Is your shop's logo doing all the heavy lifting? Spoiler alert: it's not even close.

In this episode of Maximum Octane, branding expert and Director of Business Development at Silver Lake Auto, Krista Oldenburg, teams up with Jason Patel to deliver a masterclass on brand strategy, AI-powered marketing, and the real reason customers (and employees) choose your shop over the competition.

You'll learn how to clarify your mission, stop wasting time on outdated social media posts, and turn ChatGPT into your best marketing hire—no budget bloat required.

If you're still treating branding like fluff, you're leaving revenue and recruiting power on the table. This episode shows you how to fix that.

Episode Takeaways:

1:50 Krista's journey from part-time social media specialist to Director of Business Development

4:10 The Harbor Freight vs. Snap-on analogy—and what it teaches us about branding

7:30 Why "brand" isn't your logo: it's your business DNA

9:00 What happened when Silver Lake got intentional with its brand 2.5 years ago

13:40 How to build a brand that attracts growth-minded techs

15:50 Mission statements that move the needle: "We exist to serve because you deserve better"

18:20 What shop owners get wrong on social media (and how to fix it)

21:10 The power of "edutainment" over generic review posts

24:40 Turning testimonials into trust-building content

26:00 Leveraging ChatGPT to run a strong strategy with a tiny team

30:20 How to audit your website, reviews, and social media using AI

33:00 What it means to "raise ChatGPT like a child" for your marketing

36:50 Creating your own GPT trained with your brand and voice

38:40 Holding vendors accountable like team members

MEET KRISTA OLDENBURG:

Krista Oldenburg is the Director of Business Development at Silver Lake Auto & Tire Center, where she's transformed the shop's branding and recruitment strategies. Starting as a part-time social media specialist, Krista now leads growth initiatives, vendor relations, and a high-impact marketing operation—all with a lean team and an AI edge.

She's a self-proclaimed "professional extrovert" who believes in bold branding, clear messaging, and human-first marketing. Her roundtable at the Super Conference sparked this episode's in-depth exploration of how auto repair businesses can grow by prioritizing brand clarity.

Connect with Krista Oldenburg:

• LinkedIn
• Silver Lake Auto & Tire Centers
• Silver Lake Auto & Tire Centers LinkedIn

Resources mentioned:

• The Brand Infinity Loop
• Leverage ChatGPT
• The Great Eight
• Building Blocs of Brand Identity
• ChatGPT Prompts

Let's connect:

• Website
• LinkedIn
• Facebook
• Email: info@maximumoctane.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How about saving your auto repair shop thousands of dollars a month and offering your customers a faster, smoother checkout experience? And the best part: without touching your rates?

In this episode, Kim Hickey and Jason Patel sit down with Dr. Mark Hale, a payments innovator and former QuickBooks CTO, to discuss one of the most overlooked leaks in auto repair shops' profitability: credit card surcharges.

Dr. Hale introduces Express by FacePay, a modern, secure, and customer-friendly alternative to traditional payment processing. From reducing fees to enhancing customer satisfaction and streamlining after-hours pickup, Express is more than a payment platform; it's a strategic upgrade for the way you do business.

Tune in to episode 119 of Maximum Octane to discover how you can improve your margins, increase customer convenience, and future-proof your shop with smarter, safer tech.

In This Episode, You'll Learn:

• How much surcharges are really costing your shop—and why your customers hate them (2:50)
• Why Express is a win-win: no fees, no friction, no surprises (7:40)
• How one shop saved thousands in just a few months (11:10)
• What the "Fast Break" rental model can teach you about modern auto checkout (16:50)
• How Express secures payments without risky card numbers or chargebacks (22:10)
• Why customer experience is now your most powerful competitive edge (31:10)
• The cultural shift: how to stop resisting tech and start designing for your customer (36:50)

Connect with Dr. Mark Hale:

• LinkedIn
• Express by Facepay

Let's connect:

• Website
• LinkedIn
• Facebook
• Email: info@maximumoctane.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Have you ever looked around your shop and wondered, "Am I really running this place, or just surviving in it?" Many shop owners start as top techs, but once the bays are theirs, the leadership grind hits differently.

In this episode, co-hosts Jason Patel and Mike Bennett sit down with Clinton Jones, owner of Accomplished Auto, who opens up about the messy, expensive lessons he learned transitioning from technician to shop leader. Clinton shares how a hands-off approach, hiring the wrong manager, missing key financial red flags, and losing connection with the community his business served almost cost him his auto shop.

Tune in to episode 118 of Maximum Octane to learn how to go from running yourself into the ground to building a team that runs with you. Join Clinton's masterclass in why leadership isn't optional, how accountability can transform not just your shop, but your entire life, and the wake-up call that lit the fire, and took Clinton to pay attention to building real systems, setting standards, and stepping into his role as a leader with a vision.

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

• From tech to owner: Clinton's unexpected journey (1:20)
• When you're ready, coaching works (3:00)
• The hire that nearly destroyed the shop—and how Clinton missed the signs (4:20)
• Why accountability is the real game-changer (8:30)
• “Feelings aren’t facts”—how Clinton learned to lead with data (11:50)
• Building a vision that’s bigger than you (15:00)
• Modeling accountability: Your team won’t go where you haven’t gone (17:10)
• Creating a culture of ownership and pride (21:20)

Connect with Accomplished Auto:

• Website

Let's connect:

• Website
• LinkedIn
• Facebook
• Email: info@maximumoctane.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

One of your technicians needs a tool and doesn't know where it is. So he goes and asks another, who doesn’t know either, so they go and ask a third tech, who, by the way, also doesn’t know where that tool is. Now you have a group of people roaming around your auto shop, and you're losing money. All this hassle could’ve been avoided with one word: organization.

In this episode, Reiny Salmen joins us to talk about one of the most overlooked topics in the automotive industry: organization. Reiny is the owner of Loyola Service in Glenview, Illinois, a business he transformed from a “hot mess” into an efficient, easy-to-navigate shop with spot-on inventory and systems that actually work.

Tune in to episode 117 of Maximum Octane and learn how organizing your auto shop can become a cornerstone of your culture, boost your KPIs, and make your internal customers happier. You'll also hear Reiny talk about the magical before and after of investing heavily in organizing Loyola Service, the importance of holding your internal customers accountable, why an organized shop produces more (and more efficiently), and much more.

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

• Why shop organization is crucial (3:40)
• An organized auto shop can transform customers' experience (6:00)
• Why internal customers must be held accountable (14:10)
• Why organized auto shops produce more and more efficiently (18:10)
• Reiny shares organizational strategies and tools (23:00)
• Are organized auto shops easier to prepare for succession? (28:20)

Connect with Reiny Salmen:

• Loyola Service website
• Get a hold of Imperial Supplies LLC

Let's connect:

• Website
• LinkedIn
• Facebook
• Email: info@maximumoctane.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is it possible to turn constant training into part of your auto shop's culture?

In this episode, we explore how to make technicians' development a core part of any auto repair shop culture with Angie and Ken Rocha from Rocha's Automotive. From incentivizing techs to stay engaged with rapidly evolving technology to viewing training as an investment rather than a cost, Angie and Ken have found that ongoing learning is key to delivering top-notch customer service.

Throughout this episode, you'll learn how to create a culture that promotes constant learning and why it is crucial to improve service quality and keep internal customers engaged and motivated. You'll also hear about the importance of finding techs eager to evolve, how to generate training that engages techs, why you can't think of Identifix as a replacement for training, and much more.

Tune in to episode 116 of Maximum Octane and discover why investing in technicians' training is a shortcut to building loyalty, skills, and long-term success.

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

• Why you should invest in techs' training (4:30)
• How to create a culture of continuous learning (9:40)
• About the importance of finding (and retaining) the right technicians (12:20)
• Does culture attract talent (19:00)
• How to make learning engaging (25:20)
• How to keep yourself and your team motivated (32:00)
• The importance of celebrating wins to strengthen culture (37:40)

Connect with Angie & Ken:

• Rocha's Automotive
• Phone: (707) 682-9711

Let's connect:

• Website
• LinkedIn
• Facebook
• Email: info@maximumoctane.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Honest question: What does your auto shop's social media look like? Is it there because "you have to have it," or does it reflect who you are and what your business is all about?

This week, we revisit my conversation with Corey Perlman about the dos and don'ts of social media for auto repair shop owners, and why you should view socials as an excellent tool for growth and not a burden. Corey is a Keynote Speaker and Executive Consultant on Social Media and Digital Marketing, the Best-selling Author of "eBoot Camp: Proven Internet Marketing Techniques to Grow Your Business," and the Owner of Impact Social Media.

Throughout our conversation, Corey talks about his journey into digital marketing, and how he became a keynote speaker and consultant. He shares his thoughts on how social media impacted how people buy and hire professionals, and what type of content every auto shop owner should aim to create and put out there.

Plus, Corey teaches how to respond to negative feedback online, what content is a no-no for auto repair shops, the advantages of hiring social media professionals, and much more.

Tune in to episode 115 of Maximum Octane and discover how to take your auto shop's social media from 'just there' to a thriving brand-building platform that attracts customers!"

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

• About Corey's journey into social media advertising and digital marketing (3:00)
• How digital marketing impacted the car dealership industry (5:10)
• What an auto repair shop owner should look for in a social media expert (10:30)
• What kind of content works better for auto repair shops (13:00)
• Corey talks about social media's unproductive habits for auto shop owners (18:50)
• How to respond to negative feedback online and negative reviews (24:00)

Connect with Corey Perlman:

• Impact Social Media website
• LinkedIn
• Get Corey's books!

Let's connect:

• Website
• LinkedIn
• Facebook
• Email: info@maximumoctane.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Do you have a notebook filled with valuable information you wrote during a seminar or training that was never opened again? If yes, today's episode is a must-listen for you.

This week, we revisit our conversation with the extraordinary Wendy Hawks, General Manager of Riverside Auto Center. After attending an ATI Conference, Wendy decided the notes, the valuable information, and the brilliant ideas born at the conference wouldn't sit in a notebook, covered by dust on a shelf. Instead, she came up with a simple yet effective method to organize those notes and make them the fuel of her personal and professional evolution.

Throughout this episode, you'll hear how Wendy changed the dynamics of her business by committing to make small changes every day, about the importance of treating ourselves with compassion when we fail, how organizing and planning your days can utterly transform your life, and much more.

Tune in to episode 114 of Maximum Octane and discover the underrated power of taking an extra minute to plan your days, organize your tasks, and become a sharp delegator.

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

• About what made Wendy approach things differently this time (4:40)
• Why do we tend to beat ourselves when we fail to finish what we have planned to do, and how can we be less harsh with ourselves (9:50)
• Some non-negotiables that help Wendy remain sharp and responsive (14:00)
• How to use Wendy's method to live a more intentional life (17:50)

Resources:

• Riverside Auto Center website

Connect with Wendy:

• LinkedIn

Let's connect:

• Website
• LinkedIn
• Facebook
• Email: info@maximumoctane.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is specializing the inevitable path for auto repair shops?

This week, we discuss specialization within the automotive industry with Chris Fraser, Co-owner of TLS Motorwork. For years now, Chris and his partners at TLS Motorwork have been working exclusively on Japanese and hybrid cars and, most recently, EVs. Chris is a seasoned automotive professional with over two decades of experience dedicated to pushing the boundaries in the rapidly evolving electric vehicle sector.

Throughout this episode, you'll hear Chris' thoughts on the strategic importance of specialization in the automotive repair industry. Chris also talks about the challenges of working on electric vehicles, the need for constant training for internal customers and specific tools, how to adapt to manufacturers' push for more maintenance-free cars, and much more.

Tune in to episode 113 of Maximum Octane and discover why specialization might be both the cause and the solution for the automotive industry's reshaping.

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

• A bit about Chris' journey in the automotive industry (2:40)
• Why can specialization be crucial in the automotive industry (6:00)
• About the challenges and opportunities in the EV market (9:40)
• Chris talks about his unique approach to marketing and customer service (13:50)
• Are auto repair shops ready to adapt to the changes in the industry? (21:50)
• Conclusion and takeaways (31:00)

Connect with Chris Fraser:

• Website
• LinkedIn

Let's connect:

• Website
• LinkedIn
• Facebook
• Email: info@maximumoctane.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.