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Financial Tune-up: Budgeting Tips and Financial Advice for Shop Owners with Hunt Demarest

Release Date: 12/16/2024

Financial Tune-up: Budgeting Tips and Financial Advice for Shop Owners with Hunt Demarest

The Brake Room

On today’s episode of The Brake Room, host Lucinda is joined by Hunt Demarest, Senior Accountant at Paar, Melis, & Associates who specializes in automotive repair shops. Lucinda and Hunt discuss how to properly budget, systems and tools that Hunt recommends for managing and tracking financials and how to maintain accuracy, as well as how a shop owner can analyze and improve their profitability and the financial risks often associated with the auto repair shop industry. Tune in now! Show notes: 00:00 - Introduction to Hunt Demarest 00:35 - Budgeting advice for shop owners 4:15 - What...

Road to Prosperity: Auto Repair Shop Success Stories with David Anderson and Edgar Leon

The Brake Room

On today’s episode of The Brake Room, host Lucinda is joined by David Anderson, Owner of Anderson Automotive and Edgar Leon, Founder of Aurora AutoPros. David and Edgar chat about the success of their auto shop, how ShopPros has played a role in that success, as well as the other key decisions they made that has led to the continued success of Anderson Automotive and Auroro AutoPros. Tune in now! Show notes: 00:00 - Introduction to David and Edgar 5:30 - Common signs that a shop is not meeting his full potential and how do you diagnose the root cause? 10:45 - How important is customer...

Digital Drive-Thru: Software Solutions to Keep Your Auto Repair Shop in the Fast Lane with Amber Wright

The Brake Room

On today’s episode of The Brake Room, host Lucinda is joined by Amber Wright, Director of Partnerships at AutoLeap. AutoLeap is a cloud-based auto repair software that helps you turbocharge your auto shop. The two chat about the history of AutoLeap, what factors shop owners should consider when choosing software for their shop, as well as the main benefits of what AutoLeap can provide for shop owners and what the software looks like in action. Tune in now! Show notes: 00:00 - Introduction to Amber Wright 1:25 - A brief history of AutoLeap 6:10 - What factors should shop owners consider when...

Driving Loyalty: How Auto Repair Shops Can Excel at Customer Experience with Alex Vaillancourt

The Brake Room

On today’s episode, host Lucinda is joined by Alex Vaillancourt, third generation Owner of True Centre Auto Service in North Bay, Ontario. Lucinda and Alex chat about Alex’s transition to ownership of True Centre as well as the importance of customer reviews, the types of best practices to encourage said reviews, as well as what Alex and his staff does at True Centre to increase customer loyalty and satisfaction. Tune in now! Show notes: 00:00 - Introduction to Alex Vaillancourt 3:00 - The importance of customer reviews in the auto repair industry 4:45 - How to encourage customers to leave...

Accelerate Efficiency: Optimizing Your Shop’s Workflow with Bill Haas

The Brake Room

On today’s episode, host Lucinda sits down with Bill Haas, President and Owner of Haas Performance Consulting. Using his over 40 years experience in the automotive service and repair industry, Bill specializes in identifying a shop’s areas of inefficiency and helping shop owners make the necessary adjustments. The two chat about what Haas Performance Consulting does for their clients, the primary factors that drive efficiency, as well as what he thinks is the leading cause of a shop’s inefficiency. Tune in now! Show notes: 00:00 - Introduction to Bill Haas and how he started Haas...

Cybersecurity Roadmap: Keeping Your Auto Repair Shop Safe From Hackers with Donny Seyfer

The Brake Room

On today’s episode, host Lucinda is joined by Donny Seyfer, Executive Officer at the National Automotive Security Task Force. Donny is an expert in cybersecurity for auto repair shop owners and the two of them discuss some of the current cybersecurity issues that shops face, how Donny got involved in the cybersecurity world, what shop owners need to be aware of and how they can protect themselves, as well as tips for shop owners who feel like their cybersecurity measures may be lacking. Tune in now! Show notes: 00:00 - Introduction to Donny Seyfer and 1:50 - What are some of the issues...

Smart Shops: Changing Trends and Leveraging Technology with Scott & Bruce Eccles

The Brake Room

On today’s episode, father and son duo Bruce and Scott Eccles join host Lucinda to discuss the changing trends and new technology in the auto repair shop industry. They chat about the emergence of EVs and whether or not every car on the road will eventually be an EV, as well as how new technology has changed the customer experience, and the importance of educating customers on products and cars that are new to the market. Tune in now! Show notes: 00:00 - Introduction to Scott and Bruce Eccles 00:55 - What are the key industry trends that shop owners should be aware of? 4:30 - Examples of new...

Revving Up Success: The Keys to Building a High Performance Team with Bogi Lateiner and Shaun Peet

The Brake Room

On today’s episode, host Lucinda is joined by Bogi Lateiner and Shaun Peet. The three chat about what it takes to build a high performance winning team including how to recruit and keep the best talent, how to build trust with your employees, as well as the key factors that every business owner in the auto repair industry should know. Tune in now! Show notes: 00:00 - Introduction to Bogi and Shaun 00:30 - Strategies to use to recruit the best talent 5:10 - What are the key elements to retaining top talent 11:45 - Building trust and respect through authenticity with your employees 17:45 - Key...

Under the Hood: Building a Thriving Culture with Greg Marchand

The Brake Room

In the first ever episode of The Brake Room, host Lucinda is joined by Greg Marchand, COO of ShopPros. The two sit down to discuss all things culture including how to identify when your business has issues with culture, how to properly influence great company culture, creating the best environment for your employees, as well as the foundations of great culture. Tune in now! Show notes: 00:00 - Introduction to Greg Marchand 1:00 - How to identify issues within your company culture 6:15 - How to properly influence good culture once those issues are identified 11:25 - How do you create an...

Welcome to The Brake Room

The Brake Room

Welcome to The Brake Room, driven by ShopPros - the podcast that accelerates your automotive shop's success! If you’re an automotive shop owner looking to stay ahead of the curve, you’re in the right place. Each week, we dive into the heart of the automotive industry with insightful interviews from top industry experts and successful shop owners. From the latest trends to best practices, we’re here to give you the tools and knowledge to drive your business forward. Hit the brakes on uncertainty and shift into high gear with The Brake Room – where great automotive minds meet. Join...

More Episodes

On today’s episode of The Brake Room, host Lucinda is joined by Hunt Demarest, Senior Accountant at Paar, Melis, & Associates who specializes in automotive repair shops.

Lucinda and Hunt discuss how to properly budget, systems and tools that Hunt recommends for managing and tracking financials and how to maintain accuracy, as well as how a shop owner can analyze and improve their profitability and the financial risks often associated with the auto repair shop industry. Tune in now!

Show notes:

00:00 - Introduction to Hunt Demarest

00:35 - Budgeting advice for shop owners

4:15 - What types of systems and/or tools does Hunt recommend to manage financials

5:50 - Tips from Hunt on how to maintain accuracy and efficiency when managing financials

8:10 - How can a shop owner analyze and improve their profitability?

18:50 - What types of financial risks does Hunt see in the auto repair shop industry and how can shop owners mitigate those risks?

28:55 - Final thoughts from Hunt

Find Hunt Demarest on:

Website: https://paarmelis.com/

Podcast: https://paarmelis.com/business-by-the-numbers/

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