About the Hosts

Meet Mike Allen

Third-Generation Shop Owner. Operator First. Podcaster Second.

Mike Allen is a third-generation automotive shop owner, entrepreneur, and the host of Confessions of a Shop Owner. With roots in a family business that began in 1937, Mike has spent his career in the real world of automotive repair- building, breaking, rebuilding, and scaling shops while learning the hard lessons that don’t show up in textbooks or at conferences.

Today, he owns and operates multiple locations, serves in industry leadership roles, and remains deeply involved in the day-to-day realities of running a service business.

The podcast was born out of a simple belief: most shop owners are struggling quietly, making the same mistakes others have already made. Through candid episodes, filled with unfiltered conversations with shop owners, technicians, and industry leaders, Mike focuses on what actually happens behind the scenes—leadership failures, money problems, staffing challenges, and the uncomfortable growth that comes with owning the results. No hype, no gurus just honest conversations meant to help shop owners think clearer, lead better, and build businesses that actually work.

Meet BRYAN POLLOCK

25 Years at the Front Line of Automotive Intelligence

Bryan Pollock brings 25 years of experience backed by a career that stretches from the service bay to the national stage. A contributor to the certification process for National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence, Bryan has helped shape the very tests technicians take to prove their craft. His specialty areas include diesel emissions, gasoline drivability, and the kind of electrical diagnostics that make lesser techs wave the white flag. Whether diagnosing a network fault or chasing a Mode 6 ghost, he thrives where RTFM meets live data

Leadership That Hurts

Owning your mistakes. Fixing culture problems. Leading when you don’t feel ready.

The Hiring Struggle

Finding technicians. Keeping good people. Letting go when it’s necessary.

Smart Scaling

Opening locations, building managers, and knowing when growth makes sense.

Raw Conversations

Real shop owners. Real stories. No gurus. No polished industry talk.

Money Pressure

Margins, payroll, slow months, expansion risks the financial realities behind the shop doors.

Operational Discipline

Processes, accountability, and why chaos kills profitability.

What This Podcast Covers

The Real Side of Shop Ownership

Confessions of a Shop Owner exists to talk about what most operators don’t say out loud. The pressure. The payroll stress. The leadership gaps. The decisions that keep you up at night.

Every episode focuses on what actually happens inside an independent automotive shop.

Real Shop Ownership Conversations That Strengthen Leadership and Business.

Confessions of a Shop Owner focuses on the real decisions that shape independent automotive shops. We talk about leadership breakdowns, hiring mistakes, financial pressure, operational discipline, and the uncomfortable growth that comes with ownership.

This isn’t surface-level advice. Every episode pulls back the curtain on what actually happens inside a shop the conversations behind closed doors, the risks that don’t make social media, and the lessons learned through experience.

From scaling locations and building management teams to fixing culture issues and navigating slow seasons, the goal is simple: help shop owners think clearer, lead stronger, and build businesses that truly work.

Listen to the Latest Episode