The Process That Took an Auto Shop from $40K to $100K a Month

Adam Dixon is the Director of Operations at Urbs Garage, a multi-location auto repair business serving the Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky markets. He built his career from the ground up as a technician before moving into leadership, where he developed and implemented scalable systems that drive consistent performance across locations. His hands-on experience across dealerships, independent shops, and multi-store operations gives him a practical, execution-first perspective on what actually works in the bay.

Today, Adam is known for turning underperforming locations into high-revenue operations by focusing on process, speed, and accountability. His approach to strategies to grow an auto repair shop centers on operational discipline rather than marketing spend, proving that growth is built through execution, not theory.

EPISODE SPONSOR

This episode of the Gain Traction Podcast is sponsored by Cosmo Tires. Cosmo Tires offers a wide range of tire solutions designed for durability, reliability, and performance across multiple vehicle segments. Learn more at https://www.cosmotires.com

In this episode…

Most shops don’t stall because they lack ideas. They stall because execution breaks under pressure.

Revenue leaks out in the space between inspection, communication, and approval. Cars sit too long before being checked. Customers wait too long to hear back. Decisions get pushed later into the day, and with that delay comes hesitation, lost trust, and missed sales. The industry continues to push marketing and expansion as the solution, yet the real constraint lives inside the shop’s daily workflow.

This episode shifts the focus back to what actually drives growth; speed creates confidence, clarity increases approvals, and consistency compounds results. The operators who scale are not chasing tactics, they are controlling the flow of work, removing friction, and building systems that perform every single day.

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

[01:15 ] Introduction of Adam Dixon and Urbs Garage

[01:31] Early interest in fixing things and technical curiosity

[07:15] Transition from dealership environment to independent shop

[09:52] Learning operational processes and identifying inefficiencies

[13:05] Attempted business acquisition and corporate transition

[14:28] Joining Urbs Garage and stepping into leadership

[17:54] Importance of mindset and saying yes to customers

[19:08] Marketing strategy differences across locations

[20:17] Rebuilding trust in underperforming shop locations

[21:27] Managing and optimizing digital marketing spend

[24:09] Customer attrition and need for consistent acquisition

[25:12] Speed to sale and importance of fast vehicle inspection

[27:15] Personal philosophy on accountability and follow-through

[28:37] Personal interests and hobbies outside the business

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Urbs Garage & Tire LinkedIn
• Urbs Garage Website
• Tread Partners
• Gain Traction Podcast on YouTube
• Gain Traction Podcast Website
• Mike Edge on LinkedIn

Quotable Moments:

• “Just changing processes, just how they did things.”
• “You have to say yes.”
• “Plant the seed of confidence in the customer that they’re always going to call Urbs Garage when they have a problem.”
• “You’ve got to get the car checked out really fast.”
• “You don’t want to have the customer have the doubt that they’re going to get the car back today."

Action Steps:

1. Audit your check-in-to-diagnosis time. Set a standard that every vehicle gets inspected within the first hour to eliminate hesitation and increase approval rates.
2. Train your team to present findings early in the day. Speed to communication directly impacts close rate and customer confidence.
3. Standardize your workflow across all locations. Consistent processes create predictable outcomes and are foundational to effective strategies to grow an auto repair shop.
4. Shift your focus from lead generation to conversion efficiency. Increasing approval rates on existing car count drives faster revenue growth than adding new traffic.
5. Build a “say yes” culture at the front counter. Confidence at first contact sets the tone for the entire customer experience and drives repeat business.