My marketing before and after signing up with Turnkey Marketing is pretty scary. In a good way. Get your marketing right today HERE

Tekmetric opened my eyes to just how much a good SMS will do for a shop. Their software is top of the line, and with them, so is my shop. Try them for yourself HERE

Make your techs happier with Detect Auto. They'll stop getting "check noise" or "check vibration" from advisors with the customer concern tool. It will CHANGE YOUR LIFE. Book a demo HERE

AI for Shop Owners: Open the Hood of the Future is happening June 12-13 at Carfix in Raleigh, NC. Use AI to your advantage! Register HERE

Today, Mike Allen is joined by Eric Merchant and Andrew Klement to talk about Eric's recent shop expansion and how Andrew has found IMMEDIATE success with free diag. Yes, he pays he techs, he just doesn't charge the customer for the diag. Don't get your panties in a wad!

Timestamps:
00:00 The Free Diag Debate: Paying Techs and Shop Owner Risks
00:53 Live from Ignite 2026: Scottsdale (or “Snotsdale”) and Shop Size Rivalries
02:58 Landing Airplanes on Shops & Zeb the Legend
05:46 Meet Andrew: Quitting a Job & Opening His Own Shop
07:58 Used Alignment Machine Drama & DIY Repair Stories
10:00 The Swingline Stapler Mystery – Office Space Reference Exposed
12:11 Barrett-Jackson Recap and Shop Marketing Tactics
14:13 Paying Techs Fairly, Navigating Free Diag, & Owner Lessons Learned
16:32 Charity Work & Community Service: Shop Owner Outreach
18:53 YouTube Fame from Contractor Nightmares
21:26 Confession Call-Ins and Vanity Phone Number Strategies
31:43 Bonus: Crushing Spirits at the Elite Pro Service Racing Challenge
32:56 Alignment Maintenance Advice & $14K in Equipment Headaches
35:14 Wrapping Up: Shop Ownership is Never Boring