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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]:
No matter what you're calling the customer about, no matter what the estimate is, it's great news. I've got an answer. And I'm like, if I'm calling her to tell her that she needs a $15,000 transmission, that's not great news.
Sabrina Wilkerson [00:00:11]:
But you figured out what's wrong with it, right?
Mike Allen [00:00:13]:
Yeah, we got, we got an answer. We got it. We got it. I know. I know a solution.
Joe Marconi [00:00:19]:
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 or other associations we may have. There may be some spicy language in this show, so if you get your feelings hurt easily, you should probably just move along. So without further ado, here's your host, Mike Allen, with Confessions of a Shop Owner, presented by TechMetric, the best software ever invented for any purpose ever.
Mike Allen [00:00:55]:
Here we are, we're almost at wrap-up time. The Leaps Ignite 2026 conference. Right. I think by any measure it has been a smashing success.
Joe Marconi [00:01:05]:
Yeah, it really has.
Mike Allen [00:01:06]:
I've been in here talking to people all day for 2 days and obviously between sessions out in the hallway talking to vendors and other attendees. Everybody, I think, has loved it. The quality of the speakers that you've had have been impressive.
Joe Marconi [00:01:21]:
Yeah.
Mike Allen [00:01:22]:
Yeah. I had multiple people comment to me how refreshing it was to have vendors on stage doing educational and informational presentations that were not just a sales pitch.
Joe Marconi [00:01:36]:
Sales pitch. Yep.
Mike Allen [00:01:37]:
And I feel like that had to have been intentional on your part to say, hey, if you're going to be out there, you're not allowed to just be out there pitching your product.
Joe Marconi [00:01:43]:
Correct.
Mike Allen [00:01:43]:
So thank you to both of you for that.
Joe Marconi [00:01:45]:
Yeah.
Mike Allen [00:01:45]:
And I think that's Darren and the Elite leadership team. You guys, that's the culture of that.
Joe Marconi [00:01:51]:
That's our culture.
Mike Allen [00:01:51]:
Hearing what people want and giving them what they want. Right. I like that.
Joe Marconi [00:01:54]:
Exactly.
Sabrina Wilkerson [00:01:55]:
If I could say something really quickly, Darren is really big about that. He's like, I do not want this to sound like a sales pitch. It's not over here. We're here to make a difference in people's lives.
Joe Marconi [00:02:04]:
Yeah.
Sabrina Wilkerson [00:02:04]:
Very intentional.
Joe Marconi [00:02:05]:
And if you do that, the rest falls in place. Right.
Mike Allen [00:02:09]:
Take care of people. Right. Well, for those listeners that don't know, I'm going to give you each an opportunity to introduce yourselves. I'll let you start, Joe.
Joe Marconi [00:02:20]:
Joe Marconi. Shop owner for 41 years, 1980 to 2021. I started as a mechanic. That's what we called ourselves back then in the '70s when I got out of high school, 1974 professionally was my start date and year. So I've been doing this for 51 years. Sounds like a long time and it is a long time. You know, when I sold my company, well, first of all, I was a client of Elite since the mid-1990s. So very familiar with Elite, their culture, always gravitated.
Joe Marconi [00:02:49]:
I did try other companies. I got to be honest with you. The other companies, just to see what was out there, always came back to Elite because of the— I don't know, it was something about the culture, the integrity, the accountability, and the family-type atmosphere. So I was lucky enough after selling my company in 2021 to stay on. And because one of the things when you retire, is, are you still relevant? Are you still going to make a difference? What do you do? You need purpose to do this. And they keep me busy and I'm just enjoying it. I'll do it as long as they'll have me around, which is very good. And I love it.
Joe Marconi [00:03:30]:
I love it.
Mike Allen [00:03:31]:
Well, you see, Elite puts on big events like this and then they have smaller training events around the country that move around that we'll talk about also. You have one-on-one coaching at different levels, and then you have the Pro Service 20 groups, which are great. What is your title within the company and your primary focus?
Joe Marconi [00:03:49]:
I'm executive council member, which means that I give advice behind— me and Darren talk a lot with Matt Lofton, and we do a lot of work behind the scenes, strategy advice. I work with Sabrina and Adrian, Hannah. Again, doing a lot of strategy. Vanessa, we do a lot of work just strategizing to help. The main goal is to help. And then I coach. I'm also a coach. I have 4 clients.
Joe Marconi [00:04:16]:
And then I also do, which I know you're going to speak about a little bit, Fly with the Eagles. That's my baby. It's been a big project of mine since Bob Cooper handed over the reins for me to do it. That was like a tremendous honor.
Mike Allen [00:04:31]:
And responsibility.
Joe Marconi [00:04:32]:
All responsibility. You wouldn't believe. I can't tell you how many hours I spend each month, hours and hours researching, deep diving into everything about the industry just to prepare for Fly with the Eagles. It is that big. It is that much of a commitment. But because I know that Bob Cooper was the founder of Elite, he spearheaded this back in 25, 26 years ago. So to do that, to take over the reins from what he did is just a tremendous honor. So I take it very, very I take it to a point where it's like, I can't mess up.
Joe Marconi [00:05:08]:
I have to do this. But now Matt Lofton and Tom Amarillo helped me with Eagles. So now it's even better. I gotta be honest with you. They bring a fresh young face to it and a fresh idea. So it's, I know we're gonna talk about it and get ahead of myself, but that's what I do. You know, so I'm really, really happy.
Mike Allen [00:05:26]:
Well, and all of these things that we're talking about, it needs to be, I think, noted and appreciated that everything that Elite does, it's 10 people. It's a 10-person staff, right? Yeah. Is it 9 or 10?
Joe Marconi [00:05:40]:
Oh, how many?
Sabrina Wilkerson [00:05:41]:
That's a great question.
Mike Allen [00:05:43]:
It's not a lot of people.
Joe Marconi [00:05:45]:
Internally, our internal teams, we have 25 coaches, right? They're, they're, you know, just independent coaches. But yeah, how much— maybe it's only 9 people. You're right, it's not many people. So you get a lot done. Yeah, you get a lot done.
Mike Allen [00:05:58]:
So Sabrina, you also tell us about your background a little bit and how long you've been with Elite and kind of the role that you fill here.
Sabrina Wilkerson [00:06:05]:
Absolutely. Well, it's hard to top Joe. Joe is phenomenal. I'm pretty sure I could listen to him talk.
Mike Allen [00:06:08]:
You haven't been doing it for 51 years?
Sabrina Wilkerson [00:06:09]:
No, no.
Joe Marconi [00:06:10]:
Do I look like I have?
Sabrina Wilkerson [00:06:11]:
What are you trying to say here, Mike?
Joe Marconi [00:06:14]:
Oh, no.
Sabrina Wilkerson [00:06:15]:
No, no. I've been with the Elite now for a little over 2 years, and I came from being a service advisor myself at an independent shop as well. I went through the master's program And it really changed my life. I talked about it a little bit earlier and got emotional then. I'll try not to get emotional now, but yeah, you know, it was beyond just professional. It was personal. It was the way that I saw people. It was the way that I viewed the world.
Sabrina Wilkerson [00:06:41]:
It had become a little jaded in my eyes. I was also a single mom of 2 kids and I was like, everything was expensive to me, right? So to enter the car automotive industry and be like, Oh my gosh, look at the price of all these things, right? And to not take on that thinking with my own wallet, it was really tough. And again, I went through master's and it changed my perspective of everything automotive. It changed my perspective of people. And I remember saying and thinking, I want to do that. I want to change people's life in the same way mine was changed. And it just so worked out. And here I am.
Mike Allen [00:07:16]:
So are you in the San Diego area also? No.
Joe Marconi [00:07:19]:
Okay.
Sabrina Wilkerson [00:07:20]:
I'm in Georgia.
Mike Allen [00:07:20]:
Okay.
Sabrina Wilkerson [00:07:21]:
Yeah.
Joe Marconi [00:07:21]:
Super. Mike, I just want to say one thing about Sabrina. You know, she has made a huge difference in that program. The master's course was always great, but it was— Sabrina took it to another level. She really did. And what she's done with it, her commitment, she puts these goals out there that, Sabrina, you're going to hit that? And she does. She does. So, yeah, you really made a marked difference in that program.
Mike Allen [00:07:45]:
Well, yeah, I've sent probably 5 people through the master's program in the last 20 years.
Sabrina Wilkerson [00:07:51]:
And not with me, though. That's a problem.
Mike Allen [00:07:53]:
I haven't sent anybody in the last 2 years. And I will tell you that every one of them came back, like, fired up. And there was like— and it's not unusual if you send somebody to service advisor training, they come back fired up and they have an immediate improvement. But then there's a slow, gradual decline back to the mean, typically. And What I appreciate about the master's program is that it's not a 3-day boot camp and then ship you back. It is a 3-day boot camp, but then 6 months of accountability and follow-up and studying and there's testing and there's evaluations and there's feedback for the owner about how your advisor is doing in the program and their engagement level.
Joe Marconi [00:08:33]:
Yeah.
Mike Allen [00:08:34]:
And, you know, to get the most out of master's, if you're going to send an advisor to master's, I think You as their manager, their leader, you need to ensure that they are staying involved and staying engaged and taking it seriously so that they can form new habits.
Sabrina Wilkerson [00:08:51]:
Yeah, 100%.
Mike Allen [00:08:53]:
The other thing that I really appreciate about the master's program is that you don't just get to go because your boss writes a check. You have to— you're interviewed beforehand to establish a base level of competency and ethics. And there's— I assume there's still the reading assignment prior to the course begins.
Sabrina Wilkerson [00:09:12]:
100%. They have to read that book.
Mike Allen [00:09:14]:
How to Win Friends and Influence People. Yep. Just before you even start the course, which it's like taking a college course. It's a college-level course.
Joe Marconi [00:09:23]:
Yeah.
Mike Allen [00:09:23]:
Yeah. And it makes a difference. Intentional, intentional effort to improve over a long period of time is going to get you the best results. And that's what Masters does.
Sabrina Wilkerson [00:09:34]:
So Yeah, the objective of Masters is to create a consistent change in behavior that leads to improved sales, customer satisfaction, and profits. The big part of that is the change in behavior, right? You talk about 3-day boot camp, it's hard to change a behavior in 3 days. You can want to change that behavior, but you need somebody there to hold you accountable for changing that behavior. So I love the follow-up.
Mike Allen [00:09:58]:
Same question for each of you because, you're heavily involved with Masters, and I think you do it with Darren. Is that right?
Sabrina Wilkerson [00:10:05]:
Yeah, Darren and I do the 3 days, and then I do the 6-month follow-up. Yep.
Mike Allen [00:10:09]:
And then, Joe, you and Matt mostly do Eagles, right?
Joe Marconi [00:10:13]:
And Tom.
Mike Allen [00:10:14]:
And Tom. Okay. So you've got advisors, and you've got managers and some owners, but a lot of times managers. Is that right?
Joe Marconi [00:10:22]:
Well, that's a great question because the original format was for shop owners only and clients only. Because back 20, 25 years ago, the shop owner, they wore all the hats and they really needed to know everything about the business. Like myself in the '90s, I was, my role was manager, service advisor, shop owner. And shop owners back then didn't really have the, they didn't have the knowledge that they needed to have. So Fly with the Eagles was actually, it was geared toward getting these shop owners to a point where they understand business, financials, employee management, But through the years, most shop owners realized that they can't do it alone. So what they would, what was happening was they used to ask us, can I bring back my manager? Can I bring back my lead service advisor, my shop foreman, lead technician? So it changed from a shop owner's course, 3-day bootcamp to now we do, it's for managers, lead service advisors, shop foreman. And they bring their bookkeepers because we do a lot of financials. And it really is very— it fits a lot of the different needs and all the different levels that a shop owner, all the challenges they go through on a daily basis.
Joe Marconi [00:11:39]:
And it fits a very important part of what they do. So it's all-encompassing.
Mike Allen [00:11:45]:
Yeah. Well, I mean, it's KPIs, how to read your financials, how to do a marketing program, how to hire, recruit, and retain. It's all that stuff, right?
Joe Marconi [00:11:53]:
Yeah. Customer experience, operational excellence, fixed ops. It's a lot going on there. A lot going on.
Mike Allen [00:11:58]:
So my question then is something that I've seen happen over and over and over is a relatively successful business, an owner who is maybe not there 50 hours a week anymore or whatever else anymore, sends an employee off to training. The employee gets fired up and comes back and is like, I'm going to do this and I'm going to do this and I'm going to do this. This is going to be great. And then that owner who just spent thousands of dollars potentially on training, says that won't work here, we're not going to do that, slow down, we're not changing everything. Yeah. And they waste all that and then they crush that energy and that desire to be excellent right out of the gate.
Joe Marconi [00:12:42]:
Yeah.
Sabrina Wilkerson [00:12:42]:
Can I, can I answer this?
Mike Allen [00:12:44]:
Yes.
Sabrina Wilkerson [00:12:44]:
Because I've had this over the last couple of weeks, right? I just had a class that went through in December and I think it's important to remember that What I'm teaching them is fantastic. I know that it works. I've got the data to prove that it works. I experienced it. I know that it works, but it's also not the Bible, right? I know that some things can be adjusted. So as long as you're not going in as an owner and saying, wait, scratch all of that. If it's like one or two things, we can figure this out together, right? We can do this. But like you're saying there, you can't crush all dreams.
Sabrina Wilkerson [00:13:13]:
You can't say no to everything. So I think there could be a good balance. I think it depends on the owner.
Mike Allen [00:13:17]:
I was totally that guy early on. So the thing that used to get me, I don't know if this is still part of the curriculum or not, and I never agreed with— I know what you're going to say is great news.
Sabrina Wilkerson [00:13:28]:
Oh, okay. You shocked me. I thought you were going to say the only.
Mike Allen [00:13:32]:
Some— no, I'm okay with the only. Because if you've done a good job of building value and then it is only and everything. Although I did laugh. I remember like, I'm sure this is still part of your process when you're talking to an owner. About the program and it's only going to be X dollars. Yeah, it's the very same thing when you're talking about the cost of the program.
Sabrina Wilkerson [00:13:54]:
I can't teach my advisors that if I don't use it.
Mike Allen [00:13:56]:
But the— at the time, and I don't know if it's still there, is no matter what you're calling the customer about, no matter what the estimate is, it's great news. Yeah, I've got an answer. And I'm like, if I'm calling her to tell her that she needs a $15,000 transmission, that's not great news.
Sabrina Wilkerson [00:14:12]:
But you figured out what's wrong with it, right?
Mike Allen [00:14:13]:
Yeah, we got, we got an answer. We got a, I know, I know a solution.
Sabrina Wilkerson [00:14:17]:
Do you know how many times I had clients bring in vehicles that took it to different places around us, right? 2, 3, 4 places. And they spent money. They had to pay for the testing, even though they didn't figure out what's going on. So if they bring it to you and they figured out what's going on and you figured it out, that's great news, right? Sure. Meeting a transmission and needing to spend $10,000. That— yeah, but I mean, we could go on and on in this. I'd rather them spend $10,000 on their car than get a new car. Right.
Sabrina Wilkerson [00:14:47]:
So that's still good news in my eyes.
Mike Allen [00:14:51]:
How much time do you spend in Masters on overcoming common objections?
Sabrina Wilkerson [00:14:56]:
We do it day 3, so we'll count that. And then I do it 2, 3, 4 weeks in the 6 months.
Mike Allen [00:15:03]:
Okay. What gets the most attention in Masters? Is it customer experience? Is it—
Sabrina Wilkerson [00:15:10]:
Well, it's always customer experience. Yeah, customer experience is throughout the whole entire process. More specifically, building rapport, right? Building connections. In regards to what do we spend the most time on in the 6 months, I would say it's the presentation of presenting the recommended services. It's bringing in their own tickets and role-playing those out.
Joe Marconi [00:15:29]:
Okay.
Mike Allen [00:15:31]:
So, you know, again, I'm sure that you've made changes to the program in the last couple of years, and I haven't been through the program in a couple of years, but I do remember my advisors pulling estimates and going back and recording, recording their outbound sales calls and submitting them for feedback and grading and then pulling estimates and going and they get paired off in accountability groups and practicing and role-playing back and forth with each other.
Sabrina Wilkerson [00:15:57]:
Drill thing.
Mike Allen [00:15:57]:
Um, I assume that's all still part of it.
Sabrina Wilkerson [00:16:00]:
Yeah, absolutely.
Mike Allen [00:16:01]:
It's a great program.
Sabrina Wilkerson [00:16:01]:
It is.
Joe Marconi [00:16:03]:
Oh yeah, that's practicing. You got to practice, right? Drill, drill, drill. Can't do it on game day, right? You got to practice, right?
Mike Allen [00:16:08]:
Well, it's way easier to, to practice on the practice field where they're not hitting you at full speed. There you go.
Sabrina Wilkerson [00:16:14]:
Yeah, ask the advisors that. They may disagree with you. I've been told I'm a little scary in those role plays.
Joe Marconi [00:16:20]:
Wow.
Mike Allen [00:16:21]:
You know, it's scary. It's real life. They know they're practicing. But if it's with the customer, it's not scary because nobody's listening. But if I'm standing behind them listening. Exactly. As soon as you get off that call, we're going to go to my office and listen to the call together. Yeah.
Mike Allen [00:16:35]:
Then it would be just as scary.
Joe Marconi [00:16:37]:
Yeah.
Mike Allen [00:16:37]:
More so, right?
Joe Marconi [00:16:38]:
Yeah.
Sabrina Wilkerson [00:16:38]:
But again, that's, that's what pushes them outside their comfort zone, which is another way we can build confidence for one. But part of accountability, right? Like if you know the person that you're talking to, the people that you're talking to know what you're supposed to be doing, it holds you accountable. Hold you to a certain level of standard. I think it's good for them to be in that uncomfortable place. I'm okay if I'm a little scary sometimes.
Joe Marconi [00:17:01]:
Can I add something to this conversation?
Mike Allen [00:17:03]:
No, I'm sorry.
Joe Marconi [00:17:03]:
Okay, I'm sorry.
Sabrina Wilkerson [00:17:05]:
You can have it, Joe.
Mike Allen [00:17:06]:
I'll go.
Sabrina Wilkerson [00:17:06]:
You got this.
Joe Marconi [00:17:07]:
Well, I want to say that I think the success of this program is also predicated on the awareness of shop owners that know that the frontline people, the front counter, is probably— that is the driving force of the whole company.
Sabrina Wilkerson [00:17:21]:
Oh, yeah.
Joe Marconi [00:17:22]:
And I'm not taking away what's happened in the back bays. I'm not saying the technicians, but—
Mike Allen [00:17:27]:
I'm going to cut a reel of you saying that service advisors are the most important part of the company. I'm going to put it on the online.
Joe Marconi [00:17:33]:
Oh my God.
Mike Allen [00:17:34]:
All the angry technicians are going to be piling in.
Joe Marconi [00:17:38]:
Here we go with the Facebook groups.
Mike Allen [00:17:40]:
Oh no.
Joe Marconi [00:17:41]:
Oh gosh. Oh, but no, it's true. The customer, they don't know. Like when they leave there and it's 3 months later, They're not going to remember the mass airflow sensor or the oxygen sensor. But what do they remember? How they felt as they walked out the door. How did you make them feel? That's what they're going to remember. So the front line— and it wasn't always like that, Mike, Sabrina, right? You go back 20 years, the shop owner did it. And in my day, you just told the customer, throw the keys on the counter, I'll get to it when I can.
Joe Marconi [00:18:10]:
You know, that's right.
Mike Allen [00:18:12]:
I'm sorry.
Joe Marconi [00:18:13]:
I know my shoes are older than Sabrina. But I think the front line The frontline personnel, the service advisors in particular, they can make or break a business. That's how important this master's program is to the success of a company.
Mike Allen [00:18:33]:
I would say that the three-legged stool analogy has probably played out, but every significant role in the shop is crucial. And for the shop to operate at a very high level, every one of those roles has to be performing just right. And if any one of them is off, then everything else falls apart.
Joe Marconi [00:18:53]:
Agree.
Mike Allen [00:18:53]:
If I don't, if I don't set the goals and hire the right people, I agree, and give them the right tools and training and make the phone ring.
Joe Marconi [00:19:01]:
Yeah.
Mike Allen [00:19:01]:
Then it doesn't matter what the service advisor does.
Joe Marconi [00:19:03]:
Doesn't matter what they do. Yeah, I agree with that.
Mike Allen [00:19:04]:
The service advisors don't convert phone calls into cars in the bay and they can't convert estimates, then it doesn't matter what the technician or I do.
Joe Marconi [00:19:12]:
No.
Mike Allen [00:19:12]:
And if the technician can't fix the freaking car. Yeah, I know.
Joe Marconi [00:19:15]:
I know.
Mike Allen [00:19:15]:
I know.
Joe Marconi [00:19:16]:
I know.
Mike Allen [00:19:17]:
So I hesitate to assign most important, least important. They're all just really freaking important.
Joe Marconi [00:19:23]:
Yeah, I agree with that.
Sabrina Wilkerson [00:19:24]:
I think another way to put it, which I often do and owners do agree with me, is just that they're the face of the company, right?
Joe Marconi [00:19:30]:
Well, yeah, the face.
Mike Allen [00:19:31]:
Miss Jones's car guy is the service advisor.
Joe Marconi [00:19:33]:
Yeah, yeah.
Mike Allen [00:19:34]:
She think she— like, they thought for years that I was in the back putting water pumps and timing belts on.
Sabrina Wilkerson [00:19:40]:
I can't see that.
Joe Marconi [00:19:41]:
I spent 41 years in business, Mike. The day that I retired, they still Who's gonna fix my car now? You know what I'm saying? Yeah. But let me just make one— I'm not disagreeing with you. I agree with you 100%. But listen to this scenario. A technician in the back could go, oh, shit. He snaps a lug nut off, right? And he makes a mistake. That can be fixed.
Joe Marconi [00:20:01]:
Customer never knows it. Contrary to what happens on the phone.
Mike Allen [00:20:05]:
You botch a phone conversation, it's immediate.
Joe Marconi [00:20:07]:
Yeah. You see what I'm saying? So I'm not judging. And I know I may get in trouble all over the Facebook group. Matter of fact, let me get in trouble a little bit. 'Cause I love that. I love that interaction, right? But if you think about how difficult, because you're being, let's face it, Mike, your company, you're being judged by your customers, not just on what the competition's doing, but their whole experience. Amazon, Starbucks, whatever interaction they had during the day, you're being judged. That's it.
Joe Marconi [00:20:36]:
So you gotta deliver on that high level of the, and make amazing customer experience. You really do.
Mike Allen [00:20:43]:
I think more important than ever is the customer experience.
Sabrina Wilkerson [00:20:49]:
Yeah.
Joe Marconi [00:20:50]:
Yeah.
Mike Allen [00:20:51]:
Because, you know, information access is pulling the curtain back a little bit. Consumers are more informed than they've ever been. They're more misinformed than they've ever been too, right? Because of the information that's out there is only as good as what's on YouTube.
Joe Marconi [00:21:06]:
Yeah.
Mike Allen [00:21:08]:
So when thinking about customer experience, the advisor can only work with what tools they are given, right? Right. If the shop's filthy, if the bathroom hasn't been cleaned in 4 months, you know, all those types of things. So that a lot of the customer experience is advisor-focused from the rapport building and the relationship building and conversation. But so much of it also is on the owner and the management and the leadership of the organization to create an environment that's welcoming and inviting and that's comfortable because there's so many stigmas with our trade and with, you know, women customers. Anytime a female customer has a bad experience, what's the default? They're trying to take advantage of me because I'm a woman. No, no, you had a bad experience because we fucked up and we had— we messed up our systems and processes. So I think that's where Eagles can kind of come in as well, because that's, in my mind, Eagles is a program that's about training up the leaders within your business to be able to help you grow.
Joe Marconi [00:22:16]:
Yeah. Let me just touch upon that point because you brought up a very, very important point right down to the bathroom, the parking lot, how you approach it, the smell of the shop. We don't teach sales. That's Sabrina's job. What we do teach are the touch points. We go through the touch points because We have to define customer experience and customer service. They're two different things. You know, when a person, a service advisor answers the phone, that's a customer service experience, right? When the customer walks into the bathroom, that's a customer service, right? That's just, those are little touchpoints of the entire customer experience.
Joe Marconi [00:22:51]:
You have to take each touchpoint from the online booking or the phone call booking of appointment to the walking in, where do you park your car, how easy is it to park your car, the vehicle write-up, the multipoint process, the sales process, vehicle delivery, follow-up process. You have to break that down. We go through all those touchpoints at Fly with the Eagles to make sure. It kind of like piggybacks on what is done in the master's course. We just don't teach what Sabrina teaches. We just try to reinforce it. But to your point, yeah, we go through a lot. You know, it's— we start off with personal development.
Joe Marconi [00:23:26]:
That's where it all starts. Because you can't— like the keynote speaker today, you got to take care of yourself first. It's the reason why when you go on a plane, what do they tell you at the very beginning?
Mike Allen [00:23:38]:
Yeah, put the oxygen mask on yourself first. That's an ongoing argument in my marriage for 20 years.
Sabrina Wilkerson [00:23:44]:
She said you better put it on me first.
Mike Allen [00:23:46]:
No, she said she would do the kids first and then all of you would die. I would put it on me first and even if you pass out, then I can put it on you and you'll come back.
Sabrina Wilkerson [00:23:53]:
As a mom, I might have to agree with your wife.
Joe Marconi [00:23:56]:
We do all we can to enhance the, the mindset of the shop owner and manager to, to better themselves and enhance their knowledge, to, to just to elevate to another level.
Mike Allen [00:24:08]:
Yeah, I think the two dovetail together really well.
Joe Marconi [00:24:12]:
They do.
Mike Allen [00:24:13]:
Um, yeah. Is it ever a thing that like they, they run back to back or they run concurrently in the same city?
Joe Marconi [00:24:20]:
Or like same time, sometimes. Sometimes it depends on what's happening, but never in the same city. That'd be interesting.
Sabrina Wilkerson [00:24:27]:
Like this next one is a week before Masters, I think.
Joe Marconi [00:24:30]:
Week or two weeks. Yeah, we're the February— it's sold out too in Glendale, February 18th. We had— matter of fact, people are— they want to pay me under the table to come.
Mike Allen [00:24:43]:
I know it's coming from the boss. I know, I know. You pay— hey, you send me money and I'll get you in.
Joe Marconi [00:24:46]:
I'll get you in.
Mike Allen [00:24:47]:
Yeah.
Joe Marconi [00:24:48]:
Well, that brings back my roots.
Mike Allen [00:24:50]:
I know that you guys have been busting at the seams more and more. The classes are filling up and booking in advance, and that's exciting. What is your background? Are you a good fellow? What's going on there?
Joe Marconi [00:25:02]:
You got the accent? I talk—
Sabrina Wilkerson [00:25:06]:
He said, what accent? What are you trying to say here?
Mike Allen [00:25:09]:
You've got a redneck accent, Mike. What are you talking about?
Joe Marconi [00:25:12]:
No, I kid around that I'm from the Bronx, but I really am. So, uh, North Bronx. Um, well, um, I don't know if this is the right time to get into the— what you asked me about Goodfellas, but we all being Italian from the Bronx, there's some of that element. Yeah, you know, there's—
Mike Allen [00:25:30]:
so you're from the Bronx, you're in Georgia.
Sabrina Wilkerson [00:25:33]:
Yeah.
Mike Allen [00:25:34]:
Uh, Darren's in, uh, Colorado. Yeah. Um, Matt's in Roxboro, North Carolina. Yeah. We're spread all around. Is there anybody that's still in Southern California or is that—
Joe Marconi [00:25:45]:
Adrian. Adrian. Adrian's in San Diego.
Mike Allen [00:25:47]:
Yeah. You are spread all over the place. So you just wearing out the Zoom or—
Joe Marconi [00:25:52]:
Well, we use Teams.
Sabrina Wilkerson [00:25:54]:
And Zoom.
Mike Allen [00:25:56]:
And—
Joe Marconi [00:25:56]:
Cool. The Brady Bunch, right?
Mike Allen [00:25:58]:
The Brady Bunch. Teams is the worst. I hate Teams. How do you guys feel about Teams? Is it a point of contention within the office?
Sabrina Wilkerson [00:26:09]:
No, I don't know that I've heard many other people I use it more frequently, I think.
Joe Marconi [00:26:14]:
Well, I have a hard time navigating around Teams.
Mike Allen [00:26:17]:
Google Workspace just makes so much more sense.
Sabrina Wilkerson [00:26:19]:
Some of my students told me about it. Teams definitely, for my classes anyways, right? It has been more complicated lately.
Mike Allen [00:26:28]:
We have it.
Joe Marconi [00:26:29]:
I think it's me, my age, but I don't know.
Mike Allen [00:26:31]:
We have it in the Automotive Service and Tire Alliance. We use Teams internally.
Joe Marconi [00:26:36]:
Yeah. Yeah.
Mike Allen [00:26:37]:
And look, this is just me being a complainer, but a lot of the board members listen to the podcast. So just kill Teams. Just kill it.
Sabrina Wilkerson [00:26:46]:
This is Mike's PSA. Please change it now.
Joe Marconi [00:26:50]:
Well, don't tell Darren that.
Mike Allen [00:26:52]:
So, you know, founded by Bob Cooper.
Joe Marconi [00:26:58]:
Yeah.
Mike Allen [00:26:58]:
Built an amazing thing.
Joe Marconi [00:26:59]:
Yeah.
Mike Allen [00:27:01]:
And he was able to retire and sold to Darren. And Darren's got a great story that he shared on the podcast himself. Yeah. What does the future look like? What's 2026 and beyond look like for you guys and for your roles in Elite? Wow.
Joe Marconi [00:27:17]:
You want to go first?
Sabrina Wilkerson [00:27:19]:
You can go first. I respect my elders.
Joe Marconi [00:27:21]:
You know, we were— first of all, 2025 was our best year ever in history. We really outdid ourselves in terms of hitting our goals and beyond. So I think that we're going to expand on that. One of the biggest things that we did was to get more industry people to partner with us. Like Eagles was only— like I said, I mentioned earlier, it was client only. Yeah, shop owners. And now we have non-clients come. We have, we have 20, I think 27 non-clients coming to this Fly with the Eagles in Glendale, uh, 3 weeks.
Mike Allen [00:27:53]:
How much? Okay, so you got to have a super high conversion rate. I would think if, if I wasn't an elite client and I sat through that class for 3 days, I'd be just, where do I send the check?
Joe Marconi [00:28:01]:
Yeah, let me tell you something. We have a, we have Client right now, I'm not going to mention names, I don't think any of his permission, but he came up to me and Matt the first day at lunchtime. He says, I don't know if I'm going to stay. I don't know. I said, this is not for me. He says, but first of all, I think I know all this stuff. So I said to him, I'm not going to mention his name. I call him Billy.
Joe Marconi [00:28:20]:
Billy, I said, do me a favor. Just do it for me. Just stay the rest of this day. Rest of the day, he says, I'm coming back tomorrow. By the second day, he says, Wow. By the third day, it wasn't even the end of the day. It was by the, I think the second break in the morning, tells me, where do I sign up? Give me a coach now because I'm doing, everything I'm doing is absolutely wrong. And this guy's been in business for decades.
Joe Marconi [00:28:45]:
So to your point, yeah, we do a, we have a lot. Don't forget, a lot of people are not sold at Eagles, but they, they'll follow us because of, because of Fly with the Eagles.
Mike Allen [00:28:55]:
Yeah. Yeah. Well, I think what you just said is a testament to the fact that this is such a good business to be in.
Joe Marconi [00:29:02]:
It is.
Mike Allen [00:29:02]:
That you can have no freaking clue what you're doing and be profitable for 20 years and then come in like, oh, how much money did I leave on the table?
Joe Marconi [00:29:14]:
Exactly.
Mike Allen [00:29:15]:
Right. So what's the future at Elite look like for you?
Sabrina Wilkerson [00:29:20]:
You know, as Joe mentioned, I have and continuing to grow the master's program, to refine it. I don't ever want to lose the core value of it, but I want to continue to make it even better. Ultimately, for me, it's continuing to grow the program to where I can bring in another awesome trainer and do more classes to reach more people, because I want to reach as many people within the automotive industry, service advisors, as possible.
Mike Allen [00:29:50]:
If you've listened to this podcast for more than 5 minutes, you already know my favorite way to learn is to watch someone else screw it up first. That's the whole point of Tectonic 2026. It's not a conference where everybody pretends everything is perfect. It's owners, advisors, and techs getting in the same room to talk about what worked, what didn't, and what they'd do differently if they could rewind the tape. Because the painful truth is most of the stuff holding a shop back isn't some secret trick. It's the basics we avoid: training, consistency, communication, accountability, inspections, workflow, hiring, all the boring stuff that actually makes you the money. Presented by TechMetric, Tektonik is happening April 9th through 11th in Houston. Tickets are on sale and our listeners get $500 off standard pricing with code Confessions500.
Mike Allen [00:30:38]:
Go to techmetric.com/Tektonik. That's T-E-K T-O-N-I-C, or tap the link in the show notes.
Sabrina Wilkerson [00:30:47]:
Because the world is huge, right? Like, I tell them this all the time. The world is huge. You may seem like one person in a small world, but you can make a big difference. It starts with you. It starts with one person. So I want, I really want to get as many in as possible. That way it's hundreds of them all over the world making that big difference.
Mike Allen [00:31:03]:
Do you start a new class every month or?
Sabrina Wilkerson [00:31:06]:
So we run 4 classes a year. Yeah. So I do one every 3 months. Okay.
Mike Allen [00:31:11]:
Yep. Well, there you go. It's just time we get every other month you get a new class starting.
Sabrina Wilkerson [00:31:15]:
Yeah, I can't do it. So I want to get it so big that I have to get other people in to start helping. Okay. Yeah.
Joe Marconi [00:31:21]:
Okay.
Mike Allen [00:31:24]:
So how do you hunt for that person?
Sabrina Wilkerson [00:31:26]:
A trainer? Yeah, Darren and I have had this conversation and it has to be the right person, right? They've got to fit into our culture.
Joe Marconi [00:31:36]:
Yeah.
Mike Allen [00:31:37]:
I think it almost has to be a graduate of the program who's maybe no longer in the industry. Like, obviously, you can't go hire somebody.
Sabrina Wilkerson [00:31:43]:
Yeah.
Mike Allen [00:31:43]:
That's still working for a client. Obviously.
Joe Marconi [00:31:46]:
Yeah.
Sabrina Wilkerson [00:31:47]:
No, don't.
Joe Marconi [00:31:48]:
Don't. Don't do that. Don't do that.
Sabrina Wilkerson [00:31:49]:
Yeah, I agree with you. I think it would be. Yeah, it would just be really. It would be tough. I'm that person that I just do it myself. Right. Because I want to get it done fast. Right.
Mike Allen [00:32:00]:
You should be a shop owner.
Sabrina Wilkerson [00:32:02]:
I don't know if I got that in me, but not enough.
Mike Allen [00:32:04]:
I'm a masochist. Yeah.
Sabrina Wilkerson [00:32:06]:
But I think as the year continues, continues sitting down and thinking about who that person is, is gonna be something I have to look into.
Joe Marconi [00:32:14]:
Well, I think if you continue on this growth, these are happy problems, right? I think if Sabrina continues on her, her growth the way she's doing it, we're gonna need somebody, right?
Sabrina Wilkerson [00:32:21]:
Yeah.
Joe Marconi [00:32:22]:
Yeah. You know what, what else we're doing for the future is, you know, Matt designed a, a, a product, uh, Topshop 180 that helps a lot of, uh, clients, a lot of shop owners that they're not there ready for a full coaching either they don't have the time or they need a lot of remedial foundational help. So, and Matt spearheaded this, and I'm giving him all the help he— I can give him to help him launch this product. So that's part of the future, because if we can bring more of these struggling shop owners that they can't right now, they just can't commit to that weekly call, you know, working in your office. They're just not there yet. Yeah, they're spending time in the shop and the front counter. They're not there yet. So we're going to give them all the tools to get you there in the hopes— and, well, our goal is to get you to the next level, which is the Topshop 360 program, which is a full coaching program.
Joe Marconi [00:33:14]:
That's part of the future of Elite.
Mike Allen [00:33:16]:
Yeah, we spent a lot of time talking about 180 off air, and I think we even dedicated a full episode to it. It's a really neat program. He has put a ton of work into that, and I know you guys on the backside have as well. Yeah, I think Matt's done a lot of good stuff for the company.
Joe Marconi [00:33:30]:
He really has.
Mike Allen [00:33:31]:
He's a good dude.
Joe Marconi [00:33:32]:
Yeah.
Mike Allen [00:33:33]:
And he's got a super interesting backstory and his family's backstory in the industry too. Super interesting.
Joe Marconi [00:33:40]:
Yeah.
Mike Allen [00:33:42]:
So I actually just packed it away earlier, but I did have my trophy on the table from beating him at the race car track Thursday night.
Sabrina Wilkerson [00:33:50]:
I heard about that. I heard about that. I honestly was like, oof, that's a little embarrassing for you.
Mike Allen [00:33:56]:
I'm such a child. I'm such a child about things like like that. And if he had won, he would never mention it again. He would be super humble and super quiet about it.
Joe Marconi [00:34:05]:
Yeah, but you're not like that.
Mike Allen [00:34:06]:
And yeah, but something as stupid as a rental go-kart track, I'm like, look at me, everyone, I'm the best.
Sabrina Wilkerson [00:34:13]:
But we're leaving out the part that he was a professional at one point. So I think you can, I think you can own your—
Mike Allen [00:34:18]:
he did 2:20 at Talladega, baby, and I whipped him.
Joe Marconi [00:34:21]:
I whipped him. Yeah.
Mike Allen [00:34:24]:
Um, no, what a good dude. I'm so, I'm so fortunate. And so Matt is my first ever one-on-one coaching relationship because I've been in pro service my whole adult life because my dad was, uh, with Jim. Yeah, yeah, all the way back in the Bligg days.
Sabrina Wilkerson [00:34:39]:
And yeah.
Mike Allen [00:34:39]:
And so, um, now Joe, I know your name from the industry before we met through Elite.
Joe Marconi [00:34:43]:
Okay, were you a columnist?
Mike Allen [00:34:45]:
Yeah, yeah, magazines or something?
Joe Marconi [00:34:47]:
Yeah, I wrote for many, uh, magazines, publications way back when, uh, a spot here, articles like Motor Age and Tire Business magazine. Then I had I wrote for Ratchett and Wrench for 10 years.
Mike Allen [00:35:01]:
Okay.
Joe Marconi [00:35:02]:
And then they kind of moved in a different direction.
Mike Allen [00:35:04]:
And they had a big evolution like 3 years ago.
Joe Marconi [00:35:07]:
Yeah. Yeah. They had. Yeah. So, and now I, I'm, I write, I love to write, you know. Well, you know, years ago, if I mentioned the name Mitch Snyder, so he was kind of like, what was the name of his book?
Mike Allen [00:35:18]:
Misfire?
Joe Marconi [00:35:19]:
Yeah. Misfire.
Mike Allen [00:35:20]:
Yeah.
Joe Marconi [00:35:20]:
Yeah. But he was, I used to read his articles back in the '80s and he's like fascinated me. And I started writing largely because of Mitch, you know, and, uh, you know, on my own. And I started writing, uh, different articles. And, and I don't know how it started, but somebody picked up— I think I wrote some piece that was written up in, I don't know if it was a TechNet magazine or Jasper or something, I don't remember, but somebody picked it up and they said, wow, you know, this is pretty good stuff. So For 10 years I wrote for Ratchet and Wrench, and that was really good. That was really— allowed me to talk about the industry, relive my experiences, and now I write the blogs for Elite. So, okay, I keep going.
Joe Marconi [00:36:03]:
Yeah. Yeah.
Mike Allen [00:36:04]:
Awesome.
Joe Marconi [00:36:05]:
Yeah.
Mike Allen [00:36:07]:
So why don't you have 10 years of experience?
Sabrina Wilkerson [00:36:12]:
Give me some time. Give me some time. Let me start writing.
Mike Allen [00:36:15]:
So were you a dealer advisor before you went independent, or were you independent your whole career?
Sabrina Wilkerson [00:36:20]:
Always independent. Yeah.
Mike Allen [00:36:21]:
How did you end up in that, in that space?
Sabrina Wilkerson [00:36:24]:
Uh, really it was just going back to work after having kids, and it started as what they referred to as a client relations position. So picking cars up, taking people home, doing some of the admin follow-up calls, quality controls. And then within about a month of being there, the service advisor quit, and I had the most customer service experience, which was something they were big about too. And they're like, hey, you want to try this out? And I was like, not really, but sure, let's do it.
Joe Marconi [00:36:51]:
Right?
Mike Allen [00:36:51]:
And then you became a badass. Sure.
Joe Marconi [00:36:54]:
Yeah.
Mike Allen [00:36:54]:
Yeah. You go with that. What's the biggest difference between being in the trenches, giving that incredible level of service and teaching others to do it?
Sabrina Wilkerson [00:37:07]:
Sometimes I want to shake them. Just tell them, do this, right?
Mike Allen [00:37:11]:
I promise it'll work. I promise.
Sabrina Wilkerson [00:37:12]:
Just do it. Just trust me. Yeah, I would say it's just— I do miss sometimes being in the trenches with them, right? Like, sometimes I wish I could go and pop into a shop and hang out with them and show them like, hey, I swear I've been there with you before, you know? But again, yeah, I'd say the biggest is just not being in it anymore. Yeah, yeah. And just wanting to tell them to trust the process. Keep going, I promise you, you can do it. Um, when is the next master's It is February 26th, 27th, and 28th in Atlanta, Georgia.
Mike Allen [00:37:45]:
Is it sold out or is there still space?
Sabrina Wilkerson [00:37:46]:
It's coming close. It might actually be after Ignite. We've had a lot of signups. Yes, I've seen all the emails come through.
Mike Allen [00:37:52]:
So, do you know when and where the one after that is?
Sabrina Wilkerson [00:37:55]:
June 4th, 5th, and 6th in Denver, Colorado.
Joe Marconi [00:37:58]:
Okay.
Sabrina Wilkerson [00:37:58]:
Yeah.
Mike Allen [00:37:59]:
And when's the next Eagles program?
Joe Marconi [00:38:01]:
Well, it's Glendale, February 18th, 19th, 20th. And then I think it's May. 8th, 9th, and 10th, I think. May, I think it's the week before Mother's Day. I'm pretty sure that's next in May. And it's gonna be in North Carolina.
Mike Allen [00:38:14]:
Oh, that's in Charlotte, right?
Joe Marconi [00:38:15]:
Charlotte, yep. Okay.
Mike Allen [00:38:17]:
Is there space left in the Charlotte one?
Joe Marconi [00:38:18]:
Yes, but please, I mean, if you're thinking about going, I would recommend signing up very soon because it's getting sold out. It's like unbelievable. People, I'm telling you, they wanna pay me under the table to come to this one. So you gotta really get on the website and sign up. Sign up.
Mike Allen [00:38:36]:
So this will probably be released in a month. So we'll miss the February event. So track down the May event in Charlotte and track down the June event in Colorado. Yeah. For Frank, I mean, and I'm not even blowing smoke. Literally in one of my morning recordings this morning, we were talking about how the master's program is the most dynamic advisor training in the industry.
Joe Marconi [00:38:59]:
It's the best.
Mike Allen [00:39:00]:
It really is because of that protracted follow-through and new habit-forming process.
Joe Marconi [00:39:05]:
Yeah. Yeah, exactly. And after that's going to be— I think it's August is the next one after that.
Mike Allen [00:39:09]:
Okay.
Joe Marconi [00:39:10]:
And they're thinking about, uh, Northeast.
Mike Allen [00:39:12]:
Okay.
Joe Marconi [00:39:13]:
So maybe I'll have it down in the Bronx. What do you think?
Mike Allen [00:39:15]:
It works. Maybe go to a baseball game afterwards.
Joe Marconi [00:39:17]:
Yankee Stadium? Well, okay, we can go, but you'll let me take you because I don't want you—
Sabrina Wilkerson [00:39:24]:
he doesn't want you to get the way you look and speak.
Joe Marconi [00:39:27]:
Mike, please, I just fear for you.
Sabrina Wilkerson [00:39:29]:
Don't say y'all while you're there.
Joe Marconi [00:39:31]:
Don't say yes. Please don't, you know, please let me, let me take you.
Mike Allen [00:39:37]:
Everybody here talks so funny. I can bring Lucas Underwood and we'll both get murdered. It'll be great.
Joe Marconi [00:39:44]:
Oh, yeah, please.
Mike Allen [00:39:46]:
Awesome. Well, thank you so much for coming on, guys. It's been a lot of fun. I'm glad to have you, one, just to chat and talk a little bit about the programs that you're running and growing and to hear about the explosive growth that you're having. Yeah, it's pretty exciting. Unbelievable. And Joe, now you can stop stalking me on the internet and saying—
Joe Marconi [00:40:08]:
Well, can I get something out of you?
Sabrina Wilkerson [00:40:10]:
Do you like Mike? That's the question I think everybody has.
Joe Marconi [00:40:13]:
So Darren Barney calls me up. He says, I gotta speak to you. I gotta speak to you. Mike Allen thinks you hate him. I said, what? I said, I only met the guy once. He was in the corner leaning against the wall at Flight of the Eagles. I didn't know who he was. I actually thought it was somebody else, remember?
Mike Allen [00:40:32]:
Well, I had, yeah, I had a manager in and I just like dipped in for like an hour.
Joe Marconi [00:40:37]:
So I just shook his hand and I says, pleasure to meet you. And that was it. So then Matt Lovely gets up, what did you do to Mike?
Sabrina Wilkerson [00:40:44]:
We talked about this for like a good 2 weeks after I asked you.
Joe Marconi [00:40:48]:
So then I got on the Facebook and says, okay, I says, let's settle this once and for all. You know, let's get, you know, get me on this show, hurry up. But I said, what do you mean I hate the guy? I don't even know the guy.
Mike Allen [00:40:59]:
You were like, you're like, uh, who the fuck are you? I'm like, just walking to my class. Just leaning on the back wall like you belong here.
Joe Marconi [00:41:05]:
That's true.
Mike Allen [00:41:06]:
You don't have a name badge on.
Joe Marconi [00:41:07]:
I know. He's leaning against the wall looking at me.
Mike Allen [00:41:10]:
Well, it's because it was standing room only. There were no chairs.
Joe Marconi [00:41:12]:
And half on his phone and half looking at me.
Mike Allen [00:41:15]:
I was texting Matt.
Joe Marconi [00:41:16]:
I know. I'm saying, can I help you? You want to sit down? Right?
Sabrina Wilkerson [00:41:21]:
Right?
Joe Marconi [00:41:22]:
Can I help you? You want to sit down? So you want to come in? No, no, no, it's okay. I'm okay here leaning against your wall.
Sabrina Wilkerson [00:41:27]:
He was judging. Than him, that's for sure.
Mike Allen [00:41:29]:
It's very judgy. You know, without context, walking in, you not knowing who the hell I am, that makes sense that your reaction was very appropriate. But I, being a creature of ego that I am, and convinced about how awesome I am, everyone should know who I am when I walk into the room. They should stop and bow down.
Joe Marconi [00:41:47]:
Oh, I get it. So that's the, see, now we find out. That's the real, that's the real issue here.
Mike Allen [00:41:53]:
It's just my ego.
Joe Marconi [00:41:53]:
You were upset that I didn't know who you were. Oh my God. Oh, okay. That's great.
Mike Allen [00:41:58]:
I expect to walk I'm going to walk into every Eagles program. I'm just going to follow you around the country for Eagles. I'm just going to walk in and I expect you to be like, hey, what's up, Mike?
Sabrina Wilkerson [00:42:05]:
Give him a shout out.
Joe Marconi [00:42:06]:
Okay, I will. But that's not ego. That's a little bit fragile ego, isn't it?
Mike Allen [00:42:11]:
I'm a delicate snowflake.
Joe Marconi [00:42:13]:
There you go. You're a little snowflake?
Mike Allen [00:42:15]:
Yeah, I don't do well in this heat here in Texas.
Joe Marconi [00:42:16]:
All right, please. Okay, I'll make that. All right, then let me repeat what I said earlier. Don't come to the Bronx in Texas.
Sabrina Wilkerson [00:42:22]:
You can't handle it.
Joe Marconi [00:42:24]:
Please, you know, the way you guys look, half you guys look, please.
Mike Allen [00:42:30]:
Well, thanks again for being here. Thanks again for what you do and for what Elite does and Ignite.
Joe Marconi [00:42:35]:
Yeah, thanks for coming. Thanks for what you're doing now.
Mike Allen [00:42:38]:
Do we know where Ignite's going to be in '27?
Sabrina Wilkerson [00:42:40]:
We don't. There is not a location yet.
Mike Allen [00:42:42]:
Nope.
Sabrina Wilkerson [00:42:42]:
There's not. But we are thinking about having it here again. That's the word on the street.
Joe Marconi [00:42:49]:
This is nice. Yeah, the weather's nice.
Sabrina Wilkerson [00:42:51]:
But we'll see. We'll see.
Mike Allen [00:42:53]:
I had a big brain move when I— my flight was delayed coming in. I got in Thursday morning at 3:30 in the morning, and I knew that I was in this room down on this end, and they had me the exact corner, second floor, all the way on the back corner. And I asked for a move closer. They put me in a handicap room right around the corner.
Joe Marconi [00:43:13]:
Oh, really?
Mike Allen [00:43:13]:
Got a nice wide door.
Sabrina Wilkerson [00:43:16]:
Your ego can fit through the door now.
Joe Marconi [00:43:18]:
Oh, that's good, Sabrina. Touché.
Mike Allen [00:43:22]:
I think that's a proper note for us to bring it to a close.
Joe Marconi [00:43:25]:
I know.
Sabrina Wilkerson [00:43:26]:
Thank you, Mike. I appreciate it.
Joe Marconi [00:43:27]:
Thank you, Mike. Thank you so much.
Mike Allen [00:43:29]:
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 mike@confessionsofashopowner.com or call and leave a message. The number is 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. I'll see you on the next episode.