The past year was a tough one for collision repair shop owners, and the year ahead isn’t looking a whole lot easier. The good news is, if you’re reading this, you’re still in business, and there’s still time for you to make 2007 a better year than 2006. But the only way to do that is to analyze where you’re at and determine where you want to be. If you hope to be more successful this year than last, you’re going to have to do something differently. You can’t do the same thing this year and expect different results. (We’ve all tried that. It doesn’t work.)

Luckily, you’re not the only one who wants your shop to be more successful. I do, too. That’s my goal: to help you run a more successful business. But I can only help you achieve your goals by knowing your goals. I’ve posed the following questions for you to answer and fax back to me at (330) 670-0874, or you can e-mail your answers to me at [email protected]. I need to know what you hope to accomplish this year, so I know in what areas you need assistance. I can then bring you that assistance in the pages of BodyShop Business.

1. What would you like to change about your business or how you run your business in 2007? Why? How do you plan to do this?

2. What’s the one thing you’d most like to accomplish this year with regard to your business? How do you plan to accomplish this?

3. What do you see as your greatest business challenge in 2007? How do you plan to overcome this challenge?

Georgina K. Carson, Editor