Success usually doesn’t come easy.
That applies to anyone in any profession, auto care included. I don’t have to tell you this. Regardless of whether you’re laboring on vehicles, as a shop leader, you are a repairer of problems. You do it for your staff, for your customers. It comes with the territory.
Each day sparks new, unforeseen fires. Some can be snuffed out quickly. Others require more lengthy extinguishing. You overcome these challenges, you learn from them, and you improve. Every bested obstacle makes you stronger—at least that’s the goal, right?
This month’s cover story, “The Art of the Pivot,” lays out some of the real struggles shop operators have taken on, how each scenario was dealt with, and how each shop ultimately grew as a result.
Take Ted Curran, owner of Monkey Wrenches Inc. in Brentwood, Calif., a shop on the brink of bankruptcy when he took it over in 2005. As you might guess, he didn’t let the shop slide into financial ruin. He shared with us his key strategies for overhauling the once-downtrodden operation, which has tripled revenue in the last decade. Determination was a key factor.
“What it all comes down to is that you need a plan and you need that unrelenting belief in yourself that you will make it work and do whatever it takes to succeed,” Curran told managing editor Bryce Evans for the story.
Curran is one of two shop operators who shared their “pivot” with us. Each of their stories is full of valuable lessons for any shop operator, and it’s impossible not to be inspired by what they have overcome to get where they are today.
Next time you have a seemingly insurmountable challenge in your own operation, remember it might be your next opportunity to do something great to advance your business.
Jake Weyer, editor
jweyer@ratchetandwrench.com
