Many shop owners grew up around the business. Their parents or uncles owned a shop, and they learned the trade from the ground up. Bruce Spencer took a very different route. After years in corporate America and consulting, with several relocations along the way, he wanted a business that would let his family settle down. In 2016, he bought Walt Eger’s Service Center in Maryland.
In episode 31 of Maximum Octane, Bruce tells Kim Hickey what it has been like to run a repair shop as an “outsider.” He shares the skills he brought from his corporate life, how he handles not being a technician, why he plans what he will not do, and how he uses bad reviews to his advantage.
What You Will Learn
- About how Bruce decided to join the automotive industry
- How Bruce dealt with the fact that he doesn’t “speaks technician”
- Deciding what to work on is as important as deciding what not to work on
- The benefits of taking ownership of bad reviews and using them to talk to future customers
- Bruce shares his thoughts on weaknesses, strengths, and opportunities
Questions Asked in This Episode
- Many people we talk to grew up in a shop; their parents or uncle had a shop. You come from a completely different world. Could you share your story with us first?
- What advantages do you think you have, coming from outside the industry, to run this business?
- So many people focus on what they want to do next, even having different systems for it. But you also do that with the things you will not be doing. Can you speak about that a bit?
Joining the Automotive Industry From the Outside
Bruce explains how he decided to join the automotive industry. After moving repeatedly for his corporate career, he wanted stability and control over his future. Buying an established shop gave him a business with a reputation and customer base, along with the challenge of learning a new industry.
His story is relevant for anyone thinking about buying a shop, and for current owners considering a sale. Many buyers today come from outside the industry. ATI explores the investor perspective in How New Investors Can Help Your Shop.
Buying an existing business can be a smart path for someone entering an unfamiliar industry. An established shop comes with customers, employees, equipment, and a reputation. The buyer inherits a working operation rather than starting from scratch. The trade-off is that the buyer also inherits the existing culture, habits, and problems, which may take time to change. Successful buyers often spend their first months listening and learning before making major changes.
Running a Shop Without “Speaking Technician”
Around the 9 minute mark, Bruce talks about how he deals with not being a technician. Rather than pretending to know the technical side, he relies on skilled people and focuses on what he does best: leadership, strategy, and building high-performing teams. That approach lets technicians own their expertise while Bruce builds the business around them.
Kim asks what advantages he has coming from outside the industry. Bruce’s corporate background gave him experience with structure, metrics, communication, and long-term planning, which are areas where many shop owners struggle because they have spent their careers focused on repairs.
Owners who are not technicians can still lead technical teams effectively by focusing on what they do know: setting expectations, providing resources, measuring results, and supporting people. They can rely on skilled technicians and shop foremen for technical decisions and ask good questions to understand issues. Many successful shop owners came from sales, finance, or management backgrounds and built strong businesses by hiring and trusting technical experts.
Deciding What Not to Work On
One of the most useful ideas in this episode is Bruce’s approach to deciding what he will not do. Many people plan what they want to accomplish next. Bruce also plans what he will deliberately avoid. Kim asks him to explain, and he describes how saying no to certain tasks and commitments protects his time for the work that matters most.
A “not to do” list can be just as powerful as a to-do list. For a shop owner, it might include answering every phone call, diagnosing cars, or handling routine parts orders. ATI’s Give Yourself a Raise by Saying No makes a similar case.
A “stop doing” list is a popular tool among business leaders for this reason. Management author Jim Collins has written about the value of a stop-doing list, arguing that what you stop doing can be as important as what you start. For a shop owner, that might mean no longer answering the phone, no longer approving every parts order, or no longer attending meetings that do not require them. Each item removed frees time for higher-value work.
Owning Bad Reviews
Bruce shares the benefits of taking ownership of bad reviews and using them to speak to future customers. A negative review is public, but so is your response. A thoughtful, honest reply shows prospective customers how you handle problems. Many people read the response more carefully than the review itself.
ATI’s You’re Not Ruined! How to Respond to a Negative Review offers a step-by-step approach, and Jimmy Lea covers the bigger picture of reviews in How to Get the Best Out of Your Raving Fans on Google.
Responding well to criticism can actually build trust. When a future customer reads a negative review followed by a thoughtful response that acknowledges the issue and explains how it was resolved, they see a business that cares. That impression can be more powerful than a dozen generic five-star reviews.
Owning a review also means looking inward. If a complaint points to a real gap, such as a missed callback or an unclear estimate, the response is only half of the job. The other half is fixing the process so the same thing does not happen to the next customer. Sharing the lesson with the team, without blame, turns a public criticism into a private improvement.
Stepping Back From the Business
Bruce and Kim also discuss the importance of knowing when to step back from the company. Owners who are too close to daily operations can lose perspective. Creating some distance lets a leader see patterns, opportunities, and problems that are invisible from the front counter.
Stepping back does not mean disengaging. It means changing vantage point. Owners who spend all their time in daily operations see only what is in front of them. Owners who regularly step back can see trends in their numbers, patterns in customer feedback, and opportunities for growth. Many find that scheduling time away from the shop, even a few hours a week, gives them the perspective they need to make better decisions.
Clear Communication With Internal Customers
Clear communication with the team is a recurring theme. Bruce’s corporate experience taught him that people perform best when they understand expectations, goals, and the reasons behind decisions. That clarity is especially important for an owner who relies on others for technical expertise.
Clear communication includes explaining why decisions are made. Employees are more likely to support a change when they understand the reasoning behind it. Corporate leaders often use regular updates and town hall style meetings to keep teams informed. In a shop, a short weekly huddle can serve the same purpose, keeping everyone aligned on priorities and changes.
Weaknesses, Strengths, and Opportunities
Around the 25 minute mark, Bruce shares his thinking on weaknesses, strengths, and opportunities. Honest self-assessment, for both the owner and the business, guides better decisions about where to invest time and money and where to bring in help.
A SWOT analysis, which looks at strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, is a simple tool many business leaders use for this kind of assessment. Completing one for your shop each year, ideally with input from your leadership team, can reveal blind spots and help prioritize where to focus. The SBA describes SWOT as part of its business planning guidance.
Lessons From an Outsider
- Build a team that covers what you do not know, and trust their expertise.
- Write a “not to do” list and review it every month.
- Respond to every negative review as if your next customer is reading it.
- Bring structure, metrics, and planning into the business, no matter your background.
Bruce returns in Don’t Be Cheap! Pay Your Freedom Tax. For another perspective on bringing corporate discipline to a shop, listen to Drew Bryant in Run Your Auto Repair Shop as Effectively as a Big Corporation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I run an auto repair shop if I am not a mechanic?
Yes. Many successful shop owners came from sales, finance, management, or other industries. The key is building a strong technical team, often with a trusted shop foreman or lead technician, and focusing your own time on leadership, finances, customer experience, and planning. Learn enough about the technical side to ask good questions and understand the work, but rely on skilled people for diagnosis and repair decisions.
What should I look for when buying an existing auto repair shop?
Review several years of financial statements, customer counts, and repair order trends. Understand the reputation, including online reviews, and whether key employees plan to stay after the sale. Evaluate the condition of equipment and the building, the terms of any lease, and the customer base. Working with an accountant, an attorney, and someone who knows the auto repair industry helps you spot risks and plan the first months of ownership.
What is a “not to do” list and how does it help business owners?
A “not to do” list names the tasks and commitments you will deliberately avoid so your time goes to higher-value work. For a shop owner, that might include answering every phone call, approving routine parts orders, or attending meetings someone else can handle. Writing these items down makes it easier to say no and to hand them off. Reviewing the list monthly keeps it current as the business and your role change.
How should a shop owner respond to a negative online review?
Respond promptly, calmly, and briefly. Thank the customer for the feedback, acknowledge their experience without arguing details in public, and explain any steps you took or are willing to take to make it right. Invite them to continue the conversation by phone or in person. Remember that future customers are reading your reply, so focus on showing how your shop handles problems rather than on winning the argument.
Resources and Links From This Episode
- Walt Eger’s Service Center website
Connect With the Guests
- Bruce: LinkedIn
