Brooke Guy, a third-generation dealer from Pawleys Island, South Carolina, joins Lou Ramirez and Fred Lynn Arts for a high-energy “5-liner.” She talks about honoring her grandfather’s legacy, staying in automotive through pressure and setbacks, and how her “why” is tied to winning, responsibility, and inspiring her husband. Brooke also credits CrossFit for building relentless mental toughness and community. Mentors like her cousin, her GSM, and Glenn Lundy shape her mindset—especially learning to accept feedback, avoid yes-men, and stay accountable. The episode ends with her reward: personal growth and resilience, plus a faith-driven take on hate and unanswered prayers.
Car Guy Coffee Podcast Presents #5Liner feat. Brooke Guy
Welcome to The #5Liner, the show dedicated to the individual journeys that power the automotive industry. It's not about the company; it's about the individual, their career, mindset, and personal story. In each episode, we sit down with a high-quality selection of Car Guys and Car Gals to get beyond the title and into the hard earned wisdom they've gained. Join us as we uncover the wins, challenges, and #5Liner takeaways that have shaped today’s top talent. In this episode of The Car Guy Coffee Podcast, hosts Lou Ramirez and Fred Lennartz welcome Brooke Guy, a third-generation dealer from Pawleys Island, South Carolina, to share her journey in the family dealership. Brooke explains her “why” as a drive to win, faith, honoring her grandfather’s legacy, and pushing the store to the next level, and describes how she stayed in automotive through early reluctance, travel opportunities, and overcoming the challenges of finance.
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Solutionaries and if you want to consume more brews or want more information about how to
build your brand on our podcast and want to see how you can sponsor the brew, go to CarGuyCoffee.com."
This is the name of the company sponsoring the podcast episode. It’s basically an ad/supporter, not a car part or car model.
“Certified Solutionaries” is mentioned as the sponsor bringing the brew to listeners. Sponsorships like this are common in podcasting and don’t directly relate to specific car tech, but they can indicate the show’s automotive-adjacent partners.
"somebody that i've been watching on tiktok i've been seeing on some of our friend
shows talking about what's great about our industry this is a third generation dealer and i'm excited
to really share her story and really learn more about her"
That phrase means her family has been running car dealerships for a long time—three generations. It usually suggests she knows the business really well from experience.
A “third generation dealer” refers to someone whose family has been in the dealership business across three generations. In automotive, that often implies deep local relationships, long-term experience with sales/service operations, and institutional knowledge about how the business works.
"we are always excited to be able
to bring it into the culture somebody that we would consider a pickle baller right and pickle
ballers find each other in this industry we absolutely love it"
They’re jokingly calling her a “pickleball” player. It’s just a fun way to say she’s involved in another hobby/community too.
“Pickle baller” is a playful reference to someone who plays pickleball. The hosts use it to describe the guest as active in a community outside of cars, while still being connected to the automotive industry.
"...and really being an example of what it's like to be a true car sales pro in this industry today and really show people what's happening behind the scenes..."
A “car sales pro” is just someone who’s really good at helping people buy cars. They know how to talk to customers, answer questions, and guide the sale to the finish.
The term “car sales pro” refers to someone who’s highly skilled at selling vehicles—knowing how to guide customers, handle objections, and close deals. In the context of this episode, it’s being used to highlight Brook’s experience and credibility in the dealership world.
"...so my name is brook and i get to be a part of my family third generation car dealership here in polys Island South Carolina..."
This means Brook’s family has owned or run the dealership for a long time—so it’s been in the family for multiple generations. That can help because they know the business and the community really well.
A “third generation car dealership” means the dealership business has been passed down through multiple generations of the same family. This often implies long-term local relationships, institutional knowledge, and a strong understanding of how the dealership operates over time.
"...it's when you want to carry on a legacy and add on to that legacy and create your own..."
They’re talking about keeping the business in the family and building on what the previous generation started. It’s about trust and continuity, not just making sales today.
The episode emphasizes “legacy” and “family involved,” framing the dealership as a long-term family enterprise rather than a short-term venture. For listeners, this highlights how dealership culture and customer trust can be built over decades.
"...i'm sure there's all kinds of different stories about people who walk on your lots and all kinds of stuff..."
A “car lot” is where a dealership keeps and shows the cars for sale. Customers can come by and look at vehicles there.
“Car lots” refers to the dealership or inventory area where vehicles are displayed for sale. It’s a key part of how retail car sales operate, including customer walk-ins, inventory turnover, and sales processes.
"...he was like hey if you do this you can travel the world brook and i was like oh travel i love travel so that's why i like i did the sales thing i went to finance..."
“Sales thing” refers to dealership sales roles, where you help customers choose vehicles and manage the sales process. It’s a common entry point into automotive careers because it builds customer-facing skills and product knowledge.
"...so that's why i like i did the sales thing i went to finance and when i went to finance i was in an ad academy and that's when all of my traveling started..."
“Finance” in a dealership context usually means arranging customer payments—often through auto loans and sometimes add-on products. It’s a key part of how dealerships structure deals and can be a major career track separate from sales.
"...my now gsm ben he helped me throughout my whole career helped train me helped me get to the next level..."
GSM is a dealership job title—usually the General Sales Manager. They help run the sales team and make sure the store hits its sales goals.
GSM usually means “General Sales Manager” in dealership roles. It’s a leadership position responsible for overseeing the sales department’s performance, coaching, and process.
"...that's literally what our store is we're in such a small town but we're right outside outside of myrtle beach so it's like why not us..."
The speaker notes their store is in a small town near Myrtle Beach, which affects customer base and competition. Small-market dealerships often rely more heavily on marketing and online reach to expand sales volume.
"...okay we could become a 500 car a month store thousand cars or what's stopping us like the internet can make anything happen..."
“500 car a month” is a dealership sales-volume target, used to talk about scaling a store’s throughput. It’s a business metric that reflects inventory turnover, staffing, and marketing effectiveness.
"...okay we could become a 500 car a month store thousand cars or what's stopping us like the internet can make anything happen..."
They’re imagining selling up to about a thousand cars per month. That’s an extremely high-volume dealership goal that would require a lot of marketing and organization.
“Thousand cars” continues the dealership scaling idea—pushing from hundreds of units per month toward very high volume. In practice, reaching that level usually requires strong lead generation, inventory management, and sales process discipline.
"...like the internet can make anything happen so why not us and that's been like the goal is just taking that number up over time..."
This is about using online channels to drive demand and reach customers beyond a small local market. For dealerships, the “internet” typically includes search, social media, listing sites, and online lead generation.
"now that I'm here being the GM dealer principal like people a lot of people rely on me man"
They’re talking about dealership leadership roles. A GM typically manages the daily operations, while the dealer principal is the top person who’s ultimately responsible for the dealership.
The speaker says they’re a “GM” and also references the “dealer principal.” In dealership operations, a GM (general manager) runs day-to-day activities, while the dealer principal is the top executive/owner-level decision maker.
"that's huge too right dealerships provide I think what is it like the third biggest provider of jobs in their local communities so those are those are huge things"
They’re saying car dealerships employ a lot of people locally. So they’re important to the community’s economy, not just car sales.
The speaker notes that dealerships are major local employers, describing them as a leading source of jobs in their communities. This frames dealerships as more than retail businesses—they’re part of local economic infrastructure.
"[1607.2s] have every single opportunity whether it's a customer that's getting something fixed getting
[1612.4s] something replaced getting something sold to them they're trading something in all of these
[1617.0s] different opportunities are winning those relationships inside of your community but
[1621.1s] also winning the relationship with people"
It means you bring your current car to the dealer and they count it toward the price of the next one. The dealer gives you a value for your car, which changes what you pay overall.
“Trading something in” is the dealership process of taking your current vehicle as part of the deal toward a new purchase. It typically involves trade-in value negotiation and can affect the final out-the-door price.
"[1639.6s] dad man I know that we would get along greatly because there is a measure of did you gotta earn
[1645.9s] it right I have two grown daughters as well that whether it's hey you're gonna have to figure out
[1651.4s] how to handle this to no I'll be here but go ahead and change the tire you got this you can do it
[1657.0s] show yourself that you can do this"
It means swapping a flat tire for the spare tire. You use a jack to lift the car and a tool to loosen the wheel bolts, then put the spare on.
“Change the tire” refers to the roadside process of swapping a flat tire for a spare (usually using a jack and lug wrench). It’s a basic but important skill because it directly affects whether you can safely get back on the road.
"...when my fni guys are struggling and they have had 10 cash deals back to back I'm like I know what that feels like..."
A “cash deal” is when someone buys the car by paying all or most of the price upfront, instead of taking out a loan. Dealerships track these because they change how sales and money flow.
“Cash deals” refers to customers paying for a vehicle with cash rather than financing through a loan. In dealership terms, cash deals can affect sales volume, commission structure, and how stressful the sales cycle feels.
"...especially if somebody who's on the showroom floor with her and you work with her..."
The “showroom floor” is where the cars are on display and where salespeople talk to customers. It’s basically the busiest customer-facing part of the dealership.
The “showroom floor” is the main sales area where vehicles are displayed and salespeople interact with customers. It’s a key part of dealership operations because it’s where leads turn into test drives and sales.
"you found mentors you found people who really told you how it really was and you need that you went out you got educated"
A mentor is someone more experienced who helps you learn. They can show you the real way things work so you don’t have to figure everything out alone.
Mentors are experienced people who guide someone’s career development. The guest credits mentors for learning “how it really was,” which is especially common in hands-on automotive roles and industry communities.
"you've been able to meet new people being able to network you got to go to cbt news and hang out with jim fits video but big deal right"
Networking just means meeting people and building relationships. In the car world, those connections can help you learn faster and find chances to move up.
Networking is the process of building relationships with people in the industry to learn, find opportunities, and collaborate. In automotive careers, networking often leads to mentorship, introductions, and access to events or communities.
"up to this point with even with your hardest lesson what's been your greatest reward for all the work that you've done so far up to this point in your automotive career there's so many just seeing people grow and thrive"
They’re describing the whole car-world career path, not just one job. Their point is that it pushes people hard, and that pressure can help you grow as a person.
The speaker is talking about the broader automotive industry as a career ecosystem—manufacturers, dealerships, media, and related services. They emphasize that it can be emotionally and professionally challenging, which shapes how people grow in the field.
"the automotive industry has just given me so much to be so resilient like there's i don't think there's any other industry out there that's going to test you more than this industry"
Resilient means you can handle setbacks and keep going. They’re saying the car industry taught them to be tougher emotionally and mentally.
“Resilient” is the idea of bouncing back after setbacks. The guest frames the automotive industry as uniquely demanding, and credits it with building their resilience over time.
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Hello and welcome to the CarGuy Coffee Podcast. This brew has been brought to you by Certified
Solutionaries and if you want to consume more brews or want more information about how to
build your brand on our podcast and want to see how you can sponsor the brew, go to CarGuyCoffee.com.
Let's brew! What's going on car guys and car gals? Welcome to the CarGuy Coffee Podcast. It's
Lou Ramirez and it's Fred Lynn Arts and we are excited to be brewing solutions with you today
wherever it is that you are wherever it is that you are making things better for the automotive
industry that we all love so much thank you so much for tuning in if you're watching this live
fantastic if you're watching this on the replay oh great and if you're listening to this on the
podcast on a drive on a ride or on a run awesome but if you are with us right now in this moment
do us a favor and help us out and tag a car guy and tag a car gal and share share share share share
let's get this out there let's let people know that we have a superstar getting ready to get on
the screen with us somebody that i've been watching on tiktok i've been seeing on some of our friend
shows talking about what's great about our industry this is a third generation dealer and i'm excited
to really share her story and really learn more about her it's going to be a good one lou we already
connected right before the show and it's going to be it's going to be one of those next level
shows you know i'm talking about yeah i'm excited about it because we are always excited to be able
to bring it into the culture somebody that we would consider a pickle baller right and pickle
ballers find each other in this industry we absolutely love it i love that we've been introduced
to the game by a car guy that we honor and revere greatly thank you so much and shout out
john paul goodry down in lafayette louisiana we honor you for introducing us to pickle ball
that we've been sharing all over the place but she is more than just a baller she knows
how to make sure that she picks up the heavy things drops them down not just in business
but also at an actual event where she is competing back and forth with other people folks you already
know the deal you already know that we got to get pumped up and excited for somebody that's not
just going to stretch us mentally not just make us move around a little bit inside of this cafe
but somebody who's also going to push us on a physical level we're excited to welcome to the
car guy coffee podcast for a good cup of car gal coffee help us to make welcome to the show
for the first time on the podcast the one the only brook thank you guys for having me i'm so
excited oh welcome to the party super excited to have you on here you bring energy you bring truth
you bring true stories you you share a lot on social media and we love that and i love seeing
that because i preach that everywhere and lou and i were always inside stores teaching people how to
do this and why to do this but the hardest thing we have when we go in stores is getting leadership
involved and knowing that somebody like you who can who is really coming in and bringing it inside
the leadership bringing it in so many different ways and really being an example of what it's
like to be a true car sales pro in this industry today and really show people what's happening behind
the scenes and i appreciate you for that thank you very much yeah thank you welcome to the party
brook for those that do not know what it is that you're brewing and what you're doing out there
and where you're located we just heard a little snippet of where it is that you are on paradise
and we just want to let people know tell us a little bit about you brook before we get this
five-liner underway yeah so my name is brook and i get to be a part of my family third generation
car dealership here in polys Island South Carolina and if you don't know where that is
it's about 30 minutes south of merrill beach basically we live in paradise our store is two
miles from the ocean exactly i pinned it and it's just the best place ever and i just get the honor
privilege of continuing what my grandfather started in 1980 and my dad had to take over in
10 years after my grandfather passed after 1980 so he's been the main guy and then we've all grown
up into it and now it's me my brother my cousin and we got my cousin's husband in here so we got a
lot of people in the family business and it's just great we love it that's what it's all about
right there when you can get family involved and when they want to be involved more or less
and that's the best part it's when you want to carry on a legacy and add on to that legacy and
create your own and i think you're doing a really great job of that right now and it's really just
begun for you it's still fresh but yet it's been your whole life and that's what's so awesome about
it all and again we can't wait to learn more about this journey thank you for sharing it poly
island folks come on who doesn't want to go there if you've ever heard of this place this is a
vacation destination right and you get to you guys get to run a business own a business be part of
that community there and that's an amazing thing i i'm sure there's all kinds of different stories
about people who walk on your lots and all kinds of stuff from that area not from that area i could
imagine the kind of stuff that goes down at the store so i can't wait to hear more about that as
we go but there's so many things to this folks and there's so many different levels and these five
questions that we digging into are just surface level in a sense but they get deep and a lot of
times when we answer them i can't wait to learn more about that and our very first question is a
pretty big question it's something that i think that a lot of people believe it's where it's all
lab you're supposed to be knowing this about like a billion people what is your why but what gets you
motivated to wake up every day and be the best version of yourself well that's a good question
i just love to win and be successful and i just think that every single day is a blessing i'm a
believer so i think that it's important to not waste your life to make sure you're living it to
your full potential and i say that now because i wasn't doing that for such a long time in my life
and i am young but it's like until i got the car business it really ignited this fire in me to just
keep pushing myself and my wife of course my husband i want to be i want to inspire him i want
to do the best for him we don't have any kids but maybe that'll be in the future but i also want to
honor my grandfather's legacy because what he built was like he was blood sweat and tears
i will never know hopefully what it's like to feel that because of the sacrifice that he made
and then my dad and so it's like i have a duty to honor him because he's not here so i just want
to make him proud and one day when i get to meet him in heaven he'll be like good job you did the
best you did and grew it to a level that i never thought was capable or possible and i just want
in a way to show my dad what we were made for because he's got it to a certain point but i don't
think he realizes hey we can take this to the next level like we can really make it a big thing
wow that's an awesome wine that's a strong that's a huge why and i can i could imagine and there's
pressure on that why but without pressure we don't have diamonds right without pressure we
don't see the greatest things in the world happen and it takes a lot of that to really push yourself
and i love that there is going to be some blood sweat and tears trust me especially when you're
trying to take it to things to the next level when you're trying to push yourself and go harder
it's no different than being inside the gym you're going to fall down sometimes and sometimes the
weights are going to hit you and break a toe right louie we it happens right and stories like that
can happen but at the end of the day you learn something from you get stronger from it even a
broken bone comes together stronger those it starts to form and it becomes something even
better than it was before if you really think of it that way the power of god is important inside
of all this having that belief in honoring that is really huge and i love that's in the core of
everything you just talked about right there it's honor and when it comes to being a solutionary
lou and i believe in honor that's our core value right in the center of a solutionary's honor
so it's awesome that your that was where your heart was at great answer thank you such a strong
answer because there is there's legacy that's involved in it there's like fred said there's
immense pressure that could be put on you but pressure in a good way and some people buckle
in that pressure if we have to be real there's many generations that go on whether it's the
second generation the third generation sometimes even the fourth generation that from what they've
seen of the business that decide i don't want any of that i want to figure out my own path i want
to go my own way and they don't want to really lean into understanding what it takes to push it
to the next level or they've been disenchanted with it just because that's what mom or dad has
laid their life out there for the community and for the business now there's so many different
people that do get it right industry i am so thankful that we get the chance to visit to see
legacy lived out in so many different dealerships all over the country and it is it's a beautiful
thing to see when we do see it but there is this one question that we do have for people that are
in the business but also for people like you that are in a spot where you were born into this right
you were already in the gang before the gang even knew that you were a member of it but we know
that there's something special about it that had to entice you to be able to come in so i guess
inside of this five liner instead of asking what got you into the business what made you want to
stay in this business what made you want to take on that pressure take on that legacy and
grab the torch and continue running with it what kept you in automotive selfishly when i first started
my dad i really didn't want to do this business i'm like i did not want it at all i saw my dad and
doing it and he was never home and all those things i'm like i'll never do that but he bribed me
he was like hey if you do this you can travel the world brook and i was like oh travel i love travel
so that's why i like i did the sales thing i went to finance and when i went to finance i was in
an ad academy and that's when all of my traveling started and i got to meet all these people and
it was just really cool and it was just so much fun to connect with all these people in the industry
and it just made me more excited because i was taking it outside of the store and actually
like pulling ideas and i'm a huge i love getting ideas i love trying to execute those ideas and so
for me it was like mostly about the travel part of staying but then the challenge i will say this
is like the weirdest statement is f and i was the hardest position i mean it was like i was this
close to breaking because it was really tough and i just remember one day i decided i'm not
going to let it break me and then that was what isn't it crazy it's like the things that you think
are going to take you down ultimately end up propelling you to like the next level and then
after that i was like if i could do that i can do the next thing and then i just had that mindset
and it was just all the mindset and then seeing me almost fail like that got me to and i did have
some bad months but i was like i'm not gonna i'm not a quitter like never been never will be like
not gonna do it and so that's ultimately like why i kept going was the travel and just inability
to quit and wanting to see what was i capable of right yeah i love that really awesome that's
awesome on so many different levels and interestingly enough that is the truth when it comes to the
challenge that comes before us the biggest competitor to us sometimes within ourselves
or in a field or in a ring or wherever it is that we find that challenge that's the thing
that either is going to make us buckle or it's going to make us actually step up and gain those
muscles now you're no stranger to doing some of the hard things that get you some muscle there's
so much that goes into living a crossfit type of lifestyle we absolutely love seeing some of those
videos that you do have out there seeing how it is that you push yourself on a physical level
just adding a little extra shot inside of this what is it that keeps you moving so forward heavily
into fighting for your best fitness life well i would say i don't know i was not a fitness person
really i did it in college to keep the pounds down from all the beer i was drinking but then
afterwards i was like i was bored like i moved home and all your friends are gone because i'm
from this town and so i was like i need friends and one of my or my cousin he was dating his
now wife at the time and she was doing crossfit and he was like why don't we go do this together
so i was selling cars i was waking up at five in the morning and i was going to crossfit
because i was alone and i was like i wanted community and my mom i remember was like who
are you who is this person because i would not wake up i would wake up last minute on the weekends
i sleep until 10 a.m like that was who i was i did not do anything and so it was just crazy because
i didn't really thought i was going to be that way but now after doing it it's that consistency
it's like i could not see myself not doing it and if i skip like one day i'm like uh my husband's
like it's okay to chill like you need to actually chill good advice you're gonna push yourself too
hard and i'm like no i gotta sweat i gotta do something i gotta do it but it's just when you
go in the morning and you work out and you die on that floor you know you can do anything else if
a customer comes in and they're pissed off no problem i just literally rode for 10 minutes and died
so you can't hurt me i've already hurt myself today so it's just it's the mindset and it doesn't
hurt to look good either you know when you feel good in your own skin because i for so many years
i did it it changes your mindset you feel better about yourself and then you're gonna do better
and look at all the most successful people like they're all in shape like why because it works it
builds this relentless just tough mindset and rewinding like back in high school i did golf
and that wasn't really like super athletic but it was very mental and so that kind of second
for me in the crossfit space because cross is very mental very many times where i want to
quit and be like i'm just gonna do four rounds instead of five rounds sometimes i think you have
to be mental to be crossfit that's so it's not just mental but you have to be mental and that's
you know i love that and that's such a great i love what you just poured out to everybody right
there i hope you guys all hide your cup ready to get some of this because that was a great brew
a very special brew there because it's the truth like you literally have to be that dedicated but
when you are you find something deeper in you it's yeah you feel good you look good and when
you look good you work good and you make a lot of money you're helping more people you're being
something that people are inspired by when they see it when they look at you even they're like oh
i want to go that direction as a leader it's important that we have those traits it's important
that we show that we're willing to go extra and also know that we are the fact that you do it
mentally you're like yeah i know i can do it i could i love that you said i already i've already
killed myself today i'm here to try to come kill me it's already too easy yeah that's a great way
to think about that i never i've never used that analogy before i'm going to steal that from you
that's really awesome but along the way you've been pushed you've had coaches you you have a
father a grandfather you have a mother you have brothers you have you have a husband you have so
many great people in your life you're looking for community along the way i know you've had some
mentors i know you've had some people that have helped you get to the next level who would you say
have has been your greatest or maybe who have been some of your best mentors that you've had
up to this part of your life so my cousin has been a great mentor to me because he was the single
person who got me out of my complaining negative mindset and we were both there together we would
go literally we were selling cars we would leave the store for over an hour which is so dumb
and we would go any of this mexican restaurant and complain about our lives and complain about
everything and we're like typical salespeople but he went to a card event and he brought it back
and he was like you need to read this stuff bro and i was like okay cool and that was really what
like sparked me to be like oh there's so much more to this and i don't want to be a typical dealer
kid like i want to build something for myself and obviously cardone is like crazy with his mindset
and so it just opened me up to this whole new level of thinking so he's been a huge mentor for me
my now gsm ben he helped me throughout my whole career helped train me helped me get to the next
level is one of those people who will tell me if he disagrees with me which like the challenge with
my job is everybody wants to be a yes man with me and there's very few people who will truly
tell me the truth and those are the people in your life that you want to keep around because
they they matter because we can't all agree on everything all the time i'm gonna be wrong i'm
gonna i'm gonna make mistakes i'm not perfect so it's like you got to surround yourself with people
who are willing to check you and make sure that you're going in the right direction based off of
what you want in life and then glenn londi's been someone who recently in the past few years has
really poured into me helped me like even see outside further because like i've been involved
in some 20 groups and i have some guys in there who i really lean on but any kind of 20 group
still has some of the people who think the same way and all that stuff so glenn just takes it to
the next level as far as oh wow like the thing that he did with the day and come in store that's
literally what our store is we're in such a small town but we're right outside outside of myrtle beach
so it's like why not us and that was the first time i really started thinking about
the big picture okay we could become a 500 car a month store thousand cars or what's stopping us
like the internet can make anything happen so why not us and that's been like the goal is just
taking that number up over time and you just have to surround yourself with people who think
bigger than you because being in this small town man people are coming here to retire they're just
that's what they're here to do and there's nothing wrong with that like one day i want to do that and
kick up my feet i won't be doing absolutely nothing but you if you're only surrounding yourself by
these people who are here to just chill you're going to get in that coasting mindset and i've
been there plenty of times and it's just not who i am i'm not built for that i'm built for more
and i when you have people pouring into you who see your potential it changes things
see your see maybe your bs or see you being less than what they know you could be it's so awesome
that you did describe it that way because having mentors in your life isn't just because you want
to be able to have somebody to follow you need somebody to help you find your path and keep you
on it and not get too impressed with you sometimes we do in this industry depending on the role we
get depending there was an entire season many car guys and car gals thought they invented this business
after covid and grosses were high money was being made training wasn't happening all these other
things were occurring and somebody had to be able to tell them is it really your greatness
is it a whole lot of demand for what it is that you just so happen to have and i think it we were
due for some of the maybe what we would call the bit of the easy street the easy way to be
able to make gross get ahead and actually start selling cars again once everybody started getting
but the mentors are critical in our lives absolutely you being able to have family
you being able to have people that are keeping you accountable just like inside of a prospect
community it is critical for those of you that are listening those of you that are watching
your communities are so very important what it is that keeps you healthy and you contributing
to where it is that you get to lead or you get to follow is very important but the people that are
inside of your prospect community they probably honor what it is that you do where it is that you
get to contribute to the community but at the end of the day it's hey you got a few more reps to do
but that's a no rep hold on a second you need to catch up no you didn't are exit all of these
different things that it's like it takes your role and it throws it out and it gets to say hey
you're just like all of us and sometimes when you do have so many yes men and yes women in your
corner it is hard for you to get the real answers especially when you're trying to find truth you're
trying to find you're trying to find resistance and if there's anything that we do know especially
inside of growing our bodies you need to have that resistance in order to actually grow and it's
awesome when we do have those people in our life that we know are telling us maybe sometimes what
we don't want to hear in order to help us become who it is that we're meant to become and the love
love love that you have these mentors inside your life and shout out to our brother Glenn
Lundy that's right so honored to be teamed up with in so many different ways he's been a mentor to us
and also a partner we've helped many other stores that he's worked with go to the next level as well
and we're so thankful for what we're contributing to the industry together because it's people like
Glenn and many others out there uncle G they continue their mindset and say remove the excuse
yeah no doubt and it's all that stuff it's so important that we have people like that in our
lives and I love that I love that you love that somebody can just tell you how it is you gotta
have friends like that peers people that we work with I really believe that who we surround
ourselves with is what's gonna make all the difference in our lives people that we actually
take the advice from having a yes all the time is difficult and I love because you mentioned it
earlier you talked about being able to travel and go to these different events being even the
NADA academy going to dealer school there learning other people and seeing where they're at what their
markets look like hearing oh yes we are doing it the same but also oh that's interesting I never
thought of it this way being able to have that is huge when we get stuck in silos when we get stuck in
oh this is the only way it's done is when we start to fall apart you have to be innovative and you
have to constantly be looking for ways to adapt and I'm glad that you're finding those ways to
people and Glenn is a great example of that I love that Glenn is a good friend of ours I'll
shout out to Glenn Lundy shout out to Katie Lamp here for throwing her two cents in here a second
ago challenging conversations help us grow collaborating with different and fresh perspectives
keeps us growing that's right Katie shout out to her she's doing some stuff down south too we're
going to be down there MC and her event for the veterans and trying to get people to be more aware
about what's happening automotive and getting more veterans into this industry Lou and I are both
military veterans and we definitely honor that and Katie you are too and we appreciate you
she's Navy I'm their force and we got the Army over here with Lou so nice shout out shout out
shout out so thank you gets us moving and grooving and I appreciate that answer and I appreciate the
love and then Ray Kopley what's up brother yes it is the motto forget focus fly and keep growing
brother keep growing we're definitely going to give Brooke an opportunity to stretch on those moves
and we got a little bit more questions to ask because having these mentors in our life are
critical especially when we run into those moments in our life where we have to really
bite the bullet we have to sometimes eat crow sometimes we got to clean the egg off of our
face depending on what situations happen inside of our life Jim Fitzpatrick is in the building
we're excited that you're here too brother CBT news know you're with your studios
just a little here they see you appreciate you as always good to you at anything you honor so
greatly thank you Jim oh real quick I got to say Jim Fitzpatrick can dance I saw this guy getting
down at the party and I didn't know he had moves like that I was like oh man new respect level
for you Jim love you brother good senior he can get down I'm talking for real get down get down
okay okay I like to see that it's the truth I'm not even I was blown away I'm not even I'm not
flexing him too hard it's truth he did I guarantee he'll say yeah I would say shh
don't tell him about the moves I'm sure that he likes to just pull those out sometimes and
have everybody be like what let's go Jim thank you love it love it love it because we're always
down to get on the dance floor without everybody with that even on the dance floor had a lot of
hard lessons that we had to learn but for you brook inside of your path inside of your career
and these days that led up to even right now into what it is that you're doing and where it is that
you're forecasting the future what would you say has been the hardest lesson you've had to learn
up until now oh gosh I've learned a lot of lessons I pretty much grew up here because
I just I was very immature when I first started just wasn't very responsible there are a lot of
things I had to learn like I was saying my GS and Ben he really mentored me and helped me to grow
up in this business and learn to become the person I am today because yes I did the work but it was
like helping me realize like my faults and the things that I really needed to improve on I've
learned tons and tons of lessons but I'd say like the biggest lesson learned is just being a responsible
person and doing what you say you're gonna do and just following through with people being someone
people can rely on and trust because there were times when I was on the sales floor I wouldn't
see something through he'd have to call me out on it and that is so embarrassing because it's yeah
you're the dealer kid but he didn't care and that was seriously like the best person to have
because if he let me be who I was there's no way I'd be in this position there's just no way
like I would be this spoiled kid who just didn't appreciate things and didn't have to actually
work for it and I will say for my dad like he made me work for it he forced me to go through every
position and then I would not let myself leave that position until I felt like I'd conquered it
so those are the things that like I don't think a lot of people unfortunately do today like I know
people in the industry who have family owned businesses and they seriously do pay people
and to keep them out of the store like that's terrible but my dad I respect him so much because
he will not have anyone here who's not put in the work he just won't and that's something that's
great because it just makes it easier for all of us and all that but yeah like back to your question
about the biggest lesson learned is just being someone to like people can rely on because now
that I'm here being the GM dealer principal like people a lot of people rely on me man I've got a
lot of people who are counting on me to win that's a big thing that you have to learn in an early
stage and it's a big pressure too it's not easy running a company making sure we're making money
so people can go home to their families and provide for their families and then provide
for our community that's huge too right dealerships provide I think what is it like the third biggest
provider of jobs in their local communities so those are those are huge things and I'm just
grateful for the hard journey that it took for me to get to where I am it wasn't super easy or
anything and honestly the hardest I've had to work in my life I'm excited to work even harder to get
to the next level that's inspiring that's inspiring especially like you said a lot of people are
depending on you to win and it's really your winning is doing all the things that it takes to
help make sure that they're winning that they find the win that the community finds the win
it's not just winning the customer at the moment it's winning the day it's doing the best that we
have every single opportunity whether it's a customer that's getting something fixed getting
something replaced getting something sold to them they're trading something in all of these
different opportunities are winning those relationships inside of your community but
also winning the relationship with people and that is such a great challenge to have especially
for somebody like you who does come from an opportunity that many people just don't get
that chance like you would have it right to be able to inherit this opportunity and shout out to your
dad man I know that we would get along greatly because there is a measure of did you gotta earn
it right I have two grown daughters as well that whether it's hey you're gonna have to figure out
how to handle this to no I'll be here but go ahead and change the tire you got this you can do it
show yourself that you can do this and the confidence that you have after then being able to do like
you said conquer all of these positions makes you immovable when it comes time to actually
lead and that's the type of stuff that people want to follow not just somebody that says yes
I'm the edge of this position do as I say but no I commanded in your position and I'm gonna help
you do the same nobody wants to hear how great I did things when I was in your shoes yeah no one
cares they do want to hear is how I can help you be great at what it is that you're doing
and you having that capability is something that's very special yeah and it just helps you lead
people because my dad I like I said I really struggled in finance like really struggled like
I was probably the worst person we ever had in finance okay but I ended up being the best person
ever had in finance at the time and it was like he's like I think it was my cousin or my aunt or
someone told me this they're like bro you don't have to be in finance to be the best you have to
do it to get to one day when you're a dealer you can relate to that person in that chair
and when they told me that was like the pressure was off because it was like okay because I am I
don't know if y'all are enneagram people but I am an enneagram three I am a achiever everything I
base my life on is achievement and which is tough sometimes when you fail because yes failing is
required to get to the next level but for a long time in that maturity phase it was like I've just
felt so defeated and now I just recognize that like failing is just part of the journey and it's
how you achieve and get to the next level but that was really a tough thing for me to move forward
with but now like when my fni guys are struggling and they have had 10 cash deals back to back I'm
like I know what that feels like I know so it just makes it a lot more relatable it does
and respectable and that's the thing like I Lou and I prior to military I know that he feels the
same way when we had officers that were a lot of times they were actually enlisted before they
came in through the regular ranks and then became officers we had a little bit different respect for
them they had a little different respect for us too and that's the point it's a two-way street
here like we could look at you okay you've been in our seats so you get it you can relate so you
know where I'm at so what you're asking me isn't out of bounds because you would know if it was or
not and it's that's where that's important and the same thing I could look up to somebody like you
and be like oh you've been here before oh my god I'm so glad you have you relate I'm going to help
you even more now right then it's big it's a team thing and it's massive that you see that and that
you've been able to develop that but what I love which is what you said something earlier that kind
of relates with all that it's when you talked about and I can't remember yes his name right now
but I remember you saying it's the fact that he can tell you when you're not when something he
doesn't agree with I want all you all and especially if somebody who's on the showroom floor with her
and you work with her and you've worked with her you know this to not be afraid to let her know
it's don't go in this you suck that's not the point I have a different idea I have a different
perspective Brooke would you care to hear it I think you'd be blown away by what that would do
for you for all of you all just because somebody has numbers a perspective doesn't mean we're always
going to take it and do it right we're all going to acknowledge it and probably be like yes actually
a great idea that's something we could do in the future right now we're going to stick with the
game plan but thank you for please bringing me these ideas one of these is going to land and
that's it's big and that's cool that you have a culture like that and that you want that and you
invite that so keep doing that that shows you right there that's big and that leads up to this very
last question we have and we we've asked you your why we've seen why you stuck it and you
stayed with automotive and got bribed in you know what you found your path you found mentors you
found people who really told you how it really was and you need that you went out you got educated
you've been able to meet new people being able to network you got to go to cbt news and hang out
with jim fits video but big deal right all that stuff's awesome up to this point with even with
your hardest lesson what's been your greatest reward for all the work that you've done so far
up to this point in your automotive career there's so many just seeing people grow and thrive like
who came in here and didn't know anything but for me like i i have this saved in one of my
tiktoks that i'm going to post but the automotive industry has just given me so much to be so resilient
like there's i don't think there's any other industry out there that's going to test you
more than this industry and before like before i got in i was so shy so afraid of people just
could not i mean it's like looking back it really is insane it really is like who i used to be
versus who i am now and now it's like i've learned back to the lesson thing like the second lesson
is i don't take things personally because i used to take everything personally the first week i was
in finance i think someone cussed me out and i think i cried for three hours and which is again
not acceptable at all it was just part of that learning journey and i'm just so grateful to see
the person i've become because of this industry because it's honestly tapped into my greater
purpose of life which i think is to inspire others to be the greatest version of themselves
because of who i used to be like i wasn't that great and now because of all the effort and
the all the work that i've done it's all showing to who i am today and this is really cool because i
it's just funny because you don't think god's gonna take you down this path or you don't want to
go on this path then he takes you down it and you're like looking back and you're like wow
if i had done the other thing where would i be like who would i be and so being uncomfortable
like growing up in this place it's and i'm uncomfortable still in certain things but it's
just i don't know it's just a great industry and i'm just so like thankful that i had to go through
all the hard stuff because now things don't bother me all these hate comments on tiktok i'm just like
woo you're engaging in my stuff let's go and all of me like you know you need to love that i try to
explain that to people if you're getting any hate on your social then you're doing something good
you're doing something really good so encourage you to have that the haters coming great if you're
getting some hate baby that's right and then i respond to them and continue the conversation
and then i'm just like you're all you're doing is getting my content out there more
thank you yes and the chance that i could win you there is still that opportunity i can win you
whether or not you're hating on me or not one one thing that i know god doesn't do it's waste
anything and so it's the good is gonna get used for our good even the bad is gonna get used for
our good i've heard it said very often that sometimes the greatest blessing is unanswered
prayers man if god gave us the things that we wanted sometimes oh my goodness we would be a wreck
it would be mass chaos brussel money i don't know i think the billion dollars would have been okay
for me lou i think i would have been right but we i've also seen great money destroy people right
some there's a measure of be faithful with little with little and you will be a ruler over much
and you're doing exactly that brook you're showing exactly what it's like to take each position take
it seriously let it push you let it take you to tears but then let it also build something out of you
that is going to be needed for the next generation because it is not just about where it is that we
stop now your grandfather wasn't that way the father wasn't that way and i definitely don't see you
taking up saying you know what it's all gonna stop here with me no i definitely see you trying to
find the way to make sure that you bring the path forward for others to come up and to be inspired
women getting inspired inspired to be able to see somebody step up and do what it is that you're
doing that's still greatly needed inside of this industry we are huge advocates for women to find
their space inside of the industry we we need more and more great women like one right here
miss april simmonds jumping up in here saying hey brook guy so glad to see awesome here we love
april she is one of our peeps she's the best and i'm curious if you had to put a number on her in
neogram what that would be i am a number seven so i am an entertaining afternoon this is definitely
the show for me for that and i'm excited to find people that want to find themselves and then be
that person and you're doing that brook we're so excited to watch your journey and to contribute
to that now to be able to say now you've been on the car guy coffee podcast we got a five liner
out there with brook guy and we're so excited that you're adding to the quality that has been
this show over the years trying to highlight the great people inside of this industry as ed
roberts would say not trying we are doing we are making it happen we are making sure that people
know that there's awesome people that are doing awesome things in this industry and if we want
anything it's give you our microphone give you our platform and give you our encouragement to say
thank you so much for making this industry be what it is that maybe the rest of the world
doesn't know about but with generations after us and your contribution people are going to see
just how great this industry is thank you so much for the contribution and thank you so much for
your time today yeah thank you guys this has been awesome and thank y'all for what you do too it's
like all of us are and i love the car business it's just like everybody's friends with each other
it's so fun it's family it's family and when you're part of this family it's hard it's the best family
to be part of as big as the automotive is it's a small group it's a small and that's why i love
about it and when you really tap into it you find that there's plenty of opportunity for all of us to
get better and we all want to help each other get better and we want to share the great news of
automotive share great stories like yours next generation dealer who's going to be doing some
big things and we can't wait to see what the next 10 years brings for you and your business
because it's going to be big things and hopefully we get to come over and visit you in your store
we appreciate you and your time today but there's one last thing we got to do is we like to drop
f-bombs we do we drop f-bombs that don't offend the moms right and these are the gear
focus and fly because in order for you to be able to constantly grow and get focused you have to
let the weight of our forgiveness off the shoulders you have to wipe it off because sometimes we
blame other people which is a big mistake but a lot of times and most time we're blaming ourselves
and we're using is that excuse to not do what we need to be doing and what God's calling us to do
right so once we wipe that off we're able to free our hands up we get focused and once we're focused
it's super easy for anybody like us once we're focused to go out reach out and start flying
and getting to all the places we need to get to so we're going to forgive focus fly and keep growing
together the dance moves go wipe focus and then stretch out okay so we're going to do it on a
count of three lou countered off brother here we go hands on the shoulders help us out everybody
if you're on the drive or you're right there go ahead and sound it out let's one two three forgive
focus focus fly thank you so much everybody for jumping in today and for your time with us
we are so honored and thankful to be able to have on the show for the first time now committed
to the culture of upshifting and uplifting this industry thank you for brewing solutions with
us today the one the only we will see you soon keep doing solutions everybody we're out
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