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.
Ep 118 - Stacia Aeschbach | How a $3 Million Repair Shop Built a Massive Social Following
Keep shop management, payments, marketing (all the things) all in one place with Tekmetric. It will CHANGE YOUR LIFE. Click HERE (https://auto.tekmetric.com/4iOySkk)
Turnkey Marketing has made my life SOOO much simpler, AND they've helped keep the phone ringing. Do you need these two things too? Learn more HERE (https://www.turnkeyautomarketing.com/)
Tired of your shop’s social media looking like every other repair shop on the internet? Stand out with 47 Consulting. Learn more HERE (https://www.47consultants.com/confessions)
When I used the maintenance tool for the fist time with Detect Auto, my mind was blown. My advisors had the same reaction - and then SO MUCH MORE TIME. Learn more about Detect Auto and book a free demo now! (https://www.detectauto.com/)
Elite Worldwide's Ignite 2027 is coming up in February and NOW is the time to sign up. It's happening in Vegas February 4-6 and it will be the best 3 days of your shops year when you attend. Learn now HERE (https://eliteworldwide.regfox.com/ignite-by-elite-2027)
Mike Allen sits down with Stacia Aeschbach of Aeschbach Automotive and the Driven for More podcast to talk about leadership, growing a repair shop, raising five kids, women in automotive, and how her shop turned social media into a massive part of its brand. Stacia breaks down how Aeschbach Automotive grew an audience of tens of thousands of followers, generated nearly 100 million Meta views in a year, and started hearing from customers who discovered the shop through TikTok and other social platforms. They talk about why generic stock photos and boring repair content don’t work, how controversial content drives engagement, what shops should actually post, and why becoming more human may matter even more as AI-generated content becomes everywhere. Mike also realizes that an auto repair shop is basically a reality show full of misfit toys—which might actually be the best marketing opportunity in the industry.
Timestamps:
00:00 – How Social Media Keeps Your Shop Top of Mind
00:56 – Meet Stacia Aeschbach
03:15 – Leadership & Your “Emotional Wake”
07:39 – How Aeschbach Automotive Got Started
09:11 – From Tinder to a $3 Million Repair Shop
12:24 – Five Kids, Shop Ownership & No Excuses
14:48 – Women in the Automotive Industry
19:43 – Building a Massive Shop Social Media Following
23:18 – Nearly 100 Million Social Media Views
24:13 – Making Money From Shop Content
26:40 – How Often Should a Repair Shop Post?
31:38 – Does Social Media Actually Bring in Customers?
34:21 – Why Your Shop’s Social Media May Be Hurting Trust
36:52 – Controversy, Engagement Bait & Going Viral
39:15 – How Shops Can Start Creating Content
41:22 – Humanizing the People Behind Your Business
42:51 – Why AI Makes Being Human More Valuable
44:56 – Which Automotive Podcast Is the Worst? 😂
29 Sept 2026
Ep 117 - Coaching Call #21 | Mike Started Charging for Diag. Here’s What Happened
Tekmetric opened my eyes to just how much a good SMS will do for a shop. Their software is top of the line, and with them, so is my shop. Try them for yourself HERE (https://auto.tekmetric.com/4iOySkk)
My marketing before and after signing up with Turnkey Marketing is pretty scary. In a good way. Get your marketing right today HERE (https://www.turnkeyautomarketing.com/)
Tired of your shop’s social media looking like every other repair shop on the internet? Stand out with 47 Consulting. Learn more HERE (https://www.47consultants.com/confessions)
Make your techs happier with Detect Auto. They'll stop getting "check noise" or "check vibration" from advisors with the customer concern tool. It will CHANGE YOUR LIFE. Book a demo HERE (https://www.detectauto.com/)
Send your service advisor to hands down the BEST service advisor training in the industry (even other coaching companies agree). It's Elite Worldwide's Masters Program. The next one is happening in Dallas Texas, September 10-12. Learn more HERE (https://eliteworldwide.com/event/masters-service-advisor-training-program-3/)
Mike Allen sits down with Matt Lofton at ASTA 2026 for another Carfix coaching call—and this time they finally have data from Mike’s decision to start charging for diagnostic work at one location. They break down what happened to car count, gross profit, effective labor rate and average repair order before diving into the much bigger debate around flat rate, hourly pay, technician trust and whether pay plans actually motivate employees. Matt explains why incentive programs often create a short-term bump without changing long-term behavior, why writing an SOP is not the same thing as training, and why repetition and accountability matter more than another complicated compensation plan. Mike also admits that sometimes the recurring employee problem might actually be an owner problem. It’s a conversation about diagnostics, technician pay, leadership, training and what it really takes to build a team that consistently executes.
Timestamps:
00:00 – The Technician vs. Shop Owner Problem
00:56 – Live From ASTA 2026
01:30 – The Free Diag T-Shirt Conspiracy
04:25 – Mike Defends Free Diagnostics
08:44 – We Started Charging for Diag: Here’s What Happened
12:09 – Should You Quote Diagnostic Fees Over the Phone?
18:25 – The Complimentary Consultation Strategy
20:15 – How to Sell the Value of Diagnostic Testing
25:57 – Should a Faster Technician Cost Less?
28:03 – Flat Rate Isn’t the Problem
33:46 – Changing a Technician’s Pay Plan Without Losing Trust
36:06 – Does Money Actually Motivate Technicians?
39:01 – The Cobra Effect: When Incentives Backfire
40:49 – What Actually Motivates Employees?
43:49 – Are Shop Processes Becoming Too Complicated?
44:49 – Writing an SOP Is NOT Training
47:29 – Why Great Shops Execute Better
51:33 – Mike’s 72-Page Parts Manual 😂
52:36 – “I’ve Told Him 22 Times!”
53:10 – Mike Admits He’s Been the Problem
54:40 – Matt Has Screwed Up Just About Everything
56:57 – Why Small Shops Struggle to Train
58:12 – Scale Gives You Time to Train
1:00:11 – What Mike Needs to Fix Next
22 Sept 2026
Ep 116 - Avern Collins | How to Make Money as a Mobile Mechanic
Tekmetric transformed my shop. Plain and simple. Want that for yours? Touch HERE (https://auto.tekmetric.com/4iOySkk)
Turnkey Marketing (https://www.turnkeyautomarketing.com/) takes the stress of doing something I'm not good at off my plate. And gives it to someone who is. Click HERE (https://www.turnkeyautomarketing.com/) for more.
Tired of your shop’s social media looking like every other repair shop on the internet? Stand out with 47 Consulting. Learn more HERE (https://www.47consultants.com/confessions)
Send your service advisor to hands down the BEST service advisor training in the industry (even other coaching companies agree). It's Elite Worldwide's Masters Program. The next one is happening in Dallas Texas, September 10-12. Learn more HERE (https://eliteworldwide.com/event/masters-service-advisor-training-program-3/)
When I used the maintenance tool for the fist time with Detect Auto, my mind was blown. My advisors had the same reaction - and then SO MUCH MORE TIME. Learn more about Detect Auto and book a free demo now! (https://www.detectauto.com/)
Mike Allen and Bryan Pollock sit down with Avern Collins to find out what it actually takes to build a legitimate, profitable mobile mechanic business instead of becoming another guy fixing cars out of the back of a truck. Avern breaks down why he charges nearly $250 upfront for diagnostics, how professional branding and communication help him avoid competing on price, what a productive mobile technician can generate in revenue, and why knowing which jobs to turn down is just as important as knowing how to fix cars. The conversation also gets into $250–$300 labor rates, technician hiring, customer expectations, mobile-mechanic stereotypes, and why shop owners need to stop letting ego turn every nightmare vehicle into a personal challenge.
Timestamps:
00:00 – Aftermarket Parts Aren’t What They Used to Be
00:57 – Bald Heads, Hairlines & Pollock’s Hair Polish
05:24 – Meet Avern Collins: Building a Mobile Repair Business
06:56 – Why So Many Mobile Mechanics Fail
08:15 – Why Avern Never Wanted a Brick-and-Mortar Shop
10:05 – Escaping the “Cheap Mobile Mechanic” Reputation
11:29 – Why Avern Refuses to Do Free Diagnostics
12:28 – $250 Before the Mechanic Even Shows Up
17:18 – Customer Communication Like Amazon and DoorDash
27:42 – Teaching Mobile Mechanics to Run a Real Business
34:21 – Why Professionalism Changes What Customers Will Pay
36:58 – $250–$300 an Hour for Mobile Auto Repair
38:00 – Why Great Mobile Technicians Are So Hard to Find
43:14 – When Should Kids Get Their First Phone?
49:49 – How Much Revenue Can One Mobile Mechanic Produce?
50:30 – Stop Saying Yes to Every Repair
51:27 – Stop Trying to Be the Hero Shop
54:06 – Why Nightmare Cars Should Cost More to Diagnose
54:46 – Why Avern Won’t Work Behind Other Mechanics
57:13 – Sometimes the Best Business Decision Is Saying No
Who has been a guest on Confessions of a Shop Owner
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Saurav Kumar
Kamran Rahman
Lauren Langston
Jared Haleck
Ryan Ragan
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
YouTube views
100,654
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Apple Podcasts (US)
4.3 / 5
15 ratings
Spotify
4.6 / 5
27 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 75 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
97
Social presence
0
YouTube
82
Engagement
51
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