What's Surprised Me Most About This Industry

I've been working in the collision repair industry for a couple of years now. Before that, I spent over a decade at Kroger in corporate finance. Supply chain, strategic planning, category management, divisional P&L ownership. Different world.

When I made the move into collision, I knew there'd be a learning curve. New terminology, new economics, new relationships to build. I expected all of that.

What I didn't expect was the welcome.

I'm not talking about polite introductions at conferences. I'm talking about shop owners who walked me through their entire operation on a first visit. People who opened their books before we'd signed anything. Operators who've been doing this for 30 years who treated me like I belonged before I'd earned it.

That caught me off guard. In a good way.

I've worked in environments where information is a competitive weapon. Where sharing what you know means giving someone else an edge. The collision repair industry is different. The best operators I've met genuinely want the people around them to succeed. They share what's working. They'll tell you what almost broke them. They pick up the phone when you call.

There's a generosity in this industry that I didn't see coming. Not the kind people perform for an audience. The quiet kind. The kind where someone pulls you aside after a session and says, "Here's what I wish someone had told me five years ago."

I came into this space believing I had something to offer. I still do. But what I have learned here has blown me away.

And now, so many of you are trusting me to help you with one of your most precious assets. Your business. The thing you built. That's not lost on me.

If you're one of the people who gave me a shot, invited me to walk your shop, or just picked up the phone when you didn't have to…thank you. I don't take it for granted.