Forgive me if I’m jumping to an assumption here, but both of us, you and me, tend to be motivated through a bit of the chip-on-my-shoulder mentality, right? I mean, in your case, it comes with the territory: The vast majority of successful entrepreneurs and leaders are often motivated by the doubts of others, by (perceived or real) “slights.” And let’s ignore the obvious here, too, that you work in an industry mired by negative stereotypes that you’ve worked to break day in and day out since you’ve operated your shop.
At the end of the day, there’s nothing more motivating than the infuriating notion that you “can’t” do something.
Ratchet+Wrench was pretty much built off that mindset. We heard the word “can’t” countless times in launching the magazine in 2012. We were told the market was too saturated with publications, that no one wants another print magazine, that we’d be no different than anyone else.
Why do it? You can’t succeed.
Well, it’s 2020 now.
Let’s look ahead to some new challenges—and let’s take on a big one together.
You likely saw the advertisement for the ADAPT: Automotive Technology Summit belly-banded around the magazine this month. And you’ll notice a new page in the magazine this month that teases our ADAPT content online at adaptautomotive.com. There’s an ad somewhere in the magazine, too, about it.
ADAPT is our new 2020 launch, a digital-first brand aimed to deliver content about the most progressive and pressing automotive technology trends disrupting the industry—and how you, as a shop owner and operator, can better equip your business to grow and thrive in the years ahead. And that’s carried over into the event: The ADAPT: Automotive Technology Summit provides operators from all segments of the automotive aftermarket with a unique, unmatched opportunity to learn directly from automakers and the industry’s foremost leaders. It’ll be a three-day event (set for downtown Nashville, May 31 through June 2) with presentations and discussions from the automotive industry’s foremost leaders in terms of advanced vehicle technology—OEM representatives, OEM suppliers, leaders of technology companies, and other industry leaders.
We’re especially proud and excited about this launch because of how it came about: It’s our goal to answer the call of our readership to have a larger understanding, presence and voice in the future of the automotive industry. We feel an obligation to support the independent shop, and we feel that, along with Ratchet+Wrench, ADAPT can be a tool that gives you a fighting chance against the obstacles you’ll face moving forward. This is your industry. You work on 70 percent of all out-of-warranty vehicles. It’s your business that will drive this industry forward—not the tech that automakers decide to throw in vehicles.
You can keep up, and you can succeed. You will.
We’ll do our part in bringing you the information you need to make those adjustments, and you’ll do what you need to do to keep America moving. We’ll do it together. Let’s get started.
