Mercedes specialist Tyson Fisher breaks down how a 42-year family shop in Gainesville, FL thrives by niching hard, running in-house systems, and obsessing over quality and retention. Shop owners will hear practical ways to tighten invoicing, plan tools/training, and win profitable fleet and Sprinter work.

Guests:
Tyson Fisher — Star Import Service — Gainesville, FL

What you’ll learn (shop-owner takeaways):
Niche deep: Mercedes & Sprinter focus wins
Classic vs. modern: how Tyson splits workflow
Why in-house shop software beats cloud risk
Invoice design customers actually understand
Fleet playbook: schedule, pre-approve, deliver fast
SEO targeting by slang + geography filters
Quality control using the 4 C’s framework
When to outsource ADAS calibration profitably

Timestamps
00:00 – Classic vs modern Mercedes cutoff
00:47 – Welcome to Origin & Impact
01:45 – Star Import Service since 1984
03:05 – Smart cars under the Mercedes umbrella
04:10 – Classics vs modern mix of work
05:40 – Paper manuals that still earn their keep
07:35 – Why older info dries up online
09:06 – Rare 1971 case: book on the fender
10:10 – How far customers travel for niche work
11:15 – South Georgia and Jacksonville pipeline
12:35 – Fleet vs RV Sprinter customers
14:10 – From DOS to modern in-house software
16:05 – CDK outage lesson: avoid cloud dependency
17:45 – Make invoices simple, readable, complete
20:05 – Recommendations, estimates, fast approvals
21:42 – WinWorks setup and backup approach
23:00 – Minimal CRM; audits for anomalies
24:55 – Tying bonuses to comebacks
26:35 – Seven-year paper record discipline
27:28 – How customers actually find them (SEO)
29:50 – Geo-targeting and keyword strategy
31:35 – Google Ads that reinforce organic
32:58 – Revenue beyond repairs: what’s worth it
34:30 – EV pullback; invest in ICE tools
36:25 – ADAS: when to keep or sublet
38:02 – 2020 shock and cash decisions
41:00 – Shop environment and tech comfort
43:00 – From near-bankrupt to rebuilt systems
49:06 – PPP timing and hard choices
52:07 – Tools, training, and shifting plans
54:22 – Floor plan for future vehicle sales
55:38 – Reading the cycle and unit economics
57:54 – Programming modules and TRP reality
59:33 – Retention above 98% and why
1:00:42 – Meeting cadence and what matters
1:02:20 – The 4 C’s: Concern, Condition, Correction, Confirm
1:05:42 – Wrap and future panel invites

Call-to-Actions
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Links
Listen on Spotify: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/garagegrit
Join the Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/forautorepairshopowners/
Learn more: https://aashopmarketing.com