Zappos does something most shop owners would call insane. During onboarding, they offer new employees up to $4,000 to walk away. No hard feelings. Just take the cash and leave. Their thinking? If someone takes the money, they were never committed anyway. Better to find out in week two than month six when they've poisoned your shop culture and you've wasted thousands on training. Here's what got me thinking... Most of you already have 90-day probationary periods. You're already doing the "trial" part. But what if you added a financial incentive for the uncommitted to self-select out? And there's another angle here that's unique to our industry: The toolbox. Some shops pay to move a tech's box in. What if you also committed to paying to move it out—no questions asked—if either party decides it's not a fit during that first 90 days? Think about it: A tech's toolbox can cost $500-$1,500 to move. That's real money. But what's the cost of a bad hire who sticks around because leaving feels too expensive? I genuinely don't know if this would work in our world. That's why I'm asking. Three questions for the group: 1. Would offering a "quit bonus" during probation attract better candidates (who see it as confidence) or worse ones (who see it as an easy payday)? 2. If you guaranteed to pay a tech's toolbox in AND out during the first 90 days, would that make you more attractive to committed A-players... or just make it easier for flakes to bounce? 3. What's the REAL cost of a wrong hire who stays too long versus one who leaves too soon? 👇Drop your take below. I want the honest answers, not the polite ones.

A thriving shop isn't held together by perks, posters, or promises. It's built by how your people experience the work—every single day. And when that experience is magnetic? You don't just keep people. You attract more of the right ones. Here are 3 ways to make your culture something people can feel: 1. Translate values into visible behavior. Mission statements don't create loyalty. Actions do. If "Never Settle" is on your wall but not in your workflows, it's just decoration. 👉 Try This: Pick ONE core value. Ask yourself: "What does this actually look like at 2pm on a Tuesday?" Then make that behavior the standard. 2. Make recognition part of the rhythm. When people feel seen, they stay. And appreciation is contagious—once it starts, it spreads. 👉 Try This: Start every Daily Huddle with 90 seconds of peer shoutouts. Rotate who leads it. Watch what happens when recognition becomes expected, not exceptional. 3. Keep the feedback loop open—always. Great environments evolve with input. If you're not asking regularly, you're missing the early signals of disengagement. 👉 Try This: Add a quick monthly pulse check (3 questions max). Include one prompt: "What's one thing that would improve your day-to-day?" Then actually act on what you hear. 🔧 Resource: I built a custom GPT that generates a shop's Mission, Vision & Values statement in minutes. Makes this stuff drop-dead simple to implement. [Link in comments] What's ONE thing you're doing right now to make your culture felt—not just stated? Drop it below. 👇

You've heard me say that retention isn't pizza parties. It's a system. And I'm about to give you a reminder about the simplest one that exists. THE STORY Here's how you lose a good tech: First, they stop suggesting improvements. Then they stop laughing. Then they stop caring. Then you get the text: "Hey, got an offer. Putting in my two weeks." And you're standing there thinking, "Where the hell did that come from?" It didn't come from nowhere. It came from 60 days of silence you didn't notice. See, techs don't wake up and quit. They drift. Slowly. Quietly. And by the time you see it, they've already mentally checked out. The dealer didn't steal them with money. They left because something was grinding on them every single day—and nobody asked about it. THE LESSON I've watched owners try everything: - "We bought the team lunch!" - "We gave a small raise!" - "We posted something motivational on the wall of the break room, above the doorway of the shop and even in the bathroom!" None of that fixes the thing that's actually driving them nuts every day. Here's what does: The Stay Interview. It's not complicated. It's not HR nonsense. It's 10 minutes, once a month, with one rule: You're not allowed to defend yourself. Only listen and fix. Here's the exact script— THE FOUR QUESTIONS 1. "What part of your day is harder than it needs to be?" 2. "What's one thing in this shop that wastes your time every week?" 3. "If you ran this place for a day, what would you change first?" 4. "What would make you excited to still be here a year from now?" THEN YOU ASK THE MONEY QUESTION "If I fix ONE thing from that list in the next 7 days, what should it be?" And here's the part that makes or breaks this whole thing: You actually fix it. Not 12 things. One thing. In 7 days. And you tell the team you fixed it because your tech brought it up. Follow-through is louder than any speech you'll ever give. THE ACTION Here's your challenge for this week:

Yesterday I heard a story from a client that I had to share. Mike, a shop owner from Dallas called his business coach in a panic. "I just found out through the grapevine that THREE of my best techs are looking at other shops," he said. "One already has an offer. I had no idea they were unhappy." Sound familiar? Here's the kicker: All three techs had been with Mike for 5+ years. They weren't leaving for money. They were leaving because of something Mike never saw coming - they felt invisible. One tech later told him: "You talk to me when something's broken or when I mess up. But you never ask how I'm doing or what would make my job better." Ouch. LESSON: Mike learned something that changed everything: Exit interviews are autopsies. By then, your tech is already gone. What he needed were "Stay Interviews" - proactive, 10-minute weekly conversations that catch problems while you can still fix them. Here's the exact system Mike implemented (that kept all 3 techs from leaving): The Monday Morning Stay Interview Process Step 1: The 3-Question Check-In (5 minutes) Every Monday, Mike asks each of his top techs: 1. "What's one thing that went well for you last week?" 2. "What's one frustration you're dealing with right now?" 3. "If you could change one thing about your job this week, what would it be?" Step 2: The Early Warning Scorecard (2 minutes) Mike tracks these 5 flight-risk indicators weekly: - Energy level (1-10) - Tool/equipment complaints - Customer and team interactions and overall mood - Initiative on jobs (taking on challenges vs. bare minimum) - Water cooler talk (engaged vs. withdrawn) Any score dropping 2+ points = immediate deeper conversation Step 3: The Fix-It Promise (3 minutes) Mike commits to addressing ONE issue each week - even small ones. - Week 1: Fixed the shop fan that had been broken for 6 months - Week 2: Changed the parts ordering process that was driving everyone crazy - Week 3: Started rotating who gets the gravy jobs

My new mechanic just moved in his tools. Chris, your help and insights really improved my recruiting and ad. I really got a lot out of your instructions and Office Hours presentations. Thank you! John - Big Dog Fleet Services