Ep 65 – What the Hell Did We Do? (Year in Review)

My marketing before and after signing up with Turnkey Marketing is pretty scary. In a good way. Get your marketing right today HERE

Tekmetric opened my eyes to just how much a good SMS will do for a shop. Their software is top of the line, and with them, so is my shop. Try them for yourself HERE

Make your techs happier with Detect Auto. They’ll stop getting “check noise” or “check vibration” from advisors with the customer concern tool. It will CHANGE YOUR LIFE. Book a demo HERE

AI for Shop Owners: Open the Hood of the Future is happening June 12-13 at Carfix in Raleigh, NC. Use AI to your advantage! Register HERE

In this episode, Mike Allen, Bryan Pollock, and Braxton Critcher look back on a year of “Confessions of a Shop Owner”. They play back the top moments on the podcast in 2025, and each give their most embarrassing confession thus far. Oh, what a year it has been, and oh, what a year 2026 is setting up to be. Remember, this is the last episode that Mike is current ASTA President…this is about to get good…Finally. 

Timestamps:
00:00 – Intro: The Year of “Edit That Out” (But Did We?) 
01:12 – Amateur Podcast Setups & Tech Fails 
03:12 – 65+ Episodes Later: What Did We Even Do?! 
04:30 – Are We the Best Automotive Podcast in the Galaxy? 
05:10 – Going Viral: Social Media Buzz & Darren’s Big Weekend 
08:07 – Most Memorable Guest: Darren Barney Shares a Vulnerable Story 
12:16 – The “16-Foot Trailer” Incident with Zeb Beard  
17:00 – When Guest Rage Turns the Podcast Upside Down – David Roman Goes OFF! 
22:00 – Saturday Shop: Do Employees Actually Want to Work Weekends? 
24:36 – The Great Staffing Challenge & “Short Term Gain, Long Term Pain” 
27:47 – Our Most Embarrassing Tech Confessions & Social Media Mishaps 
32:43 – Confession Time: When Braxton Lost All the Podcast Files 
33:43 – Misspelling Sponsor Names… and the Tattoo Bet is On! 
35:01 – Who’s REALLY The Fastest Driver in the Crew? 
39:09 – The All-Time Most Embarrassing Shop Owner Confession
43:20 – The Viral Aftermath & Listener Group Chat Chaos
48:30 – Hospitality Suite Stories: Couch Shopping & More Debauchery
50:00 – The Greatest Hot Mic Moment That Will Never Air
52:37 – Looking Ahead: What’s Next for Confessions in 2026?
54:24 – Favorite Moments & Listener Shout-Outs
56:06 – Parting Thoughts & Why We Love This Podcast