Interview with Audra Fordin of Great Bear Auto Repair

Heads up! This is an excerpt/recap from our small business podcast, Salt of the Earth. If you like it you can subscribe to our newsletter.

John and I interviewed Audra Fordin of Great Bear Auto Repair for this episode of the podcast. You can listen on iTunes or our site.

Audra grew up changing oil and swapping tires. She’s a fourth generation mechanic and since taking the reins of her family’s business has quadrupled Great Bear’s revenue. She attributes much of that success to her emphasis on customer service in the form of education.

Here’s an example. I’d recently taken a road trip with a trailer and told Audra about it while we were setting up. She immediately told me to change my transmission fluid. As someone whose only car maintenance involves looking at the “change oil” sticker, I appreciated the recommendation. She gives tips like this all day long.

Great Bear continues to grow because people trust Audra to look out for them. Her pitch is basically this: follow my maintenance advice and you’ll avoid $2000 repairs down the line. This has led to more customers coming in for shorter, cheaper maintenance work and recommending Audra to their friends because their cars just keep running.

In this episode we also talk about running her business in a mostly male industry, dealing with the preconceptions that mechanics are crooks, and a funny story about the importance of planning both as a mechanic and as a mom with a teenage daughter.

Check out Audra’s site WomenAutoKnow.com and listen to the episode on iTunes or our site.

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