48 GEARS September 2004

by Ray Warner

JourneyJourneyPART 16MyMy

A Journeys End

It was at the Powertrain Expo inSeptember of 2002. I was sittingwith GEARS Managing EditorRodger Bland, Senior Editor PaulMorton, and Technical Editor LanceWiggins. We were talking about thepossibility of me writing a series ofarticles for GEARS that detailed the tri-als and tribulations experienced duringthe first year or so of a brand-new inde-pendent transmission repair shop.

I was excited about the prospect ofwriting for GEARS, but that excitementwas tempered by an anxious feelingwhen Rodger said, Well be true towhat happens in your business; good orbad. We want you to know that youretaking a chance in the event the busi-ness doesnt go well, because that willbe written about, also.

My stomach was in knots. Thewhole transmission world would knowif my business venture failed. But to behonest, I was never really concernedabout failure. By nature, I suppose itsjust not something I allow myself tobelieve is acceptable.

When I look at my shop today, itshard to remember when I signed thelease on what was then a vacant build-ing. I do, however, remember my firstjob. I serviced an E4OD, and I swear itfelt as though I was lost. I felt like arookie again. At that point my shop waslittle more that an empty box with ahoist.

Nowadays, I occasionally take a

mental break from what has grown tobe the fast pace of my business, andreflect back on that first year in busi-ness. Actually, these are usually not par-ticularly good memories. Talk aboutstress and unhappiness. Im not sure ifmy writing showed just how miserable Iwas that first year, but believe me, itwas very difficult. There were manyhard, lonely hours that first year. Thelack of customers and work made forsome long days.

I once heard a quote that wentsomething like this: An owner thatdoes all the work in a small businesshas a fool for a manager. In one of myearly articles I said that if a job had tobe done in my business, regardless ofits nature, I was the one who had to doit. It often led to a great deal of frustra-tion, and it became evident I needed tochange my way of thinking about mybusiness. But to make an effectivechange, I needed knowledge.

Fortunately for me, the ATRAPowertrain Expo in Las Vegas wasabout to occur, and I hoped to find thehelp I needed there. I wasnt disap-pointed. It wasnt just a particularspeaker, or a software program, or anyother single factor. In fact, it was acombination of factors I wouldnt havefound under one roof in any otherindustry event.

I finally realized that my basicproblem was a lack of knowledge, orunderstanding, in several key areas, and

that I basically survived my first yearout of that refusal to fail. As soon as Irealized that, I was able to set my egoaside, and focus on accumulating theinformation I needed to work smarterand better. To do that, I started takingadvantage of other peoples knowledgethrough seminars, and networking withother shop owners. It was just what Ineeded.

One of the more important things Ilearned was that I needed to surroundmyself with talented people. I put thatlesson into action by hiring my firsttechnician. That led to the hiring ofother key employees; not the least ofwhich has been my manager.

I also learned to back my staff upwith solid business consulting on topicssuch as accounting and marketing, aswell as business and profit develop-ment. This is when everything cametogether.

My hope is that by reading of thestruggles I experienced in starting mybusiness, some of you in similar situa-tions may be able to avoid the same pit-falls. I am also happy to report thatATRA has asked me to speak in a sem-inar at the upcoming PowertrainIndustry Expo 2004 at the Rio Casinoand Resort in Las Vegas, where I hopeto pass along some of the key points Ilearned over the last couple years.

I know quite a few of you have fol-lowed my story from the beginning, andI appreciate the words of support

Im not sure if my writing showed how miserable I wasthat first year, but believe me, it was very difficult.

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youve given me along the way.If you have a chance during theExpo, please stop me and let meknow your thoughts.

This is not a goodbye,though. GEARS has asked me towrite an occasional piece so Ican talk about any major eventsthat may occur over the nextyear or so.

Let me wrap this up bytelling you that several peoplehave contributed to my success,but no one has made an impacton me more than my wife,Laurie. She has stood by myside throughout this often gruel-ing process. She has the won-derful ability to help me withmajor decisions, and respect mydreams. Without her, none ofthis would have been possible.See you at the Rio.

GEARS September 2004 49

It was nearly two years ago when GEARS Managing Editor Rodger Bland and Senior Editor PaulMorton talked about the feasibility of initiating a series of articles written by an ATRA member who wastransitioning from technician to shop owner. To them, the risk was significant. They didnt want to initi-ate a series, only to have our writer abandon the effort mid-way. They also recognized the risk involvedin detailing what could be a shop that, for any number of reasons, did not succeed. They agreed thatthe series would detail either success or failure what was important was trying to capture the infor-mation and decision-making process that led to either one.

They were fortunate enough to meet with Ray Warner, who was in the beginning stages of break-ing away from a family-owned transmission business to one of his own. Ray definitely seemed to havethe necessary drive to succeed, but was quick to recognize he didnt have all the answers or at thatpoint, even know some of the questions. At no small risk to himself, Ray offered to write articles foreach issue of GEARS that focused on issues related to developing a new transmission business thegood as well as the bad.

Ray also had to agree to another very important aspect of creating an article for final production:the editorial process. Editors are assigned the responsibility of making a submitted article easy to read,and conform to (most of) the rules set forth in the Kings English. This must always be balanced againstthe writers style and personality; GEARS doesnt want cookie-cutter articles that all share the samevoice.

Much to Rays credit, he not only understood this, he never allowed the editorial process tobecome personal and stymie his effort. Another very important element in this process was that Raywas always very honest in describing the events he experienced even when it did not cast him or hisdecisions in the best light.

The result of this endeavor, we believe, is an interesting and honest documentation of the processinvolved when a good technician decides to become a good shop owner. Heartfelt thanks go out to RayWarner for his outstanding effort and accomplishments both in his business endeavor, and in hisdebut as an author. The effort in the latter category, by the way, brought Ray international recognition:The 2003 Silver Medallion from the International Automotive Media Awards (IAMA).

Heartfelt thanks go out to Ray for his effort and product, and our best wishes for the continuedsuccess of Diablo Transmissions. GEARS

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