You’ve made it to a new year and chances are, you’ve got some specific goals in mind. And why not? New years are all about fresh starts and resolutions, right?
You’re optimistic, you’ve learned from the last 12 months (and the many more that came before), you’re ready to jump in and get started. This is the year you’ll finally go paperless, or set up your succession plan, or invest in the latest tech, or master your marketing strategy—right after you’ve returned those calls, answered emails, set appointments, wrapped up your research, and on and on.
In the rush of day-to-day shop life, it’s easy to lose focus. Plans change, deadlines come and go, roadblocks emerge, and suddenly, you’re back where you started.
To inspire and motivate shop owners setting their own goals, the Ratchet+Wrench team checked in with four master goal-setters with big plans in 2021. Whether pushing for profit growth, prepping for retirement or training for a milestone staff transition, the shop owners profiled in the following pages have set clear sights for the year ahead and shored up a game plan to match.
SHOP STATS: Denny's Auto Locations: Riverton, Utah Operator: Darrin and Mitch Moncur Average Monthly Car Count:230 Total Staff Size:10 Shop Size: 7,600 sq. ft. Total Annual Revenue: $1.4 million
Training For Transition
In 2019, Mitch Moncur, co-owner of Denny's Auto in Riverton, Utah, aimed to increase the shop’s parts margin to 60 percent.
In 2020, with that margin resting consistently in the 60s, Moncur set out to reach 10 percent revenue growth. And in 2021, Moncur’s not only aims to reach a milestone $1.6 million in revenue, he’s also prioritizing plenty of hands-on training to prepare his team for the big moves he has in store for 2022.
“This year’s going to be all about training my leadership team,” he says. “We’re shooting to open two new locations in 2022 and to focus on that physical growth I’m going to be leaning on them to run the day to day here on their own.”
A Strategic Approach
He’ll start by revising the shop’s standard operating procedures, which he says currently reflect the shop’s unique challenges and character but need to be updated and formatted in a duplicatable model that can be carried out at the new shops.
Through Moncur’s training, his service advisor and foreman will learn the ins and outs of the shop’s best marketing and accounting practices, review case studies for how to handle realistic shop issues, and set deadlines for the tasks they’ll begin to take over at the end of the year. He also plans to send them to Automotive Training Institute (ATI) headquarters to dig into topics like financial management and leadership throughout the year.
“I want them to be able to understand the financial requirements and pitfalls of running the business, how to read a P&L, etc. These are courses I took and grew exponentially from, so I’m expecting the same from them,” he says.
Alongside these training sessions, Moncur’s leadership team will review their progress and work through questions at weekly and quarterly check-in meetings.
“Those one-on-ones are really all about personal development and seeing how they’ve grown. Everything that’s going to work about this process is going to happen there,” Moncur says.
As his leadership team begins completing coursework and hitting deadlines, Moncur can scout new locations, starting a casual search early this summer so he can make serious decisions by fall, when he plans to either try to buy from shop owners preparing to retire or start a new build and begin contacting contractors.
Pro Tip: Make it a team mission
“You’re almost never going to reach your goals, especially company-wide goals, entirely your own. Getting team buy-in from the start means you’ll have partners to help you reach the finish line.”
Creating In-house Tools
Moncur will also be rolling out a synchronized educational program to the rest of the Denny’s Auto team this year. With the program currently in beta testing, Moncur will fine-tune the process with tech feedback before rolling it out across the entire team.
“This’ll be a kind of toolbox program to train techs up from general service. Once it’s ready we’ll start each tech out at general service and get them through the three levels of that section before moving them on to the three levels each in the C- and B-tech sections,” he says.
Designed in Google Classrooms with a framework Moncur can update and revamp as the industry grows and changes, the program will include training modules, YouTube videos, auto process sheets, Cars on Demand resources, quizzes and more. As techs progress through the program, they’ll also be quizzed randomly out on the shop floor.
Moncur initially plans to roll the program out to one tech at a time and by the middle of the year hopes to have two apprentices on staff at all times being trained up through our program.
“Personal growth is a requirement when you join our team, so it’s something we’re all on board with and looking for in each other. Now it’s just a matter of rolling it all out so we can get started.”
Pro Tip: Set Metrics
“Whether it’s deadlines or numbers or test results or feedback, you have to make a point to measure and evaluate your progress along the way. Otherwise you won’t hit the mark.”
SHOP STATS: G&C Tire and Auto Service Locations: Chantilly and Manassas, Va. Operator: Gregg & Christina Caldwell Average Monthly Car Count: 830 combined Total Staff Size: 28 Total Annual Revenue: ~$4 million combined
Leading to Level Up
Setting goals at G&C Tire and Auto Service, with locations in Chantilly and Manassas Va., isn’t an occasional action item. It’s a way of life and a team effort. So, when owners Gregg and Christina Caldwell set goals for the business, the success of their staff goes hand in hand.
“The goals we’re setting aren’t just about numbers. They’re based around helping our team perform at their best,” says Gregg.
Based not far from Washington D.C., proximity to government business provided G&C with a steady stream of business, even in the midst of previous economic downturns. But with COVID-19 driving so many government workers off the road to work from home, Gregg and Christina shifted their focus for the year ahead.
“We originally had other plans for 2021 but our priorities are focused on boosting profits, but from a holistic perspective,” says Christina.
“Right now our potential for growth is in revenue, not location or footprint size. So we’re focusing on tapping the talent on our team to hit those benchmarks, says Gregg.
Finding additional quality staff is often a challenge these days, but with a team full of potential, the Caldwells are ramping up their efforts to creatively challenge, guide and support their team.
Embrace the Tech
Well before COVID-19, the Caldwells were already pushing their staff to embrace digital solutions like Zoom and Slack as part of the shop’s daily workflow and as the pandemic set in service advisors were sent home to work remotely.
“Many went kicking and screaming into those changes, but implementing initiatives like that pushes everyone out of their comfort zone to learn and adapt,” says Christina.
Investing From Within
Among marketing and additional customer service solutions, the Caldwells will be investing in their team’s professional development throughout the year.
“We want them setting goals and striving for their own growth. We want everyone to put their goals down on paper and tape them up to their monitor or on their desk—wherever they’ll be in plain sight. We want them just as focused on their goals as we are,” says Christina.
The Caldwells also plan to use weekly one-on-one meetings and private Slack channels to check in and help keep the team on track.
“Employee goals and progress will be the focus of those meetings but we also want to hear what kind of roadblocks they might hit or challenges they might have trouble overcoming. It’s a time for us to get to know more about them as people and offer feedback and support to keep them moving forward,” says Gregg.
Pro Tip: Don’t set it and forget it
“If you’re serious about it, your goal’s got to be top of mind everyday in everything you do. Losing track and getting distracted is easy. Staying focused is the challenge and the key.”—Christina Caldwell
Keeping Engagement High
Ownership and accountability for staff professional development will be key in keeping the team engaged and invested. After launching a team book club, the Caldwells have delegated club leadership positions, encouraging the team to step up and take an active role in the topics covered.
“We’ve picked people to take the lead on certain topics but our last presenter really challenged the group,” says Gregg. “He acknowledged that not everyone loves to read, but he pointed out ‘‘if you can’t find the time to read at least a couple of chapters, then you might want to start looking for a new job because the industry changes all the time and you’re not going to get anywhere if you don’t change with it.’ It’s exercises like that that we want to be driving home this year,” says Gregg.
“We’re pushing for expanded horizons,” Christina says. “Whether they’re listening to a podcast or finding inspiration in something being done in another industry, that connection and critical thinking can only help them grow and their success is our success.”
Pro Tip: Keep it simple
“Any goal worth working toward will eventually include multiple steps and task, so simplifying the focus of your mission will keep you from getting overwhelmed or putting too much on your plate.”—Gregg Caldwell
SHOP STATS: Elizabeth AutoCare Locations: Elizabeth, Pa. Operator: Dave Striegel Average Monthly Car Count: 222 Total Staff Size: 8 Shop Size: 3,200 sq. ft. Total Annual Revenue: $1 million
Fine-Tuning for the Future
A year from now, Dave Striegel, owner of Elizabeth AutoCare in Elizabeth, Pa., will be in Alaska. Or on a weeks-long camping trip. Or both.
One thing’s for sure—he won’t be at the shop. He’s had his retirement date, Dec. 31, 2021, set in stone for years. “I’ve set this plan and I’m sticking to it,” he says.
Striegel’s got a discipline for planning that’s guided him through his over 40-year career, setting goals for his shop and its eventual successor in five-year increments for 20 years and counting.
After decades in the gas station industry, he set out to build his own automotive repair shop from the ground up.
“I opened the shop just over 15 years ago and I always planned for it to be my nest egg. I designed it specifically for profitability and efficiency with that goal in mind.”
Not long after launching the shop, Striegel asked his trusted service manager Mike Moeslein to become his successor and as the business has grown, Strigel’s built the business with Moeslein in mind.
Thinking Beyond the Finish Line
Now, as he pulls into the homestretch, Striegel plans to update and upgrade the shop inside and out.
From landscaping projects and a fresh coat of paint to maintain the shop’s pristine exterior to updates ranging from new LED lights and replaced lifts and scanners, Striegel will be working to set Moeslein up for success.
“[Mike’s] making the move from service manager to owner and that’s a big shift in mindset, so I’m trying to tackle all of the things that shouldn’t be on his plate in those first two years of ownership so he can get a grasp on running the business,” he says.
Striegel plans to replace all equipment used on a daily basis, a costly expense that he’s already budgeted for throughout the years, while approaching the shop’s needs with fresh eyes.
“I’m asking the questions I’d be considering if I were coming on as a new shop owner. Do we want to stick with our management system or try out a new one? If I were trying to put this shop on the market, what are the updates a new occupant would expect? It’s all top of mind,” he says.
Pro Tip: Change your mindset
“Reaching your goals happens in the present, one day a time—not in the far off future. Thinking of your goals in the here and now makes a goal a reality rather than a dream scenario.”
Embracing New Roles
Striegel will be working closely with Moeslein throughout the year to walk through operational tasks, behind the scenes paperwork, taxes and P&L statements, and workflow and delegation strategies, but he’s also budgeted time to work on soft skill strategies.
With a background as an automotive coach, Striegel plans to draw from years of past experience to help Moeslein hone his management skills.
“We’ve had a kind of good cop-bad cop dynamic that’s worked for us and he’s so good at what he does in the shop, but next year I won’t be here, so we’ll work on softening up some of those edges to and knowing when to guide with a gentler hand,” he says. “Employee turnover can be a big issue so building a solid relationship with the team is a top priority.”
The two will be working to hedge off potential employee and customer turnover throughout the year as Moeslein begins to transition from his role as No. 2 to shop boss. Over the last year, Streigel’s begun to leave space for Moeslein to step in and take ownership of that key relationship-building that’s so vital in business.
“It’s about allowing him to act in that leadership role and continue to gain the team’s trust and respect,” says Striegel. “Same thing goes for our customers. We don’t want anyone to think they’ll get a different experience with new ownership in place,” he says, describing the transition as more of a slow and steady climb than a band-aid rip.
“At the end of the day, the better care I can take of him through this transition, the better my retirement will be. It’ll all be worth it.”
Pro Tip: Give yourself a head start
“Setting a goal you don’t have time to reach doesn’t help anyone. Give yourself more time than you think you’ll need and break that goal down into increments with individual deadlines. Things are going to pop up that you didn’t plan for. A head start is the best way to stay on track.”