Ratchet+Wrench Radio

How I Became a Million-Dollar Service Advisor | Chelsea McDonald

In this episode, Chelsea McDonald of Certified Transmission in Bellevue, Nebraska, shares her journey into the auto care industry and how she committed to becoming the best service advisor in her shop. She also offers actionable tips for service advisors looking to get that winning edge. 
 
Sponsored by Ford Motorcraft

The Interesting History of Kenwood Tire & Auto | Spencer Carruthers

In this episode, Spencer Carruthers, owner of Kenwood Tire & Auto in West Bridgewater, Massachusetts, tells the story of this historic shop that was once a one-room school and a public library. He also shares insights he's learned about how auto repair shops can capitalize on EV tires as a service.
 
Sponsored by Ford Motorcraft

How Branded Merchandise Helps Our Shop | Susan McGrath

In this episode, Susan McGrath of Girlington Garage in South Burlington, Vermont, talks about how she and shop owner Demeny Pollitt began using branded merchandise. 
McGrath tells how they choose what to invest in, what customers like, what fell flat, and how it has helped the shop become known in the community. 
 
Sponsored by Ford Motorcraft

Why I Hired a Coach (and Why You Should, Too) | Kevin Oswald

In this episode of Ratchet+Wrench Radio, Kevin Oswald, owner of Oswald Service and Repair in Idaho Falls, Idaho, talks about his decision to hire a coach and the difference it made for his shop. He also opens up about changing coaches and why for some owners, a different perspective can add to their growth and success.

Can Shopgenie Change How Shops Do Business? | Kieran O’Brien

In this episode, Kieran O'Brien, co-founder of new CRM Shopgenie, talks about how the pitfalls of auto repair shops and their ability to follow up with online customers. We also discuss how the CRM can help shop owners rake in Gen Z and mobile-first customers with its online scheduling and automation capabilities.
Sponsored by Ford Motorcraft

Why We Started Four-Day Workweeks | Erin Vaughan, Kinetic Auto Service

This week on Ratchet+Wrench Radio, Erin Vaughan, owner of Kinetic Auto Service in Regina, Saskatchewan, stops by to talk about why her shop instituted a four-day workweek and how. 
Earlier this spring, Vaughan made the decision and she discusses how she arrived at it, and also discusses:
How the shop's days and weeks are structured
Consulting the team and how they've responded to the change
What she's learned about workflow management in a four-day week
Whether KPI has been affected and how productivity has changed
Training her clients and eliminating waiters completely
Short weeks as a means to attract new talent
How owners looking to try a four-day workweek can get started
 

Why I Invested in an EV Charger | Matt Lofton

In this episode, Matt Lofton, owner of Strut Daddy's Complete Car Care, discusses one step he's taken toward electrification. Lofton added an EV charger inside his Roxboro, North Carolina, shop and talked about:
His decision to do so despite being in a rural
Why he decided to purchase an EV charger
Which type of EV charger he chose and why
How he uses the charger within his shop's workflow
What shop owners need to know about their shops before making the decision to buy one
This episode is sponsored by Ford Motorcraft. 

Developing Rock Star Service Advisors | Jeremy O’Neal

In this episode, Jeremy O'Neal, owner of Freedom Auto Repair and president of Advisor Fix, discusses a service advisor's role in the shop and how the best advisors perform. 
He discusses:
His definition of a service advisor
How and why he started Advisor Fix
The characteristics and qualifications of a solid service advisor
What owners should look for in a service advisor
How advisors can grow through training
Why shop owners should invest in front-of-house training

How I Get More Customers Using Digital Marketing | Andrew Knudsen with Dan Vance

In this episode of Ratchet+Wrench Radio, Andrew Knudsen, vice president of Coventry Motors in Huntington Station, New York, and Dan Vance founder of digital marketing agency Advanced Local talk about digital advertising.
 
Knudsen and Vance were featured in the January 2023 issue Case Study “How I Invested in Digital Marketing.” The two talk at length about how they met, why Knudsen hired Vance and what shops can learn from their partnership as client and service provider.
 
You’ll learn the following:    •    How Andrew handled his shop’s digital marketing before outsourcing to Dan    •    When they pair began working together and why Andrew felt he needed help    •    Dan’s process for analyzing a customer’s digital marketing needs    •    Common pitfalls that plague auto shop websites    •    What strategies Dan used to help Andrew grow his business online    •    Why retargeting keywords helped Dan get Andrew the right type of customers    •    The difference between programmer and Google ads    •    The benefits of outsourcing digital marketing    •    Digital marketing versus word of mouth    •    How digital agencies shop show owners ROI

How I Built and Operate Hailey Auto Clinic | Alex Dunn

In this episode, Alex Dunn from Hailey Auto Clinic in Hailey, Idaho, stops in to talk shop. You may remember Alex's shop from the December 2022 issue of Ratchet+Wrench. 
Today, Alex discusses why he chose to custom-build his shop, how he worked with his architect, some of the features he chose and how Hailey runs its day-to-day operations.