‘Court’-ing Disaster
I just returned to the shop after what felt like the longest three hours of my life. I spent the afternoon in Small Claims Court, and while fascinating — the same kind of fascination that won’t allow you to look away when trains collide, planes fall out of the sky or fast-moving brush fires head
What Happens in Vegas, Shouldn’t Stay in Vegas…
I just returned home from Industry Week in Las Vegas. I know…This is where you say, “Tough Duty!” And, I reply, “Yeah, but somebody’s got to do it!” I should mention that I wear almost as many hats in Vegas as I do at the shop, so Industry Week isn’t just “walking” the Show, though
What About Them?
There is a lot going on around us. Perhaps, more than ever before. Or, perhaps, we are just more aware of what’s going on around us because of the constant and inescapable tide of information that’s quickly rising around our ears! Don’t misunderstand. I’m not one of those guys who longs for the past while
Salvaging Relationships
At this time last night, I was sitting in the same chair in front of the same computer working on a different column: a column you will probably get to see a month from now or maybe even the month after that. Not because it isn’t as important as what I feel compelled to write
Learned Optimism: Riding the ‘Best to Worst’ Pendulum
The concept of optimism is best defined in terms of who we are, where we’ve been, where we are in our lives at this moment in time and where we believe the odyssey we’ve embarked upon is likely to take us. The first element of such a definition is that the world in which we
Managing Charges in Times of Great Change
‘That Mechanic Thing’ With the precision of a crack military unit, my wife and daughter appeared in the shop’s driveway at exactly eleven hundred hours as planned. My wife was there to pick up our daughter, our daughter was there to drop off her vehicle for “regular” service — “regular” in the sense she is
Mitch’s World: Left Handed Compliments…Reflections on Quality Service — A Shop’s Cornerstone
Too Good To Be True I suppose when you do what we do, you should learn to accept a compliment graciously without questioning its intent, regardless of when or how that compliment is offered. After all, it isn’t every day someone manages to commend you for everything you’ve spent a lifetime working to accomplish in
Mitch’s World: Too Good to be True
It was a dark and stormy night…” I know you should never start a piece with a lead sentence like this, but it was a “dark and stormy night” in the nightmare that abbreviated a restless evening’s sleep just a few hours ago. It was really dark, and it was really stormy, and I was
Mitch’s World: Taxi Cab Confessions
I travel a lot. Certainly, more than most of the shop owners I know. I wish I didn’t have to, but it has become a big part of what I do. I wish all the trips were to exciting and exotic vacation destinations, but in all honesty, they aren’t. Virtually every one of them is
Mitch’s World: A Tale to Wag the Dog
I don’t know why some of our life experiences are indelibly etched in our individual or collective subconscious forever? I don’t know what causes those images to reappear when they do, or why. And when they do emerge, they are every bit as vivid and powerful as they were when they first occurred. I do
Mitch’s World: Stuck in First…
This isn’t going to be a long diatribe about something that happened in the shop yesterday or the day before. It isn’t going to be another rant about customers who don’t understand or suppliers who don’t care. This column is about today. Perhaps, more important, it is about tomorrow. This column is all about you.
Mitch’s World: Shifting Into Second
This isn’t going to be a long diatribe about something that happened in the shop yesterday or the day before. It isn’t going to be another rant about customers who don’t understand or suppliers who don’t care. This column is about today. Perhaps, more important, it is about tomorrow. This column is all about you.