A shop owner told me something a while back that I haven't been able to shake. He said: "One of our techs lost his shit. Pushed a service advisor up against the wall. And quit." This was a tech he wanted to keep. A great producer. The kind of guy who made everyone around him better. But here's the part that wrecked the owner: He wasn't surprised. He knew this tech had been quietly suffering. Issues piling up. Frustrations brewing. But the shop was busy. Cars were stacked. And there was never a "good time" to have the hard conversation. So the tech blew up. Walked out. So the owner was left staring at an empty bay on a Monday morning with a full schedule and zero options. He called me that afternoon. Not because he wanted to hire. Because he had to. And that's the difference that will eat your lunch every single time. Here's what I've learned after nearly 8 years of helping shops hire — and over 500 conversations with owners just like you: The crisis is never the tech who leaves. The crisis is having nobody to call when they do. I hear it constantly in this community: "If I get one call out, it hurts." "Any time a tech is sick or on vacation it turns the whole place upside down." "I've depleted my bench." "I don't want to be in desperation." And then there's my personal favorite heartbreaker — the owner who told me: "Heavy sigh — maybe it's time for me to sell." All because a tech left for a dealer that promised factory training they'll never deliver. That's not a hiring problem. That's a bench problem. HERE'S THE BRUTAL TRUTH Most shops don't have a bench. They have a prayer. They're fully staffed today. Everything's running. Bays are full. And they think that means they're safe. But one resignation, one injury, one Monday morning no-show — and they're right back on Indeed. Sorting through the same junk. The Domino's driver who saw the salary and figured "how hard can it be to turn a wrench?" The C tech pretending to be an A tech who can't answer basic diagnostic questions.

You’ve heard the buzz about AI, but is it just hype—or could it actually help you hire better techs, attract more customers, and make your life easier? 👉 Find out this Wednesday at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET! The Shop Management Alliance invited me to give an exclusive live demo showing exactly how we’re using AI to help auto repair shops: ✅ Fill open positions faster with high-quality ads for techs ✅ Get more customers without wasting money on marketing that doesn’t work ✅ Automate time-sucking marketing and social media tasks so you can focus on running your shop ✅ Create an ideal client profile custom GPT that will create all of your marketing and customer communications for you from the perspective of your best customers This is NOT theory. We’ve been using AI for nearly a year, and I’ll show you real-world examples of what’s working. If you’re serious about growing your shop (without working more hours), don’t miss this. Seats are limited— reply in the comments to grab your spot now and I'll send you the access details.