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Mike Allen and Bryan Pollock welcome Caleb McElmurry to talk about the realities of building a repair business when you’re still the technician, service advisor, estimator, parts department and owner all at once. Caleb started mobile, moved several hours away and essentially started over with a brick-and-mortar shop—and now he’s intentionally waiting until the business is consistently ready before hiring his first technician. They debate why hiring a cheap apprentice first can actually make a solo owner less productive, how many billable hours might signal that it’s time to hire, what types of jobs a startup shop should avoid and why some European cars can eat a new shop alive. Caleb also explains why his first major training event is focused almost entirely on business and service-advisor skills instead of technical classes, and the conversation turns into ASE certifications, technician licensing, customer communication, $1,000 AROs and why owners shouldn’t go home from training and try to change their entire business Monday morning. The bigger lesson: being great at fixing cars gets you started—but learning how to run the business is what determines what happens next.

Timestamps:
00:00 – Why Startup Shops Should Be Careful With European Cars
05:13 – Meet Caleb McElmurry
06:01 – From Mobile Mechanic to Brick-and-Mortar
07:09 – When Should Caleb Hire His First Technician?
09:22 – Why Your First Hire Shouldn’t Be Cheap Labor
10:05 – How Busy Should a Solo Shop Be?
13:00 – Tow Trucks, Winter & Small-Town Shop Life
16:00 – Stop Giving Jobs the “Go Away” Price
20:29 – First Training Event: Don’t Implement Everything
23:00 – Why Caleb Isn’t Taking Technical Classes
25:00 – Should Automotive Technicians Be Licensed?
30:00 – ASE, Apprenticeships & Industry Standards
33:00 – Just Get 1% Better
34:00 – Caleb’s Service Advisor Process
36:42 – Do Customers Need Prices Explained First?
38:00 – A $1,000 ARO in a One-Man Shop
39:00 – Caleb’s Plan for His First Technician
41:12 – The Difficulty of Turning the Business Off
43:13 – Late Nights at ASTA