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Artwork for Confessions of a Shop Owner

Confessions of a Shop Owner

Mike Allen
Tekmetric
Auto Repair Industry
Artificial Intelligence
Automotive Industry
Elite Worldwide
Turnkey Marketing
ASTA Expo
Automotive Diagnostics
Automotive Repair Industry
Private Equity
Partnerships
Marketing
Tires
Carfix
Social Media Marketing
Oktorocket
Coaching
Golden Hour Garage
ADAS
Shop Ownership

Confessions of a Shop Owner is hosted by Mike Allen, a third-generation shop owner, perpetual pot-stirrer, and brutally honest opinion sharer. In this weekly podcast, Mike shares his missteps so you don’t have to repeat them. Along the way, he chats with other industry personalities who’ve messed up, too, pulling back the curtain on the realities of running an independent auto repair shop. But thi... more

PublishesTwice weeklyEpisodes132Founded2 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
EntrepreneurshipBusinessManagement

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Artwork for Confessions of a Shop Owner

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Tektonic 2027 is coming up April 1-3, and if you missed year 1, you MUST NOT miss year 2. It's bigger, it's better, because is Tekmetric's conference. You know it's gonna be the best conference in the history of conferences. Get lower pricing now HER... more

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Tektonic 2027 is coming up April 1-3, and if you missed year 1, you MUST NOT miss year 2. It's bigger, it's better, because is Tekmetric's conference. You know it's gonna be the best conference in the history of conferences. Get lower pricing now HER... more

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Tektonic 2027 is coming up April 1-3, and if you missed year 1, you MUST NOT miss year 2. It's bigger, it's better, because is Tekmetric's conference. You know it's gonna be the best conference in the history of conferences. Get lower pricing now HER... more

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Tektonic 2027 is coming up April 1-3, and if you missed year 1, you MUST NOT miss year 2. It's bigger, it's better, because is Tekmetric's conference. You know it's gonna be the best conference in the history of conferences. Get lower pricing now HER... more

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Recent Guests

Matt Lofton
Automotive shop owner and coach who advises repair shops on operations and profitability
Elite Worldwide
Episode: Ep 125 - Coaching Call # 22 | Your Car Count Might Be Lying to You
James Hornak
Auto repair shop owner and service advisor
Episode: Ep 124 - James Hornak & Nathan Ward | These Shop Owners Are 14 Months In and Pacing $1.5 Million
Nathan Ward
Auto repair shop owner and technician
Episode: Ep 124 - James Hornak & Nathan Ward | These Shop Owners Are 14 Months In and Pacing $1.5 Million
Caleb McElmurry
Owner of Max Auto Repair, a small-town independent repair shop
Max Auto Repair
Episode: Ep 123 - Caleb McElmurry | When Should a One-Man Shop Hire Its First Technician?
Trey Holley
Co-owner of a 10-bay auto repair shop
Episode: Ep 122 - Trey & Sasha Holley | Stop Looking for A-Techs. Build Them.
Sasha Holley
Co-owner of a 10-bay auto repair shop
Episode: Ep 122 - Trey & Sasha Holley | Stop Looking for A-Techs. Build Them.
Carry-Lynn Rodenberg
Marketing professional at Turnkey Marketing
Turnkey Marketing
Episode: Ep 121 - Marketing Call #2 | Are Your Advisors Accidentally Turning Customers Away?
Justin Allen
Regional field trainer for Hunter Engineering Company
Hunter Engineering Company
Episode: Ep 119 - Jim Cokonis and Justin Allen | Most Technicians Don’t Know What They Don’t Know
Jim Cokonis
Technical content facilitator / class instructor
Episode: Ep 119 - Jim Cokonis and Justin Allen | Most Technicians Don’t Know What They Don’t Know

Host

Mike Allen
Host of Confessions of a Shop Owner

Reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars from 44 ratings
  • Great podcast

    Always enjoyable to listen to.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Zoom user 255
    United Statesa year ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Listeners appreciate blunt, actionable guidance for running shops.
Guests and hosts share diverse viewpoints, keeping conversations engaging and provocative.
Industry-specific insights on hiring, tech, and growth feel genuinely useful for operators and sponsors.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Ep 125 - Coaching Call # 22 | Your Car Count Might Be Lying to You
Q: Do I want to put guideposts that we're only going to do three inspections a day or something up, because then if they go somewhere else, then I have the opportunity of losing that customer.
Matt says to check the retention rate of customers whose first visit was for an inspection. If few return and the visits create little profit, the shop should consider replacing that volume with higher-opportunity customers.
Ep 125 - Coaching Call # 22 | Your Car Count Might Be Lying to You
Q: How would you go about analyzing the quality of your tech average quote or average written repair order?
Matt recommends reviewing the category sales report to determine how much car count comes from state inspections, then separating inspection-only tickets from visits that include other services. That revealed a large number of low-opportunity inspection-only visits.
Ep 123 - Caleb McElmurry | When Should a One-Man Shop Hire Its First Technician?
Q: What do you think the monthly revenue number needs to be before you hire somebody?
The hosts suggest measuring capacity in billable hours rather than revenue because prices vary by location. They discuss roughly six billable hours a day as a possible threshold for a one-person operation.
Ep 123 - Caleb McElmurry | When Should a One-Man Shop Hire Its First Technician?
Q: How far do you think you are from hiring your first employee?
Caleb McElmurry hopes to hire someone possibly by the end of the following year, after the business becomes consistent enough to support another family.
Ep 124 - James Hornak & Nathan Ward | These Shop Owners Are 14 Months In and Pacing $1.5 Million
Q: What has been your most effective service advisor hiring process, I guess?
Mike says his best service advisor was a fine-dining bartender whose hospitality and sales abilities transferred well to the role. The group notes that retail sales experience is not the same as automotive service sales.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
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Household Income
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Frequently Asked Questions About Confessions of a Shop Owner

What is Confessions of a Shop Owner about and what kind of topics does it cover?

This show centers on the real-world realities of running independent auto repair shops, grounded in candid conversations with shop owners, executives, and industry outsiders who bring practical lessons from the field. Episodes cover management, recruiting, tech adoption (including AI and diagnostic tools), pricing strategies, and growth through multi-location operations, with a recurring emphasis on leadership, culture, and customer experience. Notable is the willingness to challenge conventional wisdom, discuss controversial topics, and spotlight actionable tactics that listeners can apply in their own shops or agencies pitching to this audience.

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How many listeners does Confessions of a Shop Owner get?

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Which podcasts are similar to Confessions of a Shop Owner?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Confessions of a Shop Owner:

1. Changing The Industry Podcast
2. Downshift With Tonnika
3. The Jaded Mechanic Podcast
4. Remarkable Results Radio Podcast
5. Business By The Numbers

How many episodes of Confessions of a Shop Owner are there?

Confessions of a Shop Owner launched 2 years ago and published 132 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact Confessions of a Shop Owner?

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What guests have appeared on Confessions of a Shop Owner?

Recent guests on Confessions of a Shop Owner include:

1. Matt Lofton
2. James Hornak
3. Nathan Ward
4. Caleb McElmurry
5. Trey Holley
6. Sasha Holley
7. Carry-Lynn Rodenberg
8. Justin Allen

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