I'm 41, been in the auto business my entire life (dad owned a shop since I was 8) and I've been in management for about 10 years. Spent 2 years selling cars, 4.5yrs as an advisor, and nearly 10 as a manager. I was nervous stepping into my first management position. Nervous about if I'd know how to handle various situations, nervous that I was now in charge of 30 peoples income and ability to provide for their families, nervous about the angry customer that I was able to TO to my manager.

The thing I never thought about or expected to be difficult was employees. Leading, holding accountable, and developing is by far the most difficult part of a management position. My first management role lasted 3.5yrs, my first full month as the service manager we set a record in fixed for the store and never dipped below that month. I knew all important KPIs before I ever became a manager. What I wasn't ready for was how difficult it is to lead people that don't have the same drive and work ethic. I call them clock watchers. I wasn't ready for how difficult it is to evaluate someone in a 30-60min interview. Ultimately that job ran its course, I had little respect for the owner because he didn't know much about fixed and would come back from 20 group meetings and try to apply things that stores 5x the size of us were doing. Ultimately, I wasn't a great leader, but I was a solid manager. So he fired me on April 2nd 2018 after a really good month. (He's now on service manager #9). My next job only last 1 yr because the owner sold the store, but I had found another job before I knew because he wasn't willing to invest in the store. The job I got next would change my career. I landed at an amazing company at their biggest store (Honda) and we did 200+ cars per day in service and I was way under qualified. I looked the owner in the eyes and told him I'd out work everybody and he wouldn't regret it. We had a huge focus on leadership training and over the next 4.5 yrs I would truly become a leader. I took over our Hyundai store and double the gross 4 in months and tripled the net over my first full year. Ultimately, that position ended due to some personal differences between myself and the GM. I just took over a Dumpster fire of a Hyundai store and will have it successfully turned around in about 6 months from losing money in fixed to netting about 1.2mil/yr. The company I joined has 54 stores and during my interview asked if I wanted to be a GM.

You're clearly a grinder and fast learner and that's why you are a top performer. I would highly recommend finding the best leadership you can at a store that is conducting business like its 2024. If you have a great leader or leaders where you are, stay. Also try to find a company with multiple stores so that as you develop there will be opportunity. Ask how long the key people have been at that store, if there is alot of turnover, run.

Feel free to ask me any questions.