enough → Tech questions don't get answered fast enough → Cars and keys aren't moved fast enough The real constraint is front-of-house throughput. Hiring a tech first often makes the problem worse—because you're adding horsepower to a system that can't feed it. Let me twist the knife a little more: Every minute a tech waits is a minute you paid for nothing. When techs stand around, owners blame techs… but the shop is usually choking them. Hiring another tech doesn't fix starvation. It just adds another mouth to feed. Your techs aren't the bottleneck. Your front counter is. THE 30-MINUTE BOTTLENECK AUDIT Stop guessing. Measure it for one day. Here's how: Step 1: For one full day, track every time a tech is stopped for a non-wrench reason: Waiting on parts Waiting on approvals Waiting on dispatch/next car Waiting on answers Keys/vehicle movement Step 2: Put a clipboard at the counter. Every time it happens: hash mark. Step 3: At close, answer: What stopped tech momentum most often? What one role or process change removes that stoppage? Step 4: Implement ONE change for 7 days, then re-tally. This isn't theory. This is data. Data kills drama. COPY THIS SCORECARD TECH STOPPAGE SCORECARD (1 day) Waiting on parts: ___

Last week I was on an onboarding call with a husband and wife team who've owned their shop since 2009. They started as a "one-man operation". He was the tech, the advisor, the janitor, the everything. She eventually came in to help. They grew from that one-bay shop to five bays, three techs, two general service guys, and a couple service advisors. They had a record year. They're investing in systems. They're working with a coach. They're doing all the right things. And they're stuck. Not stuck because of car count. Not stuck because of marketing. Not stuck because they don't know what they need to do. Stuck because they have a service advisor who's been there about two months… and he's on his phone constantly. He's not doing what he needs to do. He asked their OTHER service advisor to help him update his resume. He knows the writing is on the wall. They know they need to replace him. And they're paralyzed. Here's what she said: "I think you hit the nail on the head, and that's what the problem is. I mean, we just... I don't want to have that conversation." And him: "I don't like to micromanage. I'm easygoing. If you had talked to me 10 years ago, it'd be a totally different story. I mean, 10 years ago I was standing in the whole building by myself." They've grown. They've softened. They've built an amazing family culture they're proud of. And now they don't know how to have the hard conversation that protects that culture. Sound familiar? HERE'S WHERE MOST SHOP OWNERS GET STUCK They know WHAT needs to happen but they don't have the WORDS. They don't have a script that lets them be direct without being cruel. Firm without being a dictator. Honest without burning the relationship. So they wait. They hope things will change. They settle for a warm body because "at least they can answer the phone." And they leave money on the table with every ticket. This is exactly why I built Jason Thompson. Jason Thompson is a custom GPT trained on 7+ years of real conversations with service advisors. Not generic business advice. Not ChatGPT hallucinations about "synergy" and "leveraging opportunities."

Give yourself some credit. Every comeback you ate the cost on because it was the right thing to do. Every Friday night you stayed late because the customer needed their car for the weekend. Every tech who walked out and left you scrambling. Every estimate that got shopped. Every "I'll think about it" that never called back. You're still here. Here's what nobody tells you about running a shop: Those aren't failures...they're reps. They're training. Every hard conversation with a tech who wasn't pulling their weight. Every time you had to figure out how to make payroll when the money ran out before the month did. Every moment you wondered if you were cut out for this. That's not evidence you're falling behind. That's evidence you're being forged. Brick by brick, bay by bay, you're building a version of yourself that doesn't break. So before you lock up tonight—stop. Look around at what you've built. You're not behind. You're becoming. Have a great weekend.

Most shop owners treat hiring like a separate problem. They've got their customer experience dialed in. Reviews are solid. Retention is good. But when it comes to finding techs or front-of-house people? Total chaos. Different energy. Different systems. Different level of care. Technician Find community member @Gary Pontious Jr with Toledo Tire & Auto Care doesn't operate that way. He just got featured in Auto Service Leader magazine for his customer experience—greeting people by name from the doormat, a decade-long tradition of thank-you chocolates paired with review requests. Small details. Big impact. But here's what the magazine didn't cover... That same obsessive attention to detail? It spills directly into his hiring process. His name came up in our team meeting this week. We were talking about clients who have their hiring process truly dialed in—organized, efficient, zero drama. Gary was at the top of that list. Turns out, the shop that sweats the small stuff for customers also sweats the small stuff for candidates and employees. Funny how that works. [Read the full write-up here] If you've ever wondered what separates shops that attract and retain talent from shops that struggle to keep the lights on... this is a clue.

I was asked recently by a podcast host what technicians should look for when searching for a shop. I answered off the cuff with what I've seen over the years that separates the shops that really take care of their employees from those who don't. I thought it was a pretty good answer in the moment but the question nagged at me long after the interview. So I teamed up with my buddy ChatGPT and ran some prompts to find out what the common threads are between the shops we've worked with that hire faster and retain longer. Then I compiled them together into a checklist for technicians (see below). How does your shop stak up with my list? Am I on the mark or totally off-base? Would love to get your feedback. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ Technician's Checklist for Identifying a Good Auto Repair Shop to Work For: 1. Company Culture & Values - Prioritizes culture-fit when hiring. - Demonstrates clear mission and core values emphasizing integrity, communication, and teamwork. - Environment encourages positive attitude, open communication, and mutual support. 2. Leadership & Management - Owner or management has direct industry experience as technicians. - Management maintains an open-door policy for employees. - Regular, structured feedback meetings between management and employees (e.g., quarterly goals meetings, daily huddles and 1-on-1's). 3. Work Environment - Well-equipped, Modern facilities with necessary diagnostic tools and equipment. - Access to comprehensive resources, including tools, laptops/tablets, diagnostic software, and digital inspection processes. - Shop promotes efficiency and organized workflow to minimize downtime and maximize earning potential. 4. Training & Development - Strong emphasis on ongoing training and professional development (ASE certifications encouraged and incentivized). - Clearly defined apprenticeship or mentorship programs. - Opportunities to attend industry-specific training courses and certifications, often employer-paid.