The Spraybooth School of Hard Knocks
Everybody makes mistakes. (Trust me, I’ve been party to some big ones.) But if you learn from those mishaps instead of dwelling on them, you’ll come out ahead – and may even avoid a repeat performance.
Caution: Snake Pit Ahead
Unfortunately, poor business ventures aren’t as obvious as road signs flanked by flashing yellow lights and orange cones warning you of impending danger. (If only it were that easy.) How can you avoid such pitfalls? By learning from those who’ve already fallen prey.
Log On to Learn: Internet/satellite Training
Technology is making training for collision repairers easier, faster and cheaper than ever before.
Restyle Your Business: Offering Restyle Products
In 1999, retail sales of specialty equipment products totaled $23.24 billion. You can funnel some of that cash into your own pocket by offering restyle products – from fender flares to floor mats to grille guards – in addition to the collision work you do now.
Personnel Profile
That was then … An unthinkable thing happened on Jan. 14, 1914: Henry Ford had the audacity to raise Ford Motor Company’s minimum wage to $5 a day – and then, as if that weren’t enough, he allocated $10 million of the $25 million in company profits for his workers. This will ruin the industry,
The Tech, the Manager and the Entrepreneur
When Michael E. Gerber first introduced the world to the e-myth principles in his seminars, consulting services and books, it may have seemed odd to relate such ideas to the collision repair industry. But if you’ve had the opportunity to read — or listen to the audio version of — his updated, "The E-Myth Revisited:
When the Experts Are Absent: Cross-training Works
Do you dread employees going on vacation or calling in sick because your shop can’t function without them? Do you dread being sick or going on vacation because your shop can’t function without you? If so, cross-train to create substitutes who fill in when the experts aren’t there.
Is Your Shop Lost? Estimators and Knowledge Go Together
A solid estimate is the road map to quality repairs and higher profits. But if your estimator isn’t knowledgeable enough, he could steer your shop in the wrong direction.
A Meaty Design: Layout to Increase Profits
Give your shop’s layout more bite! Though you’re not making hamburgers, you can McDonaldize your shop’s design and procedures to increase profits.
Use It – Or Lose It: New Technology
If you’re not fully utilizing today’s technology — if your shop’s full of “toys” that no one uses — then you’re not fully utilizing your shop’s potential for profits.