Rick White tells auto shop owners how routines become invisible traps. Your hiring process, team meetings, and sales strategies might have worked years ago but now waste time and money. Question what you do every week and you'll find minutes that compound into real gains.
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Good morning, everybody. It's great to have you in here today. My name is Rick White from 180 Biz, and this is my Just One Thing. What I want to talk about today is routines. Every shop has routines. You open the shop the same way, you answer the phone the same way, you greet customers the same way, you inspect vehicles the same way, you run your morning meetings the same way. That's a good thing. Because without routines you'd have chaos. But somewhere along the way, something really subtle happens. A routine that was created because it was the best way to do something over time slowly becomes the way you've always done things. And I need you to understand that those are two very, very different things. Another way to say this is it's the difference between focusing on doing things instead of focused on getting things. And that's the trap. Just because something worked before doesn't mean it's still the best way to do it. Think about your shop. How many things are you doing simply because that's the way things have always been done? Not because you've looked at them recently, not because you've compared them to other ideas, not because you've even challenged them. Simply because they became part of the routine. Isn't that true? See, that's how businesses— that's how shops stop growing. Not overnight, but one unquestioned routine, one accepted routine at a time. Actually, here's an even better way to say it: one ignored routine at a time. But here's the shift I want to share with you. The routine isn't the goal. The outcome is. The outcome is always the goal. Your routine is simply the best way you've discovered to achieve that outcome so far. Because your business changes, because your team changes, because your customers change, because technology changes. If everything around your routine changes, why would you assume the routine shouldn't change as well? So let me give you some examples of routines. Maybe 5 years ago, your hiring process worked great. Does it now? Willing to bet it doesn't. Maybe not having regular meetings with your team worked in the past. Does it now? Maybe your selling strategy fit the market you served 3 years ago. Does it fit today? Listen, I'm not saying that anything's wrong. I'm saying you don't know until you ask. That's the kicker. That's what you've got to understand first. Now, the best shop owners— here's the difference— the best shop owners aren't constantly reinventing everything. That sounds exhausting to me. They also don't assume that everything's okay, right? That's because something's working today, it's going to work forever. They stay curious. That's the difference. They keep asking questions. Like, is there a better way? Is this routine still giving me the result I want? What am I missing? Sometimes the answers don't change a thing, and that's awesome because now you know your routine is still working. Other times you're gonna discover that one small tweak that's gonna maybe save you time, make it easier, create a better customer experience, or help your team perform at a higher level. Those little improvements don't seem like much, but over time they stack up, man. They make a difference. You might have to spend a couple hours today doing it, but if it saves you 15 minutes a week, in 2 months you got that 2 hours back, and then every 15 minutes every week after that is gained time. That's amazing. So here's what I need you to understand, right? Routines are awesome. But you've got to constantly question them. You got to constantly examine them. You've got to make sure that you're not focused on doing things. You got to make sure you're focused on getting things. Because I see some shops, they focus so hard on doing something, and they feel like, if it's not getting me the result, I just gotta try harder. That's not the truth. You got to be able to step back and say, maybe there's a better way. Maybe there's another way. That's gonna help me achieve that process, that result. That's what we wanna see. So if you're having problems with this and you'd like to talk with me about that, Shannon will put a link in the comment section where you can just grab it and you'll talk with me. We'll sit down, we'll talk, no pressure. Let's see what's going on in your shop, see if I can help, my team and I can help. The other thing real quick, sign up for our advisor training. If that's something you wanna get into, today is the day. Shannon will put in our non-client link. Okay. Please click that link if you're interested and get signed up today. Now, last favor I'm going to ask, please share this video. I promise you there's somebody that needs to hear this video. So please share it. We need your help to get the word out. So in closing, I just want to say this, right? You don't have to rebuild your entire business this week. That's not what I'm suggesting. Right? You don't have to throw out every routine you have. All I'm asking you to do is stop assuming that familiar equals best. I want to say that again. I want you to stop assuming that familiar means best. See, one of the most dangerous sentences in business, in shops, is, "That's just how we've always done it." Instead, Try asking yourself, am I achieving the outcome I want? If the answer is yes, awesome, man, you've just validated your routine works. But if the answer's no, you've just found your next opportunity. Isn't that amazing? And either way you win, that's awesome because your goal isn't to protect your routines. It isn't to enforce your routines. It's to build a better business. See, the owner who grows an extremely successful shop isn't the one with all the answers. They're the ones who never stop asking better questions, because success isn't about finding the perfect way to run your shop. It's about refusing to believe you've already found it. I'm gonna say that again because I think it's really, really important. The owner who grows an extremely successful shop isn't the one with all the answers. They're the ones who never stop asking better questions. Because success isn't about finding the perfect way to run your shop, it's about refusing to believe you've already found it. And I think that's everything right there, everybody. Thank you so much. Have a great week, and I'll see you next Monday. Take care, everybody. Bye-bye.
