The Truth About Owning a PDR Shop

Listen to Episode 57 of the All Access Podcast Here

If you’ve ever romanticized owning your own shop… let me give you the real version.

There’s a moment every mobile tech hits.

For me, it was standing in a snow-covered Pittsburgh driveway, watching my tool bag slide down a hill and explode into a customer’s yard.

That was the moment I knew I needed a shop.

But what I didn’t know was how brutal that first year would be.

The Google Reset That Almost Broke Us

When you move from mobile to brick-and-mortar, Google treats you differently.

We lost visibility overnight.

Ad costs went up. Leads dropped. Revenue dipped.

I even trusted Google’s ad reps once. That mistake cost real money.

Lesson: control your marketing or it will control you.

Hail: The Blessing and the Curse

Hail storms have saved our business more than once.

But they also exposed staffing weaknesses.

When multiple areas get hit, you can’t be everywhere at once.

And closing your shop during peak season? That hurts.

The Payroll Lesson

Growth is exciting.

Hiring feels productive.

But if payroll grows faster than revenue, you’ll feel it fast.

I let payroll get too heavy once.

Never again.

Location Matters More Than You Think

Our first shop was “fine.”

Our current shop is prime.

Within the first month, walk-in traffic beat six years of growth at the old location.

Higher-income demographic.
Better traffic pattern.
Destination corridor instead of escape route.

Location isn’t everything.

But it’s close.

Would I Do It Again?

Yes.

But I’d:

• Go bigger sooner.

• Choose better location earlier.

• Be more disciplined with payroll.

• Protect my marketing control at all costs.

Owning a shop isn’t easier than mobile.

It’s just different.

It’s drywall prison.

But it’s also legacy-building.

And I’m grateful to be tired from work I once dreamed of doing.

Want To Level Up?

We’re opening a second Level Up class March 5–7.

Advanced technical training.
Real repairs.
Real results.

$100 deposit.
Fully refundable if class doesn’t run.

👉 https://www.dentrepairnow.com/level-up 

If you’re serious about growth, also check out:

• Dent Slayer Podcast

• PDR College

If this episode hit home, share it with another shop owner.

We don’t talk enough about the hard parts.

Let’s start doing that.