Most shop owners glance at their P&L once a year at tax time and have no idea what it's actually telling them. In this episode, accountant Jerry Cecco of Cecco and Associates breaks down exactly how a profit and loss statement should be structured for a performance shop – and how to generate accurate numbers from your daily operations. Jerry spent years installing accounting systems for automotive dealerships before bringing that same financial discipline to small motorsports businesses. He's also an HPDE instructor at Eagles Canyon Raceway, so he gets the industry from both sides. We cover: Cash vs. accrual...

You're doing highly skilled work, working harder than the general repair shop down the street — and making less money per hour. In this episode, Richard interviews Kevin to break down exactly why performance, restoration, and custom fabrication shops struggle financially compared to general repair, and what to do about it. We cover the "book time" billing model that lets general repair techs flag 50-60 hours in a 40-hour week, why performance shops are stuck at or below 100% efficiency, the parts markup gap, and the two metrics every shop owner needs to track: door rate and shop efficiency. Then...

Unlock the hidden secrets that are transforming manufacturing efficiency worldwide. If you're a shop owner, engineer, or entrepreneur looking to streamline your processes and eliminate waste, this episode is your blueprint to profit and precision. In this deep dive, Richard and Kevin explore the powerful concepts that can revolutionize your production line—from error-proofing and Pokeyoke techniques that prevent costly mistakes, to lean manufacturing principles that maximize value while minimizing waste. Discover how industry leaders are using Kanban boards, standardized work, and just-in-time inventory management to stay agile and cut costs. Plus, learn practical examples—from how to design parts that only...

In this episode, Kevin and Richard sits down with Chris Hagen, owner of Inertia Laboratory. Chris specializes in high-performance damper rebuilds, revalving, dyno testing, and sells high end coilover systems. Before starting Inertia Lab, Chris worked as an engineer for a major vehicle manufacturer, and spent time at AST/Moton - so he brings both OEM engineering credibility and real-world motorsports experience to the table. We dig into what it actually takes to run a suspension service business - from the technical side of shock dyno testing, to the business operations side of managing parts inventory across dozens of damper brands....

In this episode, Kevin and co-host Richard Fielder break down the manufacturing systems used by large-scale factories and show you how to implement them in your small shop. Richard is a controls engineer at Peterbilt where he works with the systems that manufacture semi trucks at scale, and he brings that expertise to help small fabricators, tuners, and parts manufacturers work smarter. Whether you're making one-off custom parts or producing small batches, these principles will make you faster, more consistent, and more profitable.We cover 5S for organizing your workspace, shadow boards for tool management, standard operating procedures for documenting your...