Repair Shop Reckoning

Kevin Brown
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Repair Shop Reckoning is the no-nonsense, hard-hitting podcast where host Kevin Brown pulls no punches in bringing you the raw truth about the collision and repair shop industry. Forget the corporate sugarcoating—this show dives into the gritty reality of what really goes on behind the scenes. Whether you’re a shop owner, a mechanic, or just someone tired of the BS, Kevin’s got the hard-earned expertise and unapologetic opinions you need. Each episode tackles the biggest issues, challenges, and game-changing tips in the industry, giving you the tools to cut through the noise and level up your shop. Buckle up—it’s time to get real. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/repair-shop-reckoning--6688688/support.

  1. Stop Guessing & Start Controlling: Budget vs P & L

    2D AGO

    Stop Guessing & Start Controlling: Budget vs P & L

    In this episode of Repair Shop Reckoning, Kevin takes the conversation beyond just understanding your numbers and gets into what actually separates profitable shops from the ones constantly feeling the squeeze. Most shop owners look at their P&L like it’s the finish line. It’s not. It’s the scoreboard of what already happened. By the time you’re looking at it, the money’s already been made or lost. This episode is about what happens before that. Kevin breaks down the real difference between a P&L and a budget, and why the budget is the tool that actually gives you control. If you’re not actively watching your costs, adjusting your pricing, and managing your numbers week to week, your profit isn’t slipping because of one big mistake… it’s getting eaten alive by a hundred small ones. Parts creep up. Labor gets inefficient. Overtime stacks. Sublet gets easier than doing it right. Advisors miss markups. Discounts get handed out. Subscriptions, insurance, and utilities quietly climb. None of it feels like a big deal in the moment, but together, they will wreck your bottom line. Kevin walks through exactly how that happens using simple, real-world numbers and shows how fast a healthy shop can turn into a struggling one without anyone realizing it. He also gets into why your front counter is the real control center of your business. If your service advisors aren’t pricing correctly, using your system properly, and understanding what the numbers need to be, your budget doesn’t stand a chance. The software won’t save you. The systems only work if your people are trained to use them. You’ll hear why: The P&L is the past and the budget is the futureSmall leaks in parts, labor, and expenses will destroy your profit faster than one big problemOvertime, discounting, and missed markups are silent killers in most shopsWhy your shop management system is either a weapon or a liability depending on how it’s usedAnd why “we’ll see how the year goes” is one of the most dangerous mindsets a shop owner can haveAt the end of the day, this isn’t about spreadsheets. It’s about control. A profitable shop isn’t built by accident. It’s built by knowing your numbers, watching them in real time, and making decisions before the P&L tells you it’s too late. If you’re still guessing, still reacting, or still hoping it all works out… this is the episode that should snap you out of it. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/repair-shop-reckoning--6688688/support.

    38 min
  2. RSR P & L and Budget Pod

    APR 10

    RSR P & L and Budget Pod

    In this episode of Repair Shop Reckoning, Kevin breaks down the difference between knowing your numbers and actually running your business with them. Too many owners look at their P&L at the end of the month and treat it like a report card. By then, the money is already spent and the decisions have already been made. This conversation is about taking that back. Kevin walks through how to use last year’s numbers as a blueprint for this year, how to build a real budget instead of guessing, and how to stop reacting to what already happened and start controlling what happens next. He also gets into the reality that a lot of owners are making more than they think, they just don’t see it because they’re pulling money out in ways that never show up cleanly on paper. Understanding that changes how you look at profit, pricing, and what your business is actually producing. You’ll hear why: -Chasing more car count is usually the wrong move -How small improvements in margins can completely change your bottom line -And why so many shops stay stuck even when they’re busy every single day. At the end of it, this comes down to one thing. A profitable shop is not built by working harder or getting busier. It’s built by turning last year’s truth into this year’s plan, controlling the leaks, and making decisions before the numbers force you to. If you don’t take control of your numbers, they will control you. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/repair-shop-reckoning--6688688/support.

    1h 54m
  3. Breaking Down The Cost Of Doing Business

    APR 3

    Breaking Down The Cost Of Doing Business

    Most shop owners don’t have a pricing problem. They have a numbers problem and it’s costing them more than they realize. In this episode, Kevin breaks down what actually happens to every dollar that comes into a shop and why so many owners are busy, working nonstop, and still wondering where the money went. Because the truth is, you can be doing millions in sales and still be losing money if you don’t understand your numbers. Kevin walks through a simple breakdown of a $100 repair order to show exactly where the money goes from the true cost of doing the work to the overhead that eats away at your margins every single month. Payroll, insurance, subscriptions, fuel, taxes… it all adds up faster than most owners realize. This isn’t theory. This is real shop math and real-world patterns that show up every single day. In this episode, we get into: • The difference between gross and net—and why most people get it wrong • Why being busy doesn’t mean you’re profitable • How overhead creep quietly destroys your margins • Fixed vs variable pay—and who’s actually carrying the risk • Why discounting jobs to make payroll is a losing game • How bad pricing decisions start before the job is ever sold • Why QuickBooks and a real shop management system are non-negotiable At the core of this episode is a hard truth too many shop owners are guessing. Guessing on pricing, guessing on margins, and guessing on what it actually costs to run their business. And when you guess long enough, it catches up to you. If you don’t know your numbers, you don’t have control. And if you don’t have control, you don’t have a business. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/repair-shop-reckoning--6688688/support.

    44 min
  4. You Don’t Have a Sales Problem… You Have a Culture Problem

    MAR 27

    You Don’t Have a Sales Problem… You Have a Culture Problem

    Everybody keeps talking about how this industry is broken. How it sucks. How you can’t make money. How technicians are leaving and shops are struggling. Here’s the truth. Yeah, there are problems. But that’s not the whole story. Because there are shops out there winning. There are technicians building real careers. There are owners creating teams, culture, and systems that actually work. And the difference isn’t luck. It’s how they run the business. In this episode of Repair Shop Reckoning, Kevin breaks down what’s really going on inside shops right now. Not from the outside looking in, but from someone who’s been in it for over 30 years. He gets into: -Why most shops don’t actually have a sales problem, they have a culture problem. -How weak processes, lack of training, and poor leadership create chaos that no amount of selling can fix. -Why customers lose trust. -Why technicians get frustrated. -And why owners stay stuck working in their business instead of building one.  And more importantly, he shows you there is a different way to do it. This isn’t about pretending the industry is perfect. It’s about understanding that if you’re willing to take ownership, build the right systems, and lead the right way, you can still win here. If you’re tired of the negativity, tired of hearing how bad it is, and you know there has to be a better way, this episode is for you. Because yeah, some days suck. But this industry is still full of opportunity. And if Kevin can do it, so can you. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/repair-shop-reckoning--6688688/support.

    1h 39m
  5. They Ignored the Trades...Now They Have to Pay for It

    MAR 20

    They Ignored the Trades...Now They Have to Pay for It

    Everybody keeps talking about the technician shortage like it just showed up out of nowhere. It didn’t. We built it. For the last 30 years, we told kids not to go into the trades. We stripped hands on training out of schools. We pushed college as the only path. Then we built workplaces that burn out the very people we depend on. And now everyone’s asking where all the good techs went. Here’s what nobody’s saying… Supply and demand has shifted. There aren’t enough skilled people, and the ones who can actually do the work are becoming more valuable by the day. That means something most people still haven’t realized. The trades are no longer the fallback option. They’re the opportunity. In this episode of Repair Shop Reckoning, Kevin zooms out and connects the dots. This is not just about mechanics. This is about a system that devalues real skill while depending on it more than ever. Kevin breaks down why the technician shortage was created, not accidental, how schools and culture steered an entire generation away from the trades, what is really happening inside dealerships and larger operations, and why good technicians are leaving while broken systems keep the wrong people in place. He also gets into what actually fixes the problem. Leadership. Training. Pay. Standards. Not talk. Not excuses. If you are a shop owner trying to build a team, a technician feeling the pressure, or a parent trying to guide your kid down the right path, this is a conversation you need to hear.  Because at the end of the day, the world still runs on people who can fix things. And the people who can are about to get paid. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/repair-shop-reckoning--6688688/support.

    1h 24m
  6. The System Said He’d Never Amount to Much...They Were Wrong

    MAR 13

    The System Said He’d Never Amount to Much...They Were Wrong

    Most people know Kevin Brown as the guy who tells it like it is. The shop owner. The operator. The guy calling out the chaos, the excuses, and the bad decisions that quietly kill shops. But this episode is different. This is the beginning of the story. In this remastered episode of Repair Shop Reckoning, Kevin sits down with his mom and dad to talk about where it all started.  The learning struggles, the behavior issues, the teachers, the testing, the medication, the farm, the trades, and the moments that shaped the way he sees the world now. Before the businesses… Before the consulting… Before the podcast… There was a kid who didn’t fit the system. A kid who struggled in school. Got bored fast. Got in trouble, and was told, directly and indirectly, that he was going to have a hard road. This episode explains how that same kid found his way through hands-on work, the farm, the trades, and an obsession with learning and eventually became a master certified technician, business owner, leader, and teacher. This is the episode that explains why Kevin is Kevin. In this episode • Kevin’s parents tell the real story of what he was like growing up • The learning struggles and school system battles that shaped him • How the farm became the turning point • Why hands-on work changed everything • The underdog story behind the voice of Repair Shop Reckoning If you’ve ever felt like you didn’t fit the system… If you’ve ever been underestimated. If you learn better with your hands than from a book. This episode is for you. Because sometimes the people who look like the biggest problem early on. Become the ones who build the most. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/repair-shop-reckoning--6688688/support.

    1h 31m
  7. Why I Switched My Shop From Flat Rate to Hourly

    MAR 6

    Why I Switched My Shop From Flat Rate to Hourly

    Flat rate worked in Kevin’s shop for years. But the world outside the shop has changed. Parts backorders. Fleet approval layers. Training the next generation of technicians. Jobs sitting in bays waiting on things nobody inside the shop can control. And when that happens, flat rate stops rewarding productivity and starts punishing the wrong people. In this episode of Repair Shop Reckoning, Kevin explains why he made the decision to move his entire shop off flat rate and onto hourly and salary pay. This isn’t a rant about pay plans. It’s a real conversation about what happens when the system around your shop creates friction you can’t control. Kevin breaks down what changed, how the team approached the transition, and why leadership, training, and procedures matter more than the pay plan itself. Because the real issue isn’t flat rate.  In this episode • Why flat rate worked for years and why it’s getting harder to make fair • How training younger technicians exposes the flaw in the flat rate system • The real impact of parts delays and fleet approval layers • Why rushing for hours hurts quality and culture • The system Kevin put in place to protect production, training, and his team If you run a shop, manage a team, or want to understand why technicians are leaving the industry, this is a conversation you need to hear. Because at the end of the day, it’s not about pay plans. It’s about running a shop that actually works. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/repair-shop-reckoning--6688688/support.

    1h 14m
  8. How To Hire A Marketing Company Without Getting Scammed Like I Did

    FEB 27

    How To Hire A Marketing Company Without Getting Scammed Like I Did

    Marketing can build your shop or quietly bankrupt it. In this episode, Kevin breaks down why most marketing promises are smoke and mirrors, and what shop owners should actually measure if they want booked work, not “impressions.” What you’ll hear in this episode • Why “impressions” are the most abused metric in marketing • The tracking question every shop must ask on every customer • Why Google Business Profile is the real local gold mine and it’s free • How to handle bad reviews without looking weak or corporate • How Kevin audits marketing so he can cut spend and increase results If you’re paying for marketing and you can’t tie it to booked work, you’re not marketing...You’re donating. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/repair-shop-reckoning--6688688/support.

    1h 4m
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About

Repair Shop Reckoning is the no-nonsense, hard-hitting podcast where host Kevin Brown pulls no punches in bringing you the raw truth about the collision and repair shop industry. Forget the corporate sugarcoating—this show dives into the gritty reality of what really goes on behind the scenes. Whether you’re a shop owner, a mechanic, or just someone tired of the BS, Kevin’s got the hard-earned expertise and unapologetic opinions you need. Each episode tackles the biggest issues, challenges, and game-changing tips in the industry, giving you the tools to cut through the noise and level up your shop. Buckle up—it’s time to get real. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/repair-shop-reckoning--6688688/support.

Information

  • Creator
    Kevin Brown
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    50
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright Kevin Brown
  • Show Website
    Repair Shop Reckoning

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