Top 20 RULES when starting an Auto Mechanic Shop | Must know business hacks
Top 20 RULES when starting an Auto Mechanic Shop | Must know business hacks
Casey Putsch talks about the top 20 rules and life hacks mechanics need to know before thinking of starting an auto business or shop. Whether it is a racing shop, restoration, tuner shop, restoration, daily driver cars, machining, paint and body, or welding these rules and concepts still apply. Doesn’t matter if you are working on Ferraris and Lamborghinis or Ford trucks and Hondas, this is the MUST WATCH video!
Huge thanks to the Packard American Motor Company and check out their super limited edition automative Swiss movement watch here! https://packardamerica.us/
Casey is also building the King Zero V12 supercar instead of doing a commercial for Avalon King ceramic coating because commercials are lame! HAHAHAHA!!! But ceramic coating still freaking works, so that’s why he actually uses it in real life!
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Thank you sir for you words! I am helping my husband with his mobile mechanic business. This really helped me understand his side of thinking and how to better assist him.
These are great things to think about! Thanks for the rundown. This video is way under-viewed.
That’s a lot of rules!
After watching this is just good life advice.
My shop has been in business for a year now, doing great btw. I started by flipping cars. But man…owning an actual shop, on the other hand, is a HUGE weight to carry. If you’re not capable of carrying that weight, you’ll fail VERY quickly. Electric, gas, water, insurance, uniforms, tools, employee MANAGEMENT will eat you alive lol. And omg, those "bad customers" too, if you let them get under your skin.
Loved the video Casey!
rule 21: don’t talk bad about rabbit.
Good 😍watch my videos .. Thanks ❤️❤️
I am not the best mechanic but I am pretty good at painting body and steel fabrication and I’m thinking about opening up a repair shop minus the painting in the shop I guess I’ll have to run out of booth for that but this video was very helpful 🤓👍 VIMANA MOTORSPORTS🛸
Casey, do you believe in using any fuel or transmission additives? I suspect you’d think they’re largely snake oil. But what about some from Lucas, Seafoam, LiquiMoly?
Don’t go into business with family…. just don’t. My two uncles were best friends and decided to do just that. We used to be a close family. Now they hate each other and the family is torn in two.
REALEST man on the subject. REAL comes from wisdom, and wisdom comes from experience. Love the video bro. Appreciate your achievements and your candor.
Casey enjoy your channel BUT PLEASE change your intro music, it’s crap. Get something less feminine and cheap sounding. Other than that carry on.
Casey you have helped me so much. I will re assess what I should do
word of mouth is all the advertising I have ever done. the 80/20 rule is on the nail
I wanted to put up a car repair shop too, i just didnt do it after weighing all the factors. Capitalization and money to sustain the business isnt the problem, other things needed to run the business is. Its either i rent somewhere else with reliable electricity and water (i seriously thinks water is essential), but its too far from home, i mean too far that i have to ride a ship to get there. Or i can do it at my own place since i still have space to put up a decent sized shop, but our electricity and water service provider here sucks. Market here where i live is great though but if i cant work on anything because electricity is always out, then im gonna get chewed up by the clients. Having a power generator is an option but with the fuel cost and other maintenance for it, its not worth it. So, i just decided to put up a different business that my wife can run and manage easily.
ed bolian beef?👀
A product that is designed to kill itself? Not a very good business plan!
Love the Metro comment! I have a couple myself
Solid advice! Well done.
I’ll be honest I disagree with your statement about not following your dream. I’ve ran a mechanical workshop for 9 years and in the industry for 25 years. And in that time the amount of people that have no idea what there doing mechanically. And I stick by my statement that the only people that are good in this industr, have a passion and/or dream. I’m yet to find a technician that is good without having a great passion for it. There just isn’t that person
Rational Lies. That’s a good one… I’ve heard many and I know exactly what it means. Stay away from those people if you want to be happy.
A customer who spends $500 with us will expect the moon, sun, a discount later, Christmas cards and all. Those are bad customers.
I have had customers spend $6,000 on a repair bill and sent donuts with his wife to pick it up. He did ask for us to have it facing forwards because his wife is too short to back the vehicle out of a parking space.
Can you do the same style video but for starting an automotive youtube channel?
Thanks for the advice!
Hi
Wish someone told me this stuff a long time ago .
PS please check out Marco deYAH Facebook 👍
you sir are hilarious and you are right on point.
I’m a auto mechanic now that specializes in diagnostic with Harley factory training and General Motors factory training planning on getting mopar factory training and Ford factory training to then try and open my own shop in about 6 years. Want to plan on marking it as a domestic specialist shop specializing in diagnostics. It does take a lot of planning and I’m already trying to do pre planning to help and it’s a lot and the info that we need to find isnt always easy to find. Thanks for the video
Mr. Boomer getting a workout today there Casey.
Wish I could’ve worked for you 😇
I ran a race prep shop for 13 years, closed up after business crashed after 9/11. Didn’t owe anyone a dime, no debt. I’ve worked for myself since 2008. My thoughts: 1 Adapt. Your business has to adapt to changes in its chosen market. In the 80’s and 90’s everyone made a great living on open wheel formula cars, S2000 and Spec Racers. In the 2000’s and forward its all Miata. Not just Spec Miata but all classes that Miata can run. Adapt or die. 2. To Casey’s point about profit, you can go broke working on your own project, why would you go broke working on someone else’s project? 3. Don’t make excuses, just do it. Seriously. Stop making excuses for not taking the chance on yourself. You know the difference between the person running their own business and you, who is still working for the man? They are brave enough to take the risk, to bet on themselves. What’s the worst that can happen? Structure the business correctly and you risk little. Get off your ass and do it. 4. Find a mentor. A business mentor. A mechanic mentor. A life mentor. I’ve had so many its almost hard to count them, all had positive influence on me and my abilities to succeed. Now, get out from behind the computer and go build something!
11:15 yes you do. And garage sales and estate sales are your friends. You get good tools cheap if you look for them. Estate sales in particular because someone passed away and left his good tools he had used and collected for 30+ years. They lasted this long i bet they will last longer than the fap-off brand from the truck.
When I was in auto repair/maintenance school, one of my teachers most common catchphrases was " Don’t spend 90% of your time trying to please the 10% of your customers that will never appreciate it. Cut them loose and let them be someone else’s problem."
I think this was one of your top 10 videos, that include you talking for 30 minutes.
Yeah the 80/20 rule! Pareto principle. It’s also used in inventory management.
Disagree at 3:28
The build is a hobby to me but I would like to sell cars at a dealership gonna work my way there I have in internship lined up with john deere company here if I can sell tractors I can sell cars however there may be me money in tractors
Don’t you lose customers when you specialize?
Snap-On is one of the few companies that gives discounts on their tools to students.
Biggest mistake people make is starting with little to no money. They have enough money to get the shop opened but don’t have enough money to stay open for more then a few months
Lead, follow or get out of the way. Works for traffic, business
Ford trucks keep a lot of shops open, and lights on
Stay off the tool trucks. Remember Snap-on sells "blue point", made in Taiwan tools that are guaranteed to meet or exceed the snap-on specifications. . . for tons less $. Taiwanese tools are mainly made by Kabo and Infar on behalf of many tool "brands" in the U.S. so those "blue point" tools are available for even less $ if you hunt for them and verify "Made in Taiwan". Shy away from made in china unless they’re proven like say milwaukee impacts, and never buy made in India tools.
Taiwan rebrands (check COO of each item still): Napa Professional (NPT), Carlyle, Capri, Sunex, Grey Pneumatic, Blue Point, Pittsburgh Pro, Gearhead, Tekton, Husky, Milwaukee, Great Neck, & there’s a ton more.
I taught auto shop….I did love it but, man, it was hard work. Running, essentially, a business, while teaching young people, who often didn’t fit in the school system otherwise, , while having "customer" cars, shop cars, student vehicles in and out. Whoa…some days.
Thanks 💯 @Casey…It was helpful ✅
Hey, i’m super new to car culture and actually just had my first “drivers lesson” (just me driving around with my dad behind the wheel) yesterday. i got into the good old mx5 from my friend and it totally turned me onto cars. i’ve always wanted to learn stick regardless of my miata friend so i think i was bound to be a car guy inevitably, but there’s a lot of terminology that you use that i just don’t really get. is there a “just the basics” type video that you have? i’ve watched only about 8 videos of yours but they’re all very enjoyable and i think i can learn a shit ton from you. by the time i have my license (probably in september when i turn 18) i’d wanna have a pretty good bit of knowledge under my belt but i’m really not sure where to start. for example, i get the concept of how to drive stick but i don’t know what the synchros are, and then i get confused. if there isn’t a basics video already uploaded, is there any chance you could make a video for guys like me who are new to this whole thing? tl;dr: i don’t get a lot of terminology that you use or some of the concepts. is there a basic video of yours that i could watch so that i can start to understand all this stuff? (i commented on your most recent video just so that the comment has the highest chance of being seen)
That was great spot on.Casey People just don’t realize!
Serious wisdom being dropped. Awesome advice. Love your content!
Huge fan of the dude in the background waltzing back and fore 🤣🚶🏻
I’m a construction contractor, so much you said is so true and applicable to any business…
I have always believed that turning a hobby you love into a business is the best way to fall out of love with it, and I have found it to be true.