Hunt Demarest Releases Auto Repair Finance Guide, “Beyond the Bays”
Hunt Demarest, CPA/ABV, has released a new book to serve as a financial field guide for the independent auto repair industry, as shared in a press release.
Host of the podcast Business by the Numbers, a partner at Paar, Melis & Associates, and columnist for Ratchet+Wrench, Demarest has built his career advising independent auto shops on financial strategy and operational profitability. His new book, “Beyond the Bays,” breaks down complex financial topics, including pricing, profit margins, technician pay structures, fraud prevention, cash flow, and growth planning.
“The mission is simple: give shop owners clarity—without the accounting jargon,” Demarest said. “It’s the conversations we’ve already been having with real shop owners, the same problems that come up repeatedly—and the solutions that actually work in real bays with real employees. I wanted to give owners something they can use immediately and build a better business.”
“Beyond the Bays” contains guest insights from shop owners and industry leaders who have applied these principles in their own operations.
“Most of us learned this industry from the shop floor—not an MBA program,” said Travis Troy one of the contributing shop owners, who operates Honest Wrenches in Des Moines, Iowa. “This book finally puts the financial side of running a shop in language we can understand and actually use. It’s the tool I wish I had ten years ago.”
