Faith, Family, and Fixing Cars: Michael Grueneich on Providence Auto Care, Trust and Building a Shop

Built Through the Hard Seasons: Shawn Gilfillan on Two Brand Growth, Hiring for Values, and Becoming Coachable

Shawn Gilfillan's story is not polished, easy, or overnight. It is busted knuckles, hard lessons, bad hires, a major injury, personal setbacks, and the decision to keep growing anyway. Shawn is the owner of Automotive Magic and Magic Lube and Rubber in New Jersey. Together, the two businesses create a smart split. Automotive Magic handles the heavier repair work, while Magic Lube and Rubber focuses on the maintenance lane. Different services, same foundation: trust, professionalism, and relationships that last. In this episode, Shawn shares how he grew up around tools, helped his dad restore a 1962 Corvette, worked through shops where the values did not always line up, and eventually decided to build the kind of place he wished existed. He also opens up about a brutal quad accident that left him hospitalized, bedridden, and forced to run the business from home while his brothers helped keep the doors open. That season became a turning point. Shawn had to stop being the hero in the bay and start becoming a real operator. You will hear how his leadership changed through coaching, self awareness, and a much slower approach to hiring. Shawn talks about hiring for values, emotional intelligence, coachability, and culture instead of just technical skill. He also shares a powerful message for owners who feel overwhelmed: get clear on your purpose, stop trying to do everything yourself, and build a business that lines up with your values. If you are a shop owner trying to grow past survival mode, protect your culture, and become the kind of leader your team actually needs, Shawn's story is worth hearing. Links: Honest Mechanic Marketing (HMM): https://honestmechanicmarketing.com/ [https://honestmechanicmarketing.com/] Automotive Magic: https://automotivemagic.com/ [https://automotivemagic.com/]Magic Lube and Rubber: https://magiclubeandrubber.com/ [https://magiclubeandrubber.com/]

Earned, Not Inherited: Eric Newton on Second Generation Leadership, New Partners, and Modernizing Curt's Auto Repair

Eric Newton is a second generation shop owner, but his story is not about being handed a business. It is about earning a seat at the table, surviving hard seasons, and then stepping into leadership at the exact moment the shop entered a new chapter. Eric is the second generation owner at Curt's Auto Repair in Phoenix, Arizona, a long standing shop known for honest diagnostics, diesel work, brakes, AC repair, and straight communication that builds trust over time. In this episode, Eric walks through how he started in the shop young, worked through years of change, and then navigated an ownership transition that did not go the way he expected. Instead of a simple handoff, two business partners, Jeremiah and Mike, came in alongside him so the original owner could retire fairly and the business could keep moving forward without getting squeezed. Eric also shares what he is focused on now. Cleaner systems, stronger accountability, better hiring decisions, technician pay, and building a shop that can scale with repeatable processes. He talks about concepts like EOS and why the future of the shop has to be intentional, while still keeping the core promise simple, tell the truth, do not sell what is not needed, and protect the team culture. If you are a second gen operator, thinking about partners, or trying to modernize a legacy shop without losing integrity, this conversation is worth hearing. Links: Honest Mechanic Marketing (HMM): https://honestmechanicmarketing.com/ Curt's Auto Repair: https://mycarhurts.com/

Relationship First Euro Repair: Chris Keefer on Building Independent Motorcars, Treating Techs Like Pros, and Winning in the BMW Community

Chris Keefer did not grow up planning to be a career tech or a shop owner. He was a BMW enthusiast who knew enough HTML in the early 2000s to make a trade with a local BMW shop. Let him work on his car a few days a week, and he would build them a website. He never left. In this episode, Chris shares how a German trained mentor shaped his standards, including a lesson that still drives his leadership today. Knowing when you do not know is part of doing the job right. Over time, Chris became a high level producer, then built Independent Motorcars, a full service European specialist shop in Miramar, San Diego focused on BMW, Porsche, Mercedes Benz, and Audi. You will hear how the shop grew from a 2,500 square foot start into the unit next door, then made the post Covid leap into an 11,000 square foot facility that reflects pride in the work and respect for the people doing it. Chris also gets candid about the business being relationship driven and not easily scalable, why he refuses the private equity style cookie cutter mindset, and how investing in real benefits and a clean, organized environment changes how techs show up for customers. Chris also drops a simple marketing move that actually fits a specialist shop. If you are an enthusiast, join the clubs aligned with your niche because that is where rock solid long term customers come from. Links: Honest Mechanic Marketing (HMM): https://honestmechanicmarketing.com/ Independent Motorcars: https://www.independentmotorcars.com/

From Backyard Wrenches to Three Shops: Brandon Stapley on Multi Location Growth, Hiring for Attitude, and Marketing That Answers the Phone

Brandon Stapley started where a lot of real shop stories start, turning wrenches in his dad's backyard, then grinding through side work and a rough two bay setup tied to a construction yard in the Arizona heat. When that yard went away, Brandon had to make a decision. Fade out or build something real. Today Brandon runs multiple brands in Arizona, including Stapley's Garage in Mesa and Stapley Car Care in Chandler, plus a quick service concept called Oil Buddy. In this episode, Brandon breaks down what changes when you stop being a technician who owns a shop and become an operator building a team across more than one location. You will hear how his hiring philosophy evolved into hiring for personality and coachability, how he protects culture without letting the wrong people take advantage, and why most marketing problems are really operations problems in disguise. Brandon gets specific about missed call opportunity cost, call recording and scoring systems, and why tracking phones and follow up matters as much as ads if you want consistent growth. If you are trying to scale without losing standards, and you want a real look at what it takes to grow multiple locations while keeping people and processes tight, this episode is worth hearing. Links: Honest Mechanic Marketing (HMM): https://honestmechanicmarketing.com/ [https://honestmechanicmarketing.com/] Stapley Car Care: https://www.stapleycarcare.com/ [https://www.stapleycarcare.com/] Stapley's Garage: https://www.stapleysgarage.com/ [https://www.stapleysgarage.com/] Oil Buddy: https://oilbuddy.net/

From Chaos to Clarity: Todd Santos on Service Advisor Growth, TechMetric Inspections, and Building Trust at Ken's Auto Center

Todd Santos did not take the typical straight line into shop leadership. He learned the trade, learned the front counter, and learned what a shop should never feel like for a customer. That mix shaped how he runs the day to day at Ken's Auto Center in San Diego, serving the Mira Mesa and Miramar area since 1999. In this episode, Todd gets specific about what changed everything for their customer experience. Hiring and developing the right service advisor, building repeatable communication habits, and using TechMetric digital vehicle inspections to create real transparency. He talks about why being "thorough" is not a buzzword, it is how you earn trust when you are recommending work. Todd also explains how he thinks about warranties and accountability, including why they stand behind work with clear terms like a 24 month, 24,000 mile warranty on common brake jobs, and why trust gets complicated the moment another shop touches the vehicle. The bigger theme is simple, set expectations early, document clearly, and never sell what is not true. If you want a practical look at improving the front counter, tightening inspection flow, and building a reputation that holds up, this conversation is worth hearing. Links: Honest Mechanic Marketing (HMM): https://honestmechanicmarketing.com/ Ken's Auto Center: https://www.kensautocenter.com/