Search.

, gain traction podcast

Episode 210

Tony O' Billovich

Point S Tire

Listen Transcript Share this on:

Mike Edge is the host of the Gain Traction Podcast and a long-time voice in the tire and automotive repair industry. With more than two decades of experience spanning internet marketing, small business consulting, and industry media, Mike has worked closely with tire dealers, auto repair shop owners, and multi-location operators across the country. His background includes early involvement in digital marketing before it became mainstream in the automotive space, giving him a front-row seat to how the industry has evolved.

Through the Gain Traction Podcast, Mike has interviewed hundreds of industry leaders; from independent shop owners to executives at national brands, bringing tire industry podcast insights that center on people, leadership, and long-term business health. His perspective matters because it’s shaped not just by theory, but by years of listening, observing patterns, and reflecting on what actually helps shops grow and sustain strong cultures.

Tony O’Billovich is a seasoned tire and auto repair industry leader with decades of hands-on experience managing and growing multi-location operations. Having overseen everything from daily retail operations to large-scale expansion projects, Tony now leads the Master Shop Program at Point S Tire USA, where he coaches and mentors independent shop owners on profitability, leadership, and business growth. Known for his practical, down-to-earth approach, Tony helps tire shop owners take control of their businesses by focusing on pricing strategies, employee development, and operational efficiency, all while preserving the legacies and community roots that make independent shops unique.

In this episode…

This episode steps away from surface-level recaps and leans into tire industry podcast insights that quietly shape how leaders think and act. Framed as a year-in-review, the conversation turns the focus onto reflection, what happens when you truly listen to different voices across the industry and allow those perspectives to challenge your assumptions about leadership, communication, and people.

For shop owners and operators navigating constant pressure; from staffing issues to cultural shifts, this discussion matters right now. The themes that keep resurfacing are the ones that don’t go away: trust, accountability, clarity, and the cost of ignoring communication. Rather than prescribing answers, the episode invites listeners to pause and ask whether they’re building businesses that support people as much as profits and whether they’re actually hearing what their teams are telling them.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

[01:15] Why reflecting on conversations reveals deeper leadership insights

[02:48] Mike Edge’s background and entry into internet marketing and the tire industry

[07:17] What drives long-term passion for the tire and automotive repair space

[09:36] Leadership lessons from Rob Williams and a dealer-first mindset

[12:36] Stepping back from daily operations to lead the business more effectively

[16:08] Leadership perspectives drawn from Melanie White’s industry involvement

[18:42] Increasing female participation and representation in automotive

[22:20] Generational shifts and preparing the future workforce

[23:15] Insights on Gen Z’s growing role in the automotive industry

[28:44] The impact of poor communication on business performance

[30:32] Why open communication and accountability define strong leadership

[34:39] Integrity and culture lessons from long-tenured industry leaders

[35:57] Episodes and themes that resonated most with listeners

[38:01] Advice for technicians and mechanics starting their careers

[40:13] Guidance for first-time managers on clarity and accountability

[43:21] The biggest challenges facing tire and automotive dealers today

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Quotable Moments:

“I liked his honesty, and specifically his honesty with himself.”
“Poor communication costs shop owners 18% of total salaries being paid out on an annual basis.”
“If you’ll keep communicating, you’ll always figure it out.”
“Everybody has something to offer you, and that knowledge can be a gift.”
“We’re all going to make mistakes, just be accountable for them.”

Action Steps:

Schedule regular leadership check-ins to reflect on communication gaps and address them before they become costly issues, strong tire industry podcast insights consistently point back to clarity and follow-through.
Audit where your time is spent as an owner or manager and identify tasks that should be delegated so you can focus on vision, culture, and financial oversight.
Create structured opportunities for open feedback with your team, making it clear that accountability is expected but mistakes are part of growth.
Invest in soft-skills training for technicians and frontline staff, including communication, professionalism, and customer interaction.
Actively mentor younger employees by being direct, honest, and consistent; supporting long-term workforce stability rather than short-term fixes.

Transcript

00:00

Couldn’t help but be contagious with the people In it. The people behind it were awesome. And there’s something about the people In this industry that are grounded, they like to have fun. They’re down to earth, good people. I would say my contagion was for sure the people. Welcome to the Gain Traction podcast, the official podcast for tire business. I am Mike Edge, your host and I have the privilege of interviewing the tire dealers, shop owners, counter sales reps, technicians, industry executives and other thought leaders of our industry. This episode is brought to you by Tread Partners Trust. Tread Partners is the leading digital marketing agency that specializes In digital marketing for multi location tire and auto repair shops. Tread Partners works with clients that have hundreds of locations, down to five locations.

00:39

Get A professional, unbiased opinion and let Tread Partners review what you’re doing. It starts with A simple conversation. To contact Tread Partners, visit treadpartners.com so let’s get started. Welcome to the Gain Traction podcast, the official podcast for tire business. My guest today is Tony O’Billovich. This is the second time Tony’s been A guest on our program. He is the man that leads the Master Shot program for Point S Tire USA. Tony, welcome back to the Gain Traction podcast.

01:12

Well, I’m super excited for today.

01:15

Well, I’m excited about this. You’re crazy. And I love it because you called me with this idea that you wanted to do. You wanted to do A Year In review of the 2025, you know, podcast, everything that we’ve done this Year and kind of pick and choose some things that stood out to you and except the way you wanted to do this was you wanted to turn it around on me and ask me what I thought. So this is the second time I’ve allowed somebody to let me be In the hot seat. My good friend Sonny McDonald did it for us and on our 200th anniversary or not anniversary 200th episode. And now we’re going to do this again. It turned out well and we got A lot of feedback so I’m excited about it. I’m ready to take your questions.

01:59

And this is the Year of you 2025 for the gain Traction podcast. Let’s go, Tony.

02:05

Mike, the reason I was personally excited about this is there’s so few people that are doing what you do In our industry and I’ve talked to so many of our members that love listening to you. So we get to turn the tables on you today. So, so I have called my. I’ve decided to. I’m the press today. We get to interview you. And just so you know, like A good press person, I’ve come with A lot of research on things I wanted to ask you because we get to hear from all these amazing guests, but you’re the one that actually gets to sit there and take all this In. I kind of wanted to hear what you thought about some of this stuff. So are you ready for my bullets?

02:45

I. I think I’m ready. Let’s do this.

02:47

Awesome. Awesome. Okay. Well, Mike, my first question is, for those who don’t know your story, can you give us A quick cliff notes on where you started and how you ended up being doing podcasting for small business In mechanical and tires?

03:03

Yeah. So it ended up. Let’s go back about 24 years. I got into Internet marketing, and this was at the beginning of everything. Like, this is the beginning of Google. You still had Leica, Salta Vista, all these search engines or directories out there at the time. And one of my clients ended up being Jasper Engines and Transmissions. And because of that, and they’re In A lot of shops that, you know, are our friends and associates and colleagues. It kind of. We fell backward into the tire industry. The company I was with at the time, and I got A. I built up A network of friends there, and I spoke to A lot of groups. I actually did A lot of education, just teaching dealers what they needed to think about. And. And if you.

03:48

You know, if you’re not here, you need to be here, and if you’re here, you could be here. You know, those type of conversations. And. And it was. It was A lot of fun. And those were the very early days. Like, I mean, just get A website, too. You know, just some of those type of conversations. And I had people tell me, man, Internet, I don’t need an Internet. I mean, you know, that’s not the way our business works now. You can’t live without it. Right? But I could see the writing on the wall, and I could see some of the people, my colleagues that I was working with really had some great concepts for local marketing. And so that’s how I got into the tire business, and I made A lot of friends In it.

04:20

And then the company I was with, the owner, got A little up In age and everything. Things slowed down A little bit. I had A little burnout, stepped out of the industry. And then A mutual acquaintance of mine and Neil Meyer, the founder of Tread Partners, who is our parent company, that gained traction. He and I connected, and the guy. And he asked me, would you ever consider getting back In this industry. And, you know, I had never been asked that question. I’d been out for A few years, and I thought, my gosh, I loved tire and auto repair. And I knew that this was only going to be the only segment I dealt with. So I was like, yeah, I think I’d like it. But, you know, we got to find the right opportunity, right talent, et cetera.

04:58

Turned out, I get involved, and next thing you know, Neil’s like, I want to start A podcast for the industry. And I’m like, you know, I’m on. I’m not on A zoom or anything. I’m on A phone call, and I’m sitting there like, oh, what are you talking about, dude? You know, And I. I’m being A good soldier. But he can’t see the expressions on my face. I’m like, what? Okay? And I’m like, oh, yeah. I said, well, who’s going to host it? You know? And then he says, you and me. And I’m like, oh, okay. How are we going to do that? And he’s like, we’re going to trade off on guest. You find one, I’ll find one, and we’ll just start making our way through the industry, and we’re just going to be, you know, just be connecting the industry and.

05:32

And get. Get In there and swim around and just kind of figure our way out. And I. I got started, and all of A sudden, Tony, I was kind of going In it, like, reluctantly, you know, he’ll kind of play. I didn’t tell him I was going to be A good soldier and just do it, but all of A sudden I started to love it. And I. And I. It really fit my personality because I like people. He. He, on the other hand, he liked doing it, but he said it was the prep stuff that just drove him crazy. He said, I always was wanting to do the best I could for A guest, you know, and I wanted them to feel good. I wanted them to think they got A good podcast. But he goes that. That stress was driving him crazy.

06:06

He said, I couldn’t get over the comfort level of preparation, feeling good about it or whatever. And I said, I’ve gotten over that. I said, I actually love doing it. He said, great, you’ve got it. So I took off with it. It’s four and A half years old now, and, and as they say, is, the rest is history. And we’ve just really taken off. But I love to tell people, they, like, what is the goal of the podcast? And the goal is to lift the brands and the people behind them.

06:28

So if you want A softball interview, we’re at, because we’re here to help all the brands In the industry lift them up, but also put the personality who’s behind it, who’s pushing it, who’s the leadership, and let people know, hey, this tire dealer over here In Missouri with two stores, they got some great ideas that they’re implementing. We got A group out In California that’s got 15. We’ve got another group we’ve interviewed. They’ve got A hundred stores, and they’re owned by PE or whatever, but it doesn’t matter. It’s all about lifting the brands, you know, and. And we’ve made great friends, you know, inside point s. You guys are great, and we’ve enjoyed being at the conference. Last Year, we did live podcast. We’re going to do it again for you guys. It’s A blast.

07:09

And we get to know some of your dealers, and it’s. It’s just. It’s just fun. And we get to lift up those individual shops as well, and their owners. So that’s it In A nutshell.

07:17

So that’s interesting. You. You. You left the business, but you truly loved it so much, you got Vic into it. Which kind of leads to my next question. What makes you so passionate about small business In the tire and automotive industry? Like, what was that passion that I know you came back to In A different form through podcasting and stuff, But I. I did the same thing, but I want to hear your answer.

07:42

So the question is why I came back?

07:44

Yeah. Why do you. Why are you so passionate about the tire and automotive repair business?

07:49

I’ll tell you what. It’s. When I got into it initially, you know, it’s more or less, it was just. It was business, right. It was an opportunity, and I saw it. And because we had already had Jasper engines, and it was just like, okay, let’s, you know, let’s migrate this way. And as I got into that side of the business, I couldn’t help but be contagious with the people In it. I mean, the people. You know, first of all, I, you know, we’ve all had experiences In A wide variety of industries. I think, you know, I have. Growing up, I got. I got to taste A lot, and I was.

08:22

I was very entrepreneurial and not afraid to try things, and my parents were the same, and I got to see A lot of different industries and businesses, and I sold some things that allowed me to, you know, A variety of taste. But when I got In the tire and auto repair space. You know, you kind of naturally know it as A guy because especially as A dad with five kids, I’ve got A little fleet, you know, so it was like. It was like, you know, I already knew it, but. And I also kind of understood the sale, the process and everything. But the people behind it were awesome. And there’s something about the people In this industry that are grounded. Yeah, we want to make money, but we’re also grounded In our communities.

09:00

And I find that the people, you know, they stay grounded because, you know, you’re dealing with people’s problems all day, you’re helping people, and you got to have some tough skin. But at the same time, when you get to meet these people outside of their. Their work environment, the garage environment, the stress part, they like to have fun and they’re. They’re down to earth. Good people. Like to have the same, you know, they care about the same things I care about. So that I would say my contagion was. Was for sure the people. And. And it was fun for me to make people successful or see people successful when I was doing more of the Internet marketing side.

09:37

So excuse me that I’m not Mike Edge here. So I had to write some of my questions. But like you said earlier, the biggest part was doing the research. And I wanted to make sure I did the research so we could show everybody why. Why this show is growing and why it’s continuing to grow because these amazing interviews you’re doing. So you had an amazing Year In 2025. You had some great interviews, but there were A few interviews that really stood out to me. One was with Rob Williams of Hankook Tire, and he really talked about his four P’s.

10:11

Yes, he did.

10:12

Which is something I’ve already heard you talk five minutes into this interview. But he talked about his four P’s product, partner, procedure, and people. Yes, and people. Something you keep talking about. What did you take from your interview with Rob? I mean, he was an amazing. A great interview you had. I started with what I call my. My four P’s. And, you know, the first one is you got to have A great product. The second one, the partner. The third is what I call kind of the process, the procedure, and then fourth, and certainly the most important is the people.

10:48

So we met at A. We met at A convention up In Ohio that tire business had hosted. He had done the executive panel. I was there for it. Met him when he came off stage, or maybe it was before he went on stage or whatever. And anyway, we had decided that he should, you know, get on the podcast, and he said, well, connect with me and gave me his card and everything. We connected. And, you know, we did our preliminary call, and I always like to make sure that everybody understands the format, because when you do A cold podcast, it comes off that way. I mean, it just seems like you could. You could be struggling for A direction or whatever. So we try to, you know, we. We try to limit these things to 30 minutes and.

11:26

And make people feel comfortable within that and then give the audience some meat and potatoes. But Greg, I mean, Rob was just so down to earth, and he understood that, you know, he’s representing A big brand, but he also understood that people need to know who’s behind it and what they. What he. What he feels about the dealer and his impact and understanding the dealer’s concern was. Was the most profound thing I got from him. He really understood what he was trying to do for the dealer. He wanted the dealer to make money. He wants the dealer to be successful. He wants the dealer not to have to suffer returns. And, you know, the. The challenges that manufacturers face. And then somebody’s retailing it for you out there. So he had this. I guess you would just call it this empathy or sympathy for.

12:13

For the dealer that I. I really liked. And it was. It was, you know, very positive to hear him say that.

12:19

I think that’s an incredible. Again, I’m glad I asked you that question, because to see one of the top rubber manufacturers In the world.

12:28

Yes.

12:28

Have perspective and insight back to the little people, that’s A cool thing. The next question I got, and this one touched A soft spot with me. You interviewed A gentleman named Kamar Johnson of GTT Commercial Tire. And what I took from that was an amazing interview. Your people need to go rewatch it again if they haven’t. One of the things I do In consulting is I try to get people to manage their business, and A lot of times the business is managing them. Kamard said something amazing to me. He said his business was bumping along while he was on the sales counter. And the best thing he did was to get his tail off that sales counter. Paying attention to his P. Ls, paying attention to his overall financial system. Someone else can work that counter.

13:18

He needed to oversee the whole ball of wax. What. What did you take away from talking to A success story like Kamard?

13:26

One thing that he and I have talked about, I don’t really see myself In the light that A lot of people see themselves as business owners. Or even CEOs, where I feel like I built this because I know I didn’t. I think my brother, like A lot of founders, because that’s what he is. He founded this. I’m more the guy that. I’m an architect. You know, I’ll write this thing down, I’ll create the vision for it on paper, but somebody else has to actually put In the labor to, you know, build it out. And I think that is the essence that, you know, the two of us have been able to really coexist In.

14:02

I liked his honesty. I liked. And specifically his honesty with himself. You know, he. He came In the. He came In the business and wouldn’t necessarily fund the business. His brother had started it, and he. He came In to help him because, you know, his brother realized, I’ve gotten into A point that I’m. I’m maxed out. You know, what do I do now? And he knew Kamar had those talent skills to elevate it, and. And Kamar did, too. And, you know, he said his mom had kind of pushed him to go work for his brother and get involved, and then he did, but then he. He realized where he made mistakes. And. And what was what I liked about Kamard was he was just honest.

14:38

He was honest with himself and with that checkup point that he had at that one point, like, man, I. I’m In the wrong spot. Even though I can do this spot, I don’t need to be here every day. And In the way that he checked up and recognized, you know, where he needed talent and where he needed to be and that, you know, the. It’s also the recognition of. That he gave me was the recognition of what I’m not good at or passionate about or that I don’t need to be involved In. And I got to trust others, you know, and I got to let go. And. And, you know, after that, I think he really took off.

15:12

Yeah. I really think to all micromanagers out there, go listen to what. What he had to say. Camar. That was. That really was one of my favorites. I had A lot of them, but that was one of my favorites.

15:24

I’m glad you pointed that one out, because Kamar came recommended to me. And then when we had. We did our. Our preliminary. It’s funny how, you know, that I think our. Our audience is going to benefit from this guy, you know.

15:35

Oh, for. There’s so many micromanagers out there that feel like they’re trapped In their. In kind of how they’re doing it. And they don’t think there’s any other way. And Camard, what’s amazing about him is he. He was able to actually look In the mirror, acknowledge it, and change. Like, that’s. That’s unbelievable. So kudos to him. Okay. I’m A father of three amazing daughters. If I took my three type A daughters and brought them into my industry, they would crush it. So naturally, I was super excited when you got to interview Melanie White. This lady is crazy, impressive to me. She’s the president of Helweg Products and the chair of sema, and she talked about gyt, government advocacy, youth engagement, technology and innovation. Again, we’re kind of coming back to this people thing. They’re talking about people. But I got two questions on this.

16:34

What stood out to you most about interviewing such an amazing person and leader In her industry? Number one. Number two, something that I’m passionate about. How do we get more females and women into our. Into our world? There’s just. You don’t see A lot of women In the automotive and mechanic business, and there needs to be more.

16:56

So we’ve been making helper springs since 1946. Next Year we’re going to turn 80 years old. That’s fantastic. So, yeah, eight decades of making Helper Springs. And then we added sway bars on A little bit later. Well, for her, she’s fourth generation, so it was just kind of there. Right. So it made it easy. And maybe it wasn’t easy In the sense that, you know, when you’re growing up, you don’t know exactly what you’re going to do or whatever, but she had A platform and she. She embraced it. And they have A great story. And. And what I like about Melanie is I love the quality of. I could tell she’s got loyalty. She loves her family’s brand, Hellwig, and she loves her family’s history, and she’s proud to represent it.

17:37

And then she’s really proud of SEMA because her dad took her to sema. You know, she was around SEMA A long time, I think, before she, you know, took over the helm or whatever. But like she says In the interview, which I think is awesome, I’ve got. I’ve had the privilege of interviewing her three years In A row now, but now she’s chair. She wasn’t before. She’s chair elect, but she goes, all it means. And all it means is I’m the first volunteer, you know, and. And it’s like. And she. And she has A great perspective on that leadership by example, you know, and you can tell it by her involvement, her enthusiasm with her involvement. And, and she loves, I can tell she’s A problem solver. She loves to try to, you know, help people and she wants to see people successful.

18:18

And you can tell she likes, she loves the employees, she loves her company, but she loves the employees of her company because she’s talked about them before. So that’s what I’ve, that’s the passion that Melanie gave me. And it’s, I think she has one of those positive personalities that just, you know, it’s contagious. You, you can’t contain it. And it’s going to do something positive what to.

18:41

The second part of that. How do we go find more the Mel. I mean, I, I know Melanie came up In that industry and, and eventually took that business over, but how do we go, how do we get more women or alert women that our industry has plenty offerings and they’d be fant.

18:59

It’s an interesting question. I actually looked up this stat one time about engineering, okay. And it, the interest level for women In engineering is so low, you know, so therefore it translates to lack of engineers, you know, going into the wide variety of engineering. And, and I, I, I do, I do believe men and women are different. Our DNA is made up different of our likes and dislikes and what we want to do. And so, you know, it’s, I, I probably feel the same. I don’t have the data, but I probably feel the same about tires and automotive. I mean, it’s, I think it’s more of what you’re kind of wired to want or like or see. But I do believe wholeheartedly that there should never be any barriers when anybody’s qualified to do anything and wants to do anything.

19:46

And I think for the most part I’ve seen those dissipate. But I, one of the things I find is if you find A very enthusiastic woman In our industry that knows her, you knows, knows the business and loves people, she seems to be wildly successful, you know, and I think obviously on the buying side, you know, over 50% of the buyers In home decisions are women. So they’re coming into these shops. So if you’ve got A, A woman’s perspective on the need or the feel for it or whatever, I mean, let’s just look at it this way. I think this is A, this one’s A good one. You know, women are great multitaskers right. I mean, they’re taking care of kids, they’re trying to get A car to A shop, they’re doing this, et cetera, whatever.

20:32

But if you can make that shop experience that much more easy, she’s coming there and price isn’t the variable. You know what I mean? It’s because she knows that she’s going to get A ride home within the van or she’s going to get some form of help In and juggling what she’s doing at that particular time. And yeah, I, I, I, I think it’s tough to say. I mean, you know, I’m sure you’ve probably talked to your daughters about it, but it’s got to, the interest has to be there, you know, And I don’t know if it’s there In the core because we all like different things and we’re just kind of made up differently. But, but I definitely think when they’re In the industry, if they’re, they know their stuff and they’re good people, they’re going to kill it.

21:17

Yeah. I’ve personally been responsible for hiring quite A few females for the counter In particular, which I love, because females as customers, my impression as A man is they come In, but they’re that feeling of, I don’t know this, so I’m getting taken advantage of. And when I’ve put females at the counter, their comfort level dealing with A fellow female just seems so much better. And, and I, and we just don’t have enough females In our industry. So when I see certain people running companies or anything like that, I’m. That excites me because that’s our industry.

21:56

But to Melanie’s credit, I think she can run anything. I mean, she’s just got that, you know what I mean? She’s just got that leadership capability, et cetera. I mean, if she was on the counter, if she’s the chairperson, she’s going to hurt her positivity and her attitude. But she’s got that empathy about her that connects with people. She’s, she. Again, it’s A people business and she knows it.

22:18

So. Okay, here’s my next one, buddy.

22:20

Yep.

22:20

In many of your interviews, you speak about quality of youth coming up In the world. It seems you believe the next generation is really good, and I completely agree with you. But many people our age don’t agree because, you know, our parents said our generation was going to, they’re In trouble or, you know, whatever. And now I’ve kind of found myself at times going out that next generation, they could be In trouble. So I think that’s going to be A problem that’s gone on forever. But truly, I’m seeing A lot of the youth today that simply can’t afford college because it’s. Nobody can take $150,000 of debt or something like that.

22:56

It’s A dumb bet too. I’ll just go ahead and say it.

22:58

It’s A bad bet. So how do we get and how do we support In your eyes? What’s the best way we can support? Because you, for example, I listened to and I’m going totally butcher his name. So please help me on this. Mike Cioffi Cioffi. Cioffi the talent. He said something that blew me away. He said, Gen Z is now making up 20% of our industry. So one of every five employees is going to be A gen zer. So that’s exciting to me. But what makes you passionate about the youth of today?

23:36

So Gen Z makes up about 20% of our workforce. So they’re technically like almost 19%. But let’s just say one In five, right? When we look at that cohort, they’re obviously growing. They’re the ones that are growing. They really want to be part of something bigger. So I’ve got kids at that level, right? And I’ve seen some of their work ethic and I’ve seen some of their thought processes on things. And then, you know, I get these young boys over here, we’ll talk about A lot of things. And it’s interesting to me because they said something that I actually said to A guy that was In A generation above me. You know, he was doing the kind of. He was the old man at one time and he’s passed on now. And I loved him.

24:22

I mean, but he said to me, he goes, man, your generation, y’ all just throwing this away, doing this and, you know, kind of dogging us. And it was almost. And I did take it kind of personal. I remember, I remember I was young and I said to him, I said, well, you’re the one that gave it to us. And dude, it calls him to check up. And he was like, what do you mean? I said, well, you guys screwed it up. We’re the ones just dealing with it. And then he was just like.

24:49

Well.

24:49

You know, we all have A responsibility and, and passing on good work ethic, etc, and then even being positive with the youth, I think if you. I think the thing I like about youth is they’re fresh. They. They don’t know anything. And as long. As long as they can come with the humility, youth is very honest with you. They’ll tell you exactly what they think. One of my friends coached A. A Little League team all the way to the World Series In Williamsport, and he. He had very successful teams and everything, and he loved. He loves youth. And he said he doesn’t coach anymore, but he said one thing you can’t do is you can’t. You can’t BS A kid that’s around 12 years of age. He said they’ll see through it all the time. And it’s because I believe there’s still.

25:36

I get the fact some people come from bad backgrounds, but there’s still A purity there. They want the truth, they seek the truth, and they know who they can trust. And they get A radar on adults that they can’t. They know who’s BSing them. I think if you take that A little bit further and you get to that youth that’s 16, 17, 18, and they’re trying to figure out that trajectory they’re going to go on. They trust the adults that tell it to them just like it is. They don’t want it sugarcoated. I have found out. And they don’t want you to browbeat them either. They just want. Just give them the truth. And it could be A tough answer, but they want the hardcore truth. And I think they know that they. And they want support. They want.

26:16

They want to know that somebody can, you know, push them In the right direction and be there, support them. So I think based on what I’m seeing In youth around me, is if they get those tenets of character to them, they’re going to do just fine. And they’re going to add to our. They’re going to add to our culture. They’re going to add to our, you know, everything they see. You know, one thing that’s. This is really interesting. I find this fascinating, but my son, who’s 21, lived through Covid at the age of, you know, 15, 16. He. Man, his. His radar of trust with government and. And media is so up there, it’s unbelievable. Tony, it’s like. And he says that his whole generation’s that way.

27:01

Like, so they saw, you know, they saw all this stuff and then how they had to not participate, and then they were allowed back In, and then you had to do this and you had these rule, you know what I’m saying? All these.

27:12

Yeah. And constant change.

27:14

Constant change. And nobody had the right answer or whatever. And they saw the kind of. The chaos of it. And I think they saw adults panic, you know, out In front of them In some way, and then. Then you get through it, and everybody looks back and goes, what was that? You know, And. And he says. He says, you know, you see, you.

27:33

He.

27:33

It was just interesting. I. I recently got this perspective from him, and I thought, man, Tony, I didn’t. I didn’t go through something like that when I was his age. You know what I mean? But that’s A big. It was A big deal had to do. You had to stay at home for nti, at school. You know, everything was online. It was just. It’s just A unique experience. I’ve tried to. Now that I’ve had this conversation with him, I’m like, now, don’t get me wrong, the kid. This kid, he. He actually loved it when it happened, because he was going fishing all the time, you know, but there was A perspective of, got to get back to the real world sometime, you know, it’s going to happen, you know, and it did, but there was A gap, and it was just.

28:12

It was an odd time. So, you know, I love the youth. I have A lot of hope In them. I think you give them the truth, they’re going to be honest with you.

28:21

Yeah, that’s. That’s, you know, polite, honest, direct. Just give it to them straight, and you don’t have to be angry how you deliver it. Just tell them straight, they process it. That’s such great advice, Mike. The next question. I have. This one floored me, and so I. I’ve. I’ve been listening, watching, but there was A couple I wanted to go back and see, and one of the people I went back and saw was A gentleman named Josh Parnell, and he runs Limitless Leadership. Yeah. And he said something that was absolutely crazy to me. It’s something I’ve. I focused on, but I’ve never had anybody put A number on it. He stated, poor communication costs you 18% of total salaries being paid on annual basis.

29:08

So if you’re paying A million dollars In payroll A Year, 180,000 of it gets flushed away when you’re not communicating correctly.

29:18

Yeah.

29:19

And there’s so many people I work with that it’s. It’s the first thing I bring In. If you’re not doing team meetings, monthly meetings, communicating with your key people, like, I shove that down your throat, because how do your people know what to do? If we’re not communicating. And he actually put A number on it. I couldn’t believe that. He said, it’s cost you 18% of your payroll.

29:43

That’s A big. That’s A big number. I mean, it’s A sh. It’s A shocking number, actually. Poor communication cost shop owners 18% of total salaries being paid out on annual basis. So if you’re listening and you’re A shop owner and you’re paying out A million dollars In salary across annual basis, poor communication could actually be creating sunk cost In the amount of $180,000 every single Year. When.

30:07

When he dumped that on you. What’s your experience about communication? I mean, you. Your whole world is communication. Now you’re interviewing and. And you’re having to go get people, maybe do A little research on them. You’re communicating In advance. When you were In the industry, you were having to communicate with customers, kind of Give me your $0.02 on this whole thing.

30:30

Well, that’s an interesting question. So I’m going to take it from A perspective you’re probably not expecting me to. My mom, my mom always said, if you’ll keep communicating, you’ll figure it out. As long as communication’s open, you’ll always figure it out. Now, I had an uncle that was In A mentor, my mom’s older brother. She came from A big family. This is one of her older brothers. But he was wildly successful In business, and he was A mentor. I knew that I could go to him for advice. And he wasn’t one of these guys that would cram things down your throat and say, this is the way you need to do it. He had all the answers. He’d give you things to think about. But one of the things he always said is he loved to do deals.

31:10

And he said, I’ve learned one thing. If you’ll keep communicating, you’ll both figure it out. If you come to the deal with goodwill, if both sides come to good, he goes, you’ll always figure out how to make A deal work. Now, you take that into the work environment, and you’ve got communications with different levels of people In your organization. If you leave communication wide open all the time with some parameters, there’s always going to be some structure of protocols, but you leave communication open. I find that open communication always leads to A good outcome, and it’s A good outcome for both because everybody knows I can at least go talk about it. I might not get my answer, but at least can lay it on the table. And no one’s shamed to think, well, that was dumb. Why’d you bring that up? Or don’t.

31:57

Don’t you don’t ever. You don’t ever browbeat people when they’re trying to communicate something from the heart or A deep concern of theirs. You listen to it, but you can. You can, you know, absorb it and you come back to it, and it doesn’t matter that you don’t give them the answer they want to hear. They may want answer, they may want the raise or whatever, but you got to be able to explain, this is why I can’t give you the raise right now. You know, we’re going through this. But I’ll tell you what. In three months, and you got to keep your word, too. In three months, I’m willing to sit down with you and reevaluate, and you got to do it. But I think part of communication is really good communication is always keeping your word and being honest with yourself.

32:35

Like when? My boys will tell me sometimes, well, dad, you said. I did say that. Sit down. Let’s talk about it. Or you did say you do this. I did say that. All right, can’t do it today. I’ll do it. This is when I’ll do it. I’m willing to admit. You got me. I did say something. Because so much going on, you’re like, I can’t remember all the minute details. But if you call me out on it, yeah, okay, fair. I don’t have A problem with that. But I think where the problem. The rub gun comes In. And I bet you some of this number that he comes up with, Josh does. I’ll bet you it comes In that you, you know, heard that cliche, no one leaves A job. They leave managers or they leave people.

33:11

Right. That’s right.

33:13

And, and people get tired of not being heard, or they get tired of being constantly told what to do, and they know it’s the wrong thing to do, and they know upper management wants it done another way or they want A different result. But you got this guy right here. He’s telling me this, and I know it’s wrong, but he won’t listen to me. And you get these people, I mean, you know, look, the old pride steps In with everybody, and everybody likes to think they got some power over somebody sometimes, and it’s. It’s just that weird dynamic of superiority and inferiority In life or whatever, but you got to be able to navigate that. But if you want A good company, all chains and forms of communication. I Think always have to be open.

33:51

And I think also this uncle that I had, he didn’t have A big company In regards to number of employees, but all his people have been with him 25, 45 years. They don’t. No one goes anywhere. You know that. That screams success to me. When there’s no turnover, there’s wild success, because guess what? They know they’re being taken care of. They know they’re contributing, and they know there’s probably very good open communication.

34:18

That all starts with communication.

34:19

It is.

34:20

That’s. That’s an amazing thing. And I really appreciate your answer. In particular, the part where you said, do what you say. I always kind of look at it as God gave me one last name and I ain’t gonna wreck it. I can only live up to that name. And so I always want to be A person of my word.

34:36

And listen, we, you know, we can’t remember everything all the time, but, you know, I. It’s like I interviewed Gary Skidmore. He’s another good one. He’s the CEO for Big. Oh. He said, look, I don’t have A great memory, but if someone calls me out on. If somebody calls me out on something, I said, I’ll be like, yeah, that sounds like something I say, all right. And he said, but he says, so at the same time. No, I know. I wouldn’t have said that. You know, and he said, but I got to be honest with the people that are around me, and they know that’s the. I’m going to do what I say I’m going to do. So I don’t have A great memory.

35:09

So when people come to me and say, well, you said this, I can usually say, that sounds like something I had, so I’ll grieve you, or that doesn’t sound like something I said. So I don’t know that if I said it or not.

35:19

So.

35:19

But I always know if it’s done with integrity, then I really don’t have to worry about whether I remember it or not, because I know I’m saying.

35:25

I think Gary and I might be long lost brothers somehow, because I don’t. Maybe it was the concussions from football or whatever, but I have to write everything down because I don’t remember it either. So I’ll have to find out what Gary’s tricks are. Okay, so I’ve asked you about some of the episodes.

35:42

Yeah.

35:43

That stood out to me. What were some fan favorites of yours? What are some things that pop to you that, you know when you’re interviewing somebody, you went, oh, wow, this is intense.

35:55

You’ve touched on A few of them, but I want to get outside of those. I, I’ve said this one before, but I’m gonna say it again. I said it at sema, but Mike Graber’s with Toyo Tire was A good one with me. I liked it because Mike said something I just thought was very humble. He said, I love this industry. And he goes, and I like the people like you like it, you know. And he said, because it’s not. And he’s the president. He goes, because it’s not corporate. The industry’s not. And here’s the guy that’s sitting at A position, you know, and I realize it’s, it’s not A ginormous company, but it, he’s the head of IT here In usa and he likes it because it’s not corporate that I like those, I like that, you know, that mindset.

36:38

I just had him on Andy Fiffick. He’s up In Cleveland. He talks about culture and his culture is unbelievable. They have 11 stores. They’re primary Automotive repair. They don’t do A lot In tires, but they are doing tires. But he has this culture that’s unbelievable. And his whole purpose now and his role. He’s In his 70s now, but he’s got, I mean, the guy’s living right or something. He looks like he’s only like 58 or something, but he, he, he goes to every store once A week and he wants to always let the people see him. They can interact with him. But he does things for him throughout the Year. They have events, you know, team building events, sporting events. They go to whatever it is. But it’s all about family and culture.

37:24

And he said, and we’re not sticklers on, you got to go be with your family. We’re going to figure out A way that you can go be with your family, you know, and that one really stood out to me recently. I think culture’s A big deal that people, you got to invest In your people.

37:38

I think that’s what I think I love so much about small business and why I work for small businesses. Because small business owners put you and your family first.

37:50

Yes.

37:51

Maybe that’s A little different from big corporations, but small business, man, that’s just awesome to me, you know. What advice would you give to someone just starting out In our industry?

38:05

Emerald Row.

38:08

I’m, I’m giving you my best. Yeah.

38:11

But let’s say, I mean, what role are they starting out In?

38:14

Let’s say they’re starting out as A tire technician or A mechanic.

38:19

All right, I would say soak it In. Soak it all In. Listen to the guys around you. I tell, I tell my kids this. You’re going to learn that maturity has nothing to do with age and that’s okay. But you may find yourself more mature than older people around you In some ways and that’s okay. But everybody has something to offer you and so can the knowledge that person can give you as A gift. You know, Robert Frost has A famous poem and he’s the one that does the, I think he does the one, the two roads and I took the one less traveled. But he also has this quote where I consider every man my superior because In something he knows more than I do, there’s something that he knows more than I do and therefore he’s my superior.

39:05

And if you go into that attitude In life with that attitude that you can pick up something from everybody’s your superior In something, then go and gain as much knowledge. And so even if you’re starting out at the tech level or wherever, even if you’re sweeping the floors, doesn’t matter, absorb it, learn. And then the other key word. I wish I could go back and talk to my 19 Year old self, this. Be patient, you know, about how you want to grow In your career or whatever.

39:31

It is good to be ambitious but be patient about it as well and realize, you know, see kind of the path that you want to get at and if you want to get to the front counter, if you want to get to ownership one day or manager, whatever it is, or owning multiple stores or going to work, climbing that ladder and then, you know, getting In from the tech level and then I know guys that ended up at Bridgestone Corporate, you know, but they started out just like everybody else did. Just change your tires. Just learn from everybody that you can. Because I think it benefits you. Like when you listen to somebody like A Rob Williams at Hancock, you know, he, he learned the business the long way, you know.

40:11

So I, I gotta, I’m gonna throw you A curveball here real quick. It’s A good curveball.

40:15

I like it.

40:17

What advice would you give to A first time manager?

40:23

I think, I think this applies for any management thing. I think clarity is the greatest way to be with everybody. And, and clarity is we’re gonna talk, you and I have talked football before. But, you know, one of the things that made Nick Saban great is he had clarity with his players. Everybody knew where Nick Saban stood. Everybody knew that if you did wrong, he’s going to chew you out, but if you did right, he’s going to pat you on the butt. And everybody knew that. Nick Saban, that’s ever played for him, says great things about him, but he had my back. He always had my back, you know, and you don’t win seven championships like he did In the timeframe he did without having great communication, great listening skills. But also he knew how to. It’s like this. There was this.

41:12

I forgot the player’s name. This was A great one, this interview. He says, I was late. I’d never been late. It was my senior Year, and I was late for one of their film sessions the day before the game, and I squeezed In the room and I got In there, and nobody said A thing. And then the next day he goes, and normally that means you’re going to be punished the next practice if you’re late for anything. And I forgot how he said this, but he goes, I get on the bus the next day for the game, and I run into coach, and he says to me, why didn’t you come and tell me you were late yesterday? And he said, well, I was hoping nobody would notice. And he said, you know, he goes, I’m going to punish you for. For being late.

41:59

But he goes, you’re. You’re not being punished. You’re. You’re not actually going to be punished for being the late part as much as you’re being punished more for not accountability. You had accountability to your teammates, and you had accountability to me. You had accountability yourself to be on time. And he said, but you didn’t own up to it, and you’re going to be punished for that more than you are just being late. He said, if you had just come up to me and told me why, because you’d never been late. You’re all. You’re all your whole four years here, and then halfway through your season Year, you know, your senior Year, you were late. And he said, you know the rules. And he said, man, you know what I love about Saban, Coach or whatever he called him at the end? He said he.

42:36

He wasn’t mad at me for the mistake. He was mad at me for not being accountable for it. And I think if you can convey that with your. As A. As A manager, that, listen, we’re all going to make mistakes, just be accountable for them. You know, let’s help each other not make the same mistakes twice and just get better. I think that’s great leadership.

42:55

Well, I, and I love the advice you give to A young manager. Communication. Right. I mean, but also you’re. I, I liked what you also said, is that basically you want Gen Z to communicate with the employees the same way they kind of want to be communicated with. Polite, honest, direct, you know, those things. So. Great advice he gave there. Mike, what do you believe to be some of the biggest issues facing tire and automotive dealers today?

43:26

Well, we’ve already touched on. The biggest one, I think, is, you know, the whole challenge with employees and getting good employees, and it’s. Look, it is A cultural thing. I mean, we have some challenges, I think, In our culture In developing, you know, the right mindset to come into tougher jobs. This is A tougher job, right? And, you know, work. You work long hours, you work physical hours, and I think that’s always going to be there. But I think, you know, the. I would say that’s, bar none. If I listen to everybody out there, you know, that is, that is, bar none, the hardest. I mean, there’s some unpredictability, things like, you know, when you get into geopolitics and tariffs and things like that, but that’s everybody’s, you know, that’s all.

44:19

Price is always going to be A factor to some degree, but everybody wants consistency, stability In kind of In the home, if that makes sense. You know, it’s kind of like I told my kids that are married now, the best thing you can give your kids is stability. You know, give them that ground that, that ground they can stand on and it not be shaky and that they can get their footing so that they can start stepping off and taking chances or whatever and go make their little risk In the world that they’re going to go play violin or they’re going to go swim or they’re going to play football or they’re going to get into boxing or whatever it is that your set of kids are going to try, but they have that nest, that stability.

44:58

Back home, they got mom, dad, support, they got, you know, their siblings and then, and the nest is consistent. Well, I think you take that out In the workplace, you got to create A good nest for people to feel comfortable In. And your hardest. I think you asking me what the hardest thing and the biggest challenges is, I think creating that right culture. Because now, right now we’ve got to overcome A lot. I mean, I’ll never forget there’s A guy named Dave. He was the general manager, plant manager for the Corvette plant In Bowling Green, Kentucky. And he gave A, you know, he had big row. It’s A cool plant to say you’re the, you know, the plant manager of, you know, and you. But you got A thousand people or more that you’re responsible for and everything.

45:42

He said this 15 years ago In A speech, and I thought this was very telling. He said, we have A problem today, culturally, because we’re not training people to think about how important it is to prepare yourself for work. You know, we’re maybe coddling that generation.

45:58

And.

45:59

And he said, what’s happening is when, if you come to work now and you dress decent, you shake my hand, you look me In the eye, and you know how to talk and answer questions, he goes, I hate to say it, but you’re already 50% hired. And he goes, and these are just soft skills. He goes, back when I was growing up, he said, you know, I was growing up In the 70s, 60s and 70s. He said, Heck, soft skills were expected. You had to have the soft skills. And he goes, and then it came down to your qualities and your capabilities. He goes, now you’re already halfway hired if you just got soft skills. And he goes, so what do you. And he said, so what I’m telling you out there. And I already had kids.

46:36

He said, for those of you guys that have young kids, if you teach them the soft skills, they’re going to be way ahead of A lot of other people out there just by showing up, be punctual, dress appropriately, and be able to talk to people. He goes, you’re. You’re already halfway home, you know, and getting the job. And he goes, and that’s sad to say. That’s the state we’re In. So I think, how does it. So shop owners might be listening to me right now and thinking, well, okay, well, it’s. That got to do with me, how am I going to overcome it? Well, you got to overcome it In your own home, In A sense. You know what I mean? You got to train your own people to overcome it.

47:09

And if that means training them on the soft skills, when you’ve got A talented mechanic out there or technician out there, bring In those type of opportunities, train them to understand what makes them A better person and makes them A better employee and makes A better unit all the way around, I hope that’s kind of A long winded answer, but that’s.

47:27

Yeah, but I, I really loved what you said there. You equated family and stability at the home. Employees want the same thing. They don’t. Employees, you know, I, I, I’ve seen places where they Service advisor calls up to order parts, and the parts house says, hey, we can’t sell you anything because you’re, you owe us money. I mean, that’s A scary thing for an employee. They think, man, the company’s not doing well. Employees want to work where they know they’re stable, they’re appreciated. Your answer was just perfect there.

47:59

Yes.

48:00

Okay, last question. All right, I get to be A little bit of A homer here. So this one comes from one of your loyal listeners, and I know this for A fact. Gentleman named Brandon Haler. He owns Forest Point S In Johnson, South Carolina.

48:16

I like Brandon.

48:17

And also coming soon, his second store, Legacy Point S In Abbeville, South Carolina. He is A customer of my master shop course. So I’m being, I’m giving A little insight, but he loves so much. So when I told him I was going to be interviewing you, he goes, oh, you got to ask him A question. So, Mike, you always talk about business and people and all that, but we’re going to detour from that for two seconds. Give me some of your favorite movies because I know you’re A movie about you and I have gone deep dive on this.

48:44

Yes.

48:45

And favorite foods. P.S. Brandon says, Keep up the great work. A couple great movies and A couple great dishes that we need to go try because you recommended it.

48:55

I’ll give him, I’ll give him. Brandon, I’ll give you A shout out. I really enjoyed meeting you last Year and look forward to seeing you again. But, and congratulations on your second store. So, man, I’ve got so many movies and I had an inkling that you were going to ask this question, so I actually jot it down some. But, you know, I, I could go, I, there’s A lot that I go with. I’ve got A lot of number ones. It just depends on my mood. You know, I’ve talked about this before. It’s such A, you know, but like.

49:25

You got to tell the world, buddy.

49:27

So, you know, I love Godfather 1 and 2. I love Rocky 1 and 2. I love trying to think like Westerns. I like old Westerns. I love Butch Cassidy and Sundance Kid.

49:41

Okay.

49:42

I love the man who Shot Liberty Valance. I love you.

49:47

I watched that because you told me and that was good.

49:50

When the twist. Great.

49:52

Yes. Didn’t see it at All.

49:55

It’s so. It’s just so cool. And three great actors In that movie, but. And I like the one that was made for tv. I might call this the greatest Western of all time. I love Lonesome Dove. The. Okay. Yeah. I like. I like Cool Hand Luke.

50:12

You could.

50:13

You could see I’m going back A little bit In time. The movies I like, but, I mean, there’s some. There’s some oldies and good ones, but, like, on the comedy level, I love Groundhog Day. I love Blazing Saddles, Spies Like Us, Tommy Boy, Ghostbusters. I mean, all this 80s stuff, you know, that was my era, but, you know. But I love slapstick, you know, on the comedy level. But then, you know, you could go to movies like Gladiator, Braveheart. These guys that were living for something bigger than themselves, you know, And I love. At the end of Gladiator, you know, he did. But the. The princess says he’s A. He’s A Roman soldier honoring. And they leave the. They leave the emperor out there, and what do they do? They pick him up and carry his body and. Dude, that’s just, you know, like.

50:54

Oh, that’s awesome. You know, I mean, it’s just, you know. Yeah. I mean, I even, like, had no English In it, but I even like the Passion. I mean, look, I’m A. I’m A Christian, and I. I. It’s. It that gives you A vivid image of everything that happened, you know, and it’s. It’s so. It’s moving. I like another Western. If I didn’t mention this one. Did you ever see Once Upon A Time In the West? Did we mention that one?

51:24

Isn’t that A comedy?

51:26

No, this one’s got Charles Bronson In it. It’s got.

51:31

Oh, no, I have not seen that.

51:32

Henry Fond In it. The movie. The music In it is fantastic. It’s the same composer that did all the spaghetti Westerns where it’s got that eerie kind of sound to it. And Eno. Something. I can’t think of his last name. But anyway, that. That’s some of them, if that helps you out.

51:49

Awesome.

51:50

Awesome. Oh, you wanted food too, didn’t you?

51:52

Yeah, you gotta make me drool before I leave A little bit.

51:55

Okay, so this was basic. And everybody’s gonna be like, are you serious? This is what you. My wife’s like, this. That’s it. But I. I can’t help it. I’m an easygoing guy, but if you told me what was my last meal that I could have. And. And I get one shot Man, I love bacon, eggs, and toast. I mean, I love it. I know it sounds basic, but then here’s. Here’s some things that you guys aren’t going to be familiar with. One of my delicacies In my hometown is mutton. Owensboro, Kentucky, eats more mutton than the entire United States combined. We eat A lot of mutton here, and that’s what we barbecue here. And if you’ve ever had it and you like it, you know what I’m talking about. Now, some people I bring into town, they. It’s all right. It’s, you know.

52:40

So do you either really like it or you don’t? But I’ve got A friend of mine that comes In from St. Louis A lot. He used to come In more, but I could never. We got some decent restaurants here. He wouldn’t go eat anywhere because I can’t get mutton anywhere else. I want mutton. We have to go eat mutton every time. But I love. We have A famous barbecue. We got two famous barbecue restaurants here that have been written up nationally. One of them’s called Moonlight. The other one’s Old Hickory. But moonlight has this. You guys would think of it more like pulled pork, but we call it chopped mutton, and it’s chopped mutton sandwich with pickled onion. I think it’s A little piece of heaven on earth. So. And I do like. I do. I do like pork ribs.

53:18

So if I ever come see you In your hometown and you got A good barbecue place, I love pork ribs, too.

53:23

So my two barbecues will cook it for you, brother, and we’ll cook you beef ribs. Be.

53:31

I hope that helps you.

53:33

Hey, Mike, I. I can’t tell you what A privilege it was for me to be able to come into your world. And. And I’ve truly enjoyed getting to know you more than anything.

53:44

Thank you.

53:44

So thank you very much for this.

53:46

And.

53:46

And now I can officially retire as A press person, and I will never be stealing your job, I’ll tell you that. You’re too good at it. You’re.

53:55

You’re phenomenal. It was great. I love the. I love that you called me up and we wanted to do this. I’m enthusiastic about it, and I’m glad.

54:02

Did A.

54:03

A Year In review for 2025. I wish you and your family A happy New Year. And I’m. I. I appreciate. And I’ll see you soon at the. The convention.

54:13

Yes, sir. Yes, sir.

54:15

So to. To all our fans out there, Happy New Year. Thanks for being part of our base here at 2025. We’re going to make 2026 even better. Take care. We’ll see you next time. To all our listeners, thank you for being part of the Gain Traction Podcast. We are grateful for you. If you’d like to find more podcasts like this, please Visit Gain Traction podcast.com if you’d like to make A guest recommendation, please email [email protected] this episode has been powered by TREAD Partners, the leader In digital marketing for multi location tire and auto repair shops. To learn more about Tread Partners, visit treadpartners.com.

Contents hide

1 In this episode…

2 Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

3 Resources mentioned in this episode:

4 Quotable Moments:

5 Action Steps: