Latest / Downshift With Tonnika / My Dad Taught Me the Hardest Lesson in Shop Ownership | William Brown & Mike Allen - Ep 51

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My Dad Taught Me the Hardest Lesson in Shop Ownership | William Brown & Mike Allen - Ep 51 · Downshift With Tonnika

• [Mike Allen] (0:00 - 0:06) I don't know how you do business in a world where somebody else gets to tell you what your labor rate is and what your parts markup is. [William Brown] (0:06 - 0:17) I made a bad mistake one time nationwide. It was over five dollars. I took them outside and I pointed up at the sign and see the name on that damn sign. Look at the F on my shop. [Tonnika Haynes] (0:19 - 0:26) But no, you would have thought that there was nationwide automotive or nationwide collision because the way they ran stuff. [William Brown] (0:26 - 0:29) They ran stuff. And like I said, this was over five dollars. [Benjie Burris] (0:30 - 0:43) Welcome to Downshift with my sis, Tanika Haynes. We all know as shop owners, sometimes you got to slow down in order to speed up. And that's what this podcast is all about. It's time to downshift. [Mike Allen] (0:48 - 1:12) Welcome to Downshift with Tanika. I'm your host, Tanika Haynes. You're such a dumbass. I had a medical procedure. Things have changed a little bit. I'm excited to be here and I'm really honored that you had asked me to do this. Also, I'm kind of worried I'm going to screw it up. You cannot shock dad at all. [Tonnika Haynes] (1:13 - 1:18) You must be yourself because if you don't, the Internet's going to call you a punk. [Mike Allen] (1:18 - 1:44) All right. So I, too, am the child of a shop owner who has taken over the family business. And I think y'all have already had one episode together where you kind of talked about the history and how you started the shop and the early days and that kind of thing. I want to hear about Tanika's early days when she was cutting up and misbehaving. Was she a good kid? Was she a hot mess? [William Brown] (1:46 - 1:48) After four or five ass whoopings. [Mike Allen] (1:49 - 1:54) So a slow learner is what you're saying? She learned pretty fast. [William Brown] (1:55 - 1:58) Trying to get over and do things that I didn't know. [Mike Allen] (1:58 - 2:03) One ass whooping per misbehavior was four or five different types of misbehavior? [William Brown] (2:04 - 2:07) Yeah. No. I ass whooping for every misbehavior. [Tonnika Haynes] (2:09 - 2:09) See? [Mike Allen] (2:09 - 2:12) How old were you when you first started hanging out of the shop? [Tonnika Haynes] (2:12 - 2:16) I don't know. Dad started the shop when I was three. I don't know how old I was when I started hanging out. [William Brown] (2:17 - 2:19) She started hanging out when she was three. There you go. [Tonnika Haynes] (2:19 - 2:19) Yeah. [William Brown] (2:20 - 2:24) I couldn't afford a babysitter. So I was a babysitter. So she went with me. [Mike Allen] (2:26 - 2:35) How now were you charged with holding the flashlight at any point? I mean, that was the most dangerous thing job for me as a kid. [Tonnika Haynes] (2:35 - 2:37) It was not a flashlight in the body shop. You know, we started out the body shop. [Mike Allen] (2:37 - 2:38) Okay. Okay. That's right. [Tonnika Haynes] (2:38 - 2:43) I could play with the sandpaper in the buckets. That was fun. [William Brown] (2:43 - 2:46) And the pinstripes. Playing with pinstripes. Okay. [Tonnika Haynes] (2:46 - 2:47) Playing with old bondo. [Mike Allen] (2:48 - 2:50) How do you play with old bondo? [Tonnika Haynes] (2:50 - 2:55) Yeah. I don't know. How do you play with sandpaper in a bucket of water? Just make a game out of anything, bro. [Mike Allen] (2:58 - 3:05) Now, when did you start the transition from body work to mechanical? Or you just started doing both, I guess. [William Brown] (3:05 - 3:28) We had to do very little at the body shop when we started. We always subbed that out. But when we moved, there was nothing out there mechanical. So we had to put a mechanic shop in. So we didn't have to take the car somewhere else to get a line, AC charged or whatever it needed. So we had everything right there. [Mike Allen] (3:29 - 3:36) And at what point did the body work start becoming less of the work and mechanical becoming more? [Tonnika Haynes] (3:37 - 3:38) No, never. Until he retired. [Mike Allen] (3:39 - 3:39) Okay. [Tonnika Haynes] (3:39 - 3:40) Never. [Mike Allen] (3:40 - 3:41) So she's the one who did that. [William Brown] (3:42 - 3:48) You know, I kind of made a choice to let her do the mechanical side because she didn't like. Okay. [Tonnika Haynes] (3:48 - 3:49) You know. I didn't. [William Brown] (3:50 - 4:00) She didn't want to do this. She wanted to do the body shop side. But I knew that was too big and I would have to be a part of it. And when I left, I didn't want to be a part of anything. [Tonnika Haynes] (4:02 - 4:19) Yeah, because we never, we didn't advertise. If I have to say it in terms of ARO, outside customers coming in, we probably had an ARO of maybe $80 because we did not advertise it. It's not, it wasn't our focus. It was just what we did internal work and to get more money from the insurance company. [Mike Allen] (4:20 - 4:23) So you didn't know what the maintenance and repair side could be? [Tonnika Haynes] (4:24 - 6:08) No, absolutely not. Because all I knew was, you know, an accident, you can do radiator, condenser fans, suspension. So you got, you need a bent rim, you know, lower control arm or whatever. I knew that inside and out, no problem. But like the maintenance, 30, 60, 90. Like there's more than an oil change. I really had no idea that there was more to just, other than just brakes and tires and oil change. Like if I had a brake job, woo, we made, we paid. So, and actually doing a DVI and having a conversation with a customer. Because before it was just customer comes in, they tell you what you want, what they want and you do it and you put them back out the door. We were order taking and we're getting, we're getting used a lot. I thought we were getting used. The more I said, well, it's a backup. So that retires. And he said, I didn't like it because the reason I didn't like it because I had been, this is what I grew up with. I grew up as a body shop girl. That's where, you know, all of this right here, that was the world for me in the body shop. Um, so he, he took that away from me. I mean, he has reasons. I'm an adult as I get older. Now there's no way in the heck I would have been able to do that and have the boys. Like, so he, he knew what he was doing. You know, parents usually do. We still roll our eyes. Right. Um, so in the beginning it was just order taking and I was really had the mindset of this is what my nut is. This is my break. Even if I can just break, even I'll be fine. But then social media and Underwood and ASOC and stuff like that, you know, I'm like, oh, these jokers out here making money or at least they're pretending like they're making money. [Mike Allen] (6:08 - 6:11) Like there's a lot of pretending people making real money. [Tonnika Haynes] (6:11 - 6:55) And then I learned a lot of different ways to do stuff. And here's the kicker with that. Like a lot of changes that I made within the first probably probably took about a year and a half, two years before I sought out help. Cause I was still salty. Like, I don't want to do this. This is stupid. And I'm looking at the shop next door and they've got my former employees. Those are my brothers over there. I worked with them forever. And I'm like, they don't even know what they're doing. I still do it. I'm like, they don't even know what they're doing over there. Um, but I had to figure out, okay, what are you gonna do? You gonna box or kick rocks? Cause I don't want to disappoint them. And I'm definitely not wanting to do anything to disappoint my dad. And I just don't want to get by anymore. And so I had to learn to get the heck out of my own way and stop crying about it. And put my big girl drawers on to go to work. [Mike Allen] (6:55 - 6:58) Talk about that pressure to not disappoint dad. [Tonnika Haynes] (6:58 - 7:20) You talk about that pressure, right? That's a real deal. Especially if you have respect. If you have respect for your parents, that's a pressure that you're like, I can't disappoint. It's my hero. I can't, I can't let this fail. For worse or I might get a whooping. You heard him. He beat me. But dad has always said, and I know grandma told him that you better be better than me. And that's not a threat. That's a challenge. [Mike Allen] (7:21 - 7:25) Well, I think every generation should try to better the position of their family. [Tonnika Haynes] (7:25 - 8:03) They should try. But what I know happens and I'm guilty of it. You're guilty of it. We want to make it easier for our kids. Because not that I can say, oh, I want it to be easier for my kids. I never give them a whooping because, you know, I had such a hard childhood. But I have more than my dad had. You know, I had a whole lot more opportunities than he had because of the work that he did. And I want my kids to have more opportunities. I don't know the first time I left the country. These boys have been everywhere. They're rotten. And we want to make it easier for them and make life better for them. And what we do is we spoil them. [Mike Allen] (8:03 - 8:15) Well, you want to give them all those things because that's what you work so hard for, right? But at the same time, you want to find a way to instill the work ethic and the grit to go get it done when it's time to get it done. [Tonnika Haynes] (8:15 - 8:15) Right. [Mike Allen] (8:16 - 8:22) And that's a challenge that I'm dealing with. I mean, your boys are grown and doing good. Grown might not be fully. [Tonnika Haynes] (8:23 - 8:23) They're stupid. [Mike Allen] (8:23 - 8:40) I mean, they're still young. But, you know, I struggle with that because I've got one that is just fully self-motivated and will go to work. And I got one in the middle and I got one who does not care. They're all smart and capable, but I worry about spoiling them. [William Brown] (8:40 - 8:43) You say you don't care. Why do you say you don't care? [Mike Allen] (8:46 - 9:31) He wants to do what he wants to do when he wants to do it. And that's it. And it's like, well, hey, man, look, if you spend some time putting in the effort, you will have more options later in life. And the less effort you put in, the fewer options you will have. You don't have to go to college or go to a four-year university. You don't have to do this. But if you follow this path, you will have more choices. And more choices equals probably a better outcome in the long run, right? And he's like, that's OK. I don't care. You know, I'm just going to stay in bed. If I'd let him, he would stay in bed. Or I'm just going to play video games. If I'd let him, he would play video games all day. How old is he? 16. [William Brown] (9:33 - 9:34) So let me keep him for a week. [Mike Allen] (9:37 - 9:39) He's going to work. [Tonnika Haynes] (9:40 - 9:41) Hey, I'm just saying. [Mike Allen] (9:42 - 9:43) Going to send him to house for a week? [Tonnika Haynes] (9:44 - 10:04) Send him to Brown University, Brown's Memorial Guard for a week. No, not literally. I mean, it's crazy. Like, I don't know. You know the formula. It's no book. We didn't get a book when we became parents. But there's been times that I called dad. I was like, Dad, please come get him. Just slightly killed him a little bit. Do the thing. Do the daddy thing that you do. Just do the daddy thing. [Mike Allen] (10:04 - 10:14) Were you a strict dad? Yes. Were you strict? Were you a strict dad compared to your peers and your friends and the way they were with their kids? [William Brown] (10:14 - 10:14) Yes. [Mike Allen] (10:16 - 10:17) So that's what we're dealing with. [William Brown] (10:17 - 10:30) Their kids got away with stuff that they shouldn't have got away with. That made them weaker when they grew up. And they're still trying to get away with it. You can't afford to get away with it, you know. [Mike Allen] (10:30 - 10:36) Did you ever look at dad and say, Dad, if I did that, you would beat the shit out of me? To date. [Tonnika Haynes] (10:38 - 10:48) To date. And the funny thing is, I do that with the boys. The boys look at me. They will look at a random kid in the grocery store like, oh, mama, you gonna get that? I was like, I'm thinking about it. I would jack him not in another kid. [Mike Allen] (10:48 - 10:50) It is hard not to parent other people's kids. [Tonnika Haynes] (10:50 - 11:09) Oh my God. I am that mama in the grocery store that I will sit there and eyeball a kid. Like, I wish you would. You know, I wish you would. I will. I will do that. And he wasn't that hard. I don't know any different. I don't know any different. So let me change that. Yeah. [Mike Allen] (11:09 - 11:28) I want to go back to something we talked about just a minute ago. We talked about the pressure that we place on ourselves trying to make our daddy proud. And that's like a big deal. Like, you and dad say I'm proud of you. That gave me a little locked up, right? Because my dad don't emote a lot, right? [William Brown] (11:30 - 11:34) Are you proud of her? I'm proud of her. She's heard it. [Tonnika Haynes] (11:34 - 11:57) I've heard it. I've heard it more lately in the last 10 years. But if every time I did something, as a mom, I can say this now. If every time I did something, he'd say, that a girl? Or he, come on, man. Then your accomplishments, are they real accomplishment? Like, you know what I'm saying? I don't know if that's coming out clear. Like when people say, oh. [Mike Allen] (11:57 - 11:59) It means less if it's said all the time. [Tonnika Haynes] (11:59 - 12:04) Exactly. Exactly. And when people do what they're supposed to do. For example, and this sounds very ghetto. [Mike Allen] (12:05 - 12:06) Congratulations for doing your job. [Tonnika Haynes] (12:06 - 13:50) Congratulations for doing your job. Like, I pay my child support. That's what you're supposed to do. Like, dude, that's not, you don't get an award for that. Like all the trophies, we talk about the trophies that we give kids that they don't deserve. Like, oh, he cleans up his room. Well, this is what he's supposed to do. Like, I gave you an allowance to take the trash out. You put most of that trash in there. I'm gonna allow you to live here. And so that's how I was raised. That's what I heard my grandma say. But there is something to be said about just making them proud and getting the attagirl. I think he says it now. The way he'll say it, he's like, yeah, I had the blueprint, but you took it to a whole nother level. Before, I would hear it from everybody else. I would hear, you know, Charles Blackwood would be like, your daddy talk about you all the time. Everybody would come in the shop, like his friends and just locals, you know, the local people, because you're from Chapel Hill. Your daddy talks about you all the time. And 15 years ago, I was like, I wish he would tell me, because I don't think he liked me. Like, for real. And maybe it's just because the generation is, that's what you're supposed to do. That's what you're supposed to do. And so I do give a lot more compliments to my kids because I needed it or whatever. But if he would have told me all the time, would it feel the same? Yeah, it's probably true. So, but I know and I've known and maybe wasn't the best at expressing it, but he told everybody else and it got back to me. And it was actually Allison used to say it all the time when they first got married. We got, oh my, how many years are you in now? 16 years last week. And she was like, your dad is so proud of you. And I was like, well, won't he tell me? Because I don't want to hear you say it. But again, that was 15 years ago and now he can say it freely. And it's kind of cool. [William Brown] (13:51 - 13:57) Like me and Allison had this conversation on the way here today. What we're talking about right now. [Tonnika Haynes] (13:57 - 13:57) Yeah. [William Brown] (13:57 - 14:08) And she asked me, was I proud of her? I said, yeah. Then I said, well, she's doing what she's supposed to do. She said, how did you say that? [Tonnika Haynes] (14:09 - 14:15) You got to come into the mic. You're in it now. I guess I'm in it now. I think I just said that sounded kind of lackluster. [William Brown] (14:16 - 14:30) I said, well, she's doing what she's supposed to do. I said, she's supposed to be better than I am. I said, but she got her work cut out for her. Well, dang. I said, but she's doing what she was taught to do. And basically trained to do. And she's doing a good job at it. [Mike Allen] (14:31 - 14:41) She is not only growing the business that you started, but she's also helping hundreds or thousands of other shop owners around the country. [Tonnika Haynes] (14:42 - 14:42) That's wild. [Mike Allen] (14:43 - 15:00) Which is crazy to think about. Right. She's your daughter is well loved in this world and she's doing good things. So you've got a lot to be proud of. As long as it ain't a distraction. Don't let this shit get in the way of Browns. [Tonnika Haynes] (15:01 - 15:07) No, I just be talking junk on the phone. Your mama. And be keep saying it. [Mike Allen] (15:08 - 15:10) When did you sell the body shop? [William Brown] (15:10 - 15:14) I didn't sell it. Okay. I just walked away from, I just leased the building now. [Mike Allen] (15:14 - 15:15) Okay. [William Brown] (15:15 - 15:22) But I didn't, I didn't sell it. And I never want to go back. But if I have to, I will. [Mike Allen] (15:22 - 15:24) Okay. Well, that was my next question. Do you miss it at all? [William Brown] (15:26 - 15:34) No, I miss the people a little bit, but the, the insurance companies make you not want to be around. [Mike Allen] (15:34 - 15:36) Just continue making it worse and worse every day. [William Brown] (15:36 - 15:38) You know, it puts too much stress on me. [Mike Allen] (15:39 - 15:46) I don't, I don't know how you do business in a world where somebody else gets to tell you what your labor rate is and what your parts markup is. [William Brown] (15:47 - 16:03) And I made a bad mistake one time, but nationwide, it was over $5. You know, and I took him outside and I pointed up at the sign. That's who's name on that damn sign. Look at the F on my shop. [Tonnika Haynes] (16:05 - 16:11) But no, you would have thought that there was nationwide automotive or nationwide collision because the way they ran stuff. [William Brown] (16:11 - 16:14) They ran stuff. And like I said, this was over $5. [Mike Allen] (16:14 - 16:16) They come in like they're the boss. [Tonnika Haynes] (16:16 - 16:16) Right. [Mike Allen] (16:16 - 16:16) Yeah. [Tonnika Haynes] (16:16 - 16:37) They want to pull all the files and audit everything and tell you, oh, you can get that part $5 cheaper, but I got it at this and it's done. Well, you know, we're not going to pay you for that. And see, 10 years ago, I didn't have the same mouth that I have now, but I had the attitude and it would make me so mad because literally I would want to protect my dad. Like, like you said, that's not your name on the building, dude. [William Brown] (16:37 - 16:48) She used to tell me, Daddy, you can't say that. You get on the internet. You can't take it back. I said, it's the truth. I'm going to say it. You know, it might not come out right, but I'm going to say it. [Mike Allen] (16:49 - 16:50) Now she says it too. [Tonnika Haynes] (16:50 - 16:51) Now I say it too. [William Brown] (16:52 - 17:03) On, into a microphone. Into a microphone and get paid for it. I heard her talking to somebody one time and I just whispered in her ear, you sound like your daddy. [Tonnika Haynes] (17:06 - 17:29) Yeah. Because as a kid, even like now you talk to the boy and he won't get out of the van. He won't do this. And he's probably going to think, oh my God, he's the worst thing in the world. I mean, there's times that I thought dad was like, oh, he's so mean. Oh, he's so evil. This is not how you do it. And then I'm like, man, listen, I think the first couple of weeks at the shop, I was like, I don't know how you did this. Because people are stupid. And like, what is wrong with y'all? Do your job. Like, it's like babysitting a lot of cats, man. [William Brown] (17:29 - 17:30) It's like running a daycare. [Tonnika Haynes] (17:30 - 17:32) Yep. Daycare to pick cars. [Mike Allen] (17:32 - 17:51) It's a grown up daycare. I mean, I think that's the truth for owning any small business, no matter what trade you're in. Like, well, you know, we're blue collar industry. No, it's like that in doctor's offices and dentist offices. You're just managing personalities and attitudes and emotions and work ethics. [Tonnika Haynes] (17:51 - 17:52) Yeah. [Mike Allen] (17:53 - 17:55) How old were you when you started working full time at the shop? [Tonnika Haynes] (17:56 - 18:04) Full time? I would work summers all the time. But full time, that's when I start driving. No matter what, I was there at the shop every summer. [Mike Allen] (18:04 - 18:05) When you started drawing a paycheck? [Tonnika Haynes] (18:07 - 18:12) You pay me no attention. Maybe 14 or 15. [Mike Allen] (18:13 - 18:13) Yeah. [Tonnika Haynes] (18:13 - 18:15) Yeah, maybe 14 or 15. [Mike Allen] (18:15 - 18:16) What did you do at first? [Tonnika Haynes] (18:17 - 18:49) Answer the phones, which was hard for me. Because as much as we talk, I'm not a talking person. I'm more introverted than you think. Grandma used to say, what's the matter? Cat got your tongue? I don't know. When I started calling him dad, I called him this for the longest. I would just get his attention instead of just using words. And he didn't make me because he was busy. And I know now that that didn't make me talk. But then when I had to start answering the phones and speak up and enunciate and talk to insurance companies and talk to customers, that was for about 13 or 14. [William Brown] (18:50 - 18:50) Yeah. [Tonnika Haynes] (18:50 - 19:03) Yeah. And then I would sort receipts. I would go to Rice's and make copies. That was my favorite thing to go see Miss Helen at Rice's and make copies. I do the chicken run at KFC over there on the corner. [William Brown] (19:05 - 19:06) She ran around the neighborhood. [Tonnika Haynes] (19:06 - 19:09) Run around neighborhood of Motor Barons and all that stuff. [Mike Allen] (19:10 - 19:18) Yeah, Motor Barons is right by dad's shop. So in the back, you know, my dad is James Allen from Chapel Attire on the Boulevard. [William Brown] (19:18 - 19:18) Okay. [Mike Allen] (19:18 - 19:21) On Protocol. So we grew up in the same neighborhood. [Tonnika Haynes] (19:22 - 19:40) So that's wild. That's why I was telling somebody about Matt Lofton. I was like, that's crazy. I was sitting beside his dad on a flight back here from California. And I talked to him. And that's the first time I took a flight like that and didn't go to sleep because I really enjoyed talking to that man. And then come to find out that's Matt's dad. And the world is very, very small. It is wild. [Mike Allen] (19:41 - 19:41) The original Strutmaster. [Tonnika Haynes] (19:41 - 19:43) The original Strutmaster. [Mike Allen] (19:43 - 19:49) Daddy, daddy. You remember when those came out on the market, man? It was a lifesaver, dude. All the Cadillacs of the blown out era. [Tonnika Haynes] (19:49 - 19:53) You can do it, dude. Or kit. Yes. Yes. And make some money off of it. [Mike Allen] (19:53 - 19:53) Yeah. Yes. [Tonnika Haynes] (19:53 - 20:02) Absolutely. So when I realized who I was sitting beside, it was crazy. That was so crazy. And then now that, you know, I can just pick up the phone and call Matt right now. So yeah, that's so crazy. [Mike Allen] (20:02 - 20:16) Well, that's what happens when you come to events like this and join associations like ASTA and... Those crazy connections. Put yourself out there and make those connections. And you don't have to live this life and do this work on an island by yourself. [Tonnika Haynes] (20:17 - 20:33) So dad says that he wish he had stuff like this 30, 40 years ago. And I imagine if you did, how much larger your dream would have grown. [William Brown] (20:34 - 20:36) Yep. It would have been bigger. [Tonnika Haynes] (20:36 - 20:38) It feels like you did okay. Did I? [William Brown] (20:39 - 20:39) I did okay. All right. [Tonnika Haynes] (20:41 - 20:50) Because at one point you had the largest independently owned body shop, black or white, on the East Coast. [Mike Allen] (20:51 - 20:58) Wow. Yep. How big is that building? Now, I've been in your shop and I know across the lot is the old body shop, but I've never even paid any mind to it. [William Brown] (20:59 - 21:04) Everything together was about 25,000 square feet. Okay. Yeah. So you got a lot of capacity there. Yeah. [Mike Allen] (21:08 - 21:36) Thank you, sir. You know, my dad's shop was 18 bays and I was talking about it with Neil Meyer today. Back in the early 90s, and it was when I was busting tires and changing oil on the weekends and in summers and that kind of stuff, we had like an $80 average repair order, but we were doing 110 cars a day. And it was just bonkers, you know, and you'd have 20,000 cars a year coming through there. [Tonnika Haynes] (21:36 - 21:37) Yeah. [Mike Allen] (21:37 - 21:44) And it was like you said, just taking orders. Oil change, state inspection, flat tire repair, one tire, you know. [Tonnika Haynes] (21:44 - 21:46) I need a tire. Yeah. Absolutely. [Mike Allen] (21:46 - 21:49) Pick it up. Yeah. Check engine lights on, we'll... [Tonnika Haynes] (21:49 - 21:50) We'll clear it. [Mike Allen] (21:50 - 21:51) Yeah. Yeah. We'll clear it and send you to the dealership. [Tonnika Haynes] (21:52 - 21:55) Yeah. And you go ahead and drive about 30 miles, 60 miles, and we'll come back and do the inspection. [Mike Allen] (21:55 - 22:09) Yeah. So seeing the growth that has happened, it's pretty incredible. Pretty amazing. Yes. If you could do it again, what would you do differently or would you do anything differently? [William Brown] (22:10 - 22:19) The main thing I would do to get more education on how to run the business, not fix the cars, but run the business. That'd be one of the main things that I would do. [Mike Allen] (22:20 - 22:21) And that's... That's what... [Tonnika Haynes] (22:21 - 22:33) That's what we... That's what we're here for. We talk about that all the time. Yeah. Those business classes. I know you want to wrench. I get it. And you want to play with the new technology, but you got to learn how to run the front desk and make sure that you're actually making money. [Mike Allen] (22:33 - 22:42) I think we both have talked with Caleb this week, right? Matt, yeah. Yeah. And he's a young man who... [Tonnika Haynes] (22:43 - 22:44) Daddy met him. He came to the shop. [Mike Allen] (22:46 - 23:16) And he's here training and he's a one-man operation, but he's got a brick and mortar now. He went from mobile to brick and mortar and he's here in management and accounting and service advisor classes. He's not taking any technical classes this week. Okay. And I think that's where it's got to be, right? Because he's got the technical skills already. It's a business. It's not a job. It's a business. So it'd be cool. I was thinking the IGO, the Independent Garage Owners Association was around back then. [Tonnika Haynes] (23:16 - 23:18) Well, we didn't have a garage, so dad wouldn't know about that. [Mike Allen] (23:18 - 23:21) Well, and when I look back in the pictures too, don't look like y'all. [Tonnika Haynes] (23:23 - 23:24) No chocolate people in the picture. [Mike Allen] (23:24 - 23:25) Yeah, yeah. [Tonnika Haynes] (23:25 - 23:42) But there's almost never any chocolate people in the pictures. So here's the thing. We count. We're like, oh, I see you. But I mean, I was at ASL last week. There's nobody, nobody of color there whatsoever. [Mike Allen] (23:43 - 23:46) But there are a lot of Black-owned shops and Hispanic-owned shops. [Tonnika Haynes] (23:46 - 24:37) They just do not, it's either, it's one or two things. They don't know about it or, well, they don't know about it. They don't care about the education because they think they know everything, but they have glorified jobs. Or the story that they're telling themselves is I don't belong because I did that. Yeah. And thanks for Buckaroo Bob and Amber. Because I remember at the door to Sheraton, that door, slide door open, everybody's doing breakfast and everybody has on their, then they will wear the shop shirts, the old blue ones like Granddad used to wear. Stomach, they look like they're 17 months pregnant. And they look up and I tell Amber, yeah, with twins. And I tell Amber, Amber's my service advisor at the time, white girl. I was like, there's a whole lot of old white people in here. Like, I'm not going in there. She was like, look, take your tail in there. And I walk in the door and then I meet John Firm and he's loud as heck. [Mike Allen] (24:37 - 24:38) That man has never met a stranger. [Tonnika Haynes] (24:38 - 25:55) He's never met a stranger. And thank God that he was the first person I had an encounter with. But no one, and I'll say this over and over again. I've said it on podcasts before. No one has ever, ever, ever, as long as I've been doing this, said anything out the pocket to me or made me feel any kind of way. If I would not have met John, I would have walked backwards out that door and told myself a whole story about me not belonging. So that is a thing. That is just the story that people, and think about the shop owners that we have to tell them to come down to the party, come out of your room. Think about Aniz last year. That's just a story he told himself and he was upset and he wasn't feeling comfortable just because he wouldn't allow himself to feel comfortable. So we had to go and get him. And so I feel like it's my responsibility to go and get people, people of color and women, I don't care what color you are, Asian, all, all Aniz's, brown, like just come through because you do, you will tell yourself a story that I don't see anybody that looks like me. Yeah, cause you won't come in here. I'm trying. But regardless, because the way I was raised and we are very, that is the whitest black man you ever meet. Look at him. This is not fake. [Mike Allen] (25:55 - 25:57) You are in your cowboy hat. [Tonnika Haynes] (25:57 - 26:04) This is not fake. This is who my daddy has always been. You know that. And just to talk, remember we were talking and Neil, Neil knows that. [Mike Allen] (26:04 - 26:05) Oh yeah. [Tonnika Haynes] (26:05 - 26:50) Like somebody told me, so they were saying I was extra cause I think I was driving Dion's Rolls Royce. And Neil was like, no. And Neil's so quiet. Neil's like, yeah, he's drinking his beer. He's like, I don't really know a daddy personally, but I know who a daddy is. So, um, but yeah, people want to, we hide behind the stories that we tell ourselves. And, but I wasn't bought up like that. You know, sometimes I'll get in my own head. But other than that, you can't shut me up. You can't tell me, me and my daddy will call each other and text each other. I'm like, you know what? We need some good looking people. Literally. Do we not like that? We look good in the mug and it's not arrogance. It's confidence. I'm like, Oh, like literally the t-shirts that we got, me and my daddy is talking junk about you. [William Brown] (26:50 - 26:51) He didn't say that. [Tonnika Haynes] (26:51 - 26:56) He said, me and my daddy talk shit about you. I told him all day and I was going to get him one for his daughter. [William Brown] (26:57 - 27:10) Like we was talking about, um, people come, not coming to do these things. 40 years ago, I would go every now and then. I'd be the only person there. Um, you probably know him, Peacemaker. [Tonnika Haynes] (27:11 - 27:15) Oh God. You know Peacemaker, Gates of Beauty, across from Domino's. Yes. Yes. [William Brown] (27:15 - 27:26) He went with me one time. I didn't want him to go back with me though, because he wanted, he know everything. You can't learn something when you know everything. Yeah. [Tonnika Haynes] (27:26 - 27:26) Right. [William Brown] (27:26 - 27:27) And he still don't know nothing. [Tonnika Haynes] (27:28 - 27:29) He's still in the same spot. [Mike Allen] (27:30 - 27:30) He still knows everything. [Tonnika Haynes] (27:30 - 27:31) Yeah, he still know everything. [Mike Allen] (27:32 - 27:33) The same everything he knew 20 years ago. [Tonnika Haynes] (27:33 - 27:34) Exactly. [William Brown] (27:34 - 27:46) One day I had an employee. He probably worked for me for three months. When I met him, he didn't know what a pair of flyers was. Um, I'm talking about Curly. [Tonnika Haynes] (27:46 - 27:47) Okay. [William Brown] (27:47 - 28:11) He didn't know what a pair of flyers was. And I told Peacemaker, I can take this man in six months. He'll make you look stupid. He got mad at me. I said, I'm going to show you. Today, Curly got one of the nicest shops in Durham. You know, nice body shop. I'm not talking about a hole in the wall. I'm talking about a nice body shop. Like two plus million dollars to build it. You know. [Tonnika Haynes] (28:11 - 28:12) And he built it from the ground up? [William Brown] (28:12 - 28:24) From the ground up. But he goes to these classes and learn what y'all teaching. But we didn't really have this back then. I mean, we didn't have a cell phone. [Mike Allen] (28:25 - 28:26) I wonder how much of it. [William Brown] (28:26 - 28:28) We didn't have a fax machine. [Tonnika Haynes] (28:28 - 28:34) No, Rice has had a fax machine. Rice has had everything. He had a copy machine, fax machine. It was crazy. [William Brown] (28:35 - 28:41) I mean, we didn't have nothing. I mean, no computers. We had a piece of paper and a calculator. Anything. [Mike Allen] (28:41 - 28:44) Did you have the triplicate repair orders that you write? [Tonnika Haynes] (28:44 - 28:46) Oh, yeah. Yellow, white, yellow, and pink. [Mike Allen] (28:46 - 28:49) I remember when we got the first tractor printer with it. [Tonnika Haynes] (28:50 - 28:51) Yeah, that ribbon with the little dots in it. [Mike Allen] (28:52 - 29:00) You can make all kinds of fun stuff out of that. Yep. How much of what we learn at events like this do you think translates to the body shop world? [Tonnika Haynes] (29:00 - 29:00) All of it. [Mike Allen] (29:01 - 29:01) Really? [William Brown] (29:01 - 29:05) All of it. The body shops do the same thing that y'all doing here with automotive. [Tonnika Haynes] (29:06 - 29:07) Yeah, all of it. [Mike Allen] (29:08 - 29:12) We should get the Collision Association together. Okay, Ryan. [Tonnika Haynes] (29:12 - 29:16) Well, I mean. No, it makes sense. Okay, Ryan. Calm down. Let's get through this. [William Brown] (29:17 - 29:23) When you go to SEMA, it's a lot of body shop stuff there. Yeah. You know, and it's amazing. [Mike Allen] (29:24 - 29:26) And custom builders and all that kind of stuff, too. Yeah. [Tonnika Haynes] (29:26 - 29:27) I'm excited to go. [Mike Allen] (29:28 - 29:42) So the last three years I've been, and I've just stayed at Apex the whole time. I need to actually go over to SEMA this year, I think. Spend some time over there. So we'll see. We're sharing a booth at SEMA, I think. Yeah. While you're recording, I'll go over to SEMA. [Tonnika Haynes] (29:43 - 29:47) Okay. And then while you're recording, I'll go over to SEMA. Actually, I'll probably go to my room and hide. [Mike Allen] (29:47 - 29:48) That's more like it. [Tonnika Haynes] (29:48 - 29:49) Yeah. [Mike Allen] (29:49 - 29:58) We can't, though, because our room is going to be like a 30-minute ordeal to get back to. Unless our name is Lucas, because Lucas gets to stay. Venetian. [Tonnika Haynes] (30:00 - 30:04) Makes me sick. But it's okay. One day he'll be saying, oh, I wish my name was Mike. [Mike Allen] (30:06 - 30:15) Must be nice. Yeah. What is it? Can't hide money. That's what it was. Can't hide money. [William Brown] (30:15 - 30:15) Can't hide money. [Tonnika Haynes] (30:17 - 31:00) But anyway, we talk about being intentional. And you asked me, the body shop world, they do the same thing. Like you said, they do the same thing. And what Dad said earlier was, if he can change anything, and I got in trouble for saying this before, he would not focus on the technical classes. He would focus on the ownership part of it. And I think that's very important. I think that's where we lose a lot with the technicians. For example, Curly, who he's talking about. You know, Curly worked for Dad. Dad taught him all he could, all he knew, all he could teach him. Dad fired him on purpose to make him go and grow. He went to Hendrix, did all of that stuff. He's working at Hendrix, right? Or Mark Jacobson. He's working at Mark Jacobson. [William Brown] (31:00 - 31:02) No, he went to Hendrix first. [Tonnika Haynes] (31:02 - 31:31) Hendrix, then Mark Jacobson, and then he did his own thing. But he's always been a student of the industry, front to back. Because right now, Curly, he's got people working for him. But he had to learn that front end thing. You can go from the technician that didn't know how to use a wrench into the business owner. But in order to make yourself profitable, you need to understand what you're charging, if you're charging properly, and if you're really making money at the end of the day, and you're not recycling money. Because you know, you can sit there and have money in the bank. [Mike Allen] (31:32 - 31:33) You can wash a lot of money. [Tonnika Haynes] (31:33 - 32:10) You can do a lot of laundering. But if you're not making that bottom line, you're not getting your 20% or whatever percent you want to do, whatever your goal is. You know, maybe 20% is not for everybody. Hopefully it is. But you need to learn how to do it. And I'll just keep getting messages and text messages about the guys that, you know, Big Mac and Snipes that won the ticket, that I bought his ticket. He's just like, he's like, I'm so excited for you bringing me here. And those are the best things right there that we can keep people understanding. Yes, you're a great technician. How do we make you a great shop owner and a great boss? [Mike Allen] (32:10 - 32:13) Being a great technician does not make you an effective business person. [Tonnika Haynes] (32:13 - 32:16) I can cook, but I probably cannot run a restaurant. [Mike Allen] (32:17 - 32:17) Correct. [Tonnika Haynes] (32:17 - 32:17) Yeah. [Mike Allen] (32:18 - 32:33) So I think that's one of the biggest mistakes that techs make that go out on their own. And that's how they end up doing $50 break jobs, bring your own parts, you know. Um, and I don't fault them for doing it because they don't know. [Tonnika Haynes] (32:33 - 32:35) Right. You got to start somewhere. [Mike Allen] (32:35 - 32:42) Now, the ones that have been exposed to this information and they still choose to go that route, they can go out of business. [Tonnika Haynes] (32:43 - 33:00) Yeah. Because you know better and now you're not doing better because it makes you uncomfortable. Because when I first started making the changes that Rick told me to make, I thought he lost his mind. Like when he was like, okay, you can't do that. You need to slow your car count down, like be a service advisor. [Mike Allen] (33:00 - 33:10) How far into you driving the business were you before you came to IGO? No more than two years. Okay. And when was that? [Tonnika Haynes] (33:12 - 33:15) Eight years ago, about eight years ago. [Mike Allen] (33:16 - 33:20) And how much has the business taken off since then? [Tonnika Haynes] (33:20 - 35:10) I think before I start tracking it, I would say my ARO was definitely below 200 and that's average repair order. And now it's 850 and above. It fluctuates a little bit more than I like. I've added a lot to the building. You know, I remember the day during COVID, I did the addition and I told dad, I told him like a couple of times, hey dad, I want to do this. Hey dad, I want to do this. And he's like, it costs a lot of money. Costs a lot of money. And I was like, I got it. And he was like, you got it? I was like, yeah, I'm ready to write a check. And he was like, wait, wait a minute, wait a minute. It did throw him off because I was like, dad, I can write a check for that. And he was like, what? So that makes me proud that I'm like, yeah, I can write that check for that. Don't worry about it. Go ahead and get them people to come out here and put that building back there. So we can go ahead and order these lifts and stuff. And I was able to do that. And thank God that I had listened to Rick and I slowed it down. And I did a lot of things that dad didn't agree with in the beginning. And he's never tried to micromanage the business. He's never tried to come in there and say, I'm clocking in. He'll sit at the front desk just because he's tired. He actually even makes appointments for his cars now. So he's respecting me as a business person the whole time. But in the beginning, he's like, you can't do that. I was telling customers no. And we grew up in a yes society that all service means yes. Now, he never believed. And he still doesn't believe. Customer's not always right. Now, he always taught me, you're going to treat every car with respect. Don't disrespect the car. Because I've done it a couple of times. And he called me on that crap. Like, I would be like, you don't rank in a car. You know, not saying it to the customer. He's like, everybody deserves respect. Everybody's car deserves respect. And he said that to me a couple of times. So I get that. But I would start to get out the bottom feeders and tell people no. And most of those people were his friends. [Mike Allen] (35:12 - 35:16) And one of his friends, as long as he was giving a good deal. [Tonnika Haynes] (35:16 - 35:40) So when I stopped being used by the friends, they said stuff. And one of them apologized. Ned apologized. Ned called me a bitch. But he did apologize at his daughter's cookout. He's like, you made a big difference in your dad's business. You really bought it the wrong. He's still not a customer because he's not my customer. And I knew what I was looking for. I knew it was possible because of training and encouragement from Rick. I just wanted it. [Mike Allen] (35:42 - 35:47) Was it a conscious decision not to try to manage the business for her after you stepped away? [William Brown] (35:48 - 36:14) I knew I needed to let her do it. And fall and get up and keep trying. Take it to a different level. And I know I couldn't micromanage because I didn't want to be there. And if I didn't want to be there, I needed to keep my mouth closed and let her do it. And because I believe if you don't try it. [Tonnika Haynes] (36:14 - 36:14) You okay? [William Brown] (36:15 - 36:15) What? [Tonnika Haynes] (36:15 - 36:16) You got a fever? [William Brown] (36:17 - 36:26) I believe if you don't try, you won't know if it worked. If I didn't try to let her do it, I wouldn't know if it would work or not. [Tonnika Haynes] (36:26 - 36:26) Right. [William Brown] (36:27 - 36:53) I'm scared of people scared to try stuff. I'm scared of not trying. So I know if you don't try, you will never know. You always question if it'll work or not. You know, and I tried. If it don't work, I try something else. But the main thing is don't give up. And I knew she wouldn't give up. But I knew I couldn't let her call me with every problem. [Tonnika Haynes] (36:54 - 38:00) And I tried. And I'd call him. And he'd be like, okay. Wait, say something! Like, Daddy, this is what happened. Okay. You okay? Okay. And I'm like, well, you gonna tell me what to do? Okay. Like, literally, I think the best advice, the time that he could not go, the haystack situation. But that was the best advice I could ever get. And that made me like, okay, shut up. Quit your bitching. Excuse me, Daddy. And get up and do your daggone job. Like, the guy quit. And he did it dirty. I found out that he was doing work under the table at the shop while we were closed. Not at his house. And using break clean. I would find, like, he was doing it. He was opening the shop to the point that clients thought that he, that we were open. That I knew about it. And so, I would go up to the shop on the weekends with the boys. And he'd be there with his brother. And I was like, what are we doing? And I started going more and more. Because I live 30 minutes. And the kids are young. And I don't get them up on Saturday. And he was running the whole business under my nose, on my watch. [Mike Allen] (38:01 - 38:02) Using your shop supplies. [Tonnika Haynes] (38:02 - 40:32) Using our shop supplies, right? And I called him on it. I was like, dude, you can't do this. First of all, it's an insurance problem. And you cannot do this. And so, maybe that next Monday or Tuesday, he's like, oh, I got a ticket. I got to go to court. Now, you and I know, if I get a ticket today, I'm not going to court until a couple months from now. And he went looking for another job. I think he went to look for space. And he quit right away. And it was at that time, it was just me and Albert. And Albert was just a parts changer. And I felt, I felt betrayed. Because he was Uncle Seuss to the kids. He had been with us for a while. A long time. Yeah, a long time. And I did feel betrayed. My feelings were hurt. And I called Dad and I was crying. You know, he did this. And my feelings are hurt. And blah, blah, this and blah, blah, that. And he listened. But I tell the story. You've heard it before, internet world. I called my daddy to tell him this. Mind you, I've never worked for my daddy. I've always worked for Mr. Brown. So, I was calling my daddy to talk to my daddy about this. Well, Mr. Brown answered the phone. And Mr. Brown said, Daddy, you want to say it? I think you do a better job. No, you do a better job. I don't cuss in front of my dad, y'all. And so, you know, I'm crying. And I'm feeling helpless because he's the lead tech. And he held all the strings. Like, what am I going to do? And my daddy said, if the motherfucker got hit by a bus, what would you do? I mean, I guess that's true. Is it not true? And he was like, all right then, go do it. And I was like, but, and I had to get off the phone. And I had to think, if the motherfucker got hit by a bus, what do I do? I mean, because motherfuckers get hit by buses, right? So, we think about that. When we hold on to a technician, we don't want to fire him or her because they hold all the cards. They're the best in the business. They're making us all this money. But if they got hit by a bus, what would you do? Fire them. Because you fire somebody, you're forced to go do your job. You get out of your comfort zone. That's what he was telling me. Get out of your comfort zone. Because somebody else is going to get hit by a bus, and you got to go back to work. One monkey don't stop, no show. I've said it before. When I say one monkey don't stop, no show, I'm not talking about Black people. Get over yourself. Get out of my comments. Your mama. Your mama. But yeah, that was the best lesson. That was the best conversation. Now, my daddy did call me at about 5, 36 o'clock to make sure I was okay. But William Brown said, girl, go to work. Cry about it tomorrow. [William Brown] (40:33 - 40:46) She had a problem firing people. Yeah. You know, and I believe if you got to take the employees home with you, and you lay in the bed thinking about them. [Tonnika Haynes] (40:47 - 40:48) Rent free. [William Brown] (40:48 - 40:58) You need to fire them. You're supposed to be asleep or having sex in the bed. Dad. Not thinking about the employees. If you think about the employees. [Mike Allen] (40:58 - 41:01) Now, if you're thinking about the employee, why you're having sex in the bed? You need to fire them. [William Brown] (41:03 - 41:14) You need to fire them. Yes. Actually, I had a saying. Dog die by nothing. Fire a person. Fire nothing. [Tonnika Haynes] (41:17 - 41:21) I mean, now you made all the dog people mad on the Internet. Be careful. [Mike Allen] (41:23 - 41:37) We call dogs little bundles of tragedy because you love them fiercely like family. And then they die and you get another one. Maybe there's you got team members and you love them fiercely. But they're not going to work for you for 40 years. [Tonnika Haynes] (41:37 - 41:38) And that's okay. [Mike Allen] (41:38 - 41:40) Most of them aren't. Most of them aren't. [William Brown] (41:43 - 41:44) Eric's been there 35 years. [Tonnika Haynes] (41:44 - 41:45) I fired him, though. [William Brown] (41:45 - 41:46) That's a really old dog. [Tonnika Haynes] (41:46 - 41:49) I did fire him for a little bit. Daddy was shot when I fired Eric. [Mike Allen] (41:49 - 41:53) But not once have you been in your bed having sex thinking about Eric. [Tonnika Haynes] (42:00 - 42:55) So I was talking to Benji earlier and, you know, we had Cody in a hot seat. And I saw so much of myself in him. Like, I always thought that I could do it better than that. And I was going to show him. And then it was like, man, I'm so glad I stayed in my place. Oh, he kept me in my place because you really think, you know, your kids think they know more than you. Santana and Jordan think they're the smartest things in the world. And it's because we old and we don't know nothing. But there is a wisdom. There is so much wisdom to be had. So when you're dealing with a coach, like we joke about coaches, we talk about coaches. But when you're dealing with a, forgive me, with a Cecil and a Bill Haas, and you're looking at somebody, oh, man, you don't run a shop anymore. Yeah, they don't run a shop anymore. But the formula, the ingredients, it's basically the same. It's basically the same. So there's some respect to be had there to the newer people in the industry that want to do all the shiny stuff. You like shiny stuff. You want to do the shiny things. [Mike Allen] (42:55 - 42:56) I'm very much a shiny object guy. [Tonnika Haynes] (42:56 - 43:19) You got to do the basics first. I believe you have to do the basics first, and then you can start polishing stuff up. And so I was really lucky. I am really blessed to witness the basics. So I have a respect for the shiny stuff. And I know when to say no to the shiny stuff, because that shiny stuff will get you in trouble. But you like trouble. [Mike Allen] (43:19 - 43:25) 2025 was shiny stuff trouble for me. Yeah. We've dug out of that hole. [Tonnika Haynes] (43:25 - 43:26) You've dug out of there? Yeah. [Mike Allen] (43:27 - 43:33) So, well, super. What's next for you, man? Next for me. [William Brown] (43:36 - 43:56) I'm finishing my house and then relaxing. Okay. And more travel. Where are you going? She got to make up her mind. I want to go to Australia and Africa. I'm going to say something stupid, but I want to do it. I want to ride a kangaroo. [Tonnika Haynes] (43:59 - 44:01) You want to get in the pocket in the front like a mama? [William Brown] (44:01 - 44:12) I want a video of you riding a kangaroo. I keep telling people I want to ride a kangaroo. Can you ride kangaroos? I think you can ride ostriches. They say you can't, but I don't believe that. [Tonnika Haynes] (44:12 - 44:23) How did your daddy die? Well, he wanted to ride a kangaroo. And so he went out happy. See, what had happened was the kangaroo did not feel like giving any rides today. [William Brown] (44:23 - 44:31) But I think if you go to Australia, where all the kangaroos are, they got some tame kangaroos. I don't think there's a kangaroo. [Mike Allen] (44:31 - 44:36) The chances of riding a kangaroo successfully are much higher in Australia than they are here. [Tonnika Haynes] (44:37 - 44:38) Let that man dream. [Mike Allen] (44:38 - 44:58) So I want to go to Australia to ride a kangaroo. Don't skip out on New Zealand. It's beautiful and doesn't have any of the poisonous spiders or snakes. It's incredible. Best vacation I've ever had was New Zealand. So you've got incredible beaches and mountains and fjords and forests are incredible. [Tonnika Haynes] (44:59 - 45:29) I'm so proud of him right now because he does rest a lot more. It was funny because I think Santana and George came to the house one night and they were like, Grandma, my granddaddy was in the bed one morning. Because he used to get up at noon o'clock in the morning. I don't sleep. He doesn't sleep either. But George was like, is granddaddy okay? He was still asleep when I went to the house. And so getting a rest and relaxation and living the life that he has deserved the whole time. [William Brown] (45:29 - 45:30) Earned. And earned. [Tonnika Haynes] (45:32 - 45:38) And when did you retire, daddy? 2016. So how old were you? [Mike Allen] (45:38 - 45:39) 57. [Tonnika Haynes] (45:39 - 45:41) 57 years old, retired. [Mike Allen] (45:42 - 45:45) That's when my dad sold ponds also. [Tonnika Haynes] (45:45 - 45:45) Yeah. [Mike Allen] (45:45 - 45:46) It was 2016. [Tonnika Haynes] (45:46 - 46:03) I mean, it's a lot of life left. You think about the people that are not doing it right or not trying to think past the shop and not willing to delegate and give up control. And they turn 75 and they decide to retire and then they die the next day. [Mike Allen] (46:04 - 46:05) Yeah, for sure. [Tonnika Haynes] (46:06 - 46:08) So I don't say that as a joke. [Mike Allen] (46:08 - 46:24) I mean, I'm serious. Oh, no, for real. Um, Anthony Blackmon was like three months after he sold the shops. Yep. And built a great business, right? Sold it for the big money and done skis. He sold it and died right away. [Tonnika Haynes] (46:24 - 46:37) Yep. And the crazy thing is like, hopefully I won't have to wait till 57 to retire. You know, everything works well without me. And I don't want to be an absentee owner. [Mike Allen] (46:37 - 46:39) If it works well without you, do you need to sell? [Tonnika Haynes] (46:39 - 46:48) No, I don't think I'm allowed. It's not a thing. But why would I? Everything he did all right. [Mike Allen] (46:48 - 46:59) If it's printing money with minimal effort, why would you turn the machine off? So if I can put $10 in and get $12 out and do it over and over and over and over and over, I'm just going to keep putting $10 in. [Tonnika Haynes] (47:00 - 47:02) And teach other people how to put the $10 in there while I'm on vacation. [Mike Allen] (47:03 - 47:04) Free diag. [Tonnika Haynes] (47:04 - 47:06) Free diag. Shut up, Mike. [Mike Allen] (47:06 - 47:08) Shut your damn mouth when you're talking to me. [Tonnika Haynes] (47:09 - 47:18) I took my shirt off. Shut up, Mike. It's enough for you today. But anyway, that's my daddy. That's my daddy. [Mike Allen] (47:19 - 47:23) Thank you for sitting down with me. Yes, sir. I've enjoyed talking. [Tonnika Haynes] (47:23 - 47:25) We got to go. Do we have to do an outfit change? [Mike Allen] (47:26 - 47:28) Uh, wardrobe changes for what? [Tonnika Haynes] (47:28 - 47:37) Wardrobe change for owners because you are on the board and you need to represent ASTA. And I need to represent ASTA. [Mike Allen] (47:38 - 47:40) We have to dress nice tonight for dinner? [William Brown] (47:40 - 47:45) I heard you say something about Al Pond. I know he's gone. [Mike Allen] (47:45 - 47:45) Yes. [William Brown] (47:47 - 47:50) Is his family completely out of it? [Mike Allen] (47:50 - 48:38) No, so my dad was a manager for Al. And when Al's kids didn't want to be involved in the business, dad bought one of his shops from him. And then he sold the university store to Larry Braxton. And he sold the boulevard store to my dad. And then Al went in for knee replacement surgery. And he died on the operating table on knee replacement surgery. And then his son, Mark, who was in New York, came back home and took over the business. And he just had the two stores at the time. But he's grown it to what it is. So it's still in the Ponds family. And Britt ran the Franklin Street store. And I can't remember their sister's name. She lives up in Tidewater, Virginia area. And she managed the books, I think, for many, many years. But I guess they got 13 or 15 stores now. [Tonnika Haynes] (48:38 - 48:39) I thought they were up towards 16. [Mike Allen] (48:39 - 48:54) But yeah, yeah. I mean, they're growing. He used to say that his goal was 30 stores by 2030. So it may still be. I don't know. But he's a smart dude. He's a smart dude. That's a lot of stress. [Tonnika Haynes] (48:55 - 48:57) Well, no, he's got he's got the system. [Mike Allen] (48:57 - 49:03) He's got processes and systems and people. And it's an organization that I look up to for sure. [Tonnika Haynes] (49:03 - 49:07) He's got the people. And he's never turned a wrench, but he know how to run a business. [Mike Allen] (49:08 - 49:09) So, yeah. [Tonnika Haynes] (49:10 - 49:13) Go, Mark. It's your birthday. Let me borrow a dollar. [Mike Allen] (49:14 - 49:15) Come by Browns and Carfix. [Tonnika Haynes] (49:15 - 49:51) Let me get a dollar. Downshift with Tanika is where we slow down long enough to have real conversations. Hosted by myself, second generation shop owner, Tanika Haynes. This goes beyond your car count, your KPIs. We want to talk about leadership, legacy, mindset and the messy, beautiful journey of building something that lasts. You will hear stories from shop owners, technicians and other industry leaders who are figuring it all out by themselves in real time. This is a space for growth, tough love, laughter and leveling up.