Talking Shop with ShopOwner

Charles Dickens might have said it best when he began his story “A Tale of Two Cities” by saying "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” When you think about it, every year end review and new years forecast could be summed up exactly the same way. It’s all in how you look at things. In this 2023 wrapup/2024 forecast episode of Talking Shop With ShopOwner, Dou

When the workday is over, the tools are put away, the computers have gone to sleep, the customers have driven away safely and the last tech has clocked out, washed up and left the parking lot, do you ever just take a minute to put your hands on your hips, look around your shop, take a deep breath and think, “Is this really all there is to life?”If so, you’re probably not alon

We talk a lot about the challenges facing shops these days – from technology to training to technicians, it often feels like we have more problems than solutions.In this episode of Talking Shop With ShopOwner, we endeavor to get answers to some of our questions. Doug Kaufman, editor of ShopOwner and Tomorrow’s Technician, talks with Jen Maher, CEO of TechForce Foundation, a nat

Would you go for a ride in a car that has no driver? Autonomous vehicles are making news every day and they're making some automotive professionals nervous. Are they the future of ride sharing? Are we destined to become a world of passengers? Today we're talking about taking a backseat and letting technology do to driving. We're talking Shop with Shop Owner.Autonomous vehicles have

Baseball Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan once said, "Enjoying success requires the ability to adapt. Only by being open to change will you have a true opportunity to get the most from your talent." While it's doubtful the Ryan Express was discussing the future of the automotive aftermarket, his words are just as true for us as they were for himself, as he found himself facing increasingly

Of all the changes this industry has faced over its more than a century of life, that past 40 years have been a whirlwind. We’ve seen typewriters transition to mainframes to laptops; we’ve witnessed the eventual embrace of fuel injection and anti-lock brakes; we’ve seen OBDII and the internet come and pagers and faxes go. Through it all, shop owners have adapted.It’s fun to

For years, many automotive professionals feared the growing presence of electric vehicles because of the possibility that they meant fewer service opportunities. Since it's now becoming clear that EVs will still require much of the traditional maintenance and repair found in conventional vehicles, shops are embracing the technology.With electric vehicles, potentially accounting for

As a fan, the drama and excitement of sports are a great distraction from real life - something amazing might be right around the next corner, the next pitch or the next pass. Yet, as a coach or player, you know you need a great game plan to get to the next level.It's no different with your business. When you've done all you can do to help your team be successful, it's up to them t

Hopefully we all do vehicle inspections – and hopefully, most of those are digital inspections. And, with constantly evolving advances in technology, those inspections are producing amazing images. Those pictures are telling the story your customer needs to hear in ways that words alone can’t begin to explain.Whether it's between technicians, or the service advisor and customer

There is justified concern about the future of this industry, and specifically, who's going to be around to fix vehicles when that trusted local mechanic retires his wrenches. Some fear that no one is interested or able to step into the gap. In this episode of Talking Shop with ShopOwner, Doug Kaufman talks with Mike Wiant from the Ohio Tech Group. Mike has an innovative way of cre