Garage Owners Network (UK)

Andrew Crook

My mission is to help garage owners become more successful in business. Every week I host a 15-minute training topic inside one of the 5 pillars of running a successful independent garage business. Planning, Finance, Performance, Systems & Marketing

  1. Are you confusing these two words - Price & value

    APR 15

    Are you confusing these two words - Price & value

    After suggesting garages increase labour rates in line with inflation, the response was immediate: “If you raise prices, you must add value.” But are we confusing two completely different words — price and value? In this Training Topic, Andy breaks down why they are not the same thing. Using practical examples, he explains three types of value every garage owner should understand: utility value (usefulness), perceived value (Hormozi’s value equation), and enterprise value (business worth). If pricing conversations make you uncomfortable, this episode will help you think more clearly.

    17 min
  2. Control the Cause not the the Consequence - Leading or Lagging Metrics

    MAR 26

    Control the Cause not the the Consequence - Leading or Lagging Metrics

    Most garage owners manage their business like they manage their weight — they step on the scales, don’t like the number, and hope it improves next month. If you are only measuring lagging metrics, they can only tell you what has already happened. In this episode, Andy explains why you need both leading and lagging data. Leading metrics are the controllable inputs, your daily behaviours. Just like weight loss doesn’t change by staring at the scales, business performance doesn’t change by staring at turnover.It changes when you improve the inputs that drive it. And the real breakthrough? Feedback frequency.Faster feedback provides more opportunities to discover what drives your business. Stop weighing your business. Start training it every day.

    17 min
  3. Return on Investment

    MAR 18

    Return on Investment

    You’ve seen the ads: “Add an MOT bay from only £15 per day.” In this episode, I explain why that number is simply a marketing trick— and why you should include opportunity cost in your ROI calculations. Using a realistic 3-bay garage example, we will reveal the number of MOT’s you may need to do every day just to stand still. Then I will tackle the “failures will pay for it” argument—breaking down why MOT failures can create risk, not return, for garages who need to do more, better, before additional. Join me to find out why the MOT dream is possibly a chaos generator.

    14 min
  4. Get Comfortable Being Uncomfortable

    MAR 11

    Get Comfortable Being Uncomfortable

    Most garages aren’t stuck because they don’t know what to do. They’re stuck because they won’t do what it takes. You are not being held back by the market, money, methods, or models. You’re being held back by you. And if you want to grow, you need to learn to do one thing: Get comfortable being uncomfortable. Because growth lives on the other side of discomfort

    18 min
  5. Why Your Social Media Content Fails & How to Fix it

    MAR 4

    Why Your Social Media Content Fails & How to Fix it

    Most micro-businesses have a sales level need. They need more cash flowing through their business.There are only two ways to make this happen: More sales or Higher Sales Values Attracting more of the right customers means more sales and potentially higher sales values. That’s why marketing matters; the problem most small businesses face is that they don’t know how to create content that converts into customers. They know they should put stuff out there, but what, and where? This framework works across all social media platforms, and it helps businesses think differently about the content they create.

    15 min
  6. Sustainabilty-how to build a business that goes on and on

    FEB 25

    Sustainabilty-how to build a business that goes on and on

    This training Topic is all about sustainability... but not in the “save the planet” way, but in the energizer bunny kind of way. I mean a business that can keep going, on and on. A garage that can still make money, still serve customers, still find staff, still fix cars... for years and years. A business that can continue in perpetuity.

    17 min
  7. Black Box Thinking - How Selection Bias & Vanity metrics prevent improvement

    FEB 18

    Black Box Thinking - How Selection Bias & Vanity metrics prevent improvement

    High-performing industries don’t fear failure — they study it. In this Training Topic, we apply Black Box Thinking to the independent garage sector, revealing why common metrics like NPS and online reviews often tell only part of the story. You’ll learn why: The customers who don’t complain matter most Silence is often a stronger signal than criticism Real progress comes from studying failure without blame This is a must-listen for garage owners who want fewer comebacks, stronger systems, and decisions based on reality — not reassurance.

    13 min
  8. Profit Centres. The Work or the Shop?

    FEB 4

    Profit Centres. The Work or the Shop?

    For decades, independent garages have built their businesses on two profit centres: the work and the shop. Labour and parts. But this mindset traps garages in low-value thinking, price comparison, and discount-driven decisions that undermine profitability. In this training topic, we break the myth wide open. You’ll discover how labour and parts become commodities in today’s market — and why neither of them represents what customers actually buy. Instead, we shift perspective to the only lens that matters: the customer’s. Using the Money Model Method, we demonstrate how garages can move beyond selling tasks and components to start selling outcomes. If you want to stop competing on price, raise your labour rate confidently, deliver the correct service every time, and transform your workshop from a “work & shop” mindset to an outcome-driven business model — this topic is essential listening.

    16 min
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About

My mission is to help garage owners become more successful in business. Every week I host a 15-minute training topic inside one of the 5 pillars of running a successful independent garage business. Planning, Finance, Performance, Systems & Marketing

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