b¤>j”Ó)Î„þ¿!P±±ûÆîÔ«Èø&éÞö;Ä"k‰°B›Þ¶Ü}°ªèëè™òœ€âÍp²SVT‘(wŠºÄ™µ!jêáþÕî®ÓÖ õ†x¦;õ-m€¼@JÐýönQ+¦¤îÕºÁ¢×›âÉ7æMa»jf…J‘×Í±4j¡ªþÑ²Øæ’†R· x¢ZMzù7vªIW‹‚ã¦/dêçÙž¸Ð¢×–íƒcˆZM~»ji ß’þösQz¬µû×ñÔ °ØDW¬Ž3çDe‘n"ÄùMÂè½+/ÿåéÝà™í•ÚBéÓ:û-²uÄùIJ’é´7j±å§”ûŽð’‹9íÚpä=ï'mŠùANÂÞ£=/êáøÍî™ñßÒBéÓ:û-·n&—°À’ôúnUf± ô×õ˜çÚÒq¬Šx¢ZM~»cµÏ¹ì»+,&ëåá¾ºÜ¢ÓÒF[¬Ž(ã1ú*"Ùù Ï’¥ò"J‘–ÓûÔ§¦ƒ“ãË<Ì;Æb"À²‡×ë·"jëþ”ºÜ¢ÓÒF[åÌxª ,ë!qÌýÒ›â·*]/à¢ÿÀØñš‘2âÌ7 SMc¦s"‚¸ÎÞDQ/âåº”ºÜ¢ÓÒF_üË!î:»s"‡¶ ƒÓý·7`£¡¶”¾—çŠÞFíÆ+çSVT»n"ÄùIJ‹Š‡önQ/âåº”ÿŠãŸÚBíÓ4í w D"ÄùIJ‹×³-`â¦õÐÿÔÂ‡S¨Î9öDr»ji EJß…ø³gJâåº”çÜçŸ[÷ x¢ZM~»n"¿IBØƒÿ¦!'æ¡ûÀûÐ¢Ñ•ÎË+ëõ(mÆðIK–Ê°/|§ìºÏÜ¢ÓÒF[¬Šx¢ZMzÄG·Š %å¬©¦/c¤þúû‘ç®Ò[[ïÅ<çRI:ú:cÈùMÎŽ¡ö:z§ì¡¾ºÜ¢ÓÒF[¬×R¢ZM~æD{"id":6231,"date":"2017-02-23T14:56:06","date_gmt":"2017-02-23T19:56:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/199.250.217.132\/~fixhyb5\/fixhybrid-new\/?p=6231"},"modified":"2017-02-23T14:56:06","modified_gmt":"2017-02-23T19:56:06","slug":"for-the-over-60-shop-owner-janfeb-blog-2017","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fixhybrid.com\/?p=6231","title":{"rendered":"For the Over 60 Shop Owner ..February Blog 2017"},"content":{"rendered":"

$\"Those$ <\/p>\n

Deb and I are in our mid 60\u2019s born 18 days apart. I am older by about 2 weeks, so that makes me wiser, right? OK, enough BS already. Deb and I have lunch together most days at home, which is a short walk from the office. The conversation turned to male shop owners over 60 and the frustration they feel in today\u2019s world. Deb and I both get that. I ran my independent Honda \/ Toyota shop from 1977 to 2004. One shop owner said \u201cWhile I am looking at a car and putting an estimate together these young kids are price shopping me on their phone in the waiting room\u201d. Another mature owner \u201cFewer shop owners join trade associations and show up to meetings\u201d. Still another \u201cI feel all alone and I am making less money than before\u201d or \u201cDealerships are taking away our customers\u201d. I have been accused recently of \u201cgetting out of the business so why should I (meaning me) promote it?\u201d \u00a0Let\u2019s address this and find a solution or two.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

1.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Send me a note and I will write up a policy sheet (free) that explains the relationship between the shop and customer<\/p>\n

2.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I still believe that a shop owner should be a member of the local trade association and volunteer, but if money is tight or you don\u2019t have an association then consider this:<\/p>\n

a.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Start an over 60 shop owners club<\/p>\n

i.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Membership is free<\/p>\n

ii.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Meet at a shop and rotate the meetings<\/p>\n

iii.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Talk about the stuff that drives you crazy<\/p>\n

iv.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Look for solutions<\/p>\n

v.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Don\u2019t break the law and talk prices<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

3.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Why did I close my shop in 2004? ACDC was doing well. I was raising two boys and Deb was stuck at home with them too often. I also fell in love with hybrids and out of love with gas cars. It was never about the money, it was about the one life I have to live and what was important to me.<\/p>\n

I encourage people to give their best and stay in the game, their game, whatever that is for them. If you are done running your shop, then do something else. You don\u2019t have to prove to anyone else or yourself that staying in business is a must. But if you are in the auto repair industry, do it well and find a way to stay positive. It is your shop and you have the final say in how it runs.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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