6 Oct 2026
Are Shop Owners Creating the Technician Shortage? | Brandon Sloan - Ep 44
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Tonnika Haynes sits down with Brandon Sloan for an unfiltered conversation about one of the biggest problems facing automotive: keeping talented technicians in the industry. They challenge shop owners to stop complaining about a technician shortage while failing to provide leadership, mentorship, training, fair opportunities, and a workplace people actually want to stay in. But technicians aren't off the hook either—Tonnika and Brandon challenge them to invest in themselves, build their knowledge, check their ego, and increase their value instead of waiting for someone else to build their career. Then the conversation turns to technicians who dream of opening their own shops and the taxes, insurance, payroll, mistakes, customers, boundaries, and responsibilities they may not realize come with ownership. It's a raw conversation about leadership, accountability, career growth, and what it really takes to build something that lasts.
Timestamps:
00:40 – Tonnika meets Brandon Sloan at ASTA
04:42 – Tonnika’s journey from collision to shop ownership
10:14 – Why talented technicians are leaving automotive
10:22 – “Water the plants we already have”
11:29 – The generational problem facing the industry
13:25 – Mentoring young techs without putting them in debt
15:23 – Leadership is more than handing out repair orders
16:33 – How good leaders handle employees having a bad day
18:55 – The responsibility shop owners have to their team
20:20 – The Austin Yarbrough situation and standing up for technicians
26:28 – Using social media to educate consumers
29:45 – Build your value and set your own number
30:45 – Your “mental toolbox” can’t be taken from you
33:29 – Success didn’t come free: sacrifice, work, and building a team
35:21 – Brandon’s journey beyond the dealership
38:15 – Stop blaming everyone else and check your own mindset
41:39 – Get out of your own way and invest in yourself
43:53 – Want to open your own shop? You might not be ready
44:10 – The REAL cost of running an automotive business
46:36 – “Real leaders eat last”
48:54 – Learning to say “no” to customers
50:36 – Why shop owners need boundaries
52:18 – Being available to everyone isn’t customer service
53:30 – Understanding the sacrifices their fathers made
54:05 – How Brandon found his way into automotive
56:15 – Sometimes you have to figure it out and invest in yourself
