Man with an Auto Plan: Interview with Car Expert

There are a million things that go on inside an automotive shop every day. Cars come in and out. People come in and out. Parts come in and out. The trick is to organize these things in a perfectly timed order, so all repairs get finalized by daily deadlines. There’s a delicate balancing act between the client drop off, repair, and re-delivery of a car, and I like to think no one handles that task better than Erich Schmidt, and his team at Schmidt Auto Care in Springboro, OH. As he slides into his 10th year of business, I took a moment to ask him some questions I’ve never asked him before, and to get some insight on what really drives the car gurus vision.

My Interview with Car Expert

1. What has changed the most about cars since you started? “Everything.” long pause “Literally, everything”
2. When did you realize you had a successful business on your hands? “I don’t think I have realized I have a successful business on my hands. Is that what this is?” He sits for a moment.  “I don’t know when I will call it a successful business.”
3. What’s the most difficult part of being a business owner? Employees. Making sure you have the right people in place, making sure you can keep them paid, all while continually growing them in their skillset. It’s a lot of pressure on an owner.
4. What would your top 3 ultimate dream cars be? a Black Zr1 corvette (a late model), a Black 66 Lincoln Continental, and am Electron Blue Factory 5 car  **The only one he remotely hesitated on was the Factory 5
5. When will you retire? Never
6. Where did your vision for shop #3 come from? “I was looking for ideal efficiency in a shop for my technicians, and I wanted ultimate comfort for my clients. And selfishly, I wanted to have a nice clean shop to personally work in that I felt proud of. I think we achieved that with the new location.”
7. What’s the legacy you want to leave with SAC? The Honesty. The client trust is broken in our industry, and I want to change that. For years there were repair shops ripping people off by using fear and lies to drive their business. Being known for an honest answer is what I want to be synonymous with my shop's name. You may not always like what you hear about your car, but I will at least lay it out straight.
8. What’s a piece of advice you would give to someone considering the technician path? Understand electrical systems and computers very well. Invest in great tools. Keep learning.
9. What piece of advice would you give someone wanting to open a business? Understand your financial responsibility 100%, and how to track profits and losses. It’s the best, and the worst, kind of career path to choose. You certainly need to love what you do.
10. Tell us a story about your first year in business. In my very first week of business, I stayed busy because I was running around town purchasing eqpt, finalizing the shop sets up, and settling into my first shop. I didn’t realize I didn’t even really work on a car that week. The next week, I was sitting there thinking I just made a HUGE mistake by opening the shop because I had been staring at a computer and empty shop all day long. I knew I needed a way to get people to come to see me, so I start making a plan to drive business. I bought a tacky yellow arrow sign and posted oil changes for $19.95 on the corner of the lot. Day by day people would stop in, and I’d change their oil. I welcomed them into my tiny shop, treated them fairly, and if I saw something else wrong with their car, I’d tell them. Slowly people started letting me change their brakes, and work on their A/C. 10 years later, here we are.
11. With other repair shops in the area, why should people come to Schmidt Auto Care? We’re the shop in the area actively changing the industry. Ethics, transparency, and excellent service are what we strive to knock out the park with our clients. We pair that with the latest and top technology in the industry. The auto shop model has been broken for so long, and I feel passionate about changing people’s antiquated mindsets in auto shops. We are creating an auto care experience for you.
12. What does the future of Schmidt Auto Care look like? Long term, I envision 3 locations. Other ideas I’m tossing around, I’m just going to keep private for now.”
13. As a technician, what’s one of the worst cars you ever had to work on? An 80’s Jaguar xj12. Terrible piece of “explanatory work unacceptable for Springboro Neighbors print”. This was at a time when they were actual English cars, and the wiring was just terrible. Terrible car. I hate that car.
14. When did you know you wanted to be in the automotive industry long term? When I was working as a lot of tech in high school. I was maybe 17. I knew then.
15. Do you want your daughter to grow up wrenching on cars? No. I don’t. I’d rather her take the path of an entrepreneur and learn and experience highs and lows of business while doing something she loves.

We sat and talked a while longer after this. I know why people trust him so much with their cars. He lights up when he talks about them and is a born educator on the topic. He just loves the whole industry and is determined to create a repair business people know they are safe coming to. He is surely headed on that path. To so many people he’s a teacher and trusted technician. To me, he’s just Erich, the auto shop innovator, brilliant technician, and dedicated family man that loves motorcycles, helping people, and cars.

If you are looking for an auto shop to bring your car or truck to, please consider our new location. We would love to show you what we can do.

Written By:
Lauralee Schmidt
VP Operations/Mktg