Hosted by Kim Hickey · 🇺🇸 US · EN · 135 episodes
Established thought leaders with verified media credentials.
Maximum Octane is the high-performance podcast for automotive shop owners ready to accelerate their leadership, culture, and profitability. Hosted by industry veterans Kim Hickey and Jason Patel from Automotive Training Institute (ATI), each episode takes you under the hood of the nation's most successful auto repair shops to uncover the tools, tactics, and mindset shifts fueling next-level results. This season, Maximum Octane brings raw, real conversations from ATI SuperConference 2025 in Hawaii—featuring shop owners who are transforming their businesses by investing in what matters most: people, process, and purpose. From using Digital Vehicle Inspections (DVIs) to create superfans and elevate trust, to building training-first cultures that unlock loyalty, growth, and long-term success, these are the stories that inspire action. The season explores the shift from technician to technologist, the power of structure and team leadership, and the innovative thinking driv
Kim Hickey hosts Maximum Octane, a business show with 135 episodes published.
Plenty of shop owners walk in with a big heart and walk out with a struggling business, convinced that charging fairly and taking care of people are opposites. This episode breaks that myth down piece by piece, showing w
Most shop owners complain about finding technicians but do nothing to fix it. They ask, "Do you have ten fingers?" Get a yes, and hire them tomorrow. No interview, no vetting, no onboarding. Just panic. Lisa Coyle heard
Ninety percent of third-generation businesses fail. It sounds like a doom-and-gloom stat, and it should. But Dan Garlock didn't treat it that way. When his dad said second-generation businesses fail at a super high rate,
Your team reads your body language before they hear your words. A bad morning, a lost deal, traffic on the way to work. It takes one thing to set the tone for the entire day, and suddenly your frustration becomes your te
Shop owners know Q1 is slow. So they wait until December to panic and throw money at ads, which is the exact opposite of what works. While most shops treat marketing like an emergency room visit, the ones pulling ahead a
There are four core aspects of business development in auto repair: in-person, email, phone, and social selling. In-person relationships will always matter most, but they only scale so far. Harris Fanaroff, founder and C
Most shop owners think their hiring problem is a technician shortage. According to Matthew Strom, founder of AutoShop Media, the real issue is visibility, messaging, and how shops present themselves in a crowded market.
Most shop owners do not fail at marketing because they lack effort. They fail because their efforts have no clear purpose behind them. According to Carrie-Lynn Rodenberg, CEO and founder of Turnkey Marketing, effective m
Most shop owners open their doors because they want to fix what was broken in the last place they worked. But once the dust settles, many realize they built themselves a job, not a business. According to Brian Hammond, o
Most shop owners think their biggest challenges are parts, staffing, or car count. According to David Boyd, CEO of Call Inbound, the real problems often hide in places you cannot see: dropped calls, unclear expectations,
Most auto shops know they need marketing, but few understand what customers actually base their decisions on. According to Travis Bickham, Chief Commercial Officer at Shopmonkey, the biggest threat to a shop isn’t compet
Technology has changed everything about the service advisor role, but it has not replaced the one thing that matters most: people. In this episode of Maximum Octane, Kim Hickey and Jason Patel sit down with Michelle Wood
When leadership breaks down, processes fall apart fast. But rebuilding doesn’t start with systems. It starts with people. In this episode of Maximum Octane, Kim Hickey and Jason Patel sit down with Chris Darmody, General
Many shop owners know they need marketing, but too often they get stuck thinking about it instead of doing it. Between SEO, social media, websites, and ads, it’s easy to fall into analysis paralysis; spending so much tim
Trigger Warning: This episode contains open and personal discussion about suicide, grief, and mental health. In the automotive industry, we never hesitate to buy the latest equipment or the right tool for the job. But wh
What does it really take to build a business from scratch when you don’t have a roadmap? For Josh Oberlander, the answer has been equal parts grit, trial and error, and the discipline to keep sharpening himself along the
What if you could transform every first-time customer into a loyal fan who tells everyone they know about your shop? According to Bruce Nation, owner of Westlake Independent Automotive in Southern California, the key lie
What would it take for you to finally let go of the death grip on your business? For Connor Tracy, it took two flaming cars, a smashed customer vehicle, and missing his son’s homecoming photos. In this episode of Maximum
What happens when your shop's future depends on more than just hustle? In this episode of Maximum Octane, Kim Hickey and Jason Patel sit down with ATI President Ron Greenman for a masterclass on succession planning, lead
What if everything you built over decades hinged on just a few key decisions and a whole lot of grit? In this episode of Maximum Octane, hosts Jason Patel and George Zeeks sit down with Gilda Dyckman to hear the incredib
Sam Richter
Hall of Fame keynote speaker, bestselling author, sales intelligence and AI expert
1 appearance on this show
Harris Fanaroff
founder and CEO · Linked Revenue
1 appearance on this show
David Boyd
Long Term Care · Village of Riverside Glen
1 appearance on this show
Lee Anderson
Deputy Group CEO · Lebern Group
1 appearance on this show
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Maximum Octane is hosted by Kim Hickey. The show is categorised under business (education) and has published 135 episodes.
Maximum Octane has published 135 episodes.
Maximum Octane regularly covers business, education, self improvement. It sits in the business category, with a education focus.
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Maximum Octane hasn't explicitly signalled guest openness in recent episodes. That doesn't rule out pitching. your hook just needs to be especially compelling and relevant to their recent content.
Episodes of Maximum Octane average 38 minutes. a focused format where a clear narrative arc and tight preparation matter most.
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