The end of the calendar year always has a way of sneaking up. In some respects, it feels as though things tend to slow down during November and December. The holiday season welcomes long and leisurely conversations with loved ones around full dinner tables, and there’s a general feeling of gratefulness in the air.
But it can be a busy time as well. Customers still need an oil change, especially if they’re trying to plan before a big family get-together. Business-as-usual doesn’t stop. But it’s still worthwhile to reflect and subsequently refuel for the new year to come.
So, think of the following as a “state of the shop" as we wind down 2024. Two operators take a pulse on their operations: what’s working, what they’re excited about, and what it means to run a shop in today’s industry.
Something to Believe In
When Matthew Hudson and NOLN connected for this story, Hurricane Debby was making its presence known across parts of the United States—causing damage and inclement weather in states like South Carolina, where Hudson is based.
Making sure everyone and everything stays safe and dry during a time such as this is a priority—and shop owners are no strangers to the ups and downs of seasonal (and sometimes severe) weather. Some things are out of our control. But Hudson’s outlook on the industry is like a bright spot in a cloudy sky.
Hudson is the managing director at Claycon Oil—a Take 5 Oil Change franchise with multiple locations in the Charleston/Myrtle Beach area of South Carolina.
Speaking of the weather, he acknowledges that temperatures can get high in this region of the country. Working in the heat on hot cars isn’t easy, he says, but the culture put forth at Claycon Oil’s shops help cultivate a motivating work environment for employees.
“Setting them up for success, training them to ... get out there and push the culture that we designed and that we want in the shops which is fun, successful, (and) energetic. You know, a fun place to work,” Hudson describes.
The Take 5 model is something that Claycon Oil truly believes in—even before the group started opening their own locations. Claycon Oil came into existence out of Clayton Construction—which Hudson explains had built Take 5 shops for franchise owners in the Spartanburg/Rock Hill area. The team was inspired by this experience.
“They saw the business model and (were) like, ‘I want to be a part of this,’” Hudson says.
When Hudson was offered a job with Claycon Oil, he decided to check out Take 5 operations for himself.
“I went through, and I got my oil changed. And I always dreaded getting my oil changed, just the time and sitting there when I should be doing other things,” Hudson says. “When you have that many shops in your business, you want to be as impactful as you can every day and getting an oil change at a dealership was not that.”
As a Take 5 customer, his opinion on oil change processes completely shifted.
“So, I went through and got my oil change at Take 5 before I took the position. I was like, this is a phenomenal working model. It’s genius. It’s efficient, and I could definitely get on board and be a part of this,” Hudson says.
Hudson describes his role as managing director as one that involves payrolls, forecasting, goal setting, and holding those goals accountable. Operations and service are a focus, but Hudson says there’s something else that makes Take 5 stand out.
“It’s the people. It’s the culture that Take 5 has. Yes, you know, we’re fast, friendly, and simple—and that’s the business that we run. But the support that we get from corporate—they're amazing,” Hudson says. “And just the people that you can get in contact with, the people (who) you can influence.”
That influence extends to the interactions with the customers. Hudson notes that word can travel fast—making word-of-mouth marketing an important consideration. So, the team pays attention to customer connection.
“As long as they’re having fun and they’re having great communication, things are going to go well,” Hudson says. “And that’s one of the biggest things I listen to in the shop is how the customer (is) taking what we’re doing (and) what we’re saying so that we make sure that we’re getting all the needs that customer needs.”
And the needs of the customer can change. Hudson points to the COVID-19 pandemic, which inspired a new perspective on the word “remote.” As a result, people may not drive as much—and Hudson says this inspires extra motivation to bring customers in, which is an exciting prospect.
“People are working remotely now. They’re driving less,” Hudson says. “Oil change increments are going to increase, so we’ve got to get more market share—marketing ourselves and doing the best service we can.”
Hudson understands that it’s also crucial to make sure a process runs correctly—as he puts it, “One mistake in the oil change business can cost thousands and thousands of dollars.”
Operating as a Take 5 franchise, there are standards that are followed—but Hudson emphasizes that people don’t need to have a ton of automotive experience in order to find success on the team. Training software developed by Take 5 lays out the business itself as well as best practices.
“It doesn’t require a ton of knowledge—we teach you absolutely everything that you need to know in-shop,” Hudson says. “We have a strict process we adhere to.”
Part of this process is being thorough: following through on performing and completing a job. It’s in this space where people with outstanding leadership qualities are identified.
“The leaders—the real leaders—the ones people are drawn to, who they identify with ... you can always get a feel of who everyone looks up to in that shop and whoever ... that person is, and their ability to train and develop others; you get that mixture going, (and you’ve) got the mix for a great leader,” Hudson says.
Looking forward, Hudson says he’s excited about the Take 5 brand and what it stands for. Moving into the rest of 2024 and into 2025, he says the Claycon Oil focus is on growth, gaining market share and recognition, and serving customers. It’s about maintaining “phenomenal” speedy and friendly service that’s kept simple.
“Our growth is important to us. We’ve got a territory and we’re looking to maximize that potential and get ourselves out there in some strategic areas of this state within our territory agreement to maximize and help our customers,” Hudson says.
Open Road of Opportunity
The annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally is a 10-day celebration in the Black Hills of South Dakota—and Bryon Keil’s shop is in the town the rally calls home. In fact, when he spoke with NOLN, the 2024 rally was just getting underway.
Speedy Lube of Sturgis, South Dakota, closes during the rally, along with some other businesses in town. Keil says the impact of the annual event goes beyond the days it's allotted for on the calendar.
“The uniqueness is obviously the (Sturgis Motorcycle Rally) itself. The rally’s there for officially 10 days a year, but the city is really geared for the rally,” Keil explains. “The businesses all clear out during the rally and vendors come in—it's really geared toward that so there’s really a lot of people that are ... involved with the rally in some way.”
Keil describes Sturgis as a community of agriculture and tourism. And by that nature, some homes and businesses are empty or are only used during the rally each year. Keil says his shop used to change oil on motorcycles, but after doing that for several years they stopped during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The cost of product and difficulty getting product during that time were both contributing factors, as well as not being able to determine how many people would even be coming out for the rally.
Where Speedy Lube thrives is in providing go-to preventative maintenance services year-round. These services include oil changes, wiper blades, air filters, and fuel additives—no brake or repair work.
“I’ve learned that if you try to do a lot of things sort-of good, it doesn’t work very good. If you do a few things that (you’re) really good at really good, it seems to work the best that way,” Keil says.
Keil lists some of his keys to success as keeping things simple, keeping the shop (especially the bathroom and lobby) clean, and prioritizing customer service. He supports employees by not only paying them well, but also rewarding them—for example, taking them to The SEMA Show in Las Vegas, Nevada.
“We have a good crew now, which is great. They’re a good group of guys,” Keil says.
Keil, who took over the Sturgis shop with his wife Michelle in 2013, practiced as a chiropractor in Fargo, North Dakota, before the two returned to the Black Hills (where they’re both from). He says he gets called a fitting nickname: Dr. Lube.
“We had the opportunity here to get back and buy this business, and I really had no idea what I was doing but we decided to buy the lube shop,” Keil says. “I sold my practice, my wife quit her job, and we moved back to the Black Hills.”
The Keils took a chance on the quick lube industry, an effort which required a revamp of the shop—something that Keil describes as changing the business for the better.
“I came into the industry and didn’t know anything about it. I didn’t know how to change oil myself—I never did it. I didn’t know anything about it,” he says. “To come in and take over the business that we took over and bought, (it) was run down and on the verge of closing. So, we had to come in and fix a bunch of things.”
These days, being fully integrated into the industry, Keil recognizes some of the challenges that many shop owners also face, from labor to cost of goods and inflation.
“During COVID times, cost of product went up exponentially—which still hasn’t seemed to come down. So now, it’s just more burden on the customer too, you have increasing prices,” he says.
And while hiring can be a tough task for anyone to tackle, Keil recognizes it's still important to incorporate hands-on training at his shop to develop strong employees.
“So, just finding people is hard enough. But as far as training, we try to put them in, go through the checklist, (and) teach them,” Keil says. “After 30 days, typically if they’re there for 30 days, we know that they’re going to be there, and we can continue with the training from there.”
Overall, Keil is happy with the shop’s standing. He’s excited about its achievements, such as car counts and ticket averages going up, and he looks forward to continuing to build up his strong crew so that he can take more of a step back from some of the day-to-day to do things like watch his daughter run cross-country and track.
Taking over Speedy Lube was no small feat for the Keils. It wasn’t easy to make a huge life change, but it's been a rewarding journey.
“That was a lot of stress during that time, to go from what I was doing, my wife quitting her job, and moving here not knowing if people would keep coming in ... so, it took a few years to get the community to buy back into wanting to come and trust our business. That’s been really cool—what we’ve done, where we’ve been, and now where we’re at,” Keil says.
Whatever the Weather
Matthew Hudson says that while his South Carolina-based Take 5 shops don’t get much cold weather, they certainly get plenty of heat. He shares how hot temperatures impact preventative maintenance.
“A car, if it’s too hot, it causes friction—and that’s how important oil changes are, to prevent that level of friction within the engine. That’s how important your antifreeze is to your system. Recommending that at the appropriate time and being transparent with the customer about why it’s important—how premium oil and coolant and doing the right things for your vehicle at the right time within this climate is paramount to keep that engine running longer and keep the car on the road.”
Detail Oriented
There is a stall at Bryon Keil’s shop that is rented out to an auto detailing company year-round. He shares how this partnership has built a symbiotic relationship.
“We’ve added the auto detailing—which is exciting—in that third stall, which works really well for both businesses. They can feed off the customers that come through for us and same way for them over to us, so it’s worked out really well.”
What Customers Want
Matthew Hudson’s Take 5 team works to establish rapport with customers—focusing on making their experience a positive one. He shares what’s important to know about a customer’s expectations.
“They want something that’s fast, efficient, and friendly. You don’t want to feel like a used car salesman. You know that type of feeling when you’re going to buy a car and that type of thing. So, they want someone who’s going to take care of them, be completely transparent, and that’s what I love about the Take 5 brand is that they can see everything going on with their vehicle. They can hear. They can see. There’s no stuff going on that they’re not aware of. So, you can be completely transparent, and they do trust you a lot more like that.”
