Remarkable Results Radio Podcast Apr 10, 2026

How to Get Unstuck When Your Auto Repair Business Stops Growing [THA 480]

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43:01

Company

NapaTrax

NapaTrax is a service that helps auto repair shops manage their business better. They also provide training and support so shop owners can improve day-to-day operations.

Concept

shop management system

A shop management system is software that helps an auto repair shop keep track of jobs and customers. It can make scheduling and workflow easier so the shop doesn’t get overwhelmed.

Concept

historic shops

They’re describing keeping an old, well-known auto repair shop’s identity instead of starting from scratch. That can help you keep customers because people already trust the name in the community.

Concept

valuing tenure over performance

This is about whether a workplace rewards people for staying a long time instead of rewarding them for doing great work. In a repair shop, that can make it harder to improve results if the best performers aren’t recognized.

Concept

scaling

Scaling just means growing your business to the next level. The key question is whether your team and systems can handle more work without everything falling apart.

Concept

core values

They’re saying the team should act in a way that matches what the business claims to stand for. If the company’s values are “development and results,” then hiring and managing should reward those behaviors.

Concept

development

“Development” here means ongoing improvement in skills and behavior, not just staying employed. For a shop, that can translate to training on diagnostics, customer communication, and process consistency.

Concept

results

They’re talking about measurable outcomes, not just hard work. For a car shop, that usually means getting repairs done well and keeping customers happy.

Concept

meritocracy

A “meritocracy” is a system where people advance and are rewarded based on performance rather than tenure or politics. In an auto repair business, that helps ensure the shop keeps improving—especially when growth stalls due to complacency.

Term

KPI

KPI means a “key performance metric.” It’s a number or goal your team tracks so everyone knows what “good performance” looks like.

Term

continuing education

Continuing education is ongoing training to keep skills current as vehicles, diagnostics, and repair procedures evolve. In the auto repair world, it often includes manufacturer updates, new scan tool workflows, and updated repair standards.

Concept

getting ourselves unstuck

The episode is about how to fix a business when it feels like it’s not moving forward. The host’s point is that the solution starts with figuring out what’s causing the stall.

Concept

communication

They’re saying the main problem isn’t just the car work—it’s how people talk and understand each other. If you can’t clearly explain what’s going on (and confirm it), the business gets stuck.

Concept

confirming and clarifying

They’re talking about making sure you and the other person truly understand each other. Instead of assuming, you check and restate so mistakes don’t happen.

Company

NapaTracks

NapaTracks is a software/service that helps auto repair shops run better. It’s used to track how the business is doing and to train the team so things stay organized and profitable.

Concept

increase and track profitability in real time

This means the shop can see how money is doing while the work is still in progress. Instead of waiting weeks for reports, you can spot problems earlier and fix them faster.

Concept

post-sale support

Post-sale support is the help you get after you buy something. Here, they’re saying they’ll keep supporting the shop after the system is installed.

Concept

on site training

On-site training means someone comes to your shop to teach your team. It helps everyone learn the new tools the right way using your actual workflow.

Concept

pit crew loyalty

This is basically a loyalty program for customers. The idea is to get people to come back more often, so the shop earns steadier money instead of always needing new customers.

Concept

lifetime value

Lifetime value means how much money a customer is expected to bring in over time. If customers keep coming back for service, the shop’s lifetime value goes up.

Concept

predictable revenue

Predictable revenue means the shop can expect money more consistently. When customers return regularly, it’s easier to plan and less stressful than waiting for random new jobs.

Concept

ad spend

Ad spend is what you pay for ads to get new customers. The point here is that loyalty can reduce how much you need to spend on ads.

Concept

Start with why

This is a business idea that says you should figure out the “why” behind what you do, not just the “what.” When your team shares the same purpose, it’s easier to make decisions and grow the business.

Company

Simon Sinek

Simon Sinek is a well-known business author who teaches people to focus on the reason behind their work. For a shop owner, that can help you hire and manage people who care about the same goals.

Term

top dead center

Top dead center is an engine moment when a piston is at the very top of its travel. The speaker is using it as a metaphor for being stuck in one place and not moving to the next step.

Concept

accountability partner

An accountability partner is someone who helps you stay on track with your goals. Instead of just learning or planning, they help make sure you actually take the next steps.

Concept

financial piece

They’re talking about the money side of running the shop—like whether you have enough cash to keep things going. Even good work won’t help if the finances aren’t managed.

Term

alignment

Wheel alignment adjusts the angles of the tires so they roll straight and wear evenly. If alignment isn’t done correctly—or if it’s skipped when it should be—handling can suffer and tires can wear out faster.

Concept

factory manuals

Factory manuals are the “official instructions” from the car company. Following them helps make sure the repair is done the right way, not just the quick way.

Concept

writing tickets

In a repair shop, a “ticket” is the paperwork (or computer record) for a customer’s car. Writing tickets means logging what the customer needs and what the shop plans to do.

Concept

being stuck

“Being stuck” means your business isn’t moving forward like you want. Instead of panicking, you look for what’s causing the slowdown and then work on a practical fix.

Company

Relay Hill Auto Denver

This is the name of the auto shop the guest leads in Denver. It’s mentioned to give context about who’s speaking.

LIVE

This is the Automotive Repair Podcast Network.

Hello, everybody.

Carm Capriotto, Remarkable Results Radio

and Other Town Hall Academy.

I am so excited about today's episode

because we're gonna talk about getting unstuck.

I've never had that happen to me, Carm.

Are you kidding me?

Does that have anything to do with gorilla glue?

Well, yeah, maybe it does.

Maybe it's gorilla glue for your mind

and how we put treatment on it

to loosen yourself up a little bit.

But so good to have you here.

We've got this great new app.

You've gotta play with it.

You gotta get it.

It's the Automotive Repair Podcast Network app

for your smartphone.

It's the ultimate professional automotive content provider.

Save your favorites, build your own library.

It is so much fun.

I love the app.

We'll continue to make improvements to it.

You'll see that if you download the app,

you'll start seeing some really new cool things.

Don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel.

We'd love to have you as part of that.

And every single week,

we just pump out like seven episodes a week

for you in the network.

And our purpose is to advance

the professional automotive repair professional business.

So we thank you for being here

and thank you for supporting us.

And we thank our great partners, NapaTrax,

today's class, Kukui and Pit Crew Loyalty.

Hey, did you know that NapaTrax

has on-site training plus six days a week support?

It all starts when a local representative

meets with you to learn about your business

and how you run it.

After all, it's your shop, so it's your choice.

Let us prove to you that Trax

is the single best shop management system in the business.

Find NapaTrax on the web at NAPATRACS.com.

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Hey, welcome back.

Let me introduce and get started on this great podcast

we're gonna call Getting Unstucked.

Now you gotta stick around.

Stick, stuck, oh, that's kinda cool.

Because sometimes we get stuck

on getting over a hump in business growth,

leveling ourselves up as a leader,

valuing tenure over performance.

I can't wait to hear about that.

I think that's so powerful.

And developing ourselves and the team

is sometimes we just said,

let's set it on autopilot and see what happens.

Nothing happens unless you make it happen.

And also, sometimes we get stuck

on finding what we really come to work every day for.

Is it for family?

Is it for the people we work with?

Is it for our clients?

Is it for self-satisfaction?

What's it for?

And a lot of times we get stuck.

Matt Weg is your founder, CEO of Accelerated Diagnostics

and Automotive in Bennington, Nebraska.

Hello, Matt.

Hey, Karm, thanks for having me.

I'm really excited about this topic.

I think it's really timely with things

that I've had going on in my life the last couple years,

and it's gonna be fun to talk about those things.

Well, I know you both have some great stuff to contribute.

I know that you taught a couple of classes

or one class at least at Vision this year, Matt.

I did.

Yeah, actually, and it goes similarly

along with what we're gonna talk about.

I taught one class at Vision this year

on employee development and engagement

and kind of setting ourselves up to succeed

in the next five to 10 years as a business.

And we'll elaborate on that through our discussion today,

but it's really taken a deep dive inside

at what we're currently doing and what's good,

what's strong, where are we weak,

where do we have opportunities,

and then how do we start looking at who do we currently have

that can solve those shortfalls,

and then how do we get forward based on that set and goals?

You think I picked this guy on purpose?

Siju Thomas is here from Hatchke's Auto Repair,

Denver, Colorado, six stores.

Hello, Siju.

How you doing, Karm?

Thanks for having me.

It's always a pleasure to be here

and the service you do for the industry is immeasurable.

Thank you very much.

Thank you so much.

Ben, to his place, really,

I love that old legacy building you're in, and you make it...

I mean, it's just like going to get an automotive repair

in the 30s, right?

It was a 1918 building,

and maybe not all of our buildings in our organization

are that old, but it definitely speaks to the legacy

of acquiring historic shops,

keeping that historic name and serving those local communities.

Well, thank you so much.

Hey, let's jump in as this valuing tenure over performance.

Siju, this was one of your talking points.

I find it so fascinating.

Love this guy.

He's been with me a dozen years now.

I'm not sure he's really making it,

and I think we're having some problems,

but I love this guy.

And to me, you're always in this dichotomy of stuckness

and making choices.

It's one of the greatest challenges I've faced

as an owner and operator.

It's that you build a personal relationship,

you build a professional relationship with a team member,

and as time goes on,

either their performance may not elevate

like the rest of the organization,

or it might actually backtrack.

But I think many of us place such a high value in tenure,

and intrinsically, that's not a problem.

Tenure is a good thing.

It shows commitment, it shows loyalty,

and that should be valued.

However, it shouldn't be valued at the expense of performance.

And that's one of the things

that I realized last year, a year ago at this time,

four out of the five people I had on my leadership team today

are different than a year ago.

And it was a hard pill to swallow.

I, leaders in the organization,

may have been exactly the leaders

to take us from point A to point B,

and I appreciate them dearly.

But it's a serious question of,

is that team gonna take you from point B to point C?

That's probably one of the biggest things

that people have in scaling.

And if not scaling to find additional places,

but just scaling to go from million and a half to two

to two and a half to three, to your point,

not everyone who's on that team has the capacity

to balloon up, if you will,

with all the tools, leadership skills,

all that are necessary to get to that level.

Matt, I know you're thinking this thing right now.

Yeah, this was the real challenge that I had.

So I'd say over the last two years, maybe two years ago,

I really got to a point,

our organizations rather knew as well.

I started this from scratch in September of 2020,

then we grew really fast,

but we kind of plateaued at about the three year mark.

And I had to figure out what was causing that.

And I went from just me as a sole employee

and my wife doing part-time work

to we had a full team of seven, eight people on staff

within three years.

And it became very stagnant

and we weren't being able to, we weren't growing.

I was having a lot of turnover

and I had to do, much like Suju said,

I had to take a deep dive into who was there

and are these the right people that are meeting the goals

and the mission and the vision of the organization?

And have I done a good job as a leader

conveying that message to them?

And I started working on getting that message across

and then figuring out, you know what,

I have people here that are not cut out

to go to the next level with me.

They were fine with where we were

and that's what they were keeping it at.

And they didn't want to do the work

and no matter whether I was able to lead them or not.

And like you guys had said,

I look at it as we're constantly climbing a staircase.

And sometimes people can't take that next step

and we've got a rope and we're trying to pull that person

up the next step, but they're just dead weight.

And sometimes we've got to cut that rope loose

and that's what I also had to do.

And so a majority of our leadership team,

the couple higher level team members,

they're within a couple of years old

of joining our organization as well.

Guys, is it partly because we're not close enough?

We look at the 10 years that you as a certain level

of loyalty, we're giving, they're giving,

but are we spending enough time with them?

Because I know one of your talking points,

Meg is this dream manager and really,

can we get unstuck with this employee that I have

and not really knowing where they're going

and how I can help them and can they really help me?

What I had to think about on this topic

is operating aligned with our core values.

Two of our core values are development and results.

And I think to myself,

just because someone has tenure in the organization,

are they prioritizing development?

And when I say that in our organization,

I'm very serious about it being personal and professional.

I wanna know that they're developing personally.

I wanna know that they are understanding who they are,

how they operate as a team member,

knowing we all have shortfalls in our temperament.

Are they engaged in being accountable in that regard?

In addition to fixing cars, serving customers,

communications.

So I think there's a core element of,

just because someone's in the organization long-term

does not mean they're continually pushing the pedal

on development and the same principles apply for results.

If you don't operate a meritocracy,

the organization falls apart

and results are critical in what we do.

And therefore there's gonna be some sort of KPI

for everyone in the organization

and everyone should be accountable for those KPIs.

Matt, how often do you have to sit down

with people to make sure you are there aligned?

I love the whole thing on the development piece,

this continuing education,

I'm this big believer that you've gotta be

a perpetual student in any capacity in our industry,

both leadership and on the technical down in the Bay side.

Yeah, I agree with you totally on this.

And that's one of the things we look at.

So a couple of our values are commitment and excellence.

And are people committed and what does that look like

to be committed, committed to oneself,

committed to our company, committed to our community,

to the people we serve.

And part of commitment is developing yourselves

and understanding what that standard of performance is.

And that's a term that I use quite often now

is helping people understand what that looks like.

As a leader, I wasn't the best at communicating

what my expectations were of people.

And I think some of it was that I just was afraid

to upset somebody or I was afraid to let them know,

hey, this is what the plan is here.

It was more of a personal growth

that I had to go through as a human being

before I could really start to lead people properly

and effectively and to help them explain where they're at.

And so one thing that we do is we are speaking regularly.

Everybody knows what their role is in the company.

They know what their standard of performance is.

And if they deviate from that standard,

they understand what that looks like

and what the consequences are going to be.

And we realize people are human beings,

they're gonna have off days

and they might go through things in life.

And I think that's we're being a good leader too

in understanding and having empathy and compassion for people

when they go through those moments of difficulties.

We gotta be there for them too as teammates

and as partners in this organization together.

We're on this journey together.

I couldn't agree with Matt more.

Just some really good points there.

Oftentimes leaders have to lead by making tough choices

and holding people accountable.

And part of the reason that's tough

is many of us leaders genuinely care so much

about the people on our team

that the more we might criticize that,

the more that might be a personal criticism of ourselves,

our ability to train them.

And we have failed as a leader

if we are criticizing them

or giving them a disciplinary notice.

There was a book that was quite transformative to me

and it was Radical Candor, a New York Times bestseller,

that really emphasizes the point

that a great manager isn't always trying to hug

and say friendly things to an underperforming team member.

They're willing to speak truth and be honest.

And that is the best thing you can do to develop,

to create transparency, to create trust

because there's a predictability and an ownership

that comes from management in the future of an employee.

I always say, if managers being tough on you,

that means they care.

When they stop being tough on you,

then what does that mean about their investment

of their time and energy in you?

And you know, and sometimes they get stuck

because they can't do something

about the problem that they're having with you.

Our whole episode here today

is about getting ourselves unstuck.

And what is it that I have to do to stop to realize,

I got a problem and I gotta figure out how to fix it.

I gotta pick up the biggest, most powerful thing

that was said in the last six minutes,

the word communication.

If you look at the conferences

in the last year, year and a half,

communication classes are right up there.

I mean, you're gonna find a ton of them.

And I noticed by going around Vision last year

that communication classes are full

because people realize that part of the magic

of getting unstuck is the ability to communicate.

And so I'm stuck because me and the wife, I say blue,

she hears Navy.

All right.

And so we're not confirming and clarifying

in our self-awarenesses and what it is.

So thank you for bringing up communications.

We've been doing a lot of episodes on that lately.

And I have to tell you,

it's probably one of the magical points

we're gonna look back in five years.

It says, I became a better communicator.

Not because I'm in front of a room

and I'm pontificating, I'm listening better.

I can't get this individual who I think is unbelievable

to the next level.

They're stuck.

How do I unstuck them?

One of the keys that unlock performance

and allows for better communication is culture.

And when I think about what that means is

if you look at Lencioni's book,

Five Disfunctions of a Team, he talks about trust.

He talks about conflict.

And conflict people think of as a negative thing,

but it could be something that's really healthy

and necessary in a high-performing, healthy team.

And so I think when you tackle why is there bad communication,

it could be insecurity, it could be a lack of trust.

There's a lot of whys that need to be addressed.

And then good communication tends to be the end result

of dealing with underlying team dynamics

that are not healthy.

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Culture, baby, you know, it's one of the hardest things

for many up-and-coming top shop operators, Matt.

And I bring that to a point where, Matt,

when you first opened, were you a top shop operator?

No, sir.

See, it takes a guy with stones like yours to admit it, right?

And you worked on it, you did something about it.

And when it came to that culture piece,

there's just too many people covering their ears,

their eyes, their brain,

because it is one of the hardest things to do.

It's an untouchable,

as I said, well, we're gonna move the toolbox over there,

look at how much better we are.

We're gonna have a great culture.

What's that mean?

How's it work?

Siju, you guys got, both of you have great cultures.

I hung out with your manager, Matt,

at Vision, smart guy.

And he bleeds that culture in the business.

And that's the biggest, in fact,

out of all these great topics that we're covering,

it's so foundational, right, Siju?

It's the foundational growth of your business,

yet we're stuck in making it work.

One thing I'll comment on that as well,

I think too often people hear culture

and they think something very subjective.

Oh, we had a team lunch and now we have good culture.

Oh, we went to a baseball game

and now we have good team culture.

I would suggest that culture is something really tangible.

What are your initiatives to pursue better culture?

And it could be, hey, we're gonna do some personality

assessments and talk through our different personalities.

So we get to know each other and put our guard down.

It could be we're having a book club together

and people are voluntarily reading

some of the same things and talking through it.

It could be team building exercises.

It's not just, hey, we're gonna go to the bar

and have a couple drinks, which is also good.

But nevertheless, culture needs to be tangible.

You don't have a great culture

unless you have a plan for it.

Matt, what is it taking to continue to evolve your culture?

The big thing for me was making sure

that we have the right fit of people that we're hiring.

And I think one of the biggest things for me,

at least being early on in business

and being a new business and in the time

that we're in in society,

it's very difficult for me being a new operator

to hire top talent.

It was very difficult, especially within the first six months

or two years because people have all this uncertainty.

COVID was still a real thing.

And they're like, I'm not gonna go to a startup shop

when I've been here 10 or 15 years.

And some of the things I had to realize

and learn the hard way was that

I should have been more patient

as a leader and a manager.

And early on, we were just hiring people

based on a resume or what they would tell you.

And then they would get in and you would start to see

that this person doesn't have values

that align with mine or the organization.

This person thinks this way,

which is not in alignment with how we do things here.

This person does work this way,

which isn't in alignment with how we do things here.

And I had to remember that the why is behind,

why did I decide to go into business and risk everything

and put my whole family's wellbeing on the line to do this?

And then I needed to find people

that also had those sorts of importance in their life.

And so when I got to this point of being really stuck

and we started to rehire,

I had to figure out what was the why

or the people that were gonna help fulfill the why

and shared similar whys to me that I could help as well.

So finding-

Sounds like you've read, everyone's read this book.

Start with why.

I actually haven't read that.

Oh yeah, oh yeah, you guys start with why, Simon.

Simon Sinek.

When I think of values,

I remember one really cool trick on how to start.

But again, it goes back to mission, vision, values.

Well, what's our mission?

Oh, we can come up with a really cool sentence.

And what is our vision and-

But ultimately, if you don't have any of this

in your culture set,

really cool way, I remember someone telling me this,

or I read it in a book, maybe,

he said to you is get a whiteboard,

not too big on the exit door of your business, right?

And every time somebody leaves for the next week,

we would love you to write a reason that you work here,

a reason we work for our clients,

a reason we work with each other.

And all of a sudden, these dozen to 20 words are there

and you bring them into one of the huddles

and you say, listen, we need to refine this stuff.

Who wrote this down?

What does it mean to you?

And by the time you're done,

you've probably got yourself over a couple of weeks

in massaging this exercise,

you know, maybe a five, six, seven key value set,

these singular words that mean things

to what we do as a team, what we do for our clients,

what we do for each other.

And the owner starts to see how this team

that he's developing appreciates

the business that he's running.

And now I can't imagine the goosebumps

that the owner is gonna start getting

as his culture is starting to percolate.

Some would think culture comes from the owner down.

My assessment is that culture really needs to start

from the team and it needs to be contagious.

We started working on, wait, who are we?

What's our value set?

What's our mission?

So much of it came back to analyzing

who in our organization represent our culture

and understanding from all of those people

that are great advocates, great ambassadors for who we are,

then we were able to boil down a sense

of what differentiates us from someone else.

And it sounds like Matt has a phenomenal organization,

but you know what, his culture is gonna be

a little different than the culture in my organization

and that's okay and that's good.

And that is where we cherish the differences

among the people, among the communities that we're in.

I think it's just critical that management

and ownership allow their team members

to be part of the process, to be vocal in that process

because it's most important that the team

owns that culture.

It is not a top down exercise

because you don't wanna tell your team what they are.

What you hire towards your team,

you hire towards your core value

and certainly the owner and management

of the organization is gonna impact that culture,

no question.

At the end of the day though,

you really want buy in from the entire team

because you're ultimately everything you do

and how you operate, how you treat customers

need to be aligned with those core values.

Matt, are you watering your culture,

watching it grow, evolve and develop

as not only what you believe

is the strength of your organization,

but to Saju's point and I so believe in this,

it's gotta come from bottom up.

Yeah, I go back to where the big thing for us

that's changed this drastically

was getting the right people brought in

that had the values and the drive and the energy

and the motivation and the desire to do well.

So all people that aligned with the values

that I built this organization on.

And I think when you've got that core framework,

skill set can be taught to people, right?

I can teach somebody to fix a car better

or do a task better or do an administrative duty better.

Like Saju said, the big thing is,

it's like everybody is part of the culture.

It's not what I make it.

It's getting the right people there

and now we're taking pieces of everybody's,

what they bring in that's unique about them

and their good experiences.

And we let this all mold and mesh

and build into this really cool thing.

And that's what we're like really in the catalyst of

right now is experiencing all these great

different personalities of this team

that we've built right now and it's all working together.

And one thing that I always stress to everybody,

especially when we talk about our organization and the wise,

and you know, I always place myself in a position

that we're all equals here.

Everybody here plays a key role

in the success of this organization.

No one person here is more important than one another.

If I'm gone or I'm not doing my job,

it's gonna affect everybody here and the customers.

If one of the technicians is gone or not doing their job,

it affects everybody in the organization.

And we've really learned that we all play such a vital role

in the success of this ecosystem we've built

and people, when they see that they're valued

and they play a really important role,

that just, I mean, it lights a fire in the right people

when you've got the right people on the team.

I gotta stop, just go in a tiny little different direction.

I'm listening and I'm not sure I can do it.

I'm listening to this episode on being stuck.

I believe that the culture is a critical piece.

Okay, first of all, selfish promotion.

You just go to my website, remarkableresults.biz,

type in the word culture and listen

to the unbelievable number of episodes.

Maybe look at people you know

and some coaches that we've had on

and some authors that we've had on and listen to them

and maybe get excited and motivated about it.

But if you can't seem to get yourself

over top dead center, I love that term, right?

Automotive term, right?

Do I need to hire someone to give me a kick in the butt

like a coach, a mentor group or something?

Because so many of the top operators didn't get there

unless they found someone willing to say,

yes, Matt, yes it you, you can do this

and you will do it by next Thursday

when we have our next call

or we never have our next meeting.

And a lot of times we stuck ourselves,

we stick ourselves someplace

with greatest intentions in the world, greatest.

We never have an accountability partner

to get us to that next step and that next level.

So you can take all this learning down,

write all these great notes, read the show notes

and still be in the same place

and stuck in another five months saying, damn, where am I?

I'd like to speak to that

because that's a really great thing

and that was something that I did early on in business

was I realized where I was strong and where I was weak

and I realized what I needed to improve on

and I hired a coach within six months of starting our business

and I've worked with a coach every day since

and it's a little humbling because oftentimes us

as business owners and people that are self-employed

or in small business, we don't have these wealth of resources

that a large organization has

and that's part of why we went self-employed

was because I wanna do it my way

and I wanna do it this way or I can do it better

but we have to eat a piece of what I call humble pie sometimes

and realize we don't know everything

and we're not the best at everything

and we never will know everything

and we'll never be the best at everything

but we can improve every day.

Matt makes that reference of we don't know everything

to what I think about is that adage

that the emperor has no clothes

and I think oftentimes as owners of the company

we're not being held accountable for our shortfalls

and there's this higher status of us needing to be self-aware

of those pitfalls because sometimes we're stuck

and we don't even know it

and we could spend multiple years operating

in a suboptimal way without realizing

we were stuck in the first place

and so that's where in recent years

as I mentioned one of our core values is development

what I constantly tell myself and my leadership team

is that we have to show the rest of the organization

and lead by example by prioritizing development

and that's part of the reason why Karm

I've been part of some of these coaching groups

whether it's pro services with the lead

or transformers or the institute

there's so many great coaching groups in this country

and I think we're blessed for that

at the same time there's a number of great peer groups

that go beyond just the coaches and the coaching groups

I was part of one locally

and then part of another national one

so it is absolutely critical for owners to be self-aware

to not walk with ego and arrogance

and that's why humility has to be part

of that development culture

and as the rest of the team sees that

then they're more likely to go pursue classes

then you don't have that senior 20 year tech

beating his chest because he's the best technician

in the world because we know this is a humbling industry

and the second you think you know everything

you're gonna get beaten down pretty quickly

so I think that's absolutely right

so that's where development has to come from the top

and you have to know when you're stuck

in order to get unstuck.

Wow, thank you for that because I know that ego

being stuck in an attitude

that no one can teach me, tell me, I know everything

but yet I'm too busy to even do anything about it

but we're okay and maybe this is the episode

that five people are gonna listen to this

that I call in struggle mode

that are really looking to go somewhere new

and special and different.

How about the word profitability?

How about the word I can't believe

all the great work we're doing

we have money now that we can buy.

Again, I'm sorry but I think all of this stuff

of how to get unstuck in a lot of it

we didn't even bring up the whole financial piece

I'm stuck just giving enough money

to mama to buy groceries every week

I even cashed a couple of paychecks

and I really found this great individual

I can't afford that individual

I can't believe people want that kind of money

was this guy crazy paying that kind of money to people

and those are all things that are getting in your way

you're stuck in an attitude

which is why I love this episode

I'm so glad this thing is working out

to the passion that I wanted it to come from you

but thank you for bringing up I'm stuck

and you're stuck in your ego

because that's what's preventing the marginality

that exists in our industry

the marginal operators are pulling the rest

that are working their butts off

this professionalism of our industry

is such that there are too many pulling it down

what do you mean the alignment

the alignment over at Carm's place is 400 bucks

well he says these gotta do a calibration

I mean don't worry about that mine's 99

because we're not paying attention

we're not reading the factory manuals

we're not doing the continuous education and improvement

the word development which is just beautiful

that you talk about all the time

where is the development

so when you sit down with your people and say

we're gonna do training like we've never done training

before and I believe the word is education

we're gonna be educating ourselves beyond imagination

this year I'm committing to 40 hours

I'm gonna fly a few of you to conferences

this is what we're doing I'm bringing in a trainer

I'm working with some guys

we're going to the next level

I don't have time for that boss I'm not going

who owns the business or is it that

you haven't been able to sell the continuing education thing

that's getting in our way of being so good at what we do

right and I think as a leader you must be a visionary

or you need to have a visionary mindset on your team

in a leadership role because we have to be looking at

where is the future going

and we have to be communicating that to our team members

especially the younger generation

they want to know purpose

they want to know what's in it for them

they wanna know they're gonna have security in five years

is this business even going to be around

and when they see like Suju said

the leadership not developing themselves

or investing into others

people are smart enough they see things

and they realize hey I see all these new systems

on these cars we're turning away cars

that are going to the dealer

or we can't fix these things

and we're not investing into the right tooling

for me to do my work I'm not getting trained on this

the owners more focused on retiring rather than develop

and I hear this all the time

the owners more focused on this or that

and we're just suffering here and you know what

I mean these shops are gonna go out of business

unfortunately if they're not taking the time

to look at what is five or 10 years down the road

and what am I doing today to prepare for that

and we have got to be building that into our team members

and that's how you build purpose behind development

is hey here's where we're going in five years

with this industry well guess who has to know that

the owner and the management have to be educated

on what the trends are and what's coming down the pipeline

and then we have to build that value

and we have to sell that to our team members

hey guess what I need somebody trained in this skill set

because in five years 75% of cars that we see

are going to have that technology

and it's gonna be failing

and there's a class coming up and here's what I'm gonna do

I'm gonna send you to it and we're gonna start

getting you involved with it

we're gonna start giving you these jobs

when they come into the shop

and I want you to be my subject matter expert

on that particular system or vehicle.

I'll tell you what if we were to survey

and I think both of you guys would agree

all the shop owners and managers in this country to say

what is the number one thing shops are stuck on right now

and it's been an issue for years

it's probably labor shortages

it's competencies and high level technician

automotive engineers that are capable to come in

and do the work and do it at a high level

and you know what what I've realized

is recruiting over the last few years

has become exceptionally easier in my organization

because we talk about continuous education

we talk about training and development

I constantly say we are a development organization

that is a core of who we are

and so not only is it something we talk about it

but it has to be something we do

because of what Matt pointed out

and the evolution of the market

because if you're a high level technician

you wanna be an organization

that recognizes the complexity of what we do

you know we're not doing an arms race on

who has the cheapest alignment

we're going to price the work we do appropriately

at the level it needs to occur

to make sure that the team is being compensated appropriately

for the complexities of this industry

there's a lot that goes into

but it requires managers and owners to be unstuck

and have their head out of daily operations every day

if all they're doing is dispatching and writing tickets

and putting out the fires of normal daily operations

they're not gonna have time to be thoughtful

about the growth and development

with the growth of their shop

and the development of their people

all they are is a boat floating on the lake

without an engine

mm-hmm

that's right

that's where I was at a year and a half ago

oh my god

guys this was great

I'm not necessarily saying we have changed the world

but hopefully there's enough people

that listen to this

forward this to a friend of yours

part of the answers to so many problems

we have in the industry

exist in all the content that we produce

and the articles that we write

so guys I wanted both of you

because you're so damn successful in your own right

in your own markets

and you've gone out and gotten the help

and you've realized you've raised your hand

and says how can I be a better leader

how can we have great culture

how can we find our purpose

and these were all things I'm sure

over the evolution of your business

you were stuck on

even what I do every once in a while

I fall into a problem

and I say ooh boom

I know how to back up

I know how to rethink

I know how to research

I know how to ask

I know how to get

and then I take all that stuff

I apply it to the roadblock

and see if I could push that block

left right forward to something

and you keep working it

but you can't give up

and you can't give up in trying to get unstuck in

it is not easy as you both have outlined here

any final words to our audience

said you I'll do you then Matt next

Thanks Karm again

I really appreciate being here

one thing I'll call out is

one shouldn't be scared of getting stuck

in fact you should be

a little bit concerned

if you never do get stuck

that might mean you're not being ambitious enough

you're not pushing hard enough

you're not finding yourself

into complex situations that you need to solve

the beauty of being stuck

is your ability and opportunity to get unstuck

so embrace it

have a positive attitude about it

and have a solution oriented mindset

in those circumstances

that you actually welcome periodically

Wow

Siju Thomas a CEO Relay Hill Auto Denver

six stores

so glad to have you here

thank you for wanting to do this for us

always

Matt Wagg founder CEO

accelerated diagnostics and automotive

in Bennington, Nebraska

final word Matt

Yeah well spoken Siju

love it

I mean that's exactly the truth there

and I'm gonna kind of follow up

with what you just said

and I think sometimes we don't realize

we're stuck and we're stuck

because we don't always have that

outside perspective

I ask yourself this question

how do you know if you're stuck

and what are you doing to quantify that

do you have goals set

and if you don't have goals

you're probably stuck

because as we just said here

your goals should be challenging you to get stuck

and figure out new and

in more complex ways to grow yourself

as a human being and a leader

to get that goal accomplished

no goals should come easy

so what do goals look like

I mean you got to find purpose

and meaning in your business

and why you're doing what you're doing

as an operator and an owner

set you know whether that be set in your end game

or I have a growth goal

you need to have something

it needs to be something that matters to you

don't let somebody else set that goal for you

don't live somebody else's life

like oh the guy down the street

or I listen to this guy talk

and I need to be like him to be successful

you need to find what matters to you

and what's in your heart

what drives you

and that needs to set your goals

that's what I'm working on actively

I'm so glad you brought up the goal thing Matt

maybe we should have gone back

and maybe added it to our earlier dialogue

I don't think there's a whole lot of things

that we can do without having set goals

and then getting ourselves unstuck

while we go to reach them

hey thanks again so much

Automotive Repair Podcast Network

seven episodes for a great great talent

that's all part of the content

that we produce each and every week

thanks for being here

thank you

thanks for being on board to listen and learn

from the Premier Automotive Repair Business Podcast

Remarkable Results Radio

get your episodic education on the ARPN listening app

at AutomotiveRepairPodcastNetwork.com

also enjoy the podcast on our

Carm Capriotto YouTube channel

Carm is all for advancing the professional

automotive service industry

until next time

About this episode

Shop owners hit plateaus for lots of reasons, and this roundtable breaks down how to get unstuck when growth stalls. Guests Matt Weg and Siju Thomas compare notes on tenure vs. performance, leadership accountability, and the need for clear standards, KPIs, and regular communication. They argue culture is tangible and built through hiring for shared values, ongoing development, and healthy conflict. The conversation also stresses outside perspective—coaches/peer groups—and goal-setting tied to purpose, not ego or comfort.

accountability partner ad spend alignment being stuck communication confirming and clarifying continuing education core values development factory manuals

Original notes

Thanks to our Partners, NAPA TRACS, Today's Class, KUKUI, and Pit Crew Loyalty Watch Full Video Episode

In this episode of the Town Hall Academy, host Carm Capriotto is joined by Matt Wagg and Shiju Thomas to tackle a common challenge in the automotive repair industry: getting “unstuck.” The conversation focuses on breaking through growth plateaus by sharpening leadership, building a meaningful culture, and committing to continuous employee development.

Leadership & Accountability

Growth stalls when tenure is valued over performance
Not every team member will grow with the business
Leaders must make tough calls and avoid carrying “dead weight.”
Practice radical candor: honest conversations build trust
Self-awareness is critical; seek outside accountability (coaches/peers)

Culture & Development

Culture must be intentional and tangible, not just social events
Built through aligned hiring and shared values
Reinforced with tools like assessments, training, and team learning
Continuous education prepares teams for evolving vehicle technology
A learning culture attracts higher-level talent

Embracing Being “Stuck”

Feeling stuck often signals ambition and growth
Indicates you’re pushing into new challenges
Clear personal and business goals provide direction
Without clarity, the business risks drifting without purpose

Ultimately, getting unstuck isn’t about quick fixes; it’s about honest reflection, intentional leadership, and a commitment to growth. The shops that move forward are led by people willing to have the hard conversations, invest in their teams, and take ownership of what needs to change. If you’re feeling stuck, take it as a signal, not a setback, and use it as the catalyst to refocus, realign, and lead your business to the next level. Matt Wagg, Accelerated Diagnostics and Automotive, Bennington, NE. Matt’s previous episodes HERE Shiju Thomas, Hotchkiss Auto Repair, Denver, CO. Shiju's previous episodes HERE Thanks to our Partner, NAPA TRACS NAPA TRACS will move your shop into the SMS fast lane with onsite training and six days a week of support and local representation. Find NAPA TRACS on the Web at http://napatracs.com/ Thanks to our Partner, Today's Class Optimize training with Today's Class: In just 5 minutes daily, boost knowledge retention and improve team performance. Find Today's Class on the web at https://www.todaysclass.com/ Thanks to our Partner, KUKUI Stop juggling multiple marketing tools. KUKUI’s integrated platform delivers 4x better website conversions, automated follow-up, and real-time ROI tracking. Get industry-leading customer support with KUKUI at https://www.kukui.com/ Thanks to our Partner, Pit Crew Loyalty You’re probably tired of chasing new customers who never return. We understand. Pit Crew Loyalty ends the one-and-done cycle, turning first visits into lasting, reliable revenue at https://www.pitcrewloyalty.com/ Connect with the Podcast: - Follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RemarkableResultsRadioPodcast/ - Join Our Virtual Toastmasters Club: https://remarkableresults.biz/toastmasters - Join Our Private Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1734687266778976 - Subscribe on YouTube:

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Carm Capriotto, AAP

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