Ratchet+Wrench Radio
Ratchet+Wrench
Updated about 21 hours agoRatchet+Wrench Radio offers four tracks each month that explore the industry's biggest trends, most pressing topics, and the leadership and business management tips and strategies you need to thrive.
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Episodes (481)
What Techs Want in a Shop (w/ Jimmy Alauria)
This week, we talked to Jimmy Alauria, president and shop owner of 3A Automotive Service and co-founder and CEO of Victory Teambuilding Group. He discusses the findings of a survey he created that polled technicians about what they really want from an auto repair shop.
Write Ads That Make Technicians Respond (with Chris Lawson)
In this episode, Chris Lawson of Technician Find, an agency that helps independent auto repair shops find qualified technicians through digital ad campaigns, joins us to talk about his company. We discuss why shops need to change their hiring narrative, ways to write effective job ads, and how Technician Find's clients have made the service work for their shops.
How Honest Wrenches Built a Winning Culture (with Travis Troy)
In this episode, Travis Troy of Honest Wrenches in Des Moines, Iowa, talks about why he and business partner Josh Mullins hold culture within their shop in high esteem. He opens up about his methods, such as family outings, team outings and even cooking for his team members, why culture matters internally and externally, and how to lead the way as a shop owner. Lastly, he dives into another facet of Honest Wrench's culture, customer service, and why attention to detail helps his service advisors treat customers with exceptional care.
Talking Shop with Tim Suggs & Rachel Grewell of Turbo Tim’s Anything Automotive
In this episode, we talk to Tim Suggs and Rachel Grewell of Turbo Tim's Anything Automotive in Minneapolis, Minnesota. We talk about how Tim got started in automotive, his love for cats, big shops, and his community. We also discuss how Rachel decorated the shop, some of its eclectic and fun touches, how they train the front and back of the house, their shop culture, and more.
What’s Your Mission? (w/ Chris Cloutier)
In this episode, Chris Cloutier of Golden Rule Auto Care and autotext.me visits Ratchet+Wrench Radio to discuss personal mission statements. Many shop owners have a detailed and comprehensive vision for the health and growth of their shop, but how many also apply this to their personal lives where all of that drive stems? Chris breaks down his four pillars for developing a personal mission statement and tells how you can use a personal mission statement to be your external governing compass in all of your decisions making personally and professionally.
Can APAC ATI Solve the Auto Technician Shortage? (w/ Chris Knuth)
In this episode, Chris Knuth of APAC ATI stops by the show to talk about how his nonprofit auto technician training program can help shops across the country with labor shortages. He shares the background of the organization, how it finds technicians to train, and how auto repair shops can work with him.
How to Build Your Apprenticeship Program (w/ Mitch Moncur)
In this episode, Mitch Moncur of Denny's Auto in Riverton, Utah, talks about how he finds, trains, and develops high school-age apprentices to be shop-ready by their graduation date.
AAPEX Bonus: Lauren Beaulieu of Advance Professional
In this episode. Ratchet+Wrench Editor Chris Jones catches up with Lauren Beaulieu, VP of Advance Professional, Worldpac, Carquest, and Autopart International. They are to revisit a story from the June 2022 issue of Ratchet+Wrench on TechNet Impressions and talk about what's new with the program.
Podcast: How Ortho Brings Voice Assistance to Shop Bays (w/ Kim Conti)
In this episode, Kim Conti, VP of product for RAIN Agency, talks about her company's new disruptive shop technology, Ortho. This voice assistant will increase the speed at which techs work by eliminating unnecessary back-and-forth computer searches replacing them instead with voice commands.
What Is ADAPT Anyway? (w/ Hanna Bubser)
This week, EBM Digital Editor and ADAPT Podcast host Hanna Bubser talks about what ADAPT is and why forward-thinking shop owners should care about it. We dive into its differences from Ratchet+Wrench and how to find and access all of its content. Subscribe: ADAPT newsletter Listen: The ADAPT Podcast Learn: ADAPT Automotive website
From Technician to Owner (w/ Daniel Gonzalez)
In this episode, Daniel Gonzalez of Boudreau's Auto in Holliston, Massachusetts, tells how he went from technician to shop owner during the pandemic, and about relocating from Texas to Massachusetts to open his shop (and the lessons he learned).
Podcast: How to Get Media Coverage for Your Shop (w/ Mickie Kennedy)
This week, Mickie Kennedy, founder and president of eReleases, the small business leader for press release distribution, joins editor Chris Jones on Ratchert+Wrench Radio. Mickie is an expert at helping small businesses increase their visibility and credibility and he’s here today to share some valuable insights on why more shops should use press releases to draw attention to their shops. [2:28]: What is a press release? [3:40]: How to know if your shop's stories are newsworthy (including a funny repair shop case study) [10:37]: Leveraging community news resources [13:52]: Tips for writing our press releases (or hiring someone else to do it for you) [14:48]: Press release distribution etiquette tips [19:23]: Success tips
Bonus: California & The Future of the Aftermarket
In this bonus episode of Ratchet+Wrench Radio, Bob Redding, the Automotive Service Association’s Washington, D.C., representative, joins editor Chris Jones for a look at how California's decision to become a zero-emissions state by 2035 will affect the automotive aftermarket. We also discuss the significance of the decision by the California Air Resources Board to intervene on behalf of independent repair shops to provide ongoing access to information.
Today’s Class Trains Techs Using an App (w/ David Boyes)
In this episode, David Boyes joins Ratchet+Wrench editor Chris Jones to talk about his company’s app, Today's Class, an online learning organization that has been supporting the automotive industry for more than 20 years. If you recall, Boyes was highlighted in the August issue Breakdown, A Classroom in Your Pocket. We discuss: (0:06): What Today’s Class is and how it works (3:15): What the time commitment looks like (5:21): The science behind app-based learning (7:19): The features of the app (12:10): The value for shop owners (17:01): Feedback Boyes has received from shop owners (18:05): How the app’s gamification feature encourages learning (20:06): How to get Today’s Class
How Carolyn Coquillette Built Shop-Ware
In this episode, Carolyn Coquillette talks about how she founded Shop-Ware while running her shop, Luscious Garage. We discuss: (1:15): The pain points that conceived the idea for Shop-Ware (4:45): Going from analog to digital platforms in her career (5:48): Why shops are hesitant to go full digital on software (8:35): How she decided to create software for the industry (16:01): What's under the hood of Shop-Ware (21:09): The importance of tracking KPI and using the right software (23:23): Is scalability a factor in choosing software? (25:40): What to look for in shop management software (29:00): What Carolyn loves about helping shop owners grow
How to Get Your Team Talking w/ Deanna Baumgardner
Deanna Bumgardner from Employer's Advantage LLC joins Rartchet+Wrench Radio to talk about why shop owners need employee feedback to build better shops and how to get people talking and sharing ideas. If her name sounds familiar, she was in the July issue story, "How to Get Authentic Employee Feedback." We discuss: (0:58): The benefits of asking for feedback (1:45): Why shop owners struggle to get feedback (3:15): How to create a culture of openness (5:35): What happens when leaders negatively react to feedback? (7:00): How feedback can help shop owners identify thought leaders (8:26): What happens when employee feedback isn't valued? (9:45): Addressing employees' fear of repercussion (11:46): The 'Start, Stop, Continue' feedback loop (14:21): Other ways to get employees to share feedback (15:40): The benefits of outsourcing HR for help.
Identifying Shop Inefficiencies w/ Alex Bunkers
In this episode, Alex Bunkers, head of operations at Tekmetric, joins Ratchet+Wrench to take a deep into a whitepaper she wrote called, “Quantifying Inefficiencies in Your Shop,” which is aimed at “helping shops maintain a strong awareness of every aspect of the shop, from inventory management to proactively keeping up with KPIs.” We'll discuss: (0:53): An overview of the whitepaper (2:30): Analog shops and how they keep records (4:08): Benefits of using shop management software (5:39): A case study on Mike's Auto Repair (7:19): Should any shop not be on a digital platform in 2022 (8:08): The most important and most overlooked KPI (9:52): 3 Steps to promote shop growth (14:58): How to improve shop workflow (15:57): Tracing trends and proactive metrics (17:48): Long-game strategies for applying shop data (18:16): What shops lose by not tracking KPI.
Rural Shops: Jennifer & Tony Ringham of Precision Imports
In this episode, Jennifer and Tony Ringham of Precision Imports, featured in the August 2022 story, "Keeping It Rural," offer a closer look at the life and work of rural shop owners and how they make it work. Jennifer and Tony have been servicing European cars since 2006. Tony is a graduate of Universal Technical Institute in Chicago, where he graduated first in his class and finished first in his class in the Mercedes-Benz Star certification graduate program. Jennifer joined Tony in the business in 2018, where she wears multiple hats such as owner, service writer, parts manager, workflow specialist, car porter, and marketing director. We discuss: (1:40): The shop's history and Tony's background (4:30): The shop's layout and design (9:05): The investment they've made in the shop (11:30): How business is going for Precision Imports (12:45): How they're marketing and promoting the shop (16:35): The appeal of the rural shop (19:05): How they train their technicians (21:05): Their position on EVs and emerging tech (27:35): Their customer service philosophy (31:55): How they use text messaging to ease the customer's mind (37:05): What they love about shop ownership
How to Overcome the Technician Shortage (w/ Cecil Bullard)
In this episode of Ratchet+Wrench Radio, Cecil Bullard of the Institute for Automotive Business Excellence stops in to discuss how shop owners can overcome the technician shortage. Cecil discusses: Why raising labor rates is necessary to attract top talent A simple formula to raise rates today The need to create a career path for today's technician The importance of having the right atmosphere and benefits Why shops should proactively get involved in student programs Self-assessing your business model Why you need to constantly be recruiting The silver lining Find us on social: Chris | Cecil
Setting Future Techs Up for EV Success
As more EVs begin to enter the mainstream car parq, knowledge of how to work on those vehicles is becoming critically important for shop techs to have. Northeast State Community College in Blountville, Tennessee, recently received a near-$350,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to integrate EV technology training into its curriculum to ensure local techs are getting that information. Donna Farrell, Northeast State dean of technologies, and Ernie Morelock, automotive department chair, join Digital Reporter Hanna Bubser to discuss what the grant means for their college and why EV technology training is vital for today's techs.
Preparing Your Shop for EVs & ADAS (w/ Ben Johnson)
This week on Ratchet+Wrench Radio, Ben Johnson of Mitchell 1 joins the show. Ben is the director of product management for Mitchell 1 and is responsible for managing Mitchell 1’s portfolio of products for the motor vehicle industry. He maintains several ASE certifications and is a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) International. He currently serves on the Auto Care Association’s Tool & Equipment and Emerging Technologies committees, and on the executive council at the Automotive Aftermarket Suppliers Association (AASA) Technology Council. He is a frequent presenter at industry events, speaking on ADAS and emerging automotive technologies. Today, Ben will talk about the fear and uncertainty surrounding electrification and how shops can prepare to offer services for EVs and ADAS-equipped vehicles.
Dissecting Mail Shark’s New Auto Care Customer Survey (w/ Josh Davis)
Welcome to Ratchet+Wrench Radio, your podcast for strategies and inspiration for auto care success. This week, Josh Davis, chief revenue officer at MailShark, joins host Chris Jones as they take a deep dive into a new auto care industry customer survey Mail Shark conducted called Cracking the Code. We'll talk about: How they gathered the data What they learned about consumers and trust as it pertains to shops Why trust is changing One trust factor shop owners must fix today How DVI factors into consumer trust and perception of repair shops Demographic, economic, and generational factors regarding trust Whether 5-star Google ratings help or hurt shops in the eyes of consumers Habits of high-income customers Marketing tips for shops Get your copy of the survey.
Right to Repair Decision Could Be Coming Soon
The ongoing Right to Repair legal battle in Massachusetts has been a fixture in automotive aftermarket headlines for almost two years now, and a lot has happened since state voters approved the measure on the November 2020 ballot. A decision could be coming down this Friday, but after numerous delays, it would come as no surprise if it were delayed again. Nevertheless, Friday is an important day for the aftermarket. We’re dipping back into the podcast archives to revisit a conversation from last month on the ADAPT Podcast with Aaron Lowe, senior vice president of government and regulatory affairs with the Auto Care Association, about what’s at stake in the decision and why shop owners outside of Massachusetts should care.
How Great SEO Attracts People to Your Shop
This week on Ratchet+Wrench Radio, Chris Jones talks to Autoshop Solutions CEO Margaret Palango about the ins and outs of on- and off-page SEO and what shop owners need to know about drawing customers from the web.
How to Level Up Your Service Writer (w/ Guy Roberts)
In this episode, Ratchet+Wrench Editor Chris Jones and Guy Robers of Sales Fix Academy dive into the inner workings of Sales Fix Academy, what service writers need to do to increase sales and boost profit, and why a highly-trained service writer matters to the health and success of the shop.