Am I going to Fail?? Announcement. I’ll be in the

46 thoughts on “Am I going to Fail?? Announcement. I’ll be in the live chat

  1. sorry I missed this vid. but I did see the demolition of the wall .
    it is always a great thing to expand due to business need.
    loved that spread sheet for the books, that was so interesting
    looking at how different things effect the bottom line of a business.
    I know that there are tons of hidden costs, with that program
    it will be so much easier to track things. do you use the hour
    estimate book? I always wondered how accurate they really are.
    great job! keep safe, stay healthy and much luck.

  2. I've been with you since long before you left the dealership Ray (@1800 subs I think) and I'll stay as long as you keep it up. You, AvE, Hand Tool Rescue, and a few others back then inspired me to get off my butt and get my own little shop up and running. I hope all the sucess you care to handle finds you Ray; you well deserve it!

  3. I just ran across your channel. The first two years building customer base is a scary time when you open your own shop. I like your expansion plans. The best investment for my shop was a 14k four post alignment drive on rack with 7k rolling bridge jacks. With that lift it is quick to get a vehicle on and tires off to preform many tasks versus having to set up arms on a two post lift. I am not sure where you are located, but here in eastern Wyoming I get a large amount of Ford F350 and Dodge 3500 which can be a pain to set up on a two post lift. Don't get me wrong I still use both of my two post lifts for general service and cab offs. I purchased that rack as a rack alignment machine combo. You may be thinking to yourself that is a lot of money, will I see a return out of that? The answer is YES. So many big box service location are just doing oil changes and not checking out the vehicles. Brakes and front ends are not being inspected by the big box service locations. I get a lot of customers that come in and say "Can you check why my tires are wearing? I just got tires and alignment at big box location 3 months ago but my tires are wearing." Most of the big box service stores are just doing a toe and go alignment. Camber and caster was not even touched. Another thing that helped my shop greatly was Having a service advisor at the office. As a tech you can lose so much time answering phones, setting up appointments, finding parts, invoicing customers out, building workorders. If you are not turning wrenches you are not making money. If you have the right workorder platform someone with no automotive experience can adapt quickly to the system, that makes it easier for the service advisor. I would advise not to cheap out on your workorder platform. The cheaper workorder platforms are hard to use and the linking to the parts stores to check inventory in most cases is incorrect. The system I use is linked directly to the parts stores and does not have a third party in the middle. Once the customer approves workorder just click a button on computer and parts store sends their driver and no wasted time on phone calling the parts store. What I have stated worked for me here in eastern Wyoming but your vehicle platform may different where you are located. Use your best judgement. PS Whatever lift you buy DO NOT use the lift bolts provided. Purchase the longest threaded rods for your concrete depth and concrete epoxy them in. Have a good day and keep looking up.

  4. Hope you had a great Christmas and New Year with your family Ray. The extending the work shop sounds like a sensible way forward. I remember you saying that you don't have a tracking / wheel alignment lift. Maybe this is the time to add one.
    Kind regards,
    Carlo (Scotland) UK

  5. Hey Rey, I do really Enjoyed watching you show, weather I learn something or not I still watch. Keep on going, you are the Man. P S, you also have a back for story telling. Can't wait for the expansion to take place.

  6. Awesome Man!!! Keep on trucking…. be careful not to over extend. But if you got the backlog of work…. take care of those Customers!!!!
    Love the vids. Found you a year ago, looking for answers to my own shade tree mechanic problems.
    When you open a subsidiary location in Kansas I'll bring you more work…. LOL!!!!

  7. Can you get a phone that rings like were you used to work i loved it when rang and your response this is not a joke i like that im 69 and been mechanic inclined 50yrs

  8. I've never wanted to see someone succeed more than I want to see you succeed at this, Ray. Your talent is incredible in so many areas and I can't wait to see where you are in 5 years. You'll be running your own little 'Oops, Gravity Garage' empire.

  9. You're doing great and the expansion sounds like a great idea. Honest mechanics are like unicorns. Your commitment to excellence will be your key to success. Happy new year.

  10. if you build it, they will come. And hey, they keep coming. Just keep doing what you do best and don't look back or down, keep your eyes forward and have a very happy new year. i'll be watching

  11. I never had a single doubt about you starting your own business…none whatsoever! I think it's great that the Wife Unit is so involved & I think she has greatly added to your success. But what really amazes me is how busy you already are…I knew you would be after awhile but it seems like you opened for business and things really took off from there which is great! Plus you're already expanding!!! Thanks for bringing all of us along for the ride…I love watching you work as well as seeing your family there too!

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