MGTOW all the way! Craig landed a good one.....she puts up with most of his lunacy and just laughs at him hahah.....I mean, she's put up with that gigantic trailer in the driveway for almost a year now lol.......
That is my major problem the last year or so. For me though it is because I wore out my body working construction so moving around and "working" is painful (bad knees, bad hip, bad back). I rec'd a really lucrative order this past week and while working on it, I threw out my back again. Now just taking a breath is painful. If you're young, you gotta get your ass in gear and motivated to keep trying, otherwise, you're doomed..
If you sell 1 car every day and make 2000 on every car you make 360.000 a year. Something is fishy here. 2000×190= 360.000. Take his advice with a bolt of salt. He couldn't have saved 1000.000. Someone making that much wouldn't be wasting his time with a TH-cam channel like his either. His yt channel will probably take up a lot of his time and barely make 20k a year.
@@africanfitnessconcept The average dealership is open 6 days a week. You multiply 6 days x 52 wks a yr you have 312 days open every yr. You multiply 312 days x $2000 a day you have $624,000. I have no idea how you get $360,000.
East coast rust problems are a nightmare, as I see on South Main Auto Channel LLC. My Escalade EXT is on its third motor mount, time to install a torque strap. 500 for the first replacement, I replaced it the last time, 3 1/2 hours. Most of the time was the steering shaft, I anti seized the shaft and bolt so the next time should take 2 hours max. 403 ponies too much for the crappy designed hydraulic mount.
You remind me of an owner I worked for. During the 80s I was a mechanic at a big used car dealer in CT. One of the owners would constantly tell me how much he hated customer service work. He would give me the same story you just told over and over again. It got to the point that he was complaining that we were costing him money. THEN the recession hit and we stopped selling cars completely. Service was working six days a week mandatory. Service kept the dealership open for two years until sales picked up. I'm not sure I would drop customer service altogether. But your the owner :)
100% agree. same with me. i have a high value service and a low value service. the low value biz keeps us a float when times are bad. best solution is to focus on the high value when times are good but be able to shift the biz model whenever its needed.
Didn't get the full layout of your operation in this, but it looks like you are pretty small. Don't know if you really have the space to do that to it's full potential but definitely something to consider down the road when you can expand a bit. You kinda need designated space for Dealership vehicles to keep that flow going, as well as the designated space for Service.
@@rodwilliams2782 I agree but it also causes headaches that cost you money as well. The worst is when a customer comes back and blames you for something unrelated and you know it. Then what do you do?
@@rodwilliams2782income that takes the time and place of MORE income is indeed still income, but it's less income. That's a losing equation for a business
I made the same decision 25 years ago working on houses. I have always bought houses, remodel them, and sell them. I can work any time I want and rarely have to be somewhere at a certain time. Only downside is that I only get paid 2-4 times a year!
Hey Craig when we order parts for customers cars we always get a picture of the door sticker for the vin and ALL information is on that sticker. Works great if you can’t see the vehicle that your ordering parts for .
I value my mechanic's shop more than anyone can imagine. I see what he has done for me and I can easily imagine what he and his crew have done for others. His shop goes through a lot of headaches (that is an understatement) to fix cars. I never complain when they struggle or make a mistake...they are just too valuable to me.
My advice when it comes to hiring good help ......I was a painting contractor for many years. We did a lot of custom work, so I needed highly skilled painters. Most of the time, I had four or five painters working. I sought out the best, and I paid them according to their ability and how much they produced. I paid these guys top wages. Generally , painters are known for job hopping. But, these men stuck with me because they knew no one else would pay them what I did. It pays off in the long run. Treat people right. We will all face God one day.
Can be true, but the problem is no one wants to pay for quality. They say they do, but when they see the quote from one guy and it's a lot cheaper, they don't know enough to know the differences between the service. Like buying something by specs. Two items may have the identical specifications, but that tells you nothing about the build quality, durability or actual design. Most people will shrug and take the cheaper one.
@@GOTboost-tl3qi you're either lying to yourself, or a business owner who doesn't pay his staff well if you think german is making 6 figures working for flying wheels.
@@JonDoe-007 Reading comprehension isnt your strong suit. Got it. Point was you have no clue what he is making. Believe it or not yes you can make 6 figures easily in this business. Small lots selling $2k to $20k vehicles move them quick. Most average people who have an credit whatsoever can get financed for them and they are still decent used cars. Do I think HE is making that? no. but he is making better money than you think. He has quite a skill set.
@@Phillytech15 he may already get a bonus on a regular basis.... jesus christ. Use some critical thinking. Why does every single thing have to be shown on youtube for it to happen? Owners take care of their employees on their own in this world. You only hear about the bad ones.
The other day My buddy tried to tell me if I fix cars I’d make more money than selling cars, I told him that wasn’t true at all and this video explains it perfectly!!
About 20 years ago I focused on what was making me unhappy. It was being a auto repair mechanic. LOL. Switched to airplanes and haven't looked back since!
Good afternoon. I own a 40 year auto repair shop. Everything you said in your video is so true. This Friday I'm selling one of my shops to a chain outfit. I have been so on the fence for the last three months during negotiations. It's so hard to find good guys to work and come to work. Parts now are so hard to find. This week I had to send a guy to Iowa to get a engine. After watching your video today. I know I'm making the right move. Thank you for making video
I am in the same boat.. I also closed my auto repair shop and sticked to my car dealership for the same reason. Now I have more time for my toys. Keep up the good work.
Mechanics are like Gypsy’s, they constantly switch shops . My brother in law is a master mechanic for 30 years and has worked at dozens of shops around the area. From what I’ve learned, most shops treat them like shit and try to get over on them as much as possible. General low morale throughout the industry.
I don't think it will stay like that for long. Everything is getting REALLY skillful in auto repair. The great techs will demand $. I am in healthcare, I get paid really good money. I have to think MUCH harder repairing cars (I have 20+ years of auto skill) over my day job.
No. Techs are just generally miserable human beings. Dealt with them my entire life. Havent met one that was overworked, overeducated, and underpaid according to their stanards. Yet, they routinely skip work on the day the SnapOn guy comes and rarely if ever complete a single job on a customers car without doubling the bill because they were too lazy to inspect everything beforehand and just guessed. Love dealing with pissed off customers will my "tech" is at lunch for an hour and a half because making a list and agameplan is above their pay grade im sure.
@@GOTboost-tl3qi Your techs are trying to feed their family, you’re trying to build an empire. They don’t have as much interest in building your empire as you do, doesn’t make them bad people. If you’re going to pay low you should at least have a positive and enjoyable working environment for them so that they want to stay. What sets your shop apart from the rest? If if it’s not the pay then what is it?
@@kandlrex THAT'S the thing most businesses miss: it's called treating your employees with respect. Create a great working environment where even if you have to do a shitty job, they'll do it knowing that they are appreciated and you're trying to make their job easier, not harder. I used to do contracting and home renos, I'd hire on helpers from time to time on bigger projects and I always treated them with respect. For eg: if we finished at 4:45? I'd pay them to 5. If they didn't have a small cheap tool to complete the task, and I had a spare, I'd give them my spare. (not loan, give). If I was going into town and would be back around lunch, I'd bring pizza. If it was snowing and freezing cold, I'd call the day early if we were soaked AND I'd be out there in the blizzard with them, I wouldn't be sitting in the warm truck doing paperwork. I worked for a construction company and favourtism was a HUGE issue. There were the "cool kids" the site boss would treat differently and give all the easy jobs to, and then us low lifes who would get all the shit jobs. One time on the friday before a long weekend he was leaving early at last break and walked right past us low lifes and said to the cool kids "have a great weekend, I have to go to the office and do paperwork, call me on the cell phone if you need me" with his back turned to us.....it was brutal.
This is EXACTLY what I’m about to start doing. As a shop owner I’m sick and tired of peoples bullshit. The fleet accounts I have are an absolute pain in the ass. Everyone wants something for nothing these days it’s unbelievable. If you have your own shop, sell cars and only deal with the customers that you like. This guy’s spot on.
I'm in the exact same situation, there are many good people out there but there are also a lot of people out there that blame you for everything that happens to their car. Had a customer 2 weeks ago, who comes in with a 2012 Honda Odyssey says he wants an oil change and to check the car up cause he was going on a vacation to San Diego (from Phoenix). Just so you know he just bought a new Audi Q7 but decided to park the new car in the garage and drive the old one to California. We did the oil change, and everything else looks ok for an 11-year-old car. 4 days later he called me from California saying that the engine is vibrating hard and making lots of noise. He says I had you check it out and you said it's ok, but now it's broken. I told him that with old cars like this you never know if it is going to run for another 10 years or will break down tomorrow, I can't guarantee anything. Funny how much pleasure we get from trying to help people.
Cars are something 90% of people don't want to spend money on. Its the same in the UK. I moved into industrial engineering. These days I tell a customer he needs a $3,000 controller and he says when can you get it. In the car days, I tell customer he needs an additional $200 repair and I get the third degree and tears. I'll stick with getting paid by corporate money thanks 💰👍
14:05 "I have enough problems with my own stuff" I came to this realization a couple years ago and quit my mobile auto repair business. My life is much less complicated and I can sleep at night not feeling that I am responsible for all these folks problems. Great video.
@@lilrob19944 well, that applies to anything really. Doesn't matter if you're auto repair, accountant, construction worker, carpenter, contractor......I found out too late in life that there are two ways to earn a living: working a job, or doing what you love/enjoy. I was raised with the mindset "you get a job, any job, to earn a living"
Being a professional problem solver myself (but in a completely different industry), when you mentioned it wearing you down I felt that in my soul. I used to do basic service but now I’m the “weird shit fixer, primary installer and full time trainer” guy.
Opportunity cost. The concept is lost on so many managers. Nice work by you! Getting rid of the repair business was your opportunity, somebody else may not enjoy the sales side so much. Neither is wrong. You are usually good at what you do.
You literally just opened so many doors for me by making this video. I watched and by doing so, I transitioned my mechanic shop to my used car lot and making a lot more money as well, I feel I owe you money, but I'm just gonna stick with a THANX for now! Awesome, Smart Fella
I started realizing things very similar to what you’re talking about. For me I do construction/repair work. When I stopped doing residential work I started making more money than I’ve ever made in my life. Instead of doing a roof repair for $250 for half a day/sometimes it would take the whole day and you still feel bad when homeowners make you feel bad about a $250 repair Now I’m doing a commercial roof repair or something similar for $2500 Usually one day maybe two. But the thing about commercial work is I’ve also had a $10,000 job that I did completely by myself in two days. That’s not possible with residential work.
Great video, very eye opening on how we know what works in our business but because of ego or fear we keep doing parts of our business or life because we can’t let go. Very good video! Much appreciated!
This is so true, Im a Realtor in AZ and I got rid of clients that just waste my time and focus on people that are serious and I make way more money and have way more time for my family
I was a honnest mechanic, and you know what? My customers figured that out, and kept trying to get a better prize, so in the end i had to stop being so nice, i did my work, their car ran, and then that was that I in the end just stopped because i was working 12 hours a day and barely made enough to keep my tools lubricated
i own a small lot in ohio. started with a repair shop and shut down the repair shop a year in cause of this same exact reason! Nice videos and keep up the work!!! from Ohio shane!
I'm an ER doctor and I hate my job. I have to solve everyone's problem. Oddly enough, people get mad when they hear all the tests and imaging are normal.
WOW! this was actually really inspiring. One of the best and most applicable step over a dime to grab a penny examples I've seen. Thanks for your perspective and congratulations on the success!
i once met a builder who told me he stopped remodeling kitchens and baths and focused only on framing. he told me after he did that, he never had a customer argue over the color or the position of the sink.
I think a big part of the problem is that you are (or were) a conscientious repair shop, rather than a ripoff joint. You follow up with unhappy customers. Can't do very well doing great stuff like that. We understand your dilemma completely! Thanks for super videos!
Solid philosophy to live by. My spouse cleaned houses for living. After a decade of building her client list, she dumped a large portion of clients. The clients that either nickled and dimed her, or didn't treat her with respect. Life is short, money isn't worth the stress sometimes.
Man I agree with you one 100%. I own a small repair shop and I'm honestly thinking about saying screw this. Too many headaches not really worth the money in my opinion. At least I'm the technician so I don't have to worry about other mechanics. Selling cars without repair would definitely be the way to go!
Great video. I started my career in taking automotive classes in High School and went to a trade school. Worked in automotive field for 20 years and finally left the industry completely. Really got tired of the same things you stated... Fixing other peoples problems. Sometimes it just starts with the customer not researching what they buy or have it checked by a mechanic. People will buy some of the junkiest crap and expect you to fix it like it was brand new. Or they try to do the repairs themselves only to find out they cant and then bring it to you but fail to mention what they did. Those usually take an hour to find. Once you catch it you ask them about it and they finally fess up that they tried to do it themselves in which if they told you up front what they did you could have saved time looking into the real problem. Dont blame you one bit on the decision you made. Life just got alot better without those headaches.
Can’t believe these mechanics of yours be coming in late when they start at 10am! I’m a detailer at a auto dealership and we start at 7am! And I gotta be up at 5 to go to work cause of traffic! You Gotta get a job that you love to do. You need some real workers
I own an auto repair business and a small dealer and my mechanic just put his two weeks in yesterday to go wrench on semis for $5 more without saying a word beforehand. I am in this EXACT same spot as of today. Weird this got posted. Have some wholesale questions if you ever have time. I need to put something steady in place and close my repair side.
@@350TPI THANK YOU. Exactly. Come talk. I would have given $5 more just to not search for another mechanic amidst the absolute worst environment you could ask to find a new employee. Got him a car when he was first hired because he is the typical mechanic who is somehow broke on Monday but brings home more than I do on a weekly basis, gifted him a Milwaukee Fuel ratchet for xmas, let him work on personal things after hours in the shop, I bit my tongue when he needed to go to court every month for something new, etc..... Literally had just asked him a few weeks prior about how he liked it and it was all smiles and talking about how wonderful things were. Dude made $18 an hour to do simple wrenching on clean late model cars. Now that I think of it good riddance. Cannot wait to get the repair side closed!
I was a service manager for a machinery dealer and it is the same story - most customers do not understand all you go through to get their machine fixed and then they want you to "knock off $200". Store manager would say to give it to customer as he wanted to keep them for sales but my shop profit took a hit and I missed my numbers. I had customers who felt diagnostics should be free so they could find someone cheaper to fix their machine. On retail customers, it is not worth it to try to explain to non technical people why things cost so much and then they feel they own you from then on - comebacks were few but always finding some fault with the work done. Especially on areas that were not part of the repair (like your example) you did when their unit was in the shop. Retired now and much happier - good video, very honest and real appraisal of repair business. Do what you like that makes the most return whether it be money or just satisfaction with your life.
2020 was a great year to do this. Pivot and make your situation the best you can or get left behind. As the old saying goes "Standing still is the fastest way of moving backwards in a rapidly changing world." I did the same thing in my Landscape business. Dropped the mowing accounts and focused on the landscape installs. Sometimes less is more.
I know people that have done this in other business and it doesn’t always work because what was going really well stop doing really well but it wasn’t that easy at all to get back into the other part because he lost them customers to others. And he got u tube helping him.
I have to say I love your videos! I live in eugene oregon and love this! Even if all of us don’t own a car lot we all have headaches and problems that this lesson can be used in our everyday lives. If I ever makes out to New Hampshire guarantee i will have to stop and say hello.
re: "If I ever makes out to New Hampshire guarantee i will have to stop and say hello." 1. Are you being invited to do so? 2. How much of Craig's time do you plan to waste saying "hello?" 3. What would happen to Craig if all 149K subscribers "dropped in to say hello" anytime?? @Ian Anderson
Craig, you don't fail to give informational and quality content. You have inspired me and many other subscribers on you're channel. Thank you for all your content! I can't wait to see you grow to a million subscribers!!
This auto youtube page is my favorite out of all of youtube . I like how he breaks down everything from all ends of wheeling and dealing with vehicles sales. Good shit
I want to say, I'm a Broken Man, for over 20 years of fixing other people's problems as an AC contractor. And it's just like you say. You'll have somebody call you with a problem, and then later you're being blamed for their problems. That you did not create. And they'll go tell everyone how you ripped them off , when you didn't at all. It's a nickel holding up a dollar. Your video is helpful because others feel your pain. It's too bad some people are such a pain in the ass, and just want someone to blame, their whole messed up miserable life on. I just want to say that I wholeheartedly get it. But, hardly anybody else does.
Crazy! I just told another neighbor asking for help. “I’m not a mechanic, the amount of money I’d want to do the work, you’d save money seeing a specialist, I just like flipping and recording” lol 😂
@@BrokePremiere Ha, nice. I worked on a friends snowblower 2 weeks ago. Picked it up, fixed it and dropped it back off. I told him pay for the parts and buy me some beer. 2 weeks later, no beer yet! WTF
I was an ASE certified master tech many years ago. I still do some work on my own cars, but mostly pay today's professionals to do the work. I have people constantly asking me to work on their cars. I always say no. I don't need the money and definitely don't need the headaches that come with them wanting "warranty" work on completely unrelated problems that pop up months or even years later.
Great video!!!!! But I think we can agree on 1 thing, people where going crazy buying cars in 2020 then usually. Car prices actually went up and almost every dealership said they had a great year.
Thanks for sharing this concept with us. I showed this to my business partner. I had been saying this for 5 years and couldn't get through to him and your video I guess because it said exactly what I said drove the idea home through his thick skull and now we agree to eliminate the bad side of the business so we can concentrate on the good profitable rewarding side. Now I just have to find the energy to move ahead after spending all the energy on the business boat anchor bullcrap that we did before. Your awesome dude.
this video is honestly gold, not a single second of wasted time or anything and i love that. you make me want to learn everything from you. Im 18 and about to get my GDN and start my dealership full time but im honestly scared. going to shoot you a message on instagram. hopefully we can have a good convo there.
@@martincito1662 nice try sweetheart. been flipping dirtbikes since i was 15 and then got into cars. started from a $200 saxophone. dont be shy i have videos uploaded.
I really do enjoy your videos. I feel like you are genuinely wanting the best for your customers, and I like that each of your videos you have some form of lesson that you wish to pass onto people. I 110% believe that your videos have helped people around the world to understand business. I am not in the motor vehicle business, but rather in Finance, however I feel that your explanations really could be helping thousands of people around the world to learn the basics of business and I commend you for wanting to share your knowledge as there are not many people who will openly speak about GP, and NP on such a massive platform as youtube, and this proves that you are doing it because you genuinely want other to make a success of their lives. Good on you. I love your videos.
Yes I think you are doing the right thing I shut down my shop at the end of 2019 and way happier the costumers were terrible to deal with people don’t want to take care of there cars anymore they just want a new one in a couple of years and want me to just fix there car a little bit
Classic case of Opportunity Cost!! Craig does a great job explaining in terms that small business owners can really understand. Keep up the good videos!
I like the legendary customer when i fix an electrical issue and they have a mechanical issue like a wheel bearing,breaks,clutch and they call and say it was perfect before you worked on it
Craig, it is great to see your channel grow. You deserve it. I’ve been subscribed for a long time now. I don’t comment much but watch every one of your videos. Keep up the great work.
So true! I share unit with chap that does repairs and restoration. The amount of time he spends re doing stuff and getting caught up on problem cars is totally pointless compared to the £1k I can make simply washing a car and flipping it! INTERESTINGLY he just got rid of a load of crap and gave me more space as I give him 35% of profit lol!!
Just found you on 5/23. Absolutely love this channel now and getting a ton of good information that I can work into my business that I'm starting here in NE Indiana. Thanks and keep it up!
Craig man, I’ve been watching you since the beginning and usually agree with you, but ordering the wrong parts was on you. If you had made that mistake, while having a personal connection with and knowing your customer, you should have known that she depended on having a vehicle and done the right thing and ordered her a rental car or better yet, loaned her one of your cars (if legally possible). I say this with all respect man. love your video and have learned so much from them.
After watching this video, I had an epiphany and will now be filing for divorce from my wife. She’s the 20% causing the 80%!
best comment! LOL
🤣😂😁😷
Lmao, I was waiting for this one.
lol
MGTOW all the way! Craig landed a good one.....she puts up with most of his lunacy and just laughs at him hahah.....I mean, she's put up with that gigantic trailer in the driveway for almost a year now lol.......
My lack of motivation and laziness are the 20% causing 80% of the problem.
😂😂
😅
HAHAHAHAHAHA GREAT ANSWER HI FROM MATURIN VENEZUELA
That is my major problem the last year or so. For me though it is because I wore out my body working construction so moving around and "working" is painful (bad knees, bad hip, bad back). I rec'd a really lucrative order this past week and while working on it, I threw out my back again. Now just taking a breath is painful.
If you're young, you gotta get your ass in gear and motivated to keep trying, otherwise, you're doomed..
digiver...amen...me too!!! walt
I’m just getting out of High school and I love to get this information from people that actually being successful thank you
I just opened my dealership thanks to flying wheels. I was scared but did it. State inspection on monday and then we just smile and wave boys.
@@ShazadMohamed09 goodluck to you bro! Hope it goes well
If you sell 1 car every day and make 2000 on every car you make 360.000 a year. Something is fishy here. 2000×190= 360.000. Take his advice with a bolt of salt. He couldn't have saved 1000.000. Someone making that much wouldn't be wasting his time with a TH-cam channel like his either. His yt channel will probably take up a lot of his time and barely make 20k a year.
@@africanfitnessconcept The average dealership is open 6 days a week. You multiply 6 days x 52 wks a yr you have 312 days open every yr. You multiply 312 days x $2000 a day you have $624,000. I have no idea how you get $360,000.
@@africanfitnessconcept The 1Mio were before any costs - he mentioned it at the end.
I appreciate you being so open about your business, people usually keep this stuff to themselves. You're helping out a lot of people
Fixing other people's problems...I used to have a boss who introduced me as his "Unfucker"
LOVE IT haha
I work in IT and that's basically my job.
@@jrr851 "where is the any key"??????? It says press any key to continue lol
@@jrr851 oh yeah you’re 100% correct. I have an IT shop here in Hawaii and that’s a solid 75% of our work haha
East coast rust problems are a nightmare, as I see on South Main Auto Channel LLC.
My Escalade EXT is on its third motor mount, time to install a torque strap.
500 for the first replacement, I replaced it the last time, 3 1/2 hours. Most of the time was the steering shaft, I anti seized the shaft and bolt so the next time should take 2 hours max. 403 ponies too much for the crappy designed hydraulic mount.
Thank you you just made me realized I don’t wanna open a repair shop I just wanna work on my own cars 🤣🤙🏽
Facts
Same bruh
Same
You remind me of an owner I worked for. During the 80s I was a mechanic at a big used car dealer in CT. One of the owners would constantly tell me how much he hated customer service work. He would give me the same story you just told over and over again. It got to the point that he was complaining that we were costing him money. THEN the recession hit and we stopped selling cars completely. Service was working six days a week mandatory. Service kept the dealership open for two years until sales picked up. I'm not sure I would drop customer service altogether. But your the owner :)
100% agree. same with me. i have a high value service and a low value service. the low value biz keeps us a float when times are bad. best solution is to focus on the high value when times are good but be able to shift the biz model whenever its needed.
Sounds like Larry Merriam to me.
Good to know. Thanks!
That’s a great point
Didn't get the full layout of your operation in this, but it looks like you are pretty small. Don't know if you really have the space to do that to it's full potential but definitely something to consider down the road when you can expand a bit. You kinda need designated space for Dealership vehicles to keep that flow going, as well as the designated space for Service.
Repairing someone's property that is either neglected, aging, or both is a headache waiting to happen.
but is should be MONEY in your pocket .
@@rodwilliams2782 I agree but it also causes headaches that cost you money as well. The worst is when a customer comes back and blames you for something unrelated and you know it. Then what do you do?
@@rodwilliams2782income that takes the time and place of MORE income is indeed still income, but it's less income. That's a losing equation for a business
I made the same decision 25 years ago working on houses. I have always bought houses, remodel them, and sell them. I can work any time I want and rarely have to be somewhere at a certain time. Only downside is that I only get paid 2-4 times a year!
So do you still work on them or was that the thing you let go?
Hey Craig when we order parts for customers cars we always get a picture of the door sticker for the vin and ALL information is on that sticker. Works great if you can’t see the vehicle that your ordering parts for .
J.H. great! suggestion! w.
The VIN is probably the best practice to capture to make sure you know what trim of the vehicle you're going to be working on.
I value my mechanic's shop more than anyone can imagine. I see what he has done for me and I can easily imagine what he and his crew have done for others. His shop goes through a lot of headaches (that is an understatement) to fix cars. I never complain when they struggle or make a mistake...they are just too valuable to me.
As a Tech, I wholeheartedly thank you for your insight and appreciation
I second this iam a tech and a good one and it sucks ass I just bank my money till I can get out
My advice when it comes to hiring good help ......I was a painting contractor for many years. We did a lot of custom work, so I needed highly skilled painters. Most of the time, I had four or five painters working. I sought out the best, and I paid them according to their ability and how much they produced. I paid these guys top wages. Generally , painters are known for job hopping. But, these men stuck with me because they knew no one else would pay them what I did. It pays off in the long run. Treat people right. We will all face God one day.
at that point you're managing talent...thinking like that solves a lot of problems.
Yes,
Matthew 6:33
King James Version
33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Amen!!!
Can be true, but the problem is no one wants to pay for quality. They say they do, but when they see the quote from one guy and it's a lot cheaper, they don't know enough to know the differences between the service.
Like buying something by specs. Two items may have the identical specifications, but that tells you nothing about the build quality, durability or actual design. Most people will shrug and take the cheaper one.
Good until you brought god into it.
Everybody comment jerman needs a bonus. He's a great employee he deserves it
You have no clue how much he makes. He could pull 6 figures every year. Not everyone buys stupid stuff with their money.
@@GOTboost-tl3qi you're either lying to yourself, or a business owner who doesn't pay his staff well if you think german is making 6 figures working for flying wheels.
@@JonDoe-007 Reading comprehension isnt your strong suit. Got it. Point was you have no clue what he is making. Believe it or not yes you can make 6 figures easily in this business. Small lots selling $2k to $20k vehicles move them quick. Most average people who have an credit whatsoever can get financed for them and they are still decent used cars. Do I think HE is making that? no. but he is making better money than you think. He has quite a skill set.
@@GOTboost-tl3qi what does that have to do with giving the man a bonus??
@@Phillytech15 he may already get a bonus on a regular basis.... jesus christ. Use some critical thinking. Why does every single thing have to be shown on youtube for it to happen? Owners take care of their employees on their own in this world. You only hear about the bad ones.
I'm at that bridge now. Sales or repair shop. I cut back to emergency repair work only for now. Been selling cars for 2 years now and I love it.
The other day My buddy tried to tell me if I fix cars I’d make more money than selling cars, I told him that wasn’t true at all and this video explains it perfectly!!
About 20 years ago I focused on what was making me unhappy. It was being a auto repair mechanic. LOL. Switched to airplanes and haven't looked back since!
Good afternoon. I own a 40 year auto repair shop. Everything you said in your video is so true. This Friday I'm selling one of my shops to a chain outfit. I have been so on the fence for the last three months during negotiations. It's so hard to find good guys to work and come to work. Parts now are so hard to find. This week I had to send a guy to Iowa to get a engine. After watching your video today. I know I'm making the right move. Thank you for making video
I am in the same boat.. I also closed my auto repair shop and sticked to my car dealership for the same reason. Now I have more time for my toys. Keep up the good work.
Mechanics are like Gypsy’s, they constantly switch shops . My brother in law is a master mechanic for 30 years and has worked at dozens of shops around the area. From what I’ve learned, most shops treat them like shit and try to get over on them as much as possible. General low morale throughout the industry.
I don't think it will stay like that for long. Everything is getting REALLY skillful in auto repair. The great techs will demand $. I am in healthcare, I get paid really good money. I have to think MUCH harder repairing cars (I have 20+ years of auto skill) over my day job.
@Newt good for you newt! (genuinely)
No. Techs are just generally miserable human beings. Dealt with them my entire life. Havent met one that was overworked, overeducated, and underpaid according to their stanards. Yet, they routinely skip work on the day the SnapOn guy comes and rarely if ever complete a single job on a customers car without doubling the bill because they were too lazy to inspect everything beforehand and just guessed. Love dealing with pissed off customers will my "tech" is at lunch for an hour and a half because making a list and agameplan is above their pay grade im sure.
@@GOTboost-tl3qi Your techs are trying to feed their family, you’re trying to build an empire. They don’t have as much interest in building your empire as you do, doesn’t make them bad people. If you’re going to pay low you should at least have a positive and enjoyable working environment for them so that they want to stay. What sets your shop apart from the rest? If if it’s not the pay then what is it?
@@kandlrex THAT'S the thing most businesses miss: it's called treating your employees with respect. Create a great working environment where even if you have to do a shitty job, they'll do it knowing that they are appreciated and you're trying to make their job easier, not harder.
I used to do contracting and home renos, I'd hire on helpers from time to time on bigger projects and I always treated them with respect. For eg: if we finished at 4:45? I'd pay them to 5. If they didn't have a small cheap tool to complete the task, and I had a spare, I'd give them my spare. (not loan, give). If I was going into town and would be back around lunch, I'd bring pizza. If it was snowing and freezing cold, I'd call the day early if we were soaked AND I'd be out there in the blizzard with them, I wouldn't be sitting in the warm truck doing paperwork.
I worked for a construction company and favourtism was a HUGE issue. There were the "cool kids" the site boss would treat differently and give all the easy jobs to, and then us low lifes who would get all the shit jobs. One time on the friday before a long weekend he was leaving early at last break and walked right past us low lifes and said to the cool kids "have a great weekend, I have to go to the office and do paperwork, call me on the cell phone if you need me" with his back turned to us.....it was brutal.
This is EXACTLY what I’m about to start doing. As a shop owner I’m sick and tired of peoples bullshit. The fleet accounts I have are an absolute pain in the ass. Everyone wants something for nothing these days it’s unbelievable. If you have your own shop, sell cars and only deal with the customers that you like. This guy’s spot on.
I'm in the exact same situation, there are many good people out there but there are also a lot of people out there that blame you for everything that happens to their car. Had a customer 2 weeks ago, who comes in with a 2012 Honda Odyssey says he wants an oil change and to check the car up cause he was going on a vacation to San Diego (from Phoenix). Just so you know he just bought a new Audi Q7 but decided to park the new car in the garage and drive the old one to California. We did the oil change, and everything else looks ok for an 11-year-old car. 4 days later he called me from California saying that the engine is vibrating hard and making lots of noise. He says I had you check it out and you said it's ok, but now it's broken. I told him that with old cars like this you never know if it is going to run for another 10 years or will break down tomorrow, I can't guarantee anything. Funny how much pleasure we get from trying to help people.
I've have owned a Buy Here Pay Here car dealership for 35 years. This is great advice and absolutely the truth!
Cars are something 90% of people don't want to spend money on. Its the same in the UK. I moved into industrial engineering. These days I tell a customer he needs a $3,000 controller and he says when can you get it. In the car days, I tell customer he needs an additional $200 repair and I get the third degree and tears. I'll stick with getting paid by corporate money thanks 💰👍
I hope you never go out of bussiness, your information is very valuable to all of us , thank you so much , God bless you !
I appreciate that!
Thank you for making the video; about paying for your service.
This business advice is really invaluable,thanks
That’s why I stopped renting u-hauls. 80 percent of my headaches less than 5 percent of my revenue
Knowing that preparation is what you do in advance, and adjustments are what you do to win the day. You’re winning. Congratulations
14:05 "I have enough problems with my own stuff" I came to this realization a couple years ago and quit my mobile auto repair business. My life is much less complicated and I can sleep at night not feeling that I am responsible for all these folks problems. Great video.
Yea im getting into selling cars i started going to school for auto repair and realized i didn’t want to work on other peoples cars.
@@lilrob19944 well, that applies to anything really. Doesn't matter if you're auto repair, accountant, construction worker, carpenter, contractor......I found out too late in life that there are two ways to earn a living: working a job, or doing what you love/enjoy. I was raised with the mindset "you get a job, any job, to earn a living"
I enjoy and appreciate how you think, analyze and approach life. Lots of wisdom coming from this car dealer!
Opportunity cost is the first thing you learn in Economics and your story is a perfect case study for it.
Less stress makes sense however if sales
really drop off there's the repair business if
needed.Wonderful.
🍀Good Luck.
Being a professional problem solver myself (but in a completely different industry), when you mentioned it wearing you down I felt that in my soul. I used to do basic service but now I’m the “weird shit fixer, primary installer and full time trainer” guy.
Opportunity cost. The concept is lost on so many managers. Nice work by you! Getting rid of the repair business was your opportunity, somebody else may not enjoy the sales side so much. Neither is wrong. You are usually good at what you do.
Smart move, more money and quality of life.
A good lesson here. Keep it up. Your strategic thinking is your long suit.
You literally just opened so many doors for me by making this video. I watched and by doing so, I transitioned my mechanic shop to my used car lot and making a lot more money as well, I feel I owe you money, but I'm just gonna stick with a THANX for now! Awesome, Smart Fella
I started realizing things very similar to what you’re talking about. For me I do construction/repair work. When I stopped doing residential work I started making more money than I’ve ever made in my life. Instead of doing a roof repair for $250 for half a day/sometimes it would take the whole day and you still feel bad when homeowners make you feel bad about a $250 repair Now I’m doing a commercial roof repair or something similar for $2500 Usually one day maybe two. But the thing about commercial work is I’ve also had a $10,000 job that I did completely by myself in two days. That’s not possible with residential work.
Great video, very eye opening on how we know what works in our business but because of ego or fear we keep doing parts of our business or life because we can’t let go. Very good video! Much appreciated!
The amount of free amazing information he gives is unreal 👌 keep up the good work
This is so true, Im a Realtor in AZ and I got rid of clients that just waste my time and focus on people that are serious and I make way more money and have way more time for my family
I've never seen a repair dude actually being honest
I was a honnest mechanic, and you know what? My customers figured that out, and kept trying to get a better prize, so in the end i had to stop being so nice, i did my work, their car ran, and then that was that
I in the end just stopped because i was working 12 hours a day and barely made enough to keep my tools lubricated
@@CoffeyKingVlogs Oh...
i own a small lot in ohio. started with a repair shop and shut down the repair shop a year in cause of this same exact reason! Nice videos and keep up the work!!! from Ohio shane!
Ur a smart dude. U should be a modivational speaker. Good job.
Yeah but he got his u tube channel brining money in to help make up for it. Most don’t.
He is, here on youtube
I’m a service advisor at a new car dealership and you are spot on service customers tend to be a lot of work
I'm an ER doctor and I hate my job. I have to solve everyone's problem. Oddly enough, people get mad when they hear all the tests and imaging are normal.
Thank you for your service people don't know how much y'all go through I was in the ER last year
WOW! this was actually really inspiring. One of the best and most applicable step over a dime to grab a penny examples I've seen. Thanks for your perspective and congratulations on the success!
i once met a builder who told me he stopped remodeling kitchens and baths and focused only on framing. he told me after he did that, he never had a customer argue over the color or the position of the sink.
I tried doing mobile auto repair for a little while. I gave it up. Only broke a$$ people with nasty cars wanted me to fix them.
I think a big part of the problem is that you are (or were) a conscientious repair shop, rather than a ripoff joint. You follow up with unhappy customers. Can't do very well doing great stuff like that. We understand your dilemma completely! Thanks for super videos!
Solid philosophy to live by. My spouse cleaned houses for living. After a decade of building her client list, she dumped a large portion of clients. The clients that either nickled and dimed her, or didn't treat her with respect. Life is short, money isn't worth the stress sometimes.
Man I agree with you one 100%. I own a small repair shop and I'm honestly thinking about saying screw this. Too many headaches not really worth the money in my opinion. At least I'm the technician so I don't have to worry about other mechanics. Selling cars without repair would definitely be the way to go!
Great video. I started my career in taking automotive classes in High School and went to a trade school. Worked in automotive field for 20 years and finally left the industry completely. Really got tired of the same things you stated... Fixing other peoples problems. Sometimes it just starts with the customer not researching what they buy or have it checked by a mechanic. People will buy some of the junkiest crap and expect you to fix it like it was brand new. Or they try to do the repairs themselves only to find out they cant and then bring it to you but fail to mention what they did. Those usually take an hour to find. Once you catch it you ask them about it and they finally fess up that they tried to do it themselves in which if they told you up front what they did you could have saved time looking into the real problem. Dont blame you one bit on the decision you made. Life just got alot better without those headaches.
Hey Craig! Love the Channel! I’m in high school and you have inspired me to start my own car detailing business in the spring! Thanks for everything!
good luck man! w.
Can’t believe these mechanics of yours be coming in late when they start at 10am! I’m a detailer at a auto dealership and we start at 7am! And I gotta be up at 5 to go to work cause of traffic! You Gotta get a job that you love to do. You need some real workers
Same I start at 8 I always try to be 10 mins to get everything settled in
Hope you get paid well. Detailing burned me out. I'm also ocd so I did more than most people even noticed. I wasn't getting paid shit either
Truly one of your best videos ever!
I agree with you on finding a reliable person. I go thru this all the time with my business as well.
I own an auto repair business and a small dealer and my mechanic just put his two weeks in yesterday to go wrench on semis for $5 more without saying a word beforehand. I am in this EXACT same spot as of today. Weird this got posted. Have some wholesale questions if you ever have time. I need to put something steady in place and close my repair side.
5$ an hr adds up man, you weren't paying enough and he put his two weeks in that IS his word beforehand
@@startingtech3900 Perhaps he could have said something to the owner and used it as leverage for more money. Leaving without a word is just crap.
@@350TPI THANK YOU. Exactly. Come talk. I would have given $5 more just to not search for another mechanic amidst the absolute worst environment you could ask to find a new employee. Got him a car when he was first hired because he is the typical mechanic who is somehow broke on Monday but brings home more than I do on a weekly basis, gifted him a Milwaukee Fuel ratchet for xmas, let him work on personal things after hours in the shop, I bit my tongue when he needed to go to court every month for something new, etc..... Literally had just asked him a few weeks prior about how he liked it and it was all smiles and talking about how wonderful things were. Dude made $18 an hour to do simple wrenching on clean late model cars. Now that I think of it good riddance. Cannot wait to get the repair side closed!
@@GOTboost-tl3qi yea I bet you would of given him a 5$ raise... Get outta here
@@350TPI He owes a 2 week notice nothing more. Sure he could have asked to have the pay matched if he wanted to stay but he apparently did not.
I was a service manager for a machinery dealer and it is the same story - most customers do not understand all you go through to get their machine fixed and then they want you to "knock off $200". Store manager would say to give it to customer as he wanted to keep them for sales but my shop profit took a hit and I missed my numbers. I had customers who felt diagnostics should be free so they could find someone cheaper to fix their machine. On retail customers, it is not worth it to try to explain to non technical people why things cost so much and then they feel they own you from then on - comebacks were few but always finding some fault with the work done. Especially on areas that were not part of the repair (like your example) you did when their unit was in the shop. Retired now and much happier - good video, very honest and real appraisal of repair business. Do what you like that makes the most return whether it be money or just satisfaction with your life.
2020 was a great year to do this. Pivot and make your situation the best you can or get left behind. As the old saying goes "Standing still is the fastest way of moving backwards in a rapidly changing world." I did the same thing in my Landscape business. Dropped the mowing accounts and focused on the landscape installs. Sometimes less is more.
I know people that have done this in other business and it doesn’t always work because what was going really well stop doing really well but it wasn’t that easy at all to get back into the other part because he lost them customers to others. And he got u tube helping him.
BUT DUDE, you are still solving problems. I do not have a car, you are solving that problem. You just are solving a problem that makes you more money
I have to say I love your videos! I live in eugene oregon and love this! Even if all of us don’t own a car lot we all have headaches and problems that this lesson can be used in our everyday lives. If I ever makes out to New Hampshire guarantee i will have to stop and say hello.
re: "If I ever makes out to New Hampshire guarantee i will have to stop and say hello." 1. Are you being invited to do so? 2. How much of Craig's time do you plan to waste saying "hello?" 3. What would happen to Craig if all 149K subscribers "dropped in to say hello" anytime?? @Ian Anderson
Craig, you don't fail to give informational and quality content. You have inspired me and many other subscribers on you're channel. Thank you for all your content! I can't wait to see you grow to a million subscribers!!
Jewelry repair is the same story pretty much! I hated it when I was doing it. Great video and advice!
This auto youtube page is my favorite out of all of youtube . I like how he breaks down everything from all ends of wheeling and dealing with vehicles sales. Good shit
I want to say, I'm a Broken Man, for over 20 years of fixing other people's problems as an AC contractor. And it's just like you say. You'll have somebody call you with a problem, and then later you're being blamed for their problems. That you did not create. And they'll go tell everyone how you ripped them off , when you didn't at all. It's a nickel holding up a dollar. Your video is helpful because others feel your pain. It's too bad some people are such a pain in the ass, and just want someone to blame, their whole messed up miserable life on. I just want to say that I wholeheartedly get it. But, hardly anybody else does.
This video is spot on , i have had a shop for 4 years and have been so peaceful since I just started buying and selling my cars
Crazy! I just told another neighbor asking for help. “I’m not a mechanic, the amount of money I’d want to do the work, you’d save money seeing a specialist, I just like flipping and recording” lol 😂
I felt that. I can work on cars. I choose to only work on my own and buy and fix up a few when time allows. Props to mechanics out there.
Lol right! My friend jokes that I’m the only one who’d want $1,500 to do a detail. But he’s right lol.
@@BrokePremiere Ha, nice. I worked on a friends snowblower 2 weeks ago. Picked it up, fixed it and dropped it back off. I told him pay for the parts and buy me some beer. 2 weeks later, no beer yet! WTF
I was an ASE certified master tech many years ago. I still do some work on my own cars, but mostly pay today's professionals to do the work. I have people constantly asking me to work on their cars. I always say no. I don't need the money and definitely don't need the headaches that come with them wanting "warranty" work on completely unrelated problems that pop up months or even years later.
Great post!!!!
That makes sense. It's good you still service the loyal and good customers.
“A nickle holding up a dollar”
This is probably one of the best videos i had watched from your channel!!! Thank you for making this kind of content!!!!
Great content! I admire your brutal honesty! Keep it up, I'll keep watching. But please, don't buy an abandoned mansion & flip
This is the video that I really need right now. You are shinning a light on me
Makes a lot of sense. Thanks for the advice!
Great video!!!!! But I think we can agree on 1 thing, people where going crazy buying cars in 2020 then usually. Car prices actually went up and almost every dealership said they had a great year.
Hey I'm back. Watching from beautiful Montego Bay, Jamaica!
i thought montego bay was just a brand of cheap liquor
@@chase7537 😳 somebody named a cheap liquor, Montego Bay? What Da Eff???
@@grimori that was the classic when I was like 15
This Video had more Knowledge than Any video out there!!!! AWESOME VIDEO CRAIG!!! 😊👍
Spot on! Love how it worked out.
Thanks for sharing this concept with us. I showed this to my business partner. I had been saying this for 5 years and couldn't get through to him and your video I guess because it said exactly what I said drove the idea home through his thick skull and now we agree to eliminate the bad side of the business so we can concentrate on the good profitable rewarding side. Now I just have to find the energy to move ahead after spending all the energy on the business boat anchor bullcrap that we did before. Your awesome dude.
this video is honestly gold, not a single second of wasted time or anything and i love that. you make me want to learn everything from you. Im 18 and about to get my GDN and start my dealership full time but im honestly scared. going to shoot you a message on instagram. hopefully we can have a good convo there.
Who’s going to lend you the money to buy cars your daddy?
@@martincito1662 nice try sweetheart. been flipping dirtbikes since i was 15 and then got into cars. started from a $200 saxophone. dont be shy i have videos uploaded.
Good for you Craig hope you keep moving forward. The content you produce here is awesome please keep doing it. TY
The way forward is sometimes going backwards.
Good for you . It’s always a good thing to make your life better
Good advice. Good episode.
I really do enjoy your videos. I feel like you are genuinely wanting the best for your customers, and I like that each of your videos you have some form of lesson that you wish to pass onto people. I 110% believe that your videos have helped people around the world to understand business. I am not in the motor vehicle business, but rather in Finance, however I feel that your explanations really could be helping thousands of people around the world to learn the basics of business and I commend you for wanting to share your knowledge as there are not many people who will openly speak about GP, and NP on such a massive platform as youtube, and this proves that you are doing it because you genuinely want other to make a success of their lives. Good on you. I love your videos.
Yes I think you are doing the right thing I shut down my shop at the end of 2019 and way happier the costumers were terrible to deal with
people don’t want to take care of there cars anymore they just want a new one in a couple of years and want me to just fix there car a little bit
I have reduced the amount of service work and turned to 95% sales
Classic case of Opportunity Cost!! Craig does a great job explaining in terms that small business owners can really understand. Keep up the good videos!
One more business deciding to eliminate "Customer Service"
I like the legendary customer when i fix an electrical issue and they have a mechanical issue like a wheel bearing,breaks,clutch and they call and say it was perfect before you worked on it
Really good video great info amigo saludos from San Antonio stay safe
Craig, it is great to see your channel grow. You deserve it. I’ve been subscribed for a long time now. I don’t comment much but watch every one of your videos. Keep up the great work.
Most people have a bad understanding of economics
Jerman or German.. not sure on the spelling..is one of my fav ppl on your channel so far .. everyone needs more ppl like him!
Well said.I do have some experience with trying to fix other people problems and I didn't like it.Good video showing reality how it is.
So true! I share unit with chap that does repairs and restoration. The amount of time he spends re doing stuff and getting caught up on problem cars is totally pointless compared to the £1k I can make simply washing a car and flipping it! INTERESTINGLY he just got rid of a load of crap and gave me more space as I give him 35% of profit lol!!
Now’s a good time for somebody to open up a mechanic shop down the block from you LOL
I love this video. You explained a general life lesson using your car business to explain it. Well done!
Classic issue.
Good solution is overcharging for the car repairs.
I love your channel. I used to work in the automotive industry.
A friend family owns a Honda dealership and they make more money from the shop than they do selling cars.
Nee franchise usually do
Just found you on 5/23. Absolutely love this channel now and getting a ton of good information that I can work into my business that I'm starting here in NE Indiana. Thanks and keep it up!
Craig man, I’ve been watching you since the beginning and usually agree with you, but ordering the wrong parts was on you.
If you had made that mistake, while having a personal connection with and knowing your customer, you should have known that she depended on having a vehicle and done the right thing and ordered her a rental car or better yet, loaned her one of your cars (if legally possible).
I say this with all respect man. love your video and have learned so much from them.
boo hoo
Omg I was just thinking about this subject in my online sales thank you so much for this video