Tekmetrics' business model of listening to customers' needs and implementing new systems makes them super shop-friendly. Start using them at your shop today HERE

Turnkey Marketing has made my life SOOO much simpler, AND they've helped keep the phone ringing. Do you need these two things too? Learn more HERE

Register for Elite Worldwide's Ignite 2026 Conference January 30-31 - Remember to use this code: CONFESSIONS

Register for Tekmetric's Tektonic Conference in Huston coming up in 2026 HERE

Rick White is the founder of 180Biz, and he hates people who do free diag. So.....this is awkward now...Today, Mike learns more about Rick and his coaching philosophies only then to stir the pot and bring up everything he opposes Rick on. What do you think? Is free diag a smart marketing move, or a decision only idiots make?

Timestamps:
00:00 – Welcome Rick White to the Show - Now Let's Fight!
06:10 – Why Men Struggle with Feelings (and How That Shapes Shop Leadership)
10:00 – Building a Coaching Empire: Rick White’s Approach to Scaling and Staying Grounded
17:45 – How to Interview a Coach (and Why Some Clients Get Fired)
24:12 – One Size Doesn’t Fit All: Franchise Model vs. Tailored Shop Coaching
29:40 – Private Equity in the Auto Industry: Boon or Bust?
35:18 – Passing the Shop to the Next Generation: Equity Equivalence & Creative Solutions
41:55 – “You Do You”: Why There Are Many Ways to Run a Successful Shop
45:03 – The Real Cost of Free Diag: Metrics, Marketing, and Moneyball Tactics
57:10 – Coaching Confessions: Ego, Impact, and the Danger of Explosive Growth
1:07:50 – Final Thoughts: What Matters Most for Shop Owners Right Now

My marketing before and after signing up with Turnkey Marketing is pretty scary. In a good way. Get your marketing right today HERE

Tekmetric opened my eyes to just how much a good SMS will do for a shop. Their software is top of the line, and with them, so is my shop. Try them for yourself HERE

I was SHOCKED when I saw the things I was missing the first time I used Detect Auto. Simple things, but easy to miss. Detect Auto helped clean that up for me, and they can for you, too. Use them HERE

Register for Tekmetric's Tektonic Conference in Huston coming up in 2026 HERE

In this episode, Mike Allen, Bryan Pollock, and Braxton Critcher look back on a year of "Confessions of a Shop Owner". They play back the top moments on the podcast in 2025, and each give their most embarrassing confession thus far. Oh, what a year it has been, and oh, what a year 2026 is setting up to be. Remember, this is the last episode that Mike is current ASTA President...this is about to get good...Finally.

Timestamps:
00:00 – Intro: The Year of "Edit That Out" (But Did We?)
01:12 – Amateur Podcast Setups & Tech Fails
03:12 – 65+ Episodes Later: What Did We Even Do?!
04:30 – Are We the Best Automotive Podcast in the Galaxy?
05:10 – Going Viral: Social Media Buzz & Darren’s Big Weekend
08:07 – Most Memorable Guest: Darren Barney Shares a Vulnerable Story
12:16 – The "16-Foot Trailer" Incident with Zeb Beard
17:00 – When Guest Rage Turns the Podcast Upside Down – David Roman Goes OFF!
22:00 – Saturday Shop: Do Employees Actually Want to Work Weekends?
24:36 – The Great Staffing Challenge & "Short Term Gain, Long Term Pain"
27:47 – Our Most Embarrassing Tech Confessions & Social Media Mishaps
32:43 – Confession Time: When Braxton Lost All the Podcast Files
33:43 – Misspelling Sponsor Names… and the Tattoo Bet is On!
35:01 – Who’s REALLY The Fastest Driver in the Crew?
39:09 – The All-Time Most Embarrassing Shop Owner Confession
43:20 – The Viral Aftermath & Listener Group Chat Chaos
48:30 – Hospitality Suite Stories: Couch Shopping & More Debauchery
50:00 – The Greatest Hot Mic Moment That Will Never Air
52:37 – Looking Ahead: What’s Next for Confessions in 2026?
54:24 – Favorite Moments & Listener Shout-Outs
56:06 – Parting Thoughts & Why We Love This Podcast

Register for Tekmetric's Tektonic Conference in Huston coming up in 2026 HERE

Turnkey Marketing takes the stress of doing something I'm not good at off my plate. And gives it to someone who is. Click HERE for more.

Register for Elite Worldwide's Ignite 2026 Conference January 30-31 - Remember to use this code: CONFESSIONS

In this special Christmas Coaching Call, Mike Allen and Matt Lofton talk about goal setting for the New Year. They did into the details of how to properly project technician hour capacity and slow and busy seasons. They also discuss the importance of a strategic marketing budget, saying that marketing should generate opportunity—not just sales—and how matching tactics to team strengths is crucial for success.

Timestamps:
00:00 Farmer Analogy for Shop Owners: Understanding Harvest Seasons
00:20 Why Bad October & August Can Sink Your Year
01:00 Navigating Health Insurance Options for Your Team
03:05 Payroll Mistakes = Free Health Insurance?!
04:20 Christmas Episode Intro & Why Shop Goal Setting Matters
05:19 Goal Setting Philosophy: The “Elite Pro Service” Approach
06:53 Grounding Goals in Math, Not Hope
07:54 Calculating Real Shop Capacity with Tech Hours
09:01 Factoring Satellite Locations into Your Planning
10:02 Breaking Down Staff Roles & Realistic Productivity
13:01 Training & Growing Technician Skillsets
15:00 Risks & Rewards of Upskilling Your GS
18:24 Effective Labor Rate & Parts-to-Labor Ratio Explained
20:15 The Monthly Capacity Game & Avoiding Average Traps
26:36 Why August & October Are Your Make-or-Break Months
28:02 Adapting Your Monthly Goals to Holidays & Vacation
29:02 Getting Your Team Singing from the Same Goal Sheet
30:00 Coaching Your Team: The Basketball Analogy
32:09 Communicating Daily Goals for Technicians & Advisors
36:59 Tracking Approvals, Car Count, and Setting Realistic Targets
40:29 Translating Manager Math into Daily Team Wins
42:38 Setting Your Marketing Budget (3-5% or Up to 10%?)
44:08 Google Ads vs. Direct Mail: What Works for New Shops?
47:30 The Myth of Bad Customers—Fixing the Real Problems
54:21 Community Events, Brand Building, and Consistency
55:36 Wrapping Up: Getting Linked Up With Elite & Your Shop’s Growth
55:37 Christmas Family Fun Gone Wrong! Elf on the Shelf Stories

If you're like me and aren't good at marketing, don't do it on your own. Let the experts handle it. Touch HERE for more on Turnkey Marketing.

Tekmetric transformed my shop. Plain and simple. Want that for yours? Touch HERE

There are a lot of moving parts in a repair shop, opening the door to missing things. Don't let that happen to you. Learn more about Detect Auto

Register for Tekmetric's Tektonic Conference in Huston coming up in 2026 HERE

Aniz Lavji owns a shop in Canada, and met Mike Allen at ASTA 2025. It was in Raleigh where Aniz thought his life was in danger because of Mike and his ESO Miata. They relive that story on today's episode. Turns out, Aniz might be turning into an ESO himself. The guys also talk tires, and why many shops miss opportunities by not doing tires right.

Timestamps:
00:00 – Tire Hustles & Leveraging Trades: How Aniz Lavji turned tires into rare Lego sets
05:34 – Earning the "evil shop owner badge" – disposing tires, creative deals, and industry banter
07:16 – Embarrassing moments: Shop meetings gone awry and podcast stories spilled to the family
11:35 – Why tire storage is big business in Canada (and how Aniz Lavji manages hundreds of sets)
16:31 – Shop equipment talk: Hunter vs. Coats vs. Corgi, and keeping employees happy with cool machines
25:31 – Family business backstory: Dial Attire, Waterloo, and how Aniz Lavji gets mom & dad on vacation
31:09 – Big conferences, industry networking, and why ASTA Expo matters
41:12 – ADHD, podcast behind-the-scenes, and dealing with "wasted time"
53:03 – Used tires vs. new tires: How the tire business evolved
56:01 – Offshore tire brands, hilarious mascots, and challenges selling "Triangle" tires
1:02:38 – Why Teslas flood Aniz Lavji's shop — EV referrals, repairs, and donut diplomacy
1:07:15 – Saturday madness: Shop emergencies, wild tire stories, and customer demands
1:13:32 – Building relationships with vendors and parts suppliers
1:22:01 – Wrapping up with the worst American cars ever made and naming mishaps

Tekmetrics' business model of listening to customers' needs and implementing new systems makes them super shop-friendly. Start using them at your shop today HERE

Turnkey Marketing has made my life SOOO much simpler, AND they've helped keep the phone ringing. Do you need these two things too? Learn more HERE

Register for Elite Worldwide's Ignite 2026 Conference January 30-31 - Remember to use this code: CONFESSIONS

Register for Tekmetric's Tektonic Conference in Huston coming up in 2026 HERE

Uwe Kleinschmidt is the Founder of AutoTech IQ, and today shares stories of growing up in East Germany. He also brings up how service advisors need to utilize AI to improve their technical expertise and lean into their people skills. He and Mike also talk about the importance of customer education, and Uwe explains how empowering customers with clear information leads to higher approval rates and better shop retention.

Timestamps:
00:00 Uwe Helped Bring Down the Berlin Wall?

04:14 Mike Doesn't Listen to Podcasts Anymore

08:01 Reality Behind the Facade

11:55 Dual Citizenship Made Easier

16:35 "AI Dependency Dumbs Down Skills"

20:06 DVI's Potential in Customer Education

24:39 "Educating on Filter Cleanliness"

25:42 "Empowering Autonomous Decision-Making"

31:06 "Improved Workflow for Service Shop"

35:20 "We Are the Problem"

36:01 Building Trust with New Customers

42:01 Empowering Motorists Boosts Approvals

43:35 "Text-Only Customer Communication"

49:24 "Inspection Process Explanation"

My marketing before and after signing up with Turnkey Marketing is pretty scary. In a good way. Get your marketing right today HERE

Tekmetric opened my eyes to just how much a good SMS will do for a shop. Their software is top of the line, and with them, so is my shop. Try them for yourself HERE

I was SHOCKED when I saw the things I was missing the first time I used Detect Auto. Simple things, but easy to miss. Detect Auto helped clean that up for me, and they can for you, too. Use them HERE

Register for Tekmetric's Tektonic Conference in Huston coming up in 2026 HERE

In this episode, Mike learns that fish hung on a wall are just plastic. He, John Firm, Michael Guenther, and Jeff Compton also get into some ESO talk, free Diag, and if free oil changes are ruining this industry. They also share firsthand experiences managing small-town customer relationships, including the challenges of offering credit and dealing with overdue invoices.

Timestamps:
00:00 Mounted Fish Aren't Real??

09:51 Rising Star in Auto Industry

14:46 "Efficiency Concerns with Machine"

17:28 "Free Car Diagnostics Explained"

22:42 "The Cost of Your Dream Car"

28:44 "Oil Change Pricing Dilemma"

32:02 "Fish of a Thousand Casts"

42:31 "Local Store Credit System"

47:44 Customer Loss After Payment Struggle

50:06 "Bronx Tale $10 Lesson"

55:37 Fishing Etiquette at Docks

Register for Tekmetric's Tektonic Conference in Huston coming up in 2026 HERE

Turnkey Marketing takes the stress of doing something I'm not good at off my plate. And gives it to someone who is. Click HERE for more.

Register for Elite Worldwide's Ignite 2026 Conference January 30-31 - Remember to use this code: CONFESSIONS

In this episode, Mike Allen confesses to Matt Lofton that he thinks his customers aren't finding the value in using his repair shop. Matt says that value is defined by what customers are actually willing to pay for, reminding listeners that shop processes only matter if clients perceive them as worthwhile. They also talk about employee retention, noting how turnover can set a business back and why keeping the right team in place should be a top priority.

Timestamps:
00:00 Mike's Vegas Wardrobe Malfunction

10:36 "Retention and Sustained Growth Focus"

13:29 Client Service & Repair Strategy

19:19 Team Process and Standards Updates

23:07 "Pricing Concerns and Reputation"

33:35 Labor Rate Adjustment Explained

34:56 Employee Feedback Reflects Trust

43:39 Front Counter Compensation Debate

47:50 "Defining Value Beyond Features"

52:05 "Handling Customer Objections Effectively"

59:06 "Discussing Brake Replacement Concerns"

01:01:59 Pricing Strategy and Break-Even Analysis

If you're like me and aren't good at marketing, don't do it on your own. Let the experts handle it. Touch HERE for more on Turnkey Marketing.

Tekmetric transformed my shop. Plain and simple. Want that for yours? Touch HERE

There are a lot of moving parts in a repair shop, opening the door to missing things. Don't let that happen to you. Learn more about Detect Auto

Register for Tekmetric's Tektonic Conference in Huston coming up in 2026 HERE

Chris Enright owns Enright Automotive in Alexandria, Ohio and has one of the biggest industry followings on social media. Jeff Compton from the Jaded Mechanic also sits in for Bryan Pollock. Today, they get into the importance of communication among techs, advisors, and owners to avoid costly mistakes and improve efficiency. Chris brings up how techs shouldn't have to pay for their own tools and gives advice on how to by affordable tools, especially for techs just starting out.

Timestamps:
00:00 French Drivers vs Retired People from Florida

06:24 Navigating SEMA and AAPEX

15:33 "Industry Issues Stem from Communication"

19:41 "Know Your Rights as Technician"

24:43 "Tool Industry Perspectives Divide"

28:22 Technician-Owned Tools Debate

32:43 OEM Tools and Tool Truck

36:59 "First Encounter with Electric Tools"

46:29 Labor vs Parts in Modern Cars

51:10 "It's Not an Issue Until Issues"

55:08 Money Motivation vs Quality Talent

01:01:43 "Success by Getting Outself's Way"

01:04:36 "Challenges Keeping Up with Cars"

01:12:13 Brake Job: Rotors and Pads Together

01:14:59 "Defending Ethical Repair Practices"