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This is the automotive repair podcast network.
It's your weekly blitz with Chris keeping you in the game.
When business gets uncomfortable, most owners don't slow down.
They shrink, they pull back marketing, they stop hiring, they cancel training.
They grip the steering wheel tighter and hope the road straightens out.
Welcome back to the weekly blitz.
This is Coach Chris Cotton.
And today we're talking about one of the most dangerous instincts in business
contracting when you should be expanding because here's the truth.
No one likes to admit it feels responsible to pull back when things get tight.
It sounds smart to say, hey, let's wait and see.
But in most cases, especially in auto repair, it's the exact opposite
move you should be making.
And I'm not saying expand recklessly.
I'm saying expand intentionally because contraction is emotional.
Expansion is strategic.
Today we're going to break down why owners contract under pressure.
What expansion actually looks like, hint, it's not always a new building
and how the shops that win long term think differently during uncomfortable seasons.
If you're feeling pressure right now, slow weeks, staffing headaches,
margin compression, this episode's for you.
Let's get into it.
Let's call this what it is.
This is fear management.
Most shop owners don't contract because the numbers demand it.
They contract because uncertainty scares them.
And here's what contraction looks like in the real world.
Hey, let's pause marketing for a few months.
You know, hey, we're going to hold off on hiring until things pick up.
Oh, all that training can wait.
And the worst of all, I'll just do more myself.
That last one is a killer.
When owners feel pressure, they often become the best tech, the best advisor,
the best scheduler, the worst leader.
Because contraction pulls you into the business and expansion
forces you above the business.
Here's the problem.
Markets don't reward fear, they reward presence.
When competitors pull back, ad costs drop, talent becomes available,
customers are still driving cars and someone is going to earn that money.
And so my question is, why not you?
So let's clear something up really, really quickly.
Expansion does not always mean new buildings, more bays, more debt, bigger payroll.
Sometimes expansion looks like doubling down on marketing while other people pause.
Investing in advisor training to improve closing ratio, which is something huge
that we're doing in our shop right now.
Adding systems so you stop being the bottleneck.
Tightening process instead of tightening fear.
You know, I'm going to say this bluntly, if your shop is slow, the first thing
you should question is not demand, it's execution.
Expansion can be expanding your visibility, expanding your leadership capacity,
expanding your standards, expanding your expectations.
So the shops that grow during uncertainty don't wait for confidence.
Confidence shows up after the action.
And if you're thinking, yeah, but cash is tight, good.
That means expansion needs to be focused, not abandoned.
I'm going to pause right here real quick and talk about something
that ties perfectly into this episode.
If you're contracting your marketing right now, you're handing
ground to your competitors.
And that's why I want to talk about shop marketing pros.
Shop marketing pros work specifically with auto repair shops, not plumbers,
not dentists, not general contractors, auto repair shop owners, just like you.
They understand how customers actually search for shops, what messaging converts,
how to track ROI instead of hoping it works.
And here's the part that matters most.
When other shops pull back on marketing, this is when visibility matters the most.
If you want to expand your presence without guessing, without burning cash
and without chasing shiny objects, shop marketing pros is the team I trust and recommend.
You can find them online, reach out, start the conversation
because expanding smart beats contracting scared every single time.
All right, let's get back into it.
Here's a hard truth.
Coach slash shop owner to shop owner.
You're either expanding your capability or slowly shrinking your future.
There is no neutral.
There is no in between.
When you contract long enough, you train customers to forget you.
You burn out your best people.
You normalize stress.
You become reactionary instead of intentional.
Expansion doesn't mean reckless optimism.
It means controlled courage.
And so I'm going to put a pin in this right here and just talk about what we're doing in my shop.
We completed our first full year.
We went from a million dollars in sales per year to a million six.
We will be over two million this next year in twenty twenty six.
And the way we're going to do that, we're going to maintain what we're currently doing.
We're going to work on training.
We're going to work on the close ratio, doing better inspections.
We are going to expand the business just a little bit.
But again, it's controlled expansion.
I can tell you without a doubt right now, twenty twenty six,
we're going to do over two million dollars out of a four bay shop.
And, you know, this can be done, people.
But anyway, let's get back.
This controlled courage, it means asking, where do I need to invest so future me doesn't hate present me?
You know, what problem keeps repeating because I won't address it at the root?
What am I avoiding that?
I already know the answer to.
And most owners already know the right next move.
They're just waiting for permission.
So you have it here.
Chris Cotton is giving you permission.
All right.
OK, so let's land this.
If you take nothing else from today's episode, take this.
Contraction is easy.
Expansion is leadership.
Anyone can pull back.
Anybody can quit.
Leaders step forward with intention.
And the shops that win, the ones still standing five, ten years from now aren't the ones who avoid discomfort.
They're the ones who expanded through it.
If this episode hit home, share it with another shop owner who needs to hear it
because this industry gets better when owners lead better.
And if you're listening through the aftermarket radio network, welcome.
We're proud to be a part of a platform that exists to educate, challenge and elevate the entire aftermarket industry.
I'm Coach Chris Cotton.
This is the weekly Blitz where we don't wait for conditions to be perfect.
We build anyway.
Now I want you to go expand something.
You've been listening to the weekly Blitz with Chris Cotton on the Automotive Repair Podcast Network.
Download our exclusive podcast app at automotiverepairpodcastnetwork.com
because the best conversations in the industry start here.
Want expert advice on running your shop?
Well, Chris is listening.
Check the show notes for his email and send him your topics.
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