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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 this podcast isn’t just about Mike’s journey. It’s about confronting the divisive and questionable tactics many shop owners and managers use. Mike is here to stir the pot and address the painful truths while offering a way forward. Together, we’ll tackle the frustrations, shake things up, and help create a better future for the auto repair industry.
Mike Allen [00:00:00]:
If a customer comes in for a free diag, don't they also think, well, they're going to have to sell me something. It's because they don't see any value in diag.
John Firm [00:00:06]:
They actually work.
Mike Allen [00:00:07]:
Diagn is they actually see a value in an oil change. They don't see any value in the diag because there's no parts involved.
Mike Allen [00:00:16]:
The following program features a bunch of doofuses talking about the automotive aftermarket. The stuff we or our guests may say do not necessarily reflect the beliefs of our peers, our sponsors, or any other associations we may have. There may be some by three language in this show, so if you get your feelings hurt easily, you should probably just move along. So without further ado, it's time for Confessions of a Shop Owner with your host, Mike Allen.
Mike Allen [00:00:48]:
So I've been recording for, like, seven minutes through all of our technical difficulties and everything else.
John Firm [00:00:53]:
We're just going to record for seven minutes.
Mike Allen [00:00:55]:
I have been recording for seven minutes.
Jeff Compton [00:00:56]:
He's got seven minutes of B roll.
Mike Allen [00:00:58]:
Yeah, we had, like. Yeah, B roll. We had, like, just static noise and development. People come through from North Carolina. They were really interested in learning more about Texas.
John Firm [00:01:07]:
I'm excited to see where that goes. That's going to be awesome for y'. All.
Michael Guenther [00:01:11]:
We'll see.
John Firm [00:01:11]:
You know?
Mike Allen [00:01:12]:
Yeah, just, you know, I think not every state, but a lot of states have resources like that that people don't even know about.
John Firm [00:01:18]:
Amen.
Mike Allen [00:01:18]:
So they don't take advantage of.
John Firm [00:01:19]:
They do.
Mike Allen [00:01:20]:
Yeah.
John Firm [00:01:21]:
So, by the way, just. President, I renewed my membership last week.
Mike Allen [00:01:26]:
El Presidente.
John Firm [00:01:28]:
El presidente. Yes, sir.
Mike Allen [00:01:29]:
Yeah, yeah. For like, at least 45 more days.
John Firm [00:01:33]:
And El Jefe.
Mike Allen [00:01:35]:
El Jefe.
John Firm [00:01:35]:
El Jefe. Yeah. Asta a couple years ago.
Mike Allen [00:01:39]:
Thank you for renewing your membership, sir. I appreciate you.
Michael Guenther [00:01:41]:
Yeah.
Jeff Compton [00:01:41]:
Sponsored at as the Hispanic version of the Jada. Mechanic is El Jefe.
John Firm [00:01:46]:
Yeah, yeah. When's that coming out?
Mike Allen [00:01:48]:
Mechanico next week.
Jeff Compton [00:01:51]:
I know Oz wanted me to come down and do that. He's like, you should come down and do a mechanico. I'm like, what about the cartel? Don't have to worry about that. No, no, no.
John Firm [00:02:00]:
Call Oscar. He'll get you in the door.
Jeff Compton [00:02:03]:
I feel like Oscar and Oz, like, if you're with them, you're completely safe, 100%.
John Firm [00:02:08]:
They know everybody.
Jeff Compton [00:02:10]:
Because I know I had friends that went down and did the. So it's almost like the. The national. They call it the national black bass championship is always. For the last two years now, has been in Mexico.
John Firm [00:02:20]:
Right.
Jeff Compton [00:02:20]:
Fished in there. And they Go down. And it's like literally they had to get approval from the cartel before they could go into the resort where they're fishing at a bond on, I call it Sucker Lake or Sugar Lake.
John Firm [00:02:29]:
It's over on the west coast in the mountains. Yeah, yeah.
Jeff Compton [00:02:31]:
And it's like known to have some.
John Firm [00:02:33]:
Of the, the biggest, the best large.
Jeff Compton [00:02:35]:
Bass fishing in the, on the continent.
Mike Allen [00:02:37]:
You know, that's because it's not overfished because your head cut off if you go there without permission.
Jeff Compton [00:02:43]:
And they're, they're there fishing the tilapia every day, like they're pulling the topia. But some of the guys, the tilap fishermen will pull an 18, 19 pound largemouth bass out and just eat it because you know, they're, they're selling their tilapia, but they'll eat the bass. So like when you hear like a sportsman go, you ate a what? You ate a 19 pound larger. Si, senor.
Mike Allen [00:03:02]:
Like, are you not supposed to eat them?
Jeff Compton [00:03:06]:
Well, from a sportsman standpoint of like a night. So the world record is 22lbs 4oz. So if you catch one that's 19, we all in our crazy mind are like, that fish is only like another couple years away from being a new world record. The reality is, is that fish probably won't make it to 22, but we always are. Like, why don't you just eat a nine pounder?
Mike Allen [00:03:28]:
So what they're saying is you should take a picture with it and then throw it back.
Jeff Compton [00:03:31]:
Yes, exactly.
John Firm [00:03:32]:
That's what you do all the time. Yes. You take pictures and you measure. That's why you got a measuring board. Measure it up, take three or four or five pictures. Get your, all your angles and the taxidermist to build the fish accordingly.
Michael Guenther [00:03:42]:
Yeah, well, that's like paddle fishing up by me.
Mike Allen [00:03:45]:
So you don't actually take like taxidermic fish are just like, they're make believe.
Jeff Compton [00:03:50]:
So they're now what we call graphite reproductions, which are airbrushed, essentially molded graphite. It used to be graphite, now it's plastics. And they're airbrushed by artists.
John Firm [00:04:00]:
Yeah.
Jeff Compton [00:04:00]:
And you give them your measurement. Your fish give them three or four really good quality photographs they can get right down to the distinguishing marks and the different shades of the, of the scales, all that stuff.
Mike Allen [00:04:11]:
So like a world class taxidermist and you have a world record fish. How much do you pay to get that scale model toy fish made?
Jeff Compton [00:04:21]:
So some of the muskie mounts that I've seen done up in Canada, they're probably six, $7,000.
John Firm [00:04:27]:
How good are the artists is going to do it? Yeah, that's what you're looking for.
Jeff Compton [00:04:30]:
And the guy that I know that everybody knows of that's kind of like in the circle if you have a fish that you need done now you're three years before you get your fish.
John Firm [00:04:38]:
Yep.
Mike Allen [00:04:39]:
So I struggle with this. Who grows up thinking you know what I want to be when I grow up? I want to be a fake fish maker.
John Firm [00:04:47]:
A fake fish worker. Yeah. That's called a taxidermist but okay. I mean an artist. Yeah.
Mike Allen [00:04:54]:
Here's the deal. I like to think that I'm pretty.
Jeff Compton [00:04:56]:
Good now the other guys do still like a skin mount for a deer or something like that. That's a different skill.
Mike Allen [00:05:02]:
Managing marketing budget.
Jeff Compton [00:05:04]:
A lot of the fish thing now.
Mike Allen [00:05:05]:
Like truly well rounded marketing plan.
Jeff Compton [00:05:07]:
They're not really. They were mail.
Mike Allen [00:05:09]:
There's local advertising, there's somewhere website, there's.
Jeff Compton [00:05:12]:
Google what we call skin. They have a all the different things.
Mike Allen [00:05:16]:
That go into that.
Jeff Compton [00:05:17]:
Cuz even everybody doesn't know what I'm good at exactly.
Mike Allen [00:05:20]:
We still painted what I've chosen to.
Jeff Compton [00:05:22]:
Do because as soon as you take.
Mike Allen [00:05:23]:
It to buy myself the time, you know, to focus on what I am good at while having someone else execute on all those things at a way higher level than anything I could ever do. That's what turnkey auto marketing does for me.
Jeff Compton [00:05:34]:
You know. 10,000 smoke to save underneath.
Mike Allen [00:05:37]:
Feel like you could use some of that same magic.
Jeff Compton [00:05:39]:
Whereas you see I'm going to recommend.
Mike Allen [00:05:41]:
That you go to turnkey automarketing.com get a free consultation. Tell them. Tell them the confessions shop owner sent you. You won't be disappointed. Tell you about something new for our. I don't know what I thought 2020 presented by Tech Metric. This isn't just a user conference. It's built for the whole shop.
Mike Allen [00:05:59]:
Owners advisors where are you on the wall mount. Three days in Houston, Texas filled with workshops, panels. We're tracking over a thousand people from around the country. You don't have to be a tech metric user. So when I go to like tap the link in the show notes, grab early bird pricing while you still. It's just a stuffed animal effectively.
John Firm [00:06:23]:
Hey, can I thump your fish?
Jeff Compton [00:06:24]:
Go lick it.
Mike Allen [00:06:25]:
You know I, I feel like bro, you got to use that line tonight when we're out.
John Firm [00:06:31]:
Okay.
Jeff Compton [00:06:31]:
All right, I will. It's my birthday. Come lick it.
Mike Allen [00:06:35]:
No, no. Can I sunk? Can I thump your fish?
John Firm [00:06:38]:
Can I thump your fish?
Jeff Compton [00:06:39]:
All right.
Mike Allen [00:06:40]:
Well okay.
Michael Guenther [00:06:41]:
There's some good Ones down there. You can ask that.
John Firm [00:06:43]:
Yeah, I don't know. We particularly asked that too, because it could mean several different things.
Mike Allen [00:06:48]:
So I guess they were on Fremont street last night and they don't identify with the. With the wonderful human beings that are on Fremont Street.
John Firm [00:06:57]:
Oh, man, there's some awesome people down there. Yeah. Did you notice all the people that stand in circles?
Mike Allen [00:07:03]:
Yes. Stay out of the circle.
John Firm [00:07:04]:
Yeah. They have to stay in a circle to do their gig.
Mike Allen [00:07:07]:
Well, the circles are permitted spaces. They pay for that space and it's like territory. Like, they get shitty over that stuff.
John Firm [00:07:14]:
Yeah, I noticed that right quick. You know, they're making a dollar at a time right there in their circle.
Mike Allen [00:07:20]:
And also, don't take any selfies with any of the performers without paying them.
Jeff Compton [00:07:24]:
Oh, okay. That's cool.
John Firm [00:07:26]:
Yeah, the two girls hooked me and my buddy here. What's his name? Michael.
Mike Allen [00:07:30]:
Michael.
John Firm [00:07:30]:
Yeah, my gold buddy. They hooked us over. Hey, y' all, go.
Mike Allen [00:07:33]:
Come here.
John Firm [00:07:34]:
Come here, guys.
Mike Allen [00:07:34]:
Come here.
John Firm [00:07:35]:
We walked over. Take a picture with us. I don't want a picture with you. I don't want no. Ah, no, no. Take a picture with $5.
Mike Allen [00:07:42]:
$5.
John Firm [00:07:42]:
I don't want no $5 picture with you.
Michael Guenther [00:07:45]:
They were just peacocks walking around.
Mike Allen [00:07:46]:
Yeah.
Michael Guenther [00:07:47]:
Big old feathers.
Jeff Compton [00:07:49]:
Females dressed as peacocks.
John Firm [00:07:50]:
Yeah.
Mike Allen [00:07:50]:
Yeah. Well, there were certain parts of them that weren't dressed, though.
Jeff Compton [00:07:54]:
Oh, I was one of them.
Mike Allen [00:07:55]:
Ah, yeah. Okay. They had the dudes too, right? Walking around, their shirt on. You did get a five dollar picture with that guy.
John Firm [00:08:05]:
Picture there. Krista got all tangled up with them two guys. It cost me 65.
Jeff Compton [00:08:11]:
Oh, my God.
Michael Guenther [00:08:12]:
Oh, she was in heaven, though.
John Firm [00:08:14]:
Oh, she was in heaven. She was loving on them guys and guys loving on her. She's a blushing she. Now. She is shy and bashful, but boy, she come out of her shell on this.
Mike Allen [00:08:26]:
Oh, man.
Jeff Compton [00:08:27]:
In Vegas, I. I find it hard to believe somebody shy and bashful would be able to hang around with you for very long before they couldn't come out of their shell. Like, it'd be forced, maybe.
Mike Allen [00:08:35]:
Yin and yang, they're. They're comp. They complement one another well. Yeah, maybe, maybe not.
John Firm [00:08:41]:
I don't know.
Michael Guenther [00:08:42]:
It's taken a long time for that shell to crack.
John Firm [00:08:46]:
Yeah.
Michael Guenther [00:08:46]:
You know, because she's been at vision.
John Firm [00:08:48]:
Chris had a nervous breakdown. The first vision she went to, she had never in her life been around that many people. It just blew her away. And then we talked her down off that ledge and she came along really good. And then the second vision, the bus Left her at one of the mother hotels after one of her classes.
Mike Allen [00:09:09]:
Oops.
John Firm [00:09:10]:
And she had to walk back to Vision.
Mike Allen [00:09:14]:
That's okay. At least it's not cold there.
John Firm [00:09:15]:
Yeah, it wasn't cold there that time. You're right. I was there one time when it was really cold. Everybody left that night and the next day to announce Covid. Yeah, well.
Michael Guenther [00:09:26]:
Oh, yeah, they announced.
Mike Allen [00:09:27]:
You heard it here first. Vision caused Covid.
John Firm [00:09:30]:
Yeah, yeah.
Mike Allen [00:09:31]:
No, no, actually it was Nebraska caused.
Michael Guenther [00:09:34]:
The shutdown because they had state basketball going on and a local kid got sick.
Jeff Compton [00:09:41]:
Now she is service writer for you.
Mike Allen [00:09:42]:
Super spreader.
John Firm [00:09:43]:
Is she certified?
Jeff Compton [00:09:44]:
Yeah. No service writer, no technician. Oh, okay, cool.
Michael Guenther [00:09:49]:
She.
John Firm [00:09:51]:
Guys, I can't brag enough about this girl. I cannot tell you. This is my rock star that's growing up, that's in our industry that's really just rocketing left and right. I'm so proud of this girl. Yeah, she come to me and worked a couple hours a day while she was going that. That trade school that she went to and graduated from. And when she graduated, she came on full time changing oil and tires and light duty mechanical work. Now she's full boat.
John Firm [00:10:19]:
She just did an engine the other day on a car. And you guys know how much I'm at shop.
Jeff Compton [00:10:25]:
Okay, so there's a picture of you.
Mike Allen [00:10:28]:
There somewhere, but somewhere dusty.
John Firm [00:10:33]:
You know, Mike, you spend more your time at your. One of your shops than I do at my shop. I wish I was more involved some days, but they won't let me, you know, go fishing, go away.
Mike Allen [00:10:45]:
So I'm gonna need you to talk a little less.
John Firm [00:10:48]:
Yeah, you're way too out.
Michael Guenther [00:10:50]:
I will calm down.
Jeff Compton [00:10:53]:
Sorry.
Mike Allen [00:10:54]:
Meme Master General.
Michael Guenther [00:10:57]:
Something like that.
Mike Allen [00:10:58]:
Yeah. I mean, I would say that a measurable percentage of the ridiculous pictures and images that we have shared on our podcast page have earned. Originated with you.
Jeff Compton [00:11:07]:
Yes. When I. When I needed one for the sumo competition, Michael was my man to contact. Right away, I'm like, I need something that looks like a sumo competition between Mike and myself. And in, oh, I don't know, less than an hour, he had something that was amazing. And I was like, that's some talent there.
Mike Allen [00:11:26]:
You know, I think you should submit a class for ASDA Expo on creating troll content for social media.
John Firm [00:11:36]:
Troll content. Oh, what a class. We could do that class together. I could handle that.
Mike Allen [00:11:42]:
I mean, I just want to know.
Michael Guenther [00:11:44]:
Where my video I made for Tanika went, because I never saw it posted anywhere.
Mike Allen [00:11:50]:
She shared a few videos with me that I think you made using some new AI Videos that was probably the.
Michael Guenther [00:11:55]:
Boom boom room one. That's the one I made for.
Mike Allen [00:11:58]:
I mean that's probably not.
Michael Guenther [00:12:00]:
I think it was raised Boom boom room.
Mike Allen [00:12:02]:
That sounds familiar. I don't know. You're gonna send it to me so that I can post it on the YouTube video with this episode.
Michael Guenther [00:12:09]:
I got it anymore. I cleared everything out of my phone. I got somewhere.
John Firm [00:12:15]:
If you're like me.
Mike Allen [00:12:18]:
On missed maintenance Robots in the shop for part and delivery Detect auto help auto shop Mike has been absolutely by analyzing this Titan.
Jeff Compton [00:12:27]:
Machine that's rolling around right next to just outside of Joe's garage with oil on it being delivered.
Mike Allen [00:12:34]:
It's just doing the integrates with your existing walk around deliver partsauto.com and see.
Jeff Compton [00:12:41]:
How your mike wants one stop each location.
Mike Allen [00:12:43]:
I want one for the house. Bring me a sandwich.
John Firm [00:12:46]:
Yeah.
Mike Allen [00:12:47]:
So does it do steps make the sandwich. I said will it do steps? Because I got some. I got some. You know my house is built on.
John Firm [00:12:55]:
Pre made ready to row. Yeah.
Mike Allen [00:12:57]:
So you can have a sandwich making robot in the kitchen.
John Firm [00:13:01]:
Two robots.
Mike Allen [00:13:01]:
I like it. Yeah.
Jeff Compton [00:13:03]:
The Denny's back home has one of those that's in. In the. In the restaurant and it brings the food out.
Mike Allen [00:13:09]:
So the robot that delivers the food could replace one of my kids. Well, the sandwich making robot. Never mind. I'm not going to follow that to fruition. No.
John Firm [00:13:17]:
So I had never thought about having an apparatus inside my business that would deliver parts from the parts room to the technician. And now the technician doesn't have to leave the bay at all. Period. No more ever.
Mike Allen [00:13:31]:
Drop it.
John Firm [00:13:31]:
Just stay there. Keep in production.
Mike Allen [00:13:33]:
Can you get like a evil shop?
John Firm [00:13:34]:
Owner of me says yeah, you don't need to leave that hood. Stay there baby.
Mike Allen [00:13:37]:
And one of them, one of the robots can be equipped with a five gallon bucket and a toilet seat.
John Firm [00:13:42]:
Amen.
Mike Allen [00:13:42]:
So when they just come over and they just sit right there while they're working.
Michael Guenther [00:13:46]:
Yeah, just get one of them shower loop things.
John Firm [00:13:49]:
Boss makes a dollar, I make a dime.
Mike Allen [00:13:51]:
Yeah.
Jeff Compton [00:13:52]:
Paint it with RF15, right? Yeah, paint it with the RFI paint so they don't.
Michael Guenther [00:13:57]:
I kind of like the IDE. I love it when it's just me and my tech. I can. I don't have to bring parts. He don't have to grab.
John Firm [00:14:05]:
We was over to the hunter booth a minute ago and Justin Allison was. Justin Allen was showing us the tire machine.
Mike Allen [00:14:12]:
Jessica Alba.
John Firm [00:14:13]:
Yeah, that guy, you know.
Jeff Compton [00:14:14]:
Yeah.
John Firm [00:14:14]:
He's kind of weird. Ball headed, drives a Saab. We know. We're talking about. Yeah.
Jeff Compton [00:14:18]:
That's weird.
John Firm [00:14:18]:
Yeah. One of my best friends, so anyway, he's showing us an automatic tire change, removing it off. Why can't we have one of them take the tires to the tire guy? Yeah, we'll give just a little bigger platform, put four tires on it.
Jeff Compton [00:14:33]:
So when I was watching that machine and I know we've had a similar machine in the dealer.
Mike Allen [00:14:41]:
It'S just pushed.
Jeff Compton [00:14:42]:
I, I know a lot of guys still look at that and go from a flat rate time. That's slow.
Mike Allen [00:14:46]:
Yeah.
Jeff Compton [00:14:46]:
You know, I think that's what they, they look at that and I think that's one of the big obstacles of that machine is they look at it and they go, well yeah, it's non touch and, and they're doing a really big deep offset, big wide rim. Right. But if you're doing, you know, a little more traditional, standardized stuff, I think a lot of owners look at that going, it's going to take too long. Like I got a guy that does four and 20 minutes. Right. And, and yeah, that does, that would do four in 30 minutes.
Mike Allen [00:15:11]:
How many does he have to fuck up when they're 24 inch Porsche wheels?
Jeff Compton [00:15:15]:
Well, that's, I have another viewpoint.
John Firm [00:15:17]:
If you're giving away free diagnosis, you know, you need to speed up and keep everything flowing just as good as you can. Well, I mean, you know, we have.
Jeff Compton [00:15:24]:
To make it up somewhere else, right? Yeah.
Mike Allen [00:15:27]:
Hey, so what is worse for the industry and what cheapens the industry more? 19 oil changes or free diag?
Jeff Compton [00:15:35]:
I'm gonna go right out now, right now and say 19 oil change.
John Firm [00:15:39]:
Yeah. 100 or 17.95.
Mike Allen [00:15:43]:
Well, I think, I think today it's 29 or 39.
John Firm [00:15:47]:
It is.
Michael Guenther [00:15:49]:
I saw a 10 oil change when we were out in about the. Yes.
Mike Allen [00:15:52]:
No way.
John Firm [00:15:53]:
Really? Here in Las Vegas.
Mike Allen [00:15:54]:
Yeah.
Jeff Compton [00:15:55]:
I can honestly believe that when you think about they're going to catch the.
Mike Allen [00:15:57]:
Oil out of your car and they're going to put it in their car.
Jeff Compton [00:16:01]:
It's going into a cab fleet right now, sir. There's a bucket with a cab fleet sticker on it and that's where that used oil is going. Because we going.
John Firm [00:16:10]:
They run it through a rag body filter.
Michael Guenther [00:16:13]:
They run it through a rag.
Jeff Compton [00:16:15]:
A clean rag.
Mike Allen [00:16:16]:
No.
John Firm [00:16:16]:
No sense of wasting rags.
Jeff Compton [00:16:19]:
I I going back to the oil change versus the free diet thing because I think the oil change is like if, you know it's 995.
Mike Allen [00:16:26]:
Yeah.
Jeff Compton [00:16:26]:
Hypothetical or loss leader. Either two things are going to happen. The customers know that something has to be found to offset that cost or, or nothing's going to be told about and it's just in and out real quick. I don't think there's a positive to a low priced oil change. No free diag. I think free diag like you talked about can sometimes be a great way to have a conversation with the customer about exactly what a complex system is going on in the car or multitude of complex systems and why the light is on for, for a warning.
Mike Allen [00:17:01]:
So just to be contrarian, I think if a customer comes in for a free diag, don't they also think, well, they're going to have to sell me something. And so that was just being, I don't think customers, it's because they don't see any value in diag. They actually see a value in an oil change.
John Firm [00:17:24]:
Right, right.
Mike Allen [00:17:25]:
They don't see any value in the diet because there's no parts involved.
Jeff Compton [00:17:28]:
Right. And diag is like the parts stores tell them that they can diagnose your car and they don't really diagnose the car. They tell you the probable things that would cause that particular failure may be in the car. Right. And they leave out a bunch of the real world stuff because the real world stuff doesn't sell apart to a customer to bolt on and do it. So the value is gone and it goes back to, you know, do we start selling testing as a word or use testing as a word to die? We use them back and forth all the time and you know, to correct the vernacular is just a lot of effort. But if they're coming in for a free diag, I think what they also want is a peace of mind. Can I drive this like I have a warning light on.
Jeff Compton [00:18:10]:
But if it's, oh, it's an evap code. Okay, I'm, I'm good to drive this for a day, week, a year. I don't want to put any more money into this turd. Like I'm good to drive it until I get rid of it. Yes. Whereas if they come in and it's just like I need a diag done. But it also has a symptom related to the car seems to be down on power. It cranked a really long time this morning before it started up.
Jeff Compton [00:18:33]:
That's a different conversation. And that's where I have the problem with the, with the free diag. Because if an advisor goes out real quick and hooks up a scan tool and says you got an evap code, you're probably gonna, you know, you're not gonna blow up. That's Okay, I cannot, I can. I don't like the devaluing of the tool by showing that like it's drill five minutes and you know, it tells you what's wrong with the car because that's what they drive away with. But when they come in with a symptom, I think we have to approach it from symptom based conversations about what's happening, what's probable, why is that happening? And then we start to break down. Selling the value of testing.
Mike Allen [00:19:09]:
Well, I think what you're talking about is proper information gathering, proper discovery conversations. Well, and that has nothing to do with what the customer pays for the test.
Jeff Compton [00:19:18]:
No.
Mike Allen [00:19:19]:
Right.
John Firm [00:19:19]:
And what your discovery conversation is so important.
Mike Allen [00:19:22]:
Education and information happens either way. Right. And so my take is like, if you need to grow car count, the easiest way to grow car count is a loss leader.
John Firm [00:19:34]:
Yep.
Mike Allen [00:19:34]:
So a loss leader. Oil change is super fast. Right. But they come in saying he's going to try to sell me something. They leave the house like giving themselves a pep talk. Say no to the air filter. Say no to the air filter. Say no to the air filter.
Mike Allen [00:19:48]:
Because they know they're going to get shown a dirty air filter. Whereas. So they have their walls up and they're fighting to say no. Right. Whereas a free diag. They have a problem that they know needs to be fixed. And I know that they need more than just a fucking oil change.
John Firm [00:20:06]:
Amen.
Jeff Compton [00:20:06]:
Yeah.
Mike Allen [00:20:07]:
And so they have their walls up because they've been told we can get you in next Thursday or they've been told it'll be $196 just to look at it or whatever. And so you've already taken those defensive walls down and you're just being helpful. You're just finding a solution for them with low pressure. So I think it. Of the, of the known effective loss leaders, I think free diag is far more effective than a cheap oil change.
John Firm [00:20:33]:
Because it already has no value. Yeah. And you just open my eyes up to that. Realize that.
Jeff Compton [00:20:39]:
But is allowed.
Mike Allen [00:20:41]:
Holy shit, John. Farm's going free diag.
John Firm [00:20:42]:
Yeah.
Jeff Compton [00:20:44]:
But here's, here's why I have to interject. If, if we, if we make it more commonplace that it's free, can we ever get it back? And being able to sell the value of it by. I want to charge for the expertise, the tooling that it takes to be able to offer it to him is free.
Mike Allen [00:20:58]:
Well, like, so Keith Perkins is, is right over our shoulder. They're teaching right now. And I'm sure that every time he sees me across the room. He wants to, you know, punch me in the face.
Jeff Compton [00:21:11]:
Oh, no.
John Firm [00:21:12]:
Oh, he ain't that violent.
Mike Allen [00:21:14]:
No, no, I'm not going to say that he's going to punch me in the face. I just think in his mind he's already killed me. 3. It's because he's built an incredibly successful business.
John Firm [00:21:25]:
Yes, he has.
Mike Allen [00:21:25]:
Off of diagnostic prowess. Right. And so what I'm talking about, you know, from a very reductive standpoint is giving away his lifeblood. Right?
John Firm [00:21:36]:
Yeah, but I'm not the same he spent in class.
Mike Allen [00:21:39]:
You know, if somebody comes in with a 15 year old 7 series that has 45 codes and 7 different modules, they're not getting that for free. Right.
John Firm [00:21:50]:
Are you gonna work on it? 15 years old.
Mike Allen [00:21:53]:
Well, so we have a rule of 25 years old, but you know, a 15 year old seven series, probably not gonna work on it.
John Firm [00:21:59]:
Yeah, it's just there's a line somewhere in the sand we gotta draw.
Mike Allen [00:22:02]:
So Dutch Silverstein told this story years and years and years ago, so I have to credit him with it. But it's if the customer comes in, the third owner, five series, third owner, seven series, comes in, you say, no, no, no, that's okay, you don't want me to work on the car. And I said, what are you talking about, you don't want me to work on the car? I just got a great deal. I've won one of these forever. I got in a killer good deal on this thing. It's just got a warning light on it. Oh, well, here's what's gonna happen, Mr. Customer.
Mike Allen [00:22:28]:
You're gonna bring it in and you've got this warning indicator on. I'm gonna figure out exactly what you need for that. We're gonna have a conversation about what it needs and the cost involved. And you're gonna be happy to give me $3,000 to fix that problem because it's still a great deal on that car that you've wanted forever.
John Firm [00:22:42]:
Yeah.
Mike Allen [00:22:42]:
And then in three weeks you're going to be back with a different light on, maybe the same light, but different problem. And it's going to be another $3,000. And you're going to feel kind of some way about that, but you know, in for a penny, in for a pound, and you're going to spend that $3,000. And now it's not really that good a deal, but it's still your dream car. And then a month after that you're going to come back in with another one and it's going to have another 3, 5, $7,000 need. And then you're going to mouth off at me about how every time you come in it's $3,000. Then I'm going to tell you to get fucked.
John Firm [00:23:15]:
I've been down that road.
Mike Allen [00:23:17]:
So let me save you this hassle and just tell you. No, we don't want to work on your car. Right. I think what Dutch said, He didn't say get fuck. What Dutch said was. And then I'm going to grab you around the collar and pull you across this counter and we're going to have a different conversation. That's what Dutch said.
John Firm [00:23:32]:
Oh, my buddy Dutch.
Mike Allen [00:23:33]:
And I 100% believe that he would do that. So I've been down that road.
John Firm [00:23:38]:
I. I understand that. And that's how we put a 15 year limit on Michael.
Jeff Compton [00:23:43]:
How would you handle that?
John Firm [00:23:45]:
He has 20 year old.
Michael Guenther [00:23:46]:
I took a 91 Camry in the other day needing.
Mike Allen [00:23:50]:
Well, it's a Camry though.
Michael Guenther [00:23:52]:
This is a Camry.
Mike Allen [00:23:53]:
It's not a 750.
Michael Guenther [00:23:55]:
Needs a mass airflow sensor.
Jeff Compton [00:23:56]:
Well, that seems pretty straightforward.
John Firm [00:23:58]:
Yeah, I've been to a shop. I know what's in his backyard.
Michael Guenther [00:24:02]:
We have a lot of all sorts of stuff.
John Firm [00:24:04]:
How old the Buick you drives?
Jeff Compton [00:24:06]:
What?
John Firm [00:24:07]:
The Buick you drive, how old is it?
Michael Guenther [00:24:08]:
That's an 03.
Mike Allen [00:24:09]:
Yeah.
Michael Guenther [00:24:10]:
Granny.
Jeff Compton [00:24:12]:
Rust free though, right?
Michael Guenther [00:24:14]:
Pretty much, yeah. Just a little. Little starting down in the quarter. But it's only got like 90.
John Firm [00:24:21]:
It's a little sweet one owner by grandma.
Mike Allen [00:24:23]:
Yeah, those are great car grandma cars. It's been to church on Sunday and the hairdresser on Wednesday.
John Firm [00:24:28]:
Yeah.
Michael Guenther [00:24:30]:
The newest thing I own is an 07.
Jeff Compton [00:24:33]:
Can you still get a. An OE MAF for that Camry? No.
Michael Guenther [00:24:38]:
So you're going after World Pack has nothing dorman, baby.
John Firm [00:24:44]:
I just got through making it, baby.
Jeff Compton [00:24:47]:
Oh, did you? I need to go buy and see.
John Firm [00:24:50]:
Yeah, lester's over.
Michael Guenther [00:24:51]:
It's one of 15 in Napa's world. Aside from that, nobody showed anything. One was in Sacramento, the other were down in Dallas. Yeah, right there by me, the manufacturer.
John Firm [00:25:02]:
Another guy with a lot of gold.
Michael Guenther [00:25:03]:
It should. It's supposed to be here tomorrow. So we'll see what it.
Mike Allen [00:25:06]:
So what is with the bling? Did y' all find that somewhere where you're. While you're in town or did you come with us?
John Firm [00:25:12]:
Fremont street with your people. Hey, y' all need this? Why would we need it? And the guy said, well, Mike Allen said you needed it. So by George, we bought them evil shop owners.
Jeff Compton [00:25:24]:
What did you do on Fremont street to have such a reputation, I think.
Mike Allen [00:25:28]:
The question you should be asking yourself is what haven't I done on Fremont Street?
John Firm [00:25:32]:
Oh my gosh.
Mike Allen [00:25:33]:
Well, I think we need to do the zip lining down Fremont street tonight.
John Firm [00:25:36]:
Krista did that. The laying down version is longer versus the setting down is a half a ride. Yeah, that's pretty cool. I guess.
Jeff Compton [00:25:45]:
No, yeah, super, Jeff.
John Firm [00:25:47]:
They got a deal for your fat belly to hang out. You ain't got to worry about it.
Jeff Compton [00:25:50]:
I'm not ziplining Fremont Street. Thank you. I'm going to walk Fremont street and like look at people.
Mike Allen [00:25:56]:
Oh, I mean, but you can look down on them.
Jeff Compton [00:25:58]:
No, I don't.
Mike Allen [00:25:58]:
I mean I love looking down on people.
Jeff Compton [00:26:00]:
No, I don't.
John Firm [00:26:01]:
From that angle you'll be really.
Mike Allen [00:26:03]:
You need to be super judgmental. You're like, look at you fools. Come on, man. You survived the side by sides of me.
Jeff Compton [00:26:11]:
That was pretty cool. Yeah, yeah.
John Firm [00:26:13]:
The side by side we went.
Mike Allen [00:26:15]:
We went and tried to break somebody's rental side by side in the desert last night.
John Firm [00:26:18]:
Oh, that was.
Mike Allen [00:26:19]:
Don't ever.
Jeff Compton [00:26:19]:
Don't ever lend him a vehicle. Don't ever lend him a vehicle.
John Firm [00:26:23]:
It's kind of like, you know when I loaned to Eric Merchant my razor. I mean I got pictures of it buried. Buried. And then the next freaking we will show up up here to do the Mars conference for the Institute. And he bought him a Dan gum can am. I mean, and he didn't let me drive it yet.
Mike Allen [00:26:39]:
Once you, once you drive one of those things and you want one.
Jeff Compton [00:26:43]:
Oh, you're so much fun.
John Firm [00:26:44]:
So bad.
Mike Allen [00:26:45]:
Oh my God.
John Firm [00:26:45]:
Yeah, he bought him a trailer Anacan Am in Ogden, Utah at Mars because he rode the razor. Then him and Brian Walker went out in Moab and went playing out there. Right?
Mike Allen [00:26:56]:
Moab is amazing. Yeah. Last summer I took my son out there, we spent three days in Moab, we, we flew into Phoenix and we followed the Colorado river all the way up to the headwaters and Rocky Mountain national park, doing different national parks along the way. So we spent three days in Moab and one day was all on side by side right now in Middle south. And everything else was amazing.
Mike Allen [00:27:16]:
You can tell us we're awesome or you can tell us we're idiots. Cool. Either way.
John Firm [00:27:20]:
I was working conference so I couldn't get don't make it and go with them. Cuz my wife went with me to that conference but she hadn't gone with me. My plane would have been four or five days later.
Jeff Compton [00:27:31]:
So Michael, at your shop, do you handle a lot of the diag that comes in?
Michael Guenther [00:27:36]:
Some. Some, yeah, if it's more in depth. But I have one tech, so.
Jeff Compton [00:27:42]:
Okay.
Michael Guenther [00:27:42]:
He does everything.
John Firm [00:27:43]:
That one tech. Name is Ben, by the way. Yeah, Ben's elbow guy.
Jeff Compton [00:27:48]:
And.
Mike Allen [00:27:48]:
And do you guys kind of has been here this week or back at the shop?
Jeff Compton [00:27:52]:
So to have the. The 90. Was it a 91 camera?
Michael Guenther [00:27:55]:
Yeah.
Jeff Compton [00:27:56]:
Is that. That's a regular customer.
Michael Guenther [00:27:58]:
New custom.
Jeff Compton [00:27:59]:
New customer.
Michael Guenther [00:27:59]:
First time seeing the car.
Mike Allen [00:28:01]:
Wow. How'd they find you?
Michael Guenther [00:28:03]:
Yeah, that's a good question. Should have asked them.
John Firm [00:28:06]:
I mean, my discovery conversation failed.
Michael Guenther [00:28:11]:
That's kind of going back to the oil change thing. I was at the coffee shop and one of the teachers asked me, you know, how much do you charge for an oil change? Well, I probably scared her because it's, you know, 100, 120 somewhere in there. But we don't do an oil change. Right, yeah, that includes rotation, that includes dvi.
Mike Allen [00:28:29]:
You should take the Rick White approach and just say as much as possible.
John Firm [00:28:33]:
Exactly. A discovery conversation.
Mike Allen [00:28:35]:
As much as you're willing to pay as much.
John Firm [00:28:38]:
How deep is your pocket? I know the support here, baby.
Mike Allen [00:28:41]:
Well, hey, just let me put my hand in your pocket.
Jeff Compton [00:28:44]:
When somebody asked me, I always rhetorical answer back is, well, what, what are we talking? What kind of car are we talking about? Because I mean, I'm not doing a 49.95 oil change on a Eurocar. I'm probably going to try and talk myself out of the Eurocar even coming into my bay, firstly for starters. But I mean, so like with the loss leader oil change idea, are you doing them for. Let's pick a number. 69.95, 59.95. Are you doing all makes the models for that?
Mike Allen [00:29:10]:
No. So our current loss leader oil changes. I want to say it's a. It's not even really much of a loss leader anymore. It's 69.95 for domestic and Asian, non luxury, and 89.95 for luxury or euro. Some exclusions apply. Right. So our oil change coupons are just oil change coupons.
Mike Allen [00:29:36]:
They don't really drive traffic because there are cheaper oil change coupons in the mailbox right next to mine.
John Firm [00:29:43]:
Keith, the repeat customer repeating.
Mike Allen [00:29:45]:
Yeah, hey, it's me, Mike's kid. Want to tell us your wild shop stories? Or maybe you just think my dad's totally wrong. Call us at 704 confess and leave a message. You can tell us we're awesome or you can tell us we're idiots. We're cool. Either way. That's 704. Confess.
Mike Allen [00:30:02]:
Just don't make it too weird.
Mike Allen [00:30:04]:
So it's more. Yeah, it's a. It's a. It's a. Primarily a retention coupon, but it is every door direct.
John Firm [00:30:10]:
Oh, I knew there was a bigger word. Retention, not repeat. Yeah. See is redneck like made country boy.
Jeff Compton [00:30:16]:
I don't know the big word.
Mike Allen [00:30:17]:
Doesn't ever have to go to a shop. Going to the Amazon to go fishing.
John Firm [00:30:21]:
Redneck. All about fishing. Ain't nothing matter with hunting.
Mike Allen [00:30:25]:
And, and if you, if you catch a really big fish when you're fishing, you take pictures, you throw it back and you have somebody paint a scale model of your fish.
John Firm [00:30:34]:
Yes. Yes. You're catching on. I'm proud of you. You keep teaching me the big words, I'll teach you fishing.
Mike Allen [00:30:39]:
John, that's so weird. I'm not gonna lie. That's really.
Jeff Compton [00:30:42]:
So what do you think you should do with the fish? You should eat it.
Mike Allen [00:30:44]:
Yes.
Jeff Compton [00:30:45]:
Okay. You realize that sometimes the, the bigger they get, the worse they taste. And at some like. Well, it's true. It's true.
John Firm [00:30:54]:
It is. Yeah.
Jeff Compton [00:30:55]:
A lot of the older ones taste.
John Firm [00:30:56]:
Gamey, but like big catfish they catch out of the way. It's the 60 pounders. You don't eat that crap.
Jeff Compton [00:31:01]:
That tastes like a boot, man.
Mike Allen [00:31:02]:
Tastes like a what?
Jeff Compton [00:31:03]:
A boot. A boot.
Mike Allen [00:31:05]:
I thought you said a boob. I was like, well, I mean, but.
Jeff Compton [00:31:08]:
The way I say about. That's what it tastes like.
Mike Allen [00:31:14]:
Nice.
Jeff Compton [00:31:15]:
But so. And it's the thing like going back to the. The fishing thing for a second, it's become very uncool to even like talk about harvesting some certain species of fish.
John Firm [00:31:26]:
Yeah.
Jeff Compton [00:31:26]:
As. As a food source muskie. I can't remember the last time anybody's even admitted having one die when they caught it. Because they're such an esteemed species that they're to be released in the. Because they're the alpha predator in the water. In the, in the species like they are. They're not. There's nothing else that feeds on them.
Jeff Compton [00:31:44]:
They're not big enough to be fed on. They are the alpha.
Michael Guenther [00:31:47]:
So.
Jeff Compton [00:31:48]:
And they're. When you get them in the trophy size, they're old fish, they're 20, 25, 30 year old fish. A 50 inch muskie, which is the trophy one up where I'm from, that's a 30 year old fish.
John Firm [00:31:57]:
There's some people won't even pull them out of the water.
Jeff Compton [00:31:59]:
That's right.
John Firm [00:31:59]:
Everything gets done in the water.
Michael Guenther [00:32:01]:
Yeah.
Jeff Compton [00:32:02]:
And they are such so they used to call them fish of a thousand cast. They're not quite a thousand. The first time I ever went out, I think I was 100 cast and I had one on the line. So, I mean, if you're with the right guide and the right body of water, it's. It's an easily repeatable feat. But I was with a guy that had literally caught every fish that. In that body of water and knew where they lived by their address. Because when it's the alpha, it lives on that rock pile.
Jeff Compton [00:32:28]:
Nothing moves it from that rock pile. It is there because it is whatever used to live on that rock pile. Whatever makes the rock pile where you.
Michael Guenther [00:32:35]:
Would want to live.
John Firm [00:32:35]:
He ate it.
Jeff Compton [00:32:36]:
It's gone. There was a battle and it won. It's like. It's like deer. They're just like. They're like big buck deer. Same thing. They push each other out.
Jeff Compton [00:32:43]:
So that fish he knew would probably be on that rock pile. And when I caught that fish, I was like, incredible, right? So to think that people would then, like, take that fish home and eat it. Firstly, they. People tell me that I've eaten one, that they taste not good. But then you would. Your Internet feed would blow up with, like, people wanting to come to your house and fight you.
Mike Allen [00:33:05]:
So, like, could you do, like, some troll post of like, oh, you with the fish man. And then you eating, like, cooking a fish fillet and you having dinner?
Michael Guenther [00:33:16]:
I can do that.
Mike Allen [00:33:17]:
And don't actually say that you ate the fish. Just juxtapose the fish dinner and the. Yeah, yeah.
Jeff Compton [00:33:24]:
Just go to the cast iron fry pan with a plate in there.
Michael Guenther [00:33:26]:
The visual cues.
Mike Allen [00:33:27]:
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Michael Guenther [00:33:28]:
See, like up. Up by the lemon for spoon bill up there.
Mike Allen [00:33:35]:
Okay.
Michael Guenther [00:33:35]:
And they have to be above this mark and below this mark. Yes.
Mike Allen [00:33:43]:
You're good. You're good.
Michael Guenther [00:33:45]:
You know, you can't. If they're too big, you can't take them.
Jeff Compton [00:33:47]:
Yeah.
Michael Guenther [00:33:47]:
If they're too small, you can't take them. And they just go out there for a month and snag and. And those, you know, if you get the bigger ones. Yeah, they taste like dirt.
John Firm [00:33:58]:
Yeah.
Michael Guenther [00:33:58]:
Very fishy.
Mike Allen [00:33:59]:
I feel so fucking ignorant in this conversation.
Jeff Compton [00:34:02]:
Well, because you're a great leader.
John Firm [00:34:04]:
You're filling in. You're.
Jeff Compton [00:34:05]:
I've been trying to get you.
John Firm [00:34:06]:
I love it.
Jeff Compton [00:34:07]:
He was so. We're ripping around yesterday on the. On the. On the. On the UTVs at quads. And he's like, this is what snowmobile must be like. I'm like, no, this is nothing like what snowmobile is like. So he's.
John Firm [00:34:17]:
I keep telling him this is not what it's like.
Jeff Compton [00:34:21]:
So I keep telling him I. I need to have him come up to Canada for. For a couple weeks once in the wintertime. Are you gonna go to Tug Hill or not?
John Firm [00:34:30]:
What?
Mike Allen [00:34:30]:
To Tug Hill?
Jeff Compton [00:34:32]:
Yeah. And go. That sounds inappropriate with Brian Pollock. If it break down, it could be Tug Hill, but it's.
Mike Allen [00:34:37]:
That's what it's called.
Jeff Compton [00:34:39]:
And. And Brian Pollack wants you to come up and go snowmobiling with Brian at Tug Hill. Tug Hill is like a very famous place in that area to actually do it. It's beautiful. You should come up and do it.
Mike Allen [00:34:50]:
Yeah. I'm down. Okay.
Jeff Compton [00:34:51]:
All right.
Mike Allen [00:34:52]:
He's got. He's got enough sleds he can loan me.
Jeff Compton [00:34:54]:
I think he's up to 14.
Mike Allen [00:34:55]:
I need to have one that has. I need one that has plug in heat. I gotta. I gotta be warm.
Jeff Compton [00:35:00]:
I think it's got heated handlebars.
John Firm [00:35:02]:
Yeah.
Jeff Compton [00:35:02]:
I don't think it's got a heated seat.
Mike Allen [00:35:04]:
I'm a very. I'm a very delicate little flower.
Michael Guenther [00:35:07]:
He'll dress.
John Firm [00:35:07]:
And you just got through doing a Moab?
Jeff Compton [00:35:09]:
Yeah.
John Firm [00:35:10]:
Would you do it?
Mike Allen [00:35:11]:
It wasn't cold.
John Firm [00:35:13]:
Yeah, but it gets warm out there. Really warm.
Michael Guenther [00:35:16]:
He's temper sensitive.
John Firm [00:35:18]:
Yeah, but it's really dry too, right? The heat's dry.
Mike Allen [00:35:21]:
Yeah, but it's a dry heat.
John Firm [00:35:22]:
Yeah.
Mike Allen [00:35:22]:
Actually, we were up on top of the LaSalle's and this big thunderhead came over the mountain.
John Firm [00:35:26]:
That cooled it off and some of the.
Mike Allen [00:35:27]:
It was. One of the best memories I've had with my son is we were hauling ass back down the mountain trying to outrun the thunderstorm was so much fun.
Michael Guenther [00:35:35]:
I bet.
John Firm [00:35:35]:
Sounds exciting.
Mike Allen [00:35:36]:
Yeah. We did not outrun the thunderstorm, but we had a good time trying.
Jeff Compton [00:35:40]:
So you two gentlemen, you don't run a loss leader in your shops at all?
Michael Guenther [00:35:45]:
No.
John Firm [00:35:45]:
With. With fleets. I don't. No, no, no, not at all.
Mike Allen [00:35:49]:
The fleets have the same labor rate as retail customers?
John Firm [00:35:51]:
Yes, sir.
Mike Allen [00:35:52]:
Yeah. So what benefit does the fleet get for doing business with you? Preferential treatment or priority, I think.
John Firm [00:35:59]:
Say again?
Jeff Compton [00:36:00]:
Priority treatment.
John Firm [00:36:01]:
Priority treatment.
Jeff Compton [00:36:02]:
You move them to that as schedule.
John Firm [00:36:03]:
Depending on how big your fleet is, how much time you're going to take up of mine.
Jeff Compton [00:36:06]:
Right.
John Firm [00:36:06]:
You know, I. I manage how many fleets I have.
Mike Allen [00:36:10]:
Okay.
John Firm [00:36:10]:
I don't want too many fleets because if I pile in too many fleets, I can't take care of who I got right now. So time absence of getting the vehicle in and getting out is the number one priority. These guys want number two priority. What? They want these vehicles in great shape so they can resell them when they're done. That's what I do. I do a lot of maintenance versus a lot of repairs. And I do only what the beam counters allow me to do.
Mike Allen [00:36:35]:
What type of fleets are you servicing? Are these big truck fleets? Are they car fleets? What are they?
John Firm [00:36:40]:
The fleets are beer distributing.
Mike Allen [00:36:45]:
Okay.
John Firm [00:36:46]:
Okay. The next one is communication, and the next one is electrical supply. No matter what happens in this world, they're always going to deliver beer and you're always going to have electricity. The option of having communication is another thing. But 99.9% of people are not going to be out of contact. Yeah. They're going to have that phone, that Internet.
Mike Allen [00:37:08]:
Tell you what. If the beer infrastructure fails, it's probably the end of society as we know it anyway.
Jeff Compton [00:37:13]:
You can brew your own beer.
Mike Allen [00:37:15]:
Yeah.
John Firm [00:37:15]:
But you can't brew enough of your own beer to supply everybody with.
Mike Allen [00:37:19]:
If the beer infrastructure fails, it'd be bad. It's an indicator that so much else has failed. It's probably the end times.
Jeff Compton [00:37:27]:
There's probably some people up near Lucas's place that would argue that, like they. That they.
Mike Allen [00:37:31]:
They don't. They don't brew beer. They distill.
Jeff Compton [00:37:33]:
I don't.
John Firm [00:37:33]:
Yeah.
Mike Allen [00:37:34]:
White liquor.
Michael Guenther [00:37:34]:
Yeah.
John Firm [00:37:35]:
Right. You know, and they can't produce enough of it either. They can produce a large volume of it, but they can't produce what we need to support all the rednecks in America. You know, they can produce a ton of it because my uncle used to produce a bunch of it over in Soral, South Carolina.
Mike Allen [00:37:52]:
If we had an end of the world as we know it situation.
John Firm [00:37:55]:
Yeah.
Mike Allen [00:37:56]:
Where society totally broke down. I think a ready supply of booze makes you a very wealthy individual. Or a target.
Jeff Compton [00:38:03]:
100%.
John Firm [00:38:04]:
Bullets or alcohol?
Mike Allen [00:38:06]:
Beans. Bullets and booze. Yeah.
John Firm [00:38:08]:
Amen.
Mike Allen [00:38:09]:
And band aids. The spins. Bullets and band aids. But booze, oh, my goodness.
John Firm [00:38:13]:
I don't see how the band aids fit in. But they might some way. I don't know. Because if you get popped, you're not going to need a band aid.
Mike Allen [00:38:19]:
Someone important to me told me that if a situation like that happens where society is totally broken down and it's every man for himself, the first place you go is the pharmacy. You put two in the pharmacist's head and take all the antibiotics you can get.
John Firm [00:38:31]:
There you go. Yeah, that makes sense.
Mike Allen [00:38:33]:
It's pretty harsh, right? But I'm Gonna die in the situation anyway because I'm fat and out of shape and can't take care.
John Firm [00:38:40]:
I'm with you. I'll probably go for you because I'm older.
Michael Guenther [00:38:42]:
We don't have a pharmacy in town.
Mike Allen [00:38:44]:
Yeah, you're screwed.
John Firm [00:38:46]:
We know who's going first.
Jeff Compton [00:38:48]:
It's that. Is that. It's that small a town. You don't have pharmacy.
Mike Allen [00:38:52]:
How many people in your town?
Michael Guenther [00:38:54]:
The sign says 752. I don't remember what Google says. It might say like 760.
Mike Allen [00:39:00]:
Do you trust it? What? The town, the sign. Is it a liar?
Michael Guenther [00:39:04]:
No, it's fairly accurate.
Mike Allen [00:39:07]:
How many of them are your customers? Fair?
Michael Guenther [00:39:11]:
Majority of them.
Mike Allen [00:39:12]:
Nice. Are you located roughly downtown area?
John Firm [00:39:16]:
Yeah.
Michael Guenther [00:39:17]:
Yeah, that's why I'm called Downtown Auto Service. I can't get much more downtown, but see, so. So if we go back on the talking about the booze thing when I started, there's a gal that cuts hair uptown, so her place is called Uptown Style and I'm Downtown Auto. Someday we're gonna buy the bar that's kind of in the middle of us. Then it'll soon be called Liquor in the Middle.
Jeff Compton [00:39:46]:
Now that is brilliant.
Mike Allen [00:39:49]:
That is a genius business decision right there. I think you should do crowdfunding for that so that y' all can make it happen sooner rather than later.
Michael Guenther [00:39:56]:
Yes.
Mike Allen [00:39:58]:
So reach out. We'll put you in touch with the right people. For Liquor in the Middle, what kind.
Jeff Compton [00:40:03]:
Of bar is it?
John Firm [00:40:04]:
Just doesn't matter.
Jeff Compton [00:40:05]:
Just a regular bar.
Michael Guenther [00:40:06]:
Just a bar. Okay.
Jeff Compton [00:40:08]:
Not one of them Fremont street bars.
Michael Guenther [00:40:10]:
No, it's Crofton, Nebraska.
Mike Allen [00:40:13]:
I don't think. I don't think that's a market. It's an appropriate market for that type of bar.
John Firm [00:40:18]:
Okay, Liquor in the Middle, it's always.
Mike Allen [00:40:22]:
An appropriate market for that. But uptown salon, downtown automotive liquor in the middle, it's profound.
Michael Guenther [00:40:32]:
Well, don't call it a salon around him because he thinks that that word says saloon.
Mike Allen [00:40:36]:
Hey, wait, can you guys do me a favor? Can we sing Happy Birthday to Jeff?
John Firm [00:40:41]:
I want to. I asked him earlier. And ignored me.
Michael Guenther [00:40:44]:
What is today the 4th?
Jeff Compton [00:40:46]:
Today's 4th? Yeah.
Michael Guenther [00:40:47]:
I turned 40 in 10 days.
Jeff Compton [00:40:49]:
There you go.
Michael Guenther [00:40:50]:
I turned 40 this morning for my birthday.
John Firm [00:40:53]:
Dad, I've got a special gift for you.
Michael Guenther [00:40:55]:
Oh, sweet.
John Firm [00:40:56]:
A real special gift has something to do with in the middle.
Michael Guenther [00:40:58]:
Oh, yeah.
Mike Allen [00:41:01]:
He's buying you a bar? Yes. Can I come to the grand opening party?
John Firm [00:41:06]:
Amen. Amen.
Michael Guenther [00:41:08]:
Actually, my dad had a bar for like 20 years.
Mike Allen [00:41:12]:
I feel like having a bar it would be a great way to turn something that you love into something that you hate.
Michael Guenther [00:41:17]:
So the town his bar was in was a town. Right? Now the sign says 74.
Mike Allen [00:41:24]:
So if you get, like banned from that bar, you can't just sneak in.
Michael Guenther [00:41:28]:
Oh, no. Back then there were three bars in that town.
Jeff Compton [00:41:33]:
And still, what was the population then? Less or more?
Michael Guenther [00:41:38]:
Maybe a hundred. It wasn't that big.
Mike Allen [00:41:42]:
Is it just where the gas station and the fire department is for the farms in the area, or what is it?
Michael Guenther [00:41:47]:
Oh, no, my grandma lived there. My aunt and uncle lived there. They've got a big, you know, elevator there. Now, back then, it just.
Mike Allen [00:41:56]:
I mean, is it just like cornfields? As far as the eye can see in every direction.
Michael Guenther [00:42:01]:
Soybeans, too? Oh, yeah, but there's a lot of corn.
Mike Allen [00:42:04]:
This year I drove across Nebraska for like a week. One day.
Michael Guenther [00:42:09]:
Yeah.
John Firm [00:42:09]:
Yeah.
Mike Allen [00:42:11]:
One of the coolest bars I've ever been to is in Niobrara, Nebraska. Nibrera, right on the river there. Yeah.
Michael Guenther [00:42:18]:
And I guess 30 miles.
Mike Allen [00:42:19]:
It's big hunting and fishing down there too, right? Yeah. I bet that the fish on the wall there was probably not painted.
Michael Guenther [00:42:27]:
Probably not.
Mike Allen [00:42:28]:
But it was like the local kids.
John Firm [00:42:30]:
I know they're poking at us.
Mike Allen [00:42:31]:
The local kids would walk in. I was there for like three or four days or something. No, they would walk in and they would get food or drink or whatever from the sundries, and they would walk behind the cashier's counter and just write in the notebook what they got and their name, and out the door they went. Because there was one lady, she worked the cash register and the kitchen. And if it was. If you're a local, you just come. You got your gas, because it was gas and grocery and bar and restaurant and everything. And it was, you know, credit book, I guess it'd settle up every.
Mike Allen [00:43:05]:
My grandfather used to have a credit book like that.
John Firm [00:43:08]:
I remember doing that when I was a kid growing up.
Michael Guenther [00:43:10]:
That's where everybody in our group, you know, yells at me about, you know, letting vehicles. Vehicles go and not get. Not getting them paid for right away. And I go. I go to the grocery store and sign the electronic thing. And at the end of the month, I pay my grocery bill.
John Firm [00:43:25]:
So I called him up one day last week. What are you doing? He says, well, I'm closing out some invoices where people paid me. I said, you mean everybody come in and paid you in one day? He said, oh, no, this is like a month worth invoice. They finally paid me on.
Jeff Compton [00:43:38]:
But See, I can see how that can work in a small town because.
Mike Allen [00:43:42]:
A gas station or a restaurant is different because you get gas every week, you get food every day. You don't get a timing chain every.
John Firm [00:43:50]:
Month or a set of tires.
Michael Guenther [00:43:52]:
Yeah, but even, even at that, it's, it's getting to the point where it's not sustainable from a cash flow stand.
Mike Allen [00:44:02]:
Yeah, because it's not ten and twelve dollars. Because twelve hundred dollars we've got, well.
Michael Guenther [00:44:06]:
We'Ve got two gas stations and in town and one of them don't even have gas right now because people charge and then they don't pay the bill.
John Firm [00:44:15]:
Farmer Jones didn't pay his bill. Everybody didn't pay their bills or they're.
Michael Guenther [00:44:19]:
Spending it elsewhere and oh, now I got to pay for gas. We don't have the money for that.
John Firm [00:44:24]:
I know people that spend their money elsewhere.
Jeff Compton [00:44:26]:
So where like, so I gotta ask this because is there a lot of kickback then? If you were to put your toe in the, on the hard line and say I'm sorry, I can't do that anymore, would you get a lot of immediate.
Michael Guenther [00:44:40]:
There's going to be some bucking going on there. But, but in the same token, it's like you don't go to Walmart and walk out without paying.
Jeff Compton [00:44:48]:
Well, that's what I was gonna say. So there's no Walmart in this town.
Michael Guenther [00:44:51]:
No.
Mike Allen [00:44:51]:
What if you just put a wall of shame up in your lobby and hear the people that haven't paid?
Michael Guenther [00:44:57]:
Well, so that's usually like what the bars do is, you know, because it's, it gets real similar there. It's like, oh, here's your, you know, have your tab. And then all of a sudden you get the big sign behind the bar, you know, cash B person. A person I can remember do not let start tab.
Jeff Compton [00:45:14]:
I can remember cash online to the local convenience store. As a kid and seeing, before I knew what it meant and being seeing.
Mike Allen [00:45:20]:
Checks, bad checks nailed on the wall.
Jeff Compton [00:45:24]:
Nailed to the wall. And you'd be reading the names on it. It's like, okay, that's a neighbor of mine and I didn't know what it meant. And then my, my grandfather explained it to me that that's a bounce check. Yeah, well what's a bounce check? That's when somebody wrote a check and they oh well, what's the sense in hanging it up there to shame them? So now they never come back into.
Mike Allen [00:45:45]:
That store or they come and pay their bill.
John Firm [00:45:48]:
Amen. They come and pay their bill.
Michael Guenther [00:45:50]:
It's Like, I, I have had to leave for fire calls and we, you know, being small town, I'm, you know, on the fire department community foundation, the community club, which is kind of the chamber. But you know, most of the meetings, you know, a lot of times. Where are we going to meet? Well, we meet at the bar because we need, we need somewhere big enough.
John Firm [00:46:12]:
To get everybody for 700 people.
Michael Guenther [00:46:14]:
But I've had to run out of them on a fire call and I've got to, you know, I, I had eaten while we were having our meeting and you know, when I get back, you know, either the bar closed or I'm not going to stop in there at this point.
Mike Allen [00:46:26]:
But the difference. But I go the next day and pay your bill.
Jeff Compton [00:46:28]:
Yeah, right.
Michael Guenther [00:46:28]:
Go in the next day and settle up.
Jeff Compton [00:46:31]:
I just go ahead.
Mike Allen [00:46:33]:
Accounts. You give accounts to your really good customers. And a lot of times they have small businesses and, you know, it's to help them out because, you know, they're a small business owner too, and they get it and you get it. And the problem is that was it like 90% of small businesses fail.
John Firm [00:46:50]:
Amen.
Mike Allen [00:46:51]:
And they're not planning to fuck you.
John Firm [00:46:54]:
Amen.
Mike Allen [00:46:54]:
No, they don't plan.
John Firm [00:46:55]:
Never that intention.
Mike Allen [00:46:57]:
But when it comes down to it, are they getting groceries or are they paying the bill? They're getting groceries.
John Firm [00:47:02]:
They're going to take care of them kids.
Mike Allen [00:47:03]:
And over a long enough time frame, it almost always ends and you're going to get burned. And once you start having to call one, two, three months in a row, once they get there at 45 days or at 60 days, you know the rule, it's time to cut it off. Yeah, right. But when you. And the fear is if I cut them off, they're never going to pay their remaining balance.
John Firm [00:47:26]:
Well, they going to pay to begin with.
Mike Allen [00:47:28]:
Correct? Correct. Because the balance starts creeping up and creeping up and they'll come in to pay $1,000.
John Firm [00:47:34]:
Don't make first payment to your vendors and see what happens.
Mike Allen [00:47:36]:
Well, they'll pay a thousand thousand dollars and then they'll get fifteen hundred dollars of service and they'll pay a thousand dollars and they'll get twelve hundred dollars of service, you know, never gets even.
Michael Guenther [00:47:44]:
Well, and that's where I got was, you know, it's like, okay, I'm going back, you know, to like March, you know, and finally get it paid up. And, you know, my fear is not doing, you know, not taking in that next, you know, service job for them, you know, because, God, if I tell them they have to Pay this. They're just going to quit coming to, to me. And then what killed me was he come in, paid his bill, and then I've seen two of his vehicles at another shop and it's like, I just carried you for six months.
Mike Allen [00:48:15]:
He's embarrassed and maybe they're giving him credit and he needs it.
Jeff Compton [00:48:20]:
And I'm the type, I'd go and get the parts out of the car. That's me. I'd go hook onto it with a tow truck and drag it back and get the parts out of the car.
Michael Guenther [00:48:29]:
I rent the front of my building out to a lumber yard or lumber company, hardware store, whatever you want to say it. And the previous owner of that business, you know, they were, you know, had it for many years. But I was talking to him about it one time and he's like, oh, yeah, you know, somebody didn't pay me for the lumber on a deck that they put on their house. I went over with a forklift, ripped it off, took it back.
Jeff Compton [00:48:54]:
Yeah.
Michael Guenther [00:48:54]:
And I'm like, man, that would be nice.
Mike Allen [00:48:58]:
That would be so therapeutic. Just get a bulldozer. Just get a, get them, get a killdozer and just go drive over their car.
John Firm [00:49:06]:
You know, I'm going to bottle this. But 38 years of being an automotive repair business, if I chose to give somebody credit and they didn't pay me back, I might make one phone call to say, how you doing? What's going on? But I've learned not to chase the back money. Keep looking forward, keep going forward. I would never go to somebody's house and drag that son of a gun back to the shop and say, pay me. If I take that effort and put it to that kind of harshness, why don't I just reverse that effort to a positive flow and make more bling?
Mike Allen [00:49:42]:
Well, so you could also say, look at it as a very small price to pay to never have that person in your life again. Amen.
John Firm [00:49:49]:
Amen. I've loaned a lot of hundred dollar bills out to people just so they go away. Is that all it's gonna cost?
Mike Allen [00:49:57]:
Hey, man, you promised you're gonna pay me back in a week, right? Okay, here you go. And you're like, fuck, yeah, I'm never gonna see that guy again.
Jeff Compton [00:50:06]:
Well, that's like that famous line from that movie Dutch was talking about, Bronx Tale, where the guy is trying to chase this guy down the street because he owes him 10 bucks. And the mafia kind of mentor to the young. His character name escapes me at the moment. Says what it was only 10 bucks. So now for 10 bucks you never have to deal with him for the rest of your life. That's 10 bucks well spent. Yeah, that's how I look at that. But then I look at your example of like where I me, I would go get the car because I would want people to know he's not somebody to be trifled with.
Jeff Compton [00:50:39]:
That's the way I think about that, about going and getting. Because I'm going to go get the car to get the parts back out because A I'm owed that and B I want to send a message to everybody else that like. But you spin it a different way.
John Firm [00:50:49]:
What message are you sending? That, well, how harshness you can be, how mean you can be.
Jeff Compton [00:50:56]:
I don't think it's mean to get Jeff.
Mike Allen [00:50:59]:
Don't wrestle with pig feed their kids because both of you are going to end up covered in shit and one's going to enjoy it.
Jeff Compton [00:51:08]:
This is true.
John Firm [00:51:09]:
Oh my gosh.
Mike Allen [00:51:10]:
Talk about money well spent.
John Firm [00:51:11]:
Yeah.
Mike Allen [00:51:11]:
Aluminum business cards.
Jeff Compton [00:51:13]:
Yeah.
John Firm [00:51:14]:
Yes.
Mike Allen [00:51:14]:
This is amazing.
John Firm [00:51:15]:
Pick them up.
Mike Allen [00:51:16]:
This is amazing.
John Firm [00:51:17]:
Yes, I love them. That was a card was given to me at some event somewhere. It was aluminum. And just as soon as I got back to Fort Worth I had my made.
Mike Allen [00:51:25]:
I feel like TSA would stop you for this. I mean you could hijack an airplane.
John Firm [00:51:28]:
They've never stopped me at all with that. And they carry my backpack. Never said a word.
Mike Allen [00:51:32]:
Were they like a buck a piece, A half a piece?
John Firm [00:51:34]:
Oh, I don't remember. Yeah, you buy 250 of them when.
Mike Allen [00:51:37]:
You got, when you, when you got checked, when you got blamed like that. You don't know. I said I want it just cash.
John Firm [00:51:44]:
Another gold bar and you're fine.
Jeff Compton [00:51:45]:
So then about with the fleet thing.
John Firm [00:51:48]:
Yeah.
Jeff Compton [00:51:49]:
Like how does that correlate to, to the accounts and stuff? Just like you're getting paid by your fleets when the job is done daily, weekly, when the job is done right.
Mike Allen [00:52:02]:
On file or what?
John Firm [00:52:04]:
Yes, some, yes you do have a card on file. Some like some of my bigger fleets have a 90 day account.
Jeff Compton [00:52:10]:
Okay.
John Firm [00:52:11]:
You know that that is because you're dealing with such a large company.
Jeff Compton [00:52:15]:
They they it can take that long to them to get their backlog to go through. Yeah.
John Firm [00:52:20]:
You know, and usually that's body repair or something that don't maintain to mechanical repair or mechanical maintenance.
Mike Allen [00:52:28]:
The ones that take 90 days. How often do you find yourself on resubmit invoices or parts or anything like that?
John Firm [00:52:34]:
I invoice them just about every other.
Mike Allen [00:52:36]:
Day with something but you don't have to resubmit. Like it comes in, the money comes in 90 days.
John Firm [00:52:41]:
Yeah, 90. 90 days. After I build that final. Final invoice, after I bill it, 90 days, I'll have a check. There will be deposit straight in the account checks, the thing. It'll pass everything straight deposit.
Mike Allen [00:52:52]:
So you. Your biggest fleet account.
John Firm [00:52:57]:
Yeah.
Mike Allen [00:52:57]:
What percentage of your business does it make up?
John Firm [00:53:00]:
What percentage of my business is what.
Mike Allen [00:53:02]:
It'S made up by that one customer? 30%. Oh, that's scary.
John Firm [00:53:07]:
It can be scary. Really can.
Mike Allen [00:53:09]:
Yeah, yeah. I've always been scared of big fleet accounts because I'm like, if I get so dependent on them that it could cut my throat if somebody came and snatched them.
John Firm [00:53:18]:
So being in the fleet business, the best way I know how to describe it is you have that girlfriend that you really do date and you sleep with and you're hunkered down with her all the time, but you got them other girls that you're constantly giving flowers and candy to and you're telling them.
Jeff Compton [00:53:36]:
How pretty they are, but you're not taking them to dinner, but you're not.
John Firm [00:53:38]:
Doing nothing else but that. You're just kind of. You're not courting them, you're just being friendly. Friendly.
Mike Allen [00:53:44]:
Yeah.
John Firm [00:53:45]:
So when your main purpose, you grab your spare tire, put it on the car and you keep on going.
Michael Guenther [00:53:53]:
Yeah, I love that.
John Firm [00:53:55]:
You know it. That's the fleet business. It takes that because you're going to lose the fleet. The fleet's going to go away.
Mike Allen [00:54:01]:
You heard it here first. John Farm has always got a side piece ready to go.
John Firm [00:54:05]:
You always got to have.
Mike Allen [00:54:05]:
He's always working. He's always working the bench.
Jeff Compton [00:54:09]:
So you're sending them, Sending them these little aluminum business. Aluminum business cards.
John Firm [00:54:15]:
Yeah.
Jeff Compton [00:54:16]:
Send them nice emails. Maybe some, you know, take some out fishing. Yeah, take them out.
Mike Allen [00:54:21]:
Don't let them actually eat the fish they catch.
John Firm [00:54:23]:
Yeah, you know, stuff like that. You just gotta constantly give them attention, tell them how pretty they are.
Mike Allen [00:54:28]:
So that. So I. I live on a little public drinking water reservoir and there's a dude who parks on the side of the road on my property six days a week. He barks on Saturday on my property. He's like, he's fishing for dinner. Right. And so should I go down when I get him? Like, bro, you should, you should put those back and we'll just take some pictures and we'll.
Jeff Compton [00:54:51]:
So he's on your own property.
Mike Allen [00:54:53]:
Yeah, I don't care.
John Firm [00:54:54]:
He crosses your property to get to the water. Yeah, he's sure control whatever he does at that point.
Mike Allen [00:54:59]:
Oh, no, no, no. I'm just. Should I educate him that he shouldn't actually take those fish and eat them?
Jeff Compton [00:55:03]:
Yeah, you should be charging them for accessing your wallet.
John Firm [00:55:07]:
Yeah. Disturbing. Why he's fishing. Go there and say, hey, you know, you can't fish here.
Mike Allen [00:55:10]:
I'm. Put the clock on.
John Firm [00:55:11]:
Yeah, yeah. Everybody else does. You might as well, too.
Mike Allen [00:55:14]:
Now, here's that I get the first.
Jeff Compton [00:55:17]:
Three fish, but here's the beauty of this. And like, up where I am, water access means that I can like. And we. This happens a lot, right? Especially in tournaments. Bass live under people's docks. They hate to hear this, but this is the reality, right? Some of the best fish I've ever caught have been off someone's dock. Because docks are shade. Docks break up a current.
Jeff Compton [00:55:37]:
Docks are. It's just where fish like to be primary spot. So, like, I can come along the water access and I can fish your dock. I hours. Now, some fishermen screw it up for others in the sense that, like, if they throw their jig in there and they catch the dock, break the line off, they don't bother and try to go get the jig. Then what happens is somebody going to pull the dock out at the end of season, they might put their hand on that jig and they get impaled and they're. They don't want. So that's what the negative thing about fishermen is right now.
Jeff Compton [00:56:04]:
Some people, though, they don't care. And like, I've never broke off on somebody's dock. If I do, I go over and get it. I'm not losing it. I'll go get it because I don't want them to. But they'll come along as soon as they see me. They'll tell you, don't fish the dock. Tell you right now, if you're listening and you're one of the people, you have waterfront and you tell somebody, don't fish your dock.
Jeff Compton [00:56:22]:
I will fish your dock even if I know there's no fish there.
John Firm [00:56:25]:
So I will be there all day.
Jeff Compton [00:56:27]:
Long and I will tell everybody else that it is an awesome dock and they will come and fish your dock. You're better to not say anything at all.
Mike Allen [00:56:34]:
So the boat might. So. So the water I live on is. Is like a public water reservoir, but it doesn't have any power boats. Right. So it's all shore fishing. You're not supposed to shore fish. Nobody polices it.
Mike Allen [00:56:45]:
Whatever. My brother lives on a big water lake in South Carolina and this Lake is flooding problems. And so water will be up to the foundation in his backyard. He's got a long, wide backyard. And so when it's flooding, it's not unusual for him to get up on a morning and walk out onto his back deck, and there's somebody 10ft from his back deck fishing in his yard.
John Firm [00:57:10]:
Because it's covered with water.
Mike Allen [00:57:12]:
Because it's two feet of water.
Jeff Compton [00:57:13]:
That's right. Yeah.
Mike Allen [00:57:14]:
And he's just like, what's up, guys? You catch anything?
Jeff Compton [00:57:18]:
Yeah.
John Firm [00:57:19]:
Y' all want a beer? It's best to be friendly. Don't be a dummy.
Jeff Compton [00:57:25]:
I mean, and that's what. Like, I have this one lady where I used to love fishing. Her dock is, like, the one point. She watched me, and I caught three really good ones right off her dock. And then, like, I mean, I have been back there now, and I put those fish back, but somebody else came along, kept them, Nate them, so the fish aren't there no more. I have not caught a fish off her dock in three years. I still always fish her dog.
Mike Allen [00:57:47]:
Oh, is there a reason?
Jeff Compton [00:57:48]:
Yeah, because if, like, I'm hoping and I haven't.
Mike Allen [00:57:51]:
She's always tanning.
Jeff Compton [00:57:52]:
Yeah.
John Firm [00:57:52]:
No, no.
Michael Guenther [00:57:54]:
She.
Jeff Compton [00:57:55]:
She's a. She's. She's a seasoned old, old, old coot. And she will come down, and she'd come down and cuss us out. Like, cuss us out. And now we make it a point that, I don't know, maybe she passed on, but we still fish her dock just to respect for the memory of the good times we had fishing.
John Firm [00:58:13]:
I love that.
Jeff Compton [00:58:13]:
Yeah. Because it's just, like, we're not there to damage anything or hurt anything, but we know what our rights are and.
Mike Allen [00:58:21]:
Where our rights are.
John Firm [00:58:21]:
We can somebody. I know my rights. Yeah.
Michael Guenther [00:58:28]:
Well, it's, like, up by me, it's all Corps of Engineer ground.
Jeff Compton [00:58:32]:
Okay.
Michael Guenther [00:58:33]:
But then there's some private developments that have. Right up to the water. And I know back in high school, one of the developments had a dock out. Out in the water. So you'd swim out, and that's just where we hung out. And you'd get. You know, Iowa's right next door, and they had a lot of houses. And you'd get the Iwegians.
Michael Guenther [00:58:53]:
There you are. Duck. You can't be here. It's like, come make us leave. Yeah, you want it, Private? Put a gate up. They haven't put a gate up yet.
Jeff Compton [00:59:02]:
There was a big tournament up was on the St. Lawrence out of Wadington, New York, about six years ago. And one of the, again, New York State, one of them on the dock was telling the angler, you can't fish there. And he's politely, you know, saying, I, I, I'm well within my rights to fish here and I'm not going to damage your property whatnot, but I'm going to continue. Well, and then he says, well, you, you should go down, fish down his dock. It's always a better dock. And now he says, the, the angler, actually, I can't receive information like that from you because it's a rule violation. So please stifle the conversation because you're gonna put me in fraction of the rules.
Jeff Compton [00:59:43]:
The guy keeps right on going, well, finally the old boy down, down John's way says, like, buddy, F off, I'm gonna fish your dock. And then it became a situation of like, oh, yeah, I know you're not. Well, a lot of those guys have a, have their, their sidearm when they're fishing. And you never know. You know, that is the conversation immediately right there in the Nair. And they actually, that landowner was charged with harassment of a recreational angler.
John Firm [01:00:13]:
So do that.
Jeff Compton [01:00:14]:
Yeah.
John Firm [01:00:14]:
Yeah.
Mike Allen [01:00:15]:
So I gotta tell you guys, in the short but storied history of Confessions of a Shop Owner podcast, I've never had this much fishing conversation.
John Firm [01:00:27]:
For an automotive show, it's pretty cool. But you didn't realize how big of a fisherman you had on your podcast either, did you? How much knowledge we carried.
Mike Allen [01:00:35]:
Tell me more about liquor in the middle. Thanks, guys.
Michael Guenther [01:00:40]:
I'm not a fisherman.
Mike Allen [01:00:42]:
Thanks for listening to Confessions of a Shop Owner where we lay it all out, the good, the bad, and sometimes the super messed up. I'm your host, Mike Allen, here to remind you that even the pros screw it up sometimes. So why not laugh a little bit, learn a little bit, and maybe have another drink? You got a confession of your own or a topic you'd like me to cover? Or do you just want to let me know what an idiot I am? Email mikeonfessionsofashopowner.com or call and leave a message. The number 704-confess. That's 704-266-3377. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to, like, subscribe or follow. Join us on this crazy journey that is shop ownership. See you on the next episode.
Mike Allen [01:01:44]:
Loop.
Jeff Compton [01:01:48]:
You know I said, jesse.