Diesel Connect Recap: How to Build a 1-Man Repair Business

Running a repair business is no cakewalk—anyone can tell you that. Running a repair business by yourself as a one-man shop, well, that’s even less of a cakewalk. We daresay it’s pretty darn difficult; you’re responsible for, well, everything. Putting together and maintaining your shop and/or truck. Securing jobs. Marketing. Finding parts. And so on and so forth.

It’s a lot of work. It can be rewarding, but don’t call it easy.

(Editor’s Note: And don’t call me Shirley.)

We’re big fans of lone wolves here at Fullbay, and we were stoked when Jordan Steen of Six Gun Diesel Performance and Repair agreed to present at this year’s Diesel Connect. He talked at length about the challenges of being a one-man band in a sea of ensembles, and even participated in a lively discussion with the audience. Best of all, he brought swag (but more on that later).

Jordan has been a previous guest star on the blog, where he shared his shop’s story and how he uses Fullbay to help him run a strong operation (spoiler alert: he puts the Quick Service Order to good use!).

We’re holding off on uploading the entire video, but we’re sharing some of our favorite takeaways below!

THE LONE WOLF DOES EVERYTHING

If it is just you, it is just you.

Gee, Fullbay, you might be saying, how profound.

Seriously, though. Jordan isn’t just the senior technician. He’s also the parts manager, the service manager, the front office, and head janitor. Is a customer happy? He gets to hear it. Is a customer unhappy? He also gets to hear that. Oh, and somewhere in all that, he’s also got to take time off and spend time with his family (“Welcome to my vacation” he added).

Seems obvious? When you’re in the thick of everything and up to your eyes in work, it can become very, very difficult to swap one hat for another or remember to turn off the phone at night. It’s all on you to wear those hats and change them (or remove them) as necessary.

Again: It’s all on you.

Hiring help might sound like a great idea, but you need to make sure you have the finances for that (along with the ability to manage someone).

“I appreciate it from the standpoint of, ‘I don’t have anyone else to blame but myself,’” Jordan told the audience about the life. “Figure it out, or fall on your face. If you can’t talk to the customer and figure out what you gotta get done, the only person to look at is the guy in the mirror when you’re washing your hands.”

WORK ON A VARIETY OF BRANDS

Jordan explained that he’s not a brand-specific operation. “I have all the software and as many adapters as you can buy to talk to all the different machines,” he told attendees, “which is not a small chunk of change.”

We’ll up the ante on that comment: it probably represents a significant investment. But that investment makes him very, very appealing to his customers. If someone can call him and know he’ll be able to work on their machinery, no matter who manufactured it—well, that’s a huge draw.

TOOLS ARE YOUR FRIENDS

If you’re willing to work on a variety of brands, you’ll likely need a variety of tools.

Caterpillar has special tools for all their different machine sizes. Bobcat, too, and many others. For someone just starting out, the price on these puppies can seem financially daunting. Buying a $3,000 tool can seem like a wash…but you might also need it again.

Jordan shared a story about a customer who had two final drives go out on an excavator. He knew he needed a track press for the job. So he bought a $28,000 track press, drove up to Wisconsin to pick it up, and drove it back.

Yes, it was a huge expense, but he had a pretty good view of the market, too: “I compete against the dealerships and they share track presses against five locations and a whole state’s worth of dealers. I’m like, I could be there tomorrow with it. You let me know.”

FIGURE OUT HOW YOUR CUSTOMERS CAN REACH YOU

Modern technology has its perks—some of the stuff our smartphones can do still makes us go, “Gee whiz!” Lots of repair operations have things like automated scheduling, so you can mark when you’re open and customers can book service right through your website.

Jordan opted for a good old phone number and nothing else. Most of his customers are not “22 and carrying their phone everywhere,” he told attendees. His client base is largely older; they still want (or are conditioned) to pick up the phone and make an appointment verbally.

An up-and-coming lone wolf will need to figure out how their customers want to contact them (along with how they want to be contacted). If you’ve got younger folks in your clientele, odds are they’ll expect to book online.. Maybe you’ll take a mixture of the two. Do what works for your operation!

PURCHASE PARTS FOR YOUR CUSTOMER

The parts game for heavy equipment isn’t great—Jordan usually has to buy directly from dealers, who are also his competition. So he buys them for the customer instead of as an independent repair shop; the parts are billed to the customer’s account.

More about that in this clip:

MERCH NEVER HURT

In closing, Jordan told a story about his time at a dealer and how they refused to give him a hat. “You got a three-quarters of a million dollar tractor and you can’t give me a hat,” he said.
“Like, get out of here, dude … that is Marketing 101.”

So he brought us hats.

They are extremely nice hats, by the way. Check out the one this writer snatched:

(The color! The fabric! Yes, I shall wear this hat, and people will ask, “What is Six Gun Diesel Repair?” and I’ll say, “If you’re ever out in Iowa and your yellow iron breaks down…” Bam. Marketed.)

Jordan had a lot more to share—and unfortunately, you’re going to have to wait a few more months for the full video to go up. In the meantime, you can learn more about his operation and how he faces challenges in this blog post, or you can join our Shop Owner Roundtable on August 13, 11 AM PST. Jordan will be there along with Matt Bean of EMS Truck Repair and Towing, and it’s gonna be absolutely metal.

We hope we’ll see you there!