Garage Owners Network (UK)

Hosted by Andrew Crook

Business

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Episodes

147

Latest episode

Aug 2026

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About the show

My mission is to help garage owners become more successful in business. Every week I host a 15-minute training topic inside one of the 5 pillars of running a successful independent garage business. Planning, Finance, Performance, Systems & Marketing

Listen to episodes

60 recent

September 16, 202612 min

Community Marketing (Done Properly)

You sponsor the local football team's shirt. It feels good, but you don't know if it actually brought anyone through the door. Sound familiar? This week's Training Topic is community marketing — sports teams, school talks, local Facebook groups, fetes. All the stuff independent garages are already doing, half-heartedly, without ever measuring what came back. I show you how to make community marketing work, and the simple way to track whether your £500 shirt sponsorship is paying you back — or just making you feel nice. Join the Atomic Success community https://www.skool.com/atomic-success-7135/about

September 9, 202616 min

Software isn't the solution - A new GMS will not fix your business

In this training topic, Andy dives into one of the most common questions in the independent sector: " What GMS should I use?" But a GMS is like a socket set, not a mechanic, and software isn't a standalone solution. Discover how asking the 'RIGHT' questions will tell you what's really broken. How to stop drowning in data and start acting on the one number that matters.

September 2, 202610 min

The Feedback Formula

Most garage owners only give feedback when they're already annoyed — and by then it comes out as a verdict, not a conversation. In this episode, Andy breaks down the three-step formula that takes the awkwardness out of feedback for good: Situation, Behaviour, Impact. You'll learn why it works just as well for praise as it does for correction, and what to do when you've said all the right things and the behaviour still hasn't changed.

August 27, 202611 min

What business are actually in?

You opened a garage to fix cars. But if that's still your answer, it's probably costing you money, time, and sleep. In this training topic, we'll go through the three businesses every garage owner is actually running — whether they know it or not. One is where most start. One is where most get stuck. And discover the one where the best garage owners are winning. This could be the topic that changes the way you think about everything. Join the Atomic Success Community https://www.skool.com/atomic-success-7135/about

July 27, 202616 min

Omnichannel Marketing

Your customer does not see channels. They see one garage. In this episode, Andy explains why omnichannel marketing is not about being everywhere; it is about being consistent everywhere. The starting point is simple: your NAP — name, address, and phone number — must match across Google, your website, Facebook, directories, invoices, and reminders. That is the most basic form of joined-up trust. From there, garage owners must connect the customer journey: attract, convert, deliver, collect. Same message, same promise, same process. No confusion, no contradiction, no wasted clicks.

July 16, 202614 min

AI in your garage - are you scaling stupidity?

It’s not if you will use AI, it’s how. This training topic shows garage owners how to use AI properly without replacing judgment, skill, or standards. Using a simple diagnostic job as the example, we explore three practical levels of AI: answers, augmentation, and automation. The session explains how AI recognises patterns, why context matters, and how poor prompts create poor answers. By the end, garage owners will know how to use AI to ask better questions, communicate more clearly, and build repeatable processes. https://www.skool.com/atomic-success-7135/about

July 8, 202616 min

Traits of the Greats

Do you focus on the positive or the negative aspects of your business? Are you providing excuses or looking for clues? Because success leaves clues, and the successful are better at spotting the patterns the rest of us step over. The greats defined these patterns: Bruce Lee: mindset — be like water. Ford: method — build the production line. Hormozi: multiplier — more, better, before additional. This training topic asks: Are you studying success, or just explaining away struggle?

June 24, 202617 min

Are you building yourself a job

Most garage owners work hard for money, but they are building only one kind of money: earnings. They turn up, do the work, solve the problems, and keep the wheels turning. But if the business stops earning when they stop working, they have not built freedom. They have created themselves a job. In this topic, Andy breaks down the three types of money in a garage business: earnings, equity, and passive income. By the end, garage owners will be able to identify which type of money they are currently building, what stage their business is really in, and what needs fixing first. The aim is simple: stop building a business that depends entirely on the owner, and start building one that generates income, equity, and, eventually, freedom.

June 11, 202616 min

The 3 ways you use your time - are you using yours wisely?

Time is the great leveller; everyone has the same amount every day, it's how you use it that makes the difference. This training topic examines the 3 ways you can use your time. Are you using yours wisely? Join me to find out.

May 27, 202623 min

Why your Marketing Material is failing, and how to fix it. - Problem, Solution, Outcome

Most garage marketing fails because it talks about you, not your customers. "Quality service at competitive prices" doesn't connect with the customer lying awake at 11 PM, worried about breaking down on the motorway. This episode introduces the Problem-Solution-Outcome framework —a structure that makes marketing material work. But here's the critical part: it applies differently depending on YOUR operating level, because your marketing attracts customers who match your material. https://www.skool.com/atomic-success-7135