Helping Shop Owners grow into the successful entrepreneurs they imagine themselves to be.

On July 16, 2019 this site moved to www.autotraining.net/auto-shop-coaching-blog/. Please visit the new site for our most recent posts.

Wednesday, May 29, 2019

Three Steps to Build a Leading Brand

Three Steps to Build a Leading Brand

A brand is worthless if it doesn’t connect with the right audience in a relevant way.” Cory Torella 

It’s late in the evening and you’re out of town, driving without your GPS device. You don’t know where you are, you don’t know where you’re going, but you do know that you’re hungry! Up ahead, you see the next exit has fast food options so you turn off and go down that road.

You pull up to the stop light and are faced with a difficult decision: you can either turn left and go to McDonald’s, or you can go right and eat at The Twiggs Burger Joint. What would you do?

Wednesday, May 22, 2019

Moving From Good to Great as a Shop Owner

Change expectations to go from good to great

“Don’t expect victory or defeat. Plan for victory, learn from defeat.” Gary John Bishop 

In his book Good to Great, Jim Collins communicates the concept of The Stockdale Paradox. It’s based on the experience of James Stockdale, a high-ranking naval officer who was held captive as a POW for seven years during the Vietnam war.

He was tortured repeatedly and had no rational reason to remain positive. The dates on the calendar would change, but his situation remained the same.

Wednesday, May 15, 2019

Are You Getting Thrown Under the Bus?


Does your shop practice the blame game?

“The starting point of success is taking ownership of your failures.”

If you Googled the phrase, “To throw under the bus,” an image of my six-year-old son Eric would appear! 

He’s infamous in the Twiggs household for throwing his older sister Erin under the bus! If I ask, “Eric, why haven’t you gone to sleep yet?” His reply, “Its Erin’s fault, she keeps talking to me!”

Wednesday, May 8, 2019

How to Get More Buy-In at Your Shop

Get more team buy-in at your shop.

“When a team takes ownership of the problem, the problem gets solved.” Jocko Willink 

Think back on all your extended vacations. How many times did you take the rental car to the car wash? I conducted an official survey of a select group of leaders who have high attention to detail.

I added their combined total of lifetime rental car washes and placed their numbers into my special spreadsheet. The total came to ZERO!

You have NEVER washed the rental car!  Why?  It’s because you didn’t own it, and you place a higher value on things that you own.

Wednesday, May 1, 2019

How to Conquer the Car Count Paradox

Do you know your fact-based WIN number?

"The greatest gift to give yourself is the willingness to change your mind." Marianne Williamson

Have you ever seen a fight break out at the dentist’s office? Let’s think about your last visit. The receptionist handed you a card and said, “Your next appointment will be on May 1st.”

She didn’t ask, “would you like to come in on May 1st?” or, “You don’t want to schedule your next appointment, do you?” She just told you the date and assumed you would accept it.