LIFT Your Shop
70 - How Losing My Second Shop Built My 4 Shop Empire With Joe Valind
What happens when expanding to a second auto repair shop goes completely wrong? In this episode of the Lift Your Shop Podcast , Kelsey Outram sits down with Joe Valind of Auto Safety Center , a four-location auto repair business in the Greater Milwaukee area, to talk about the successes — and failures — that shaped his journey from technician to multi-shop owner. Joe's story didn't follow a perfect path. He started as a high school apprentice at the same shop he would eventually own, working his way through the industry before purchasing the business. Years later, convinced his first location had reached its potential, Joe took a chance on a second shop. It didn't work. Without the financial foundation, leadership structure, or systems needed to support another location, the expansion turned into 18 months of challenges and ultimately ended with Joe being evicted from the second location. He returned to Store 1 knowing it was a pivotal moment for the business. Instead of letting the failure define him, Joe used it to rethink how he operated, improve profitability, strengthen his team, and build the foundation he would need to eventually expand again. Today, Auto Safety Center has four locations. In this episode, Kelsey and Joe discuss: • Joe's journey from high school apprentice to auto repair shop owner • Buying his first shop after repeatedly being turned down by banks • Why freedom doesn't automatically come with business ownership • The mistakes behind his first attempt at opening a second location • Why Store 1 should be running successfully before adding Store 2 • Rebuilding a business after hitting rock bottom • Using marketing and incentive-based pay plans to drive growth • Getting a shop to operational and human capacity before expanding • Why strong leadership becomes one of the biggest constraints in multi-shop growth • Developing managers and promoting leaders from within • Using character, chemistry, and competency as cultural guardrails • Why you can't want someone's growth more than they do • Encouraging employees and helping them see potential they may not see themselves • Building a business that can operate without the owner • Why cash reserves matter before acquiring another location • Evaluating demographics, traffic, and market conditions before choosing a new shop • How an unexpected conversation led Joe to an off-market acquisition opportunity • Learning from failure instead of repeating it • Lead measures vs. lag measures and why behaviors ultimately drive KPIs One of the biggest lessons from Joe's story is that adding another location shouldn't be an "instead of" decision because you're frustrated with your current shop. It should be an "in addition to" decision because the first business is healthy, profitable, properly staffed, and capable of operating without you. If you're an auto repair shop owner thinking about opening a second location, building a leadership team, or trying to create a business that doesn't depend entirely on you, this episode offers a firsthand look at both what can go wrong and what it takes to do it differently the next time. Joe's book recommendation: • The 4 Disciplines of Execution Joe specifically recommends the book for its distinction between lead measures and lag measures — focusing not only on the KPIs you're trying to achieve, but on the behaviors that actually create those results. Want to connect with Joe? Joe shares his email toward the end of the episode for shop owners who want to reach out and connect. If you enjoyed this episode, like the video and subscribe to the channel for more conversations with auto repair shop owners and industry leaders about growing stronger, more profitable businesses. Lift Your Shop Podcast Hosted by Kelsey Outram | Lift Auto Repair Marketing #AutoRepair #AutoRepairShop #ShopOwner #MultiShopOwner #AutomotiveBusiness #ShopManagement #BusinessGrowth #Leadership #AutoRepairMarketing #LiftYourShop
