This email came in a couple of days ago from one of our shop owner clients... "I had a very good tech stop by yesterday. He read the ad and stopped in." Most shops are losing great techs because their ads read like a DMV form. Meanwhile, there are great technicians driving past your shop every day, but they never have a good reason to walk through your door. Here's what works: ✓ Write ads that speak human, not corporate ✓ Make it easy to apply ANY way that is convenient for them (text, call, or walk-in) ✓ When someone drops off a resume? Don't let them leave. 💡 Pro move: The moment they hand you that resume, say: "Got 15 minutes? Let's grab a coffee and chat right now." Build rapport immediately. The best techs have options—don't drop the ball and let them get sweet-talked by another shop. Your next A-player might walk in tomorrow (if you invite them). Will you be ready?"

Most shop owners are accidentally sabotaging their own hiring efforts—and they don't even know it. One of the things I like to do when I talk to a shop owner for the first time about hiring is to ask them what they've done in the past that didn't work. I also like to ask what worked for them in the past but that's a topic for another post. I just reviewed 62 of my initial conversations with shop owners over the past 3 months where we discussed their failed technician searches, and here's what shocked me: Every. Single. One. Failed because of outdated beliefs about hiring—not because of a "technician shortage." The brutal truth? The shops struggling to hire are playing by 1995 rules in a 2025 market. Here are the 5 hiring myths that are costing you time, money, and great technicians: Myth #1: "Good fit = one perfect interview" Reality: Top techs often test poorly in interviews but excel on the floor. Skills testing reveals truth that interviews hide. Have you ever hired someone who could talk a good game but when you got them in the shop their hands didn't fit the wrenches? Myth #2: "I need an exact clone of me" Reality: Your next A-player probably works differently than you. Complementary skills > carbon copies. Myth #3: "More applicants = better hiring" Reality: Quality beats quantity. One strategic hire beats 50 mediocre ones. Focus on what you say in your ads to attract the right candidates. It's important to 'prime the pump' with a solid flow of applications coming in but after that, it's all about narrowing down your candidates to the solid performers who are a good skill and culture fit. Myth #4: "I'll wait for the perfect tech I don't have to train" Reality: Hire for attitude, train for skill. You can't train ambition, attitude or aptitude. I get it, sometimes you just need someone who can come in, hit the ground running and produce. Just remember, while you're waiting for unicorns, your competition is stealing all of the coachable techs. Myth #5: "Job boards are enough" Reality: The best techs aren't actively looking. Selective, targeted recruiting that markets your shop outside of the job boards beats passive posting every time.

Just read Chris Jones' latest piece in Ratchet+Wrench, and the numbers stopped me cold. Two-thirds of shop owners worked as technicians before taking the leap. Another 38% were managers. 24% were service advisors. Think about that for a second. The majority of successful shop owners didn't start at the top. They started under the hood, behind the counter, or managing the chaos of daily operations. Which means that ambitious tech or advisor you're struggling to hire? They're not just looking for a job. They could be looking for what YOU found—a path to something bigger. Here's what most shop owners miss when writing job posts: Top talent isn't motivated by hourly rates alone. They're motivated by possibility. When you were a tech, what made you dream of ownership? Probably watching your boss make decisions, seeing the business side, understanding how the numbers worked. Your next A-player wants the same glimpse behind the curtain. Instead of posting another "Experienced Tech Wanted" ad, try this: "Seeking Lead Technician interested in learning the business side. This role includes monthly P&L reviews, customer service training, and direct mentorship on shop operations. Clear advancement path to management and potential partnership opportunities for the right candidate." See the difference? You're not selling a job. You're selling a future. P.S. Huge props to Chris Jones at Ratchet+Wrench for surfacing this data. The full breakdown is worth your time—it includes insights on porter-to-owner paths (6%) and those who started with zero industry experience (17%). Wild stuff. Link to the full article: Numbers: The Path to Shop Ownership What path did YOU take to ownership? Drop it in the comments—your story might inspire someone else's journey.👇

You might already be breaking the law! One of the members in a business mastermind I'm in posted a video that you have to see. Starting September 1st, Texas classifies ALL business texts as telemarketing. That means $10,000+ in fines if you text during "curfew hours" or skip the new state registration. One wrong text = massive penalties. Watch this 4-minute emergency briefing → Get the exact compliance checklist, registration steps, and done-for-you SOP before Texas enforcement starts hunting violators. Don't let a text message torpedo your shop. Here's the video link: Texas Just Changed SMS Rules and It’s Wild! — Here's what you need to know

Guess who I ran into yesterday during my quick trip to Denver? It was our August leaderboard champ David Laird! We had a delicious breakfast and talked about all of the new ways shops are increasing car counts and keeping productive technicians happy and fed with work. Stay tuned for my upcoming interview with David where he will share the cutting edge strategies that are working right now to keep shops busy with high-quality work. Big congrats to our other community rockstars Rob Morrison and Craig Zale who rounded out the top three last month by contributing their deep industry knowledge and wisdom to the community. As usual, I'd like to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who contributed to making the Technician Find Community more valuable and useful to our members by posting in August. Here's how the top 9 finished up: 1️⃣ @David Laird 2️⃣ @Rob Morrison 3️⃣ @Craig Zale 4️⃣ @Brian Nerger 5️⃣ @Eric Beachy 6️⃣ @Stephanie Walsh 7️⃣ @Randy Pickering 8️⃣ @Heather Williams 9️⃣ @Patrick Hynes