'Auto Repair in a Box:' How Craftsman Auto Care Is Transforming Training
Matt Curry’s automotive journey started with a mop bucket and an oil pan, but today, it looks entirely different: a nine-shop operation bringing in nearly $40 million annually, where customers don't even ask about the $220 hourly labor rate and the top technician clears $358,000 a year. Before he built Craftsman Auto Care into a regional powerhouse, Curry was a 19-year-old manager with an uncanny knack for doubling a shop's monthly revenue within a year.
After creating so much success for others, he decided to take a chance on himself and build his own business. Partnering with his wife, Judy, they invested nearly $400,000 gathered from loans and every credit card they could find to open Curry’s Auto Service.
“We opened Curry’s in a rough industrial park with no visibility and only four parking spots,” he says. “We had about $250,000 in equipment loans on top of the credit cards. We grew that into 10 stores and were eventually voted the No. 1 auto repair shop in North America by Motor Age magazine and top three by Tire Review.”
Taking the Next Step
Curry eventually received an offer he couldn’t refuse and sold Curry’s to a private equity firm, making him technically retired at 47 years old. When his broker gave him a call one day about a seven-bay shop that was behind on rent and available for sale, he jumped at the chance to start all over again.
After a series of renovations, Curry and his team turned the shop, Craftsman Auto Service, around from being delinquent on rent to bringing in $4.5 million a year. They’ve opened eight more stores in the last eight years, bringing in nearly $40 million total. As it turns out, the impressive sales haven’t been the highlight of the restart for Curry.
“My proudest award, out of all the awards we’ve won, was one we just received at the Tekmetric convention,” he says. “We received the ‘Most Transparent’ award. We were the DVI powerhouse. My Fairfax location alone took over 300,000 pictures for customers on our DVI inspections last year. We have always been a show-and-tell service and super transparent.”
Taking training to another level
Beginning in May, Craftsman Auto Care is rolling out a full-scale internal training program, headed by a master technician with 25 years of experience in both tech and management. Of course, the program had humble beginnings.
“What happened with our training is that we started doing it internally,” Curry says. “I have a two-day class where I teach our guys, ‘This is who we are, and this is how we roll.’ We inspect and test drive every vehicle before and after we work on it. We do full digital inspections and maintain total transparency.”
Before long, other shop owners started reaching out to Curry for help when their businesses were struggling. A fellow shop owner in Ohio called him, desperate for help before he had to close down his flagging shops. Curry invited him to tour the Craftsman setup and sit in on a training course for free. The owner took the lessons to heart and went from bringing in $10,000 a week to $50,000. Unsurprisingly, the calls from shop owners nationwide started piling up afterward. The only choice was to expand.
Turning Training into Charity
Some shop owners are deeply concerned with the idea of sharing too much information with fellow owners and losing whatever “secret sauce” they feel gives them an advantage against their competition. Curry, on the other hand, feels the exact opposite.
“Knowledge shouldn't be a secret,” Curry says. “I was involved in a 20 group for six years—a group of non-competing shop owners from the U.S. and Canada. That was one of the most powerful things I ever did because we learned so much from each other. I want people to be successful.”
With so many shop owners and managers asking for help, Matt expanded the training program and used it to expand the business’ charitable efforts.
“We decided to open it up to whoever wants to come,” Curry explains. “We only charged $250 initially just to cover the room and lunch. We did a store tour and a day and a half of training. People love it because it’s like auto repair in a box—we show them how to run a top-rated shop based on honesty, integrity, and quality.
“Now, we charge $1,000 for the training, but we donate all of that money to charity and match it up to $10,000. My wife and I have a big heart for food insecurity, so we give to local food pantries and José Andrés’ World Central Kitchen. We also support ‘Great Vibes,’ a charity started by my assistant Susan Boone and her husband. They have a daughter with Down syndrome, and the charity provides social events like dances and games for adults with disabilities. It’s a beautiful thing.”
Building a Team That Lasts
Running a successful business requires building a team that you can trust and keeping them around—a challenge that can be the most frustrating part of being a shop owner. Curry's solution is simple.
“We pay people really well and treat them with respect,” he says. “We pay 80% of their health insurance and give them up to a month of vacation per year. We also interview well and fire fast. If you aren’t going to be part of the team or grow within our system, you can’t stay.”
The work doesn’t end once someone joins the team. It’s critical to make sure every member of the team is on the same page and working toward the same goal.
“We have two-minute meetings every day,” Curry says. “It’s part of our internal marketing plan. You need an external marketing plan to get customers, but you need an internal one to share your values, policies, and procedures with your team. Having an internal marketing plan is powerful. You have to enforce and reinforce. You can’t say something once and expect it to stick.”
The result of a successful internal marketing plan is a business that thrives no matter who’s in the shop—and the freedom to decide what comes next.
“Our 10,000 five-star reviews speak for themselves,” Matt says. “I’m on cloud nine. When I was 25, it was about making a fortune. Now that I've done that, it’s all about giving back.”