Garage owner · Trainer · Mentor
I was one of you.
I’m not a consultant who read a book about garages. I owned them, ran them, made every mistake going, and eventually worked out how to do it properly.
Whether you’re interested in filling your service bays with your ideal customers, putting in proven systems that make the business far more productive, building a team of superstar advisors and technicians, or simply understanding exactly where your numbers need to be – I’ll help you get there.
Better still, I’ll do it in a way that has a positive effect on your employees, your customers, your community and our industry.
How I got here
It started with a Ford Fiesta van.
I started with a Ford Fiesta van and a loan my father-in-law guaranteed, because nobody else was going to.
I’ve been in this trade for over forty years and I’ve owned and managed garages since 1994. In 2001 I won the National Independent Garage of the Year. I sold those businesses in 2005, took a diploma at Loughborough, and spent a few years consulting.
Then in 2010 I did it all again. Brunswick Garage: purpose-built, fourteen thousand square feet. I sold it in 2015.
I made every mistake you are making, twice over. I undercharged for years. I worked six days a week and still couldn’t have told you where the money went. I fixed it eventually – it just took far longer than it needed to. That’s the part I’d like to save you.
What I believe
- You are entitled to a profit. One that reflects the risk of putting your own name over the door.
- We've been underpriced for fifty years. Not by customers. By ourselves.
- Perception is reality. Your customer can't judge the repair. They judge everything around it.
- A complaint is a gift. Most unhappy customers don't complain. They just don't come back.
- Look after your team first. Then they'll look after your customers. Not the other way round.
Credentials
Where I've come from
I have a strong grounding in Lean and Kaizen, which is where the continuous improvement side of what I teach comes from.
In practice, that means helping garages remove waste, improve the way work flows through the workshop and measure what matters – productivity, utilisation and overall efficiency. More time with a spanner in hand, fewer lost hours and a business that improves every day.
- 1994
- Owning and managing garages
- 2001
- National Independent Garage of the Year - finalist in 1999
- 2007
- Diploma in Automotive Retail Management, Loughborough University
- 2008
- Elected Fellow of the Institute of the Motor Industry
- 5 years
- Council member and Vice President, IAAF
- 2010–2015
- Founded and ran Brunswick Garage - 14,000 sq ft, finalist 2012
- 2018
- Launched the business training courses
- 1000+
- Garages trained since
In the trade press
Where you might have seen me.
My business articles are published regularly across the automotive trade press, and I speak at industry events throughout the year – described once as “engaging, motivational and sometimes thought provoking.”
Brand partnerships
The brands that supply your workshop.
I work with some of the biggest names in the automotive aftermarket, helping them stay connected to the realities of running an independent garage. The aim is simple: better understanding between the brands developing the products and the garage folk using them every day.
These courses are a MUST DO for any garage owner wanting to better themselves, their garage and their relationship with staff and customers. I normally get a lightbulb moment on most courses I attend - on these I had multiple before lunch.
Ross Maitland · Maitland Motors, Fife