Grow, Specialize, or Sell: The New Reality for Collision Shop Owners With Cole Strandberg

In this second episode of The BodyShop Leaders Podcast, host Daniel Burkholder sits down with Cole Strandberg, Managing Director at Focus Investment Banking and host of The Collision Vision Podcast, to unpack one of the most important conversations in the collision repair industry right now — how to grow, specialize, or sell in a changing market.

Cole has spent years helping shop owners and multi-shop operators navigate major transitions — from mergers and acquisitions to scaling responsibly and building lasting value. Through his work at Focus and his podcast, he’s had a front-row seat to what separates the best operators from the rest.

In this conversation, Daniel and Cole dive into:

• Why the “era of the single-store generalist” is coming to an end
• How high-performing operators turn short-term challenges into long-term opportunities
• What visionary leaders are doing differently to scale or specialize
• The key leadership habits shared by the best-run shops in the country
• What’s really happening in M&A and why private equity interest is surging
• How culture and people remain the ultimate competitive advantage

Cole also shares his advice for shop owners leading through change: how to decide when to grow, when to specialize, and when it might be time to sell — and why access to capital should never be the reason you stop expanding.

Listen now to discover how to lead with vision, build a thriving culture, and position your shop for the next era of collision repair.

Connect with Cole Strandberg: [e-mail]

• Focus Investment Banking
• The Collision Vision Podcast on YouTube

The BodyShop Leaders Podcast is powered by BodyShop Marketing, the agency helping collision industry leaders grow smarter and lead stronger.

The BodyShop Leaders Podcast is powered by BodyShop Marketing, the agency helping collision industry leaders grow smarter and lead stronger.