Are you a mediocre shop owner? What really separates the best owners in the world from everyone else? I came across some information from the world of Olympic figure skating that may help you answer these questions. In his book, Talent is Overrated: What Really Separates World-Class Performers from Everybody Else, Geoff Colvin outlines the…
“What did you fail at this week?” This question was posed to young “Sarah” by her father each night at the dinner table. So much so, that it became part of their dinnertime routine. If she had nothing to report, her dad was disappointed. When she told him about how she “bombed” while trying out…
Have you ever been asked to achieve the impossible? There’s a story of two sons who were asked by their father to rebuild a brick wall in front of his business. There was only one problem: the sons were twelve and nine years of age! The twelve-year-old was designated as the project leader, and he…
As part of my training to run a full marathon, I ran a half marathon which was 13.1 miles. It took me two hours and twenty minutes, which was just under an eleven-minute per mile pace. I believed that it was impossible to run a full marathon (26.2 miles) at this pace. My feelings were forever changed on…
“Michelle” drives a Mercedes E350 and is on her way to the mall. She will spend over one thousand dollars on Christmas presents for her family. Later in the evening, she will meet with her husband Bob who is a partner at his law firm. They will go to Ruth’s Chris Steak House and partake…
The following statement will get me in trouble with ATI Instructor Randy Somers, but here it is: I have a problem with the goal poster. As I share my black Friday experience, you’ll understand why. On black Friday I went to the shopping mall. My goal was to enter through the automatic doors at the…
If ATI were to give out an award at SuperConference for the Lowest Labor Rate in the Country, “Patrick” would have been the winner! Patrick was a member who I coached several years ago, who owns a shop in Central Pennsylvania, where he charged a $70.00 per hour labor rate. While his labor margins were…
“What can I do to get more cars?” asked “Mark,” an ATI member who was experiencing the winter blues. He was averaging $3,900 dollars in weekly mechanical sales and 13 cars. It was hard to understand why car count was an issue because Mark has 150 Google reviews with a 4.8-star average! He has a…
My wife is the ultimate accountability coach. During the holidays, she was holding me accountable for the completion of several household projects. My first assignment was to change the light-bulb in the basement bathroom. Based on the size of the room, I could do this by myself using a three-foot ladder. My next task was to…
“Do you always take the action that you know you need to take?” As I reflect on this question, I’m reminded of a scene from my favorite movie “The Matrix.” There was a pivotal point in the picture where Neo, the lead character, is having a conversation with Morpheus his coach. I refer to Morpheus as…