Ep 120 - Andrew Klement | From Technician to $600K Repair Shop Owner

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Mike Allen sits down with Andrew Klement of Finley River Auto and Diesel to talk about what happens when a technician becomes a shop owner—but actually plans for it first. Andrew explains why he hired a coach and CPA before opening, started with a service advisor from day one, invested in systems immediately and surrounded himself with people who had already made the mistakes he wanted to avoid. The result? A greenfield startup with no existing customers that projected roughly $350,000–$360,000 in first-year revenue had already crossed $600,000 with three months left in the year. They also get into Andrew’s first employee quitting, why shop owners fail at training, how to sell repairs without high-pressure tactics, what a healthy shop culture can do for a technician’s career and the time 18-year-old Andrew invented a completely fictional “starter break-in noise” to cover up a mistake. And because it’s Confessions, Mike also gets to explain why releasing an $18,000 repair while still being owed $7,500 is probably a terrible business strategy.

Timestamps:
00:00 – Sell by Educating, Not Pressuring
00:45 – Mike & Andrew Live From ASTA
09:15 – Andrew Tried Free Diagnostics
10:03 – Finley River Auto & Diesel
15:38 – Andrew’s Technician Background
17:25 – Building a Shop the Smart Way
19:09 – $350K Projection → $600K+ Revenue
20:27 – Is the Startup Actually Profitable?
23:20 – Almost Leaving the Automotive Industry
25:15 – What a Great Shop Taught Andrew
29:44 – Can the Customer, Tech AND Shop All Win?
32:16 – Andrew’s First Employee Quit
34:07 – Selling Without High-Pressure Tactics
35:39 – “You Hired Him. It’s Your Responsibility.”
39:06 – The Infamous “Starter Break-In Noise” 😂
41:42 – A Local Podcast as Shop Marketing
44:20 – Andrew’s First ASTA Experience
45:33 – Don’t Try to Implement Everything
46:21 – The $18,000 Ticket He Still Hasn’t Collected
47:06 – Mike: “Don’t Do That Shit.”