LIFT Your Shop
72 - How This 2,000 SQ-FT Auto Shop Does $460k A Month
What if the biggest thing holding your auto repair shop back isn’t your building, your bay count, or even your pricing—but the way you serve the customer? In this episode of the LIFT Your Shop Podcast , Kelsey sits down with Charlie Zlatkos of Pleasant Car Care and Auto Hospitality Group to talk about how a hospitality-first approach has helped transform the way his shops operate and grow. Charlie shares his journey from working in gas station repair shops to building a highly successful automotive business—and the processes that helped him get there. They dive into what it really means to create an exceptional customer experience, including why Charlie believes in “saying yes,” how his team walks customers through repairs without overwhelming them, why transparency builds trust, and how better systems can dramatically increase what a shop is capable of producing. In this episode, you’ll hear about: Charlie’s journey from Greece to building his own auto repair business How a small shop can produce surprisingly big numbers Why inspecting every vehicle is so important The “Moneyball” approach to presenting repairs and maintenance Why overwhelming customers with a huge estimate can backfire How shop tours and transparency help build customer trust Why great service can support higher pricing Charlie’s philosophy of “Yes is the answer. What is the question?” How staffing, processes, and technology make saying yes possible Why AI should create more time for human interaction , not replace it The importance of clean, organized shops and a strong customer experience Why discipline and consistency matter just as much as having the right process Charlie also shares real examples from his shops—including how one small location reached a $460,000 month and how another location grew from roughly $135,000 per month to approaching $900,000 in a month while operating from essentially the same footprint. Whether you’re trying to increase revenue, improve your customer experience, strengthen your processes, or simply understand how much potential your existing shop may have, this conversation offers a different way to think about growth. Learn more about LIFT Auto Repair Marketing: https://liftautorepairmarketing.com/ Learn more about Charlie’s approach and Auto Shop Answers: https://autoshopanswers.com/ If you enjoyed this episode, like, subscribe, and follow the LIFT Your Shop Podcast for more conversations with leaders across the automotive industry.
