{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Downshift With Tonnika","title":"Are You Running Your Shop… Or Is It Running You? | Darin Johnson - Ep 37","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":3519,"description":"Running an auto repair shop is one thing—but what happens when the shop starts running you? In this episode, Tonnika Haynes sits down with Darin Johnson, a one-man shop owner from Great Bend, Kansas, who admits he's working seven days a week, struggles to tell customers no, and hasn't taken a real vacation since 2018. They get into the difficult transition from technician to business owner, why coaching and industry connections have changed Darin's approach, and how raising his labor rate didn't create the customer revolt he feared. Tonnika also gets fired up about boundaries, last-minute customers, “free” tire pressure checks, and why serving your community doesn't mean allowing customers to control your schedule. Darin is heading to ASTA with a mission: build his network, learn how to step away from the shop, find help, and finally create a business that gives him a life outside the bays.\n\nTimestamps:\n00:00 Cold open: “It’s gonna be on one more day”\n00:19 Downshift intro\n00:38 Darin still has a FLIP PHONE?!\n02:10 Meet Darin: Running a one-man repair shop in Kansas\n02:44 How he accidentally became a shop owner\n04:27 From hot rods to 25 years in automotive\n05:39 Does Darin really want to stay a one-man operation?\n07:06 Heading to ASTA for the first time\n07:40 Why Darin LEFT his first training event early\n08:39 Coaching struggles: Knowing what to do vs. actually doing it\n09:55 The real reason Darin is coming to ASTA\n10:16 Shop ownership can feel like you’re on an island\n13:08 Working seven days a week & being married to the shop\n14:20 The people-pleasing problem\n15:03 Customers asking about cars at dinner and the grocery store\n16:27 What happens when the shop becomes your only hobby?\n20:26 Feeling guilty for taking time away\n20:57 “Schedule your hats”—including downtime\n22:59 Darin’s five-year plan: Train someone to replace him\n23:38 His last REAL vacation was in 2018\n24:34 Open-heart surgery changed how Darin viewed the business\n25:21 Becoming an owner instead of...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/RqLvAXD6t3OmHHS9ZFHGPTGVrggjn4BeYj1DvroAUC4/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS8yNzBj/NmUwMzMxNDk0NTIz/OTlhM2UyNjY5ZDM5/ZmM0NC5qcGc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}