The 2017 Ratchet & Wrench Management Conference Is Over, Now What?

The Ratchet & Wrench Management Conference could be compared to a 20 Group meeting environment. Owners of some of the top auto repair shops in the United States gathered together in one place for two days of collaboration. As I fly home, I ask myself, now what? How can we take what we have learned back to our auto repair shops and apply it? What are the key takeaways, and how do we bring the energy back to our shops?

The first thing I plan to do is to re-absorb each of the sessions by watching and listening to the recordings provided by the Ratchet & Wrench Team. With industry leaders like Greg Bunch of Aspen Auto Clinic, Brian Sump of Avalon Motorsports and Urban Auto Care, and Aaron Stokes of Eurofix and Autofix, there is much to be learned and more that we can apply to our businesses. I plan to take these best practices home to my families shop ASAP!

The inspiration and collaboration was not limited to the sessions but spilled over into the roundtable discussions, hallways, and after hour events. The connections we made with top shop operators will result in continued growth until we meet again, in Chicago, next year. The relationships formed will provide each of us with the peer support needed to truly transform our industry.

As Carm Cappriatto of Remarkable results says, "Listen and learn just one thing", what are the two things you will do at your shop first? As Aaron Stokes said in his talk, focus on two things you can accomplish, and do them. The content of the conference can be overwhelming. So, write down the two things you will set your mind to accomplish. Then get started on making them a reality today.