Maximum Octane

We can learn a lot about leadership, empowering internal customers, and becoming the CEO of our business from our guest, Jason Meyer, who transformed a 7200-square-foot shop into a successful business with 30 locations.Jason is the Director of Corporate and Partnership Stores Tirecraft Ontario Inc. Although his father wanted him to become a CPA, Jason decided to follow his passion and went back home to work in the automotive repair and tires business.In this episode, we dive into Jason's entrepreneurial business, his decision of "disobeying" the family mandate of going to school to ensure a future for himself, and the process of growing his business from 1 to 30 locations. He shares valuable insight on selecting the right people, empowering internal customers, and moving away from the "having all the answers" position to give freedom and demand accountability from his staff.Jason also talks about the importance of building a solid culture and honoring commitment, the harmful habits he got rid of, and how he manages to oversee 30 different locations while having a happy and fulfilling life.In This Episode, You Will Learn:Jason shares a bit about his background and how he decided to start a business in the automotive industry (2:54)Jason talks about how important it was for him to be able to follow his passion (5:59)Jason explains why we should always "staff our business for the busiest days" (9:25)Jason talks about his mindset when hiring people and what kind of internal customer is the one we should hire (16:38)Jason shares a story that perfectly depicts how to build trust and loyalty among internal customers (19:11)Jason explains why he believes that it's easier to manage 30 locations than 4 (21:48)Resources:M&J TireCraft Tillsonburgh websiteConnect with Jason:LinkedInLet's connect:LinkedInFacebookEmail: mopodcast@autotraining.net

Mary Kelly joins us today to give a mini masterclass on how to be more effective throughout our days, increase productivity, and retain our internal customers.Mary is a High-performer and a Super-achiever. Wrote, co-authored, and edited over 15 business, leadership, productivity, and personal finance books. She is a Motivational Leadership Speaker and Growth Business Consultant. Mary served over 21 years in the Navy and retired as a Commander with specialties in HR, Logistics, Intelligence, and Security.Mary holds a P.h.D in Economics, a master's degree in History, and another in Economics. She is considered the 16th most influential economist and a top 50 Keynote Speaker. She has been quoted in The Wall Street Journal, Money Magazine, and Mensa, to name a few.In this episode, Mary shares some valuable tips for turning ourselves into high-achievers and going through our daily tasks more effectively. She highlights the importance of creating tiny habits, occupying our dead time, and using it for other things. We also talk about internal customer retention and what we can effectively do to guarantee they feel valued, appreciated, and content working with us.In This Episode, You Will Learn:Mary shares a bit about her background and her family of high-achievers (3:39)Mary explains the advantages of multitasking (7:27)Mary talks about why we shouldn't use our "big brain" for small tasks (11:26)Mary talks about the best ways of using the dead time (15:16)Mary goes through the importance of making our internal customers feel appreciated and valued (23:20)Mary and Kim talk about the flexible hours concept and why it is so resisted (27:12)Resources:Productive Leaders websiteBooks of Mary KellyProductive Leaders Free-resourcesConnect with Mary:LinkedInLet's connect:LinkedInFacebookEmail: mopodcast@autotraining.net

We have an inspiring, educational, and as successful in business and entrepreneurship as humble to educate us about cryptocurrency, blockchain, and how to revolutionize our company, Dr. Mark Hale.Mark is the Founder of Facepay, a company that most likely will change the payments landscape forever. He has a P.h.D in Aerospace, created four startups, and advised dozens more. Mark is also passionate about new technologies, has an eye for discovering new tendencies, and loves flying.In this episode, Mark removes cryptocurrency and blockchain's ghost mask, Scooby-Doo style, breaking it down into simple concepts and debunking the myths around them. He also explains why digital currency can prevent the expensive scams business owners deal with and why it can also eliminate the inconveniences of having the old banking system as an intermediary between businesses and customers.In addition, he shares some of the old, unproductive habits he removed from his routine and how breaking from traditional ways of doing things can change our business' direction.Some Questions I Ask:What do crypto and cars have in common? (6:21)Can you tell us what cryptocurrency is and what blockchain is? (7:59)Where do I begin if I want to be involved in crypto and take it into my business? (19:56)In This Episode, You Will Learn:A bit about Mark and his background (3:01)Mark explains what cryptocurrency and blockchain are (8:04)Mark talks about why he sees digital currency as the evolution of the traditional banking system and how can businesses benefit from it (14:02)Mark debunks the myths about cryptocurrency (18:13)Mark explains how digital currencies can help shop owners stop suffering from scams (23:08)Mark talks about the unproductive habits get got rid of (31:42)Resources:Facepay websiteFacepay LinkedInFacepay FacebookConnect with Dr. Mark:LinkedInLet's connect:LinkedInFacebookEmail: mopodcast@autotraining.net

Even if we don't realize it, and perhaps just like any other industry, the automotive space is traversed by biases that determine how we treat and expect our internal customers to be and, above all things, how we attract and retain them.In this episode, Charlene Parlett visits us to raise awareness over the importance of thinking more about diversity and inclusion when writing our hiring ads, during our daily conversations, and how we can make our businesses more appealing to the needs of the modern working class.Charlene is an Executive Coach and Speaker at the Automotive Training Institute, Managing Shareholder of IRS Assistance, and a Master Certified Business Coach and Owner of Seamless Coaching Service. She is also part of the Center for Automotive Diversity, Inclusion & Advancement (CADIA), an organization created to promote inclusion and diversity in the automotive industry, help minorities advance in their careers, and reach C-Suite level positions.Throughout our conversation, Charlene explained the multiple benefits of thinking more inclusively and using this skill to attract the perfect fit for our business and create a space where internal customers can offer their best version and decide to build a career. We also discuss parental leaves, religious holidays, how to attract younger people to the industry, and much more.In This Episode, You Will Learn:Why it is crucial to understand the role of inclusion and diversity in our business growth and evolution (2:04)Charlene talks about why she joined CADIA and the work they perform (4:13)Charlene talks about some of the automotive industry's most common biases (8:45)Charlene talks about how society shifted how they see parenting and the industry's need to adapt to it (10:11)Charlene shares an exciting idea on internal customers and transportation (16:19)Charlene talks about flexible schedules and how companies should think about it (24:10)Charlene explains how to write appealing ads to attract the right people to work with us (31:51)Resources:CADIA websiteCharlene Parlett's blogConnect with Charlene:LinkedInLet's connect:LinkedInFacebookEmail: mopodcast@autotraining.net

Joining us today is Matt Barnes to talk about the benefits of empowering internal customers, removing the fear of failing, and being aware of our state of mind at work.Matt is the Owner and Operator of B&B Automotive and Superior Auto Service in Bryan, Texas.In this episode, we travel to the land where everything's bigger to learn about Matt's unique perspective on leading a business. Throughout our conversation, Matt shared his thoughts on the importance of bringing the right energy to work, empowering internal customers, and working hard to create a space where failure is allowed and accepted as part of any process. He also talks about the lessons he got from getting rid of an unproductive habit and the importance of remaining calm when things go South and everyone starts panicking.In This Episode, You Will Learn:Matt talks about how leaving an unproductive habit benefited him and his business (5:01)Matt talks about the importance of leaving personal problems aside when it's show time (6:11)Matt explains how to deal with the hard-to-swallow-pill of failing (9:41)Matt explains how he manages to remain calm in critical situations (14:38)Matt shares a concrete example of how empowering internal customers translated into more revenue (17:27)Resources:B&B Automotive Services websiteSuperior Auto Service websiteConnect with Matt:LinkedInLet's connect:LinkedInFacebookEmail: mopodcast@autotraining.net

Aden McDonnell joins us today to talk about how rebranding and becoming the CEO of his businesses transformed his life.Aden owns two companies, McDonnell's ATS (Automatic transmission Specialists) and GOS Performance, and ran a third business, Destroked, a machine shop in Denver where he managed the sales and tech support. He rebranded and now operates his businesses under the umbrella of Greybeard Automotive.In this episode, Aden reveals what made him decide to rebrand without worrying about losing his clients or starting all over again. We discuss the importance for business owners to realize that just as they do, their brands, logos, and business can change and evolve with time. Aden talks about the book reading practice he turned into a habit in his company and the positive impacts of creating and maintaining the tradition of meeting with his team weekly to discuss the books they read.We also talk about Aden's transition from business owner to CEO; he shares his thoughts on how liberating it is to create responsible leaders and delegate and how he uses his freedom to focus on strategic parts of the business.Some Questions I Ask:You recently had a transition in your business name. You've had a few different divisions of your business. So why don't we explain a little bit about what those are and what you were doing? And then why did we have to come up with a name change? (2:43)Can you talk about that book reading a little bit and explain that to our listeners? (12:55)In This Episode, You Will Learn:Aden talks about his three businesses and the services they provide (3:56)Why we must overcome the fear of rebranding and changing our business' name (6:39)Later never happens. Why we must take care of things as they come up (11:19)Aden talks about how he found time to work more ON his business and less IN it (16:08)Aden shares advice for business and shop owners (24:48)Resources:Greybeard Automotive websiteGreybeard Automotive InstagramGreybeard Automotive FacebookLet's connect:LinkedInFacebookEmail: mopodcast@autotraining.net