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Repair Shop Reckoning

Repair Shop Reckoning

Written by: Kevin Brown
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Repair Shop Reckoning is the no-nonsense, hard-hitting podcast where host Kevin Brown pulls no punches in bringing you the raw truth about the collision and repair shop industry. Forget the corporate sugarcoating—this show dives into the gritty reality of what really goes on behind the scenes. Whether you’re a shop owner, a mechanic, or just someone tired of the BS, Kevin’s got the hard-earned expertise and unapologetic opinions you need. Each episode tackles the biggest issues, challenges, and game-changing tips in the industry, giving you the tools to cut through the noise and level up your shop. Buckle up—it’s time to get real.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/repair-shop-reckoning--6688688/support.Copyright Kevin Brown Economics Leadership Management & Leadership
Episodes
  • America Still Needs More Men...The Real Cost Of Integrity

    America Still Needs More Men...The Real Cost Of Integrity
    Oct 16 2026
    Integrity Is Expensive: The Price of Doing What's Right

    Everybody loves talking about integrity. They'll put it on their website, hang it on the wall, and tell customers it's what their business stands for.

    But what happens when integrity costs you $4,000? What happens when doing the right thing means losing a customer, confronting an employee, or walking away from money?

    In Part 2 of our conversation, Kevin Brown and Jason Tracey get into the real price of leadership, accountability, and doing what's right in the automotive repair industry.

    Kevin shares real stories from the shop, including an expensive technician mistake, two suppliers who handled warranty problems very differently, a dangerously unsafe party bus, and the business decisions he made when COVID created uncertainty.

    We also get into why shop owners avoid difficult conversations, how weak leadership creates chaos, and the difference between genuine confidence and an ego that needs constant validation.

    Because leadership isn't about having your name on the building. It's about what you do when something goes wrong.

    And integrity? It doesn't mean much until it costs you something.

    Repair Shop Reckoning. From Chaos to Control.

    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/repair-shop-reckoning--6688688/support.
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    46 mins
  • America Is Short On Men...Why Your Shop Needs A Leader Not A Friend

    America Is Short On Men...Why Your Shop Needs A Leader Not A Friend
    Oct 9 2026
    America isn't short on males. It's short on men willing to take responsibility.

    In this 1st of 2 episodes of Repair Shop Reckoning, Kevin Brown and Jason Tracey get into what leadership actually looks like when you're the one responsible for the shop, the employees, the decisions and the consequences.

    This isn't about acting tough, screaming louder or being the biggest asshole in the room. It's about standards. Structure. Telling people the truth. Keeping your word after the excitement wears off. Admitting when you're wrong. Making the decision nobody wants to make. And having the courage to be disliked when doing the right thing requires it.

    Kevin also gets personal about one of his own leadership failures, why loyalty caused him to hold onto someone longer than he should have, and the brutal decision that eventually forced him to look in the mirror and lead. Because when there's a recurring problem inside your shop, sometimes the first place the owner needs to look is the mirror.

    By the end of this conversation, we arrive at the question that sets up Part 2: What happens when doing the right thing actually costs you something?

    Because integrity is expensive.

    Repair Shop Reckoning. From Chaos to Control.

    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/repair-shop-reckoning--6688688/support.
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    31 mins
  • Your Cashflow Is Sitting Under A Toolbox

    Your Cashflow Is Sitting Under A Toolbox
    Oct 2 2026
    Most shops are watching labor rates, car count, gross profit, and technician productivity. Meanwhile, there could be thousands of dollars sitting on a shelf, underneath a toolbox, waiting on a parts driver, or buried in a credit nobody followed up on.

    This week on Repair Shop Reckoning, Kevin and Jason dig into one of the least talked about profit leaks in the repair industry: cores, returns, wrong parts, and warranties.Kevin breaks down the system his shop uses to track every core and return from the moment the part comes through the door until the credit hits the books, including the process that helped them recover a missing $900 credit.

    They also get into the real cost of warranty work, why a replacement part doesn't make your shop whole, how wrong parts create chaos throughout the entire shop, and why major engine and transmission jobs can turn into financial hand grenades when you don't know the warranty requirements upfront.

    Kevin also breaks down a $5,000 job that would have actually lost the shop roughly $800 at the insurance company's pricing and explains why knowing your numbers matters before somebody else decides what your work is worth.

    The message is simple:Treat cores like cash, not junk.Because two missed $75 cores a week is $7,800 a year walking out the door. And when the same leaks exist across cores, returns, warranties, wrong parts, lost technician time, and missed credits, those “little” holes can quietly sink the ship.

    If your process is based on “I think they picked it up,” “I'm pretty sure we got the credit,” or “we'll deal with it later,” you don't have control.You have an assumption.

    From chaos to control. This is Repair Shop Reckoning.

    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/repair-shop-reckoning--6688688/support.
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    1 hr and 3 mins
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