When it comes to running a profitable auto repair shop, successful owners recognize the balancing act between maintaining a proper car count and maximizing the average repair order (ARO) dollars.

The best-run shops know their break-even point: the number of cars needed on a weekly basis multiplied by the average dollar per job that will earn enough gross profit to cover operating costs and expenses.

There’s a common misconception among automotive repair shop owners regarding labor rates. Some owners feel they need to offer labor rates under the local market average to attract and retain customers, and they’ve been targeting low rates for years based on the competition. This mentality can drastically affect your profits.

Is your shop only open during normal business hours, say from 8am to 5pm? If so, you may be leaving money on the table.

Profitable repair shops capitalize on the demand for early morning and evening hours on both ends of the traditional workday because customers don’t want to (or can’t) take time out of their regular working hours to drop off or pick up their vehicle.

For every business, proper financial management is crucial for success. If you look up the reasons why many businesses fail, poor financial management is usually listed as a top contributing factor. While small business owners are usually experts in their respective fields, rarely are they accounting experts. This is where a monthly accounting service comes in.

You may be thinking about selling your small business, but you’re unsure about the process or best practices. Solid preparation is the key to a successful sale. But, where do you start? Important factors to consider are timing, reasons for selling, documentation, legal obligations, and determining if you need professional assistance moving forward.

Managing employees for your restaurant is a full-time job, especially when you have new hires joining the team. To get you and your new employee focused on the important aspects of training for success, it's great to have a simple onboarding checklist to get crucial paperwork completed for the employee's file.

As a restaurant owner or operator, you have a lot of spare time at the end of the day, right? Didn't think so. We know the challenge of managing daily activities of your business is tough, but it's important to touch base with outside resources periodically to stay ahead of the curve in local and national industry trends.