{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Confessions of a Shop Owner","title":"Ep 123 - Caleb McElmurry | When Should a One-Man Shop Hire Its First Technician?","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":2905,"description":"Mike Allen and Bryan Pollock welcome Caleb McElmurry to talk about the realities of building a repair business when you’re still the technician, service advisor, estimator, parts department and owner all at once. Caleb started mobile, moved several hours away and essentially started over with a brick-and-mortar shop—and now he’s intentionally waiting until the business is consistently ready before hiring his first technician. They debate why hiring a cheap apprentice first can actually make a solo owner less productive, how many billable hours might signal that it’s time to hire, what types of jobs a startup shop should avoid and why some European cars can eat a new shop alive. Caleb also explains why his first major training event is focused almost entirely on business and service-advisor skills instead of technical classes, and the conversation turns into ASE certifications, technician licensing, customer communication, $1,000 AROs and why owners shouldn’t go home from training and try to change their entire business Monday morning. The bigger lesson: being great at fixing cars gets you started—but learning how to run the business is what determines what happens next.\nTimestamps: \n00:00 – Why Startup Shops Should Be Careful With European Cars\n05:13 – Meet Caleb McElmurry\n06:01 – From Mobile Mechanic to Brick-and-Mortar\n07:09 – When Should Caleb Hire His First Technician?\n09:22 – Why Your First Hire Shouldn’t Be Cheap Labor\n10:05 – How Busy Should a Solo Shop Be?\n13:00 – Tow Trucks, Winter & Small-Town Shop Life\n16:00 – Stop Giving Jobs the “Go Away” Price\n20:29 – First Training Event: Don’t Implement Everything\n23:00 – Why Caleb Isn’t Taking Technical Classes\n25:00 – Should Automotive Technicians Be Licensed?\n30:00 – ASE, Apprenticeships & Industry Standards\n33:00 – Just Get 1% Better\n34:00 – Caleb’s Service Advisor Process\n36:42 – Do Customers Need Prices Explained First?\n38:00 – A $1,000 ARO in a One-Man Shop\n39:00 – Caleb’s Plan for His First Technician...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/TGFdk8p3lwIqG6-Zxu0zdS85-eMxgjWH_ROpDgligzo/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9hYmUy/MTMxZmUzN2Q5Mzkw/YTgxMDliZDViN2U3/N2Q1ZC5qcGc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}