{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Confessions of a Shop Owner","title":"Ep 120 - Andrew Klement | From Technician to $600K Repair Shop Owner","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":2985,"description":"Mike Allen sits down with Andrew Klement of Finley River Auto and Diesel to talk about what happens when a technician becomes a shop owner—but actually plans for it first. Andrew explains why he hired a coach and CPA before opening, started with a service advisor from day one, invested in systems immediately and surrounded himself with people who had already made the mistakes he wanted to avoid. The result? A greenfield startup with no existing customers that projected roughly $350,000–$360,000 in first-year revenue had already crossed $600,000 with three months left in the year. They also get into Andrew’s first employee quitting, why shop owners fail at training, how to sell repairs without high-pressure tactics, what a healthy shop culture can do for a technician’s career and the time 18-year-old Andrew invented a completely fictional “starter break-in noise” to cover up a mistake. And because it’s Confessions, Mike also gets to explain why releasing an $18,000 repair while still being owed $7,500 is probably a terrible business strategy.\nTimestamps:\n00:00 – Sell by Educating, Not Pressuring\n00:45 – Mike & Andrew Live From ASTA\n09:15 – Andrew Tried Free Diagnostics\n10:03 – Finley River Auto & Diesel\n15:38 – Andrew’s Technician Background\n17:25 – Building a Shop the Smart Way\n19:09 – $350K Projection → $600K+ Revenue\n20:27 – Is the Startup Actually Profitable?\n23:20 – Almost Leaving the Automotive Industry\n25:15 – What a Great Shop Taught Andrew\n29:44 – Can the Customer, Tech AND Shop All Win?\n32:16 – Andrew’s First Employee Quit\n34:07 – Selling Without High-Pressure Tactics\n35:39 – “You Hired Him. It’s Your Responsibility.”\n39:06 – The Infamous “Starter Break-In Noise” 😂\n41:42 – A Local Podcast as Shop Marketing\n44:20 – Andrew’s First ASTA Experience\n45:33 – Don’t Try to Implement Everything\n46:21 – The $18,000 Ticket He Still Hasn’t Collected\n47:06 – Mike: “Don’t Do That Shit.”","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}