DO IT FOR A LIVING

Latest Episodes:

040: Kevin Dubois from My Shop Assist discusses the importance of accurately tracking your builds Jan 04, 2016

Show notes

Kevin Dubois is the co-founder of My Shop Assist, a project management system designed specifically for aftermarket automotive shops. He took his experience (and mistakes) as the owner of Evolution Dynamics to create a tool to help owners run their shop more efficiently. After a tremendous crash at Pikes Peak in 2012, he decided it was time to buckle down and get serious about turning his performance shop from a hobby to a real business.

039: Damian Borroto from Belak Industries says "you're not gonna win if you don't play!" Jul 24, 2015

Show notes

Belak Industries is a wheel manufacturer based out of Miami, FL focused primarily on Honda drag racing. Damian Borroto established Belak Industries in 2012 after a decade working in multiple Honda speed shops in the Miami area, and eventually opening his own shop, TD Autowerkes. Damian has a “can-do, make-it-happen attitude” and he survived some serious setbacks in the last year. In 2014 he had his race car and trailer stolen, only to get pieces of it back. So he set out to build another car, and did! But on it’s first outing, a freak accident caused it to wreck, and total the chassis. Now he’s on to building his third SFWD race car and he hasn’t even considered giving up!

Game Changing Product: ID1700, Belak Wheels, AEM Infinity, FTW Fuel

Most useful software program: Windows

Favorite App: Pandora, WhatsApp, Instagram

Favorite Shop Tool: Hammer!... and his Dyno

038: Chris Jewell from Competition Clutch gives a no BS interview about mixing business with friendship Jul 20, 2015

Show notes

Chris Jewell has been around the import performance industry since the beginning with multiple different companies. He currently owns Competition Clutch, a clutch company focused on import performance clutches. In this interview Chris talks a lot about mixing friends with business and how he’s mistakenly thought that his business partners were his friends. Chris says that his Achilles heel is “that I fucking care about people too much.” And he says that he focuses too much on the personal relationship and sometimes forgets that “it’s business.” With only a 9th grade education Chris built an influential business and he talks about how it all went down.

037: John Veloso is the founder of K-Tuned, and like most entrepreneurs, he wasn't handed his success, he had to work for it Jul 17, 2015

Show notes

John Veloso owns and operates K-Tuned, a product manufacturing company that is hyper-focused on the Honda K-series engine. They make high-quality, functional engine parts focused entirely on the K-series. John and I discuss his background, and his view on the world. He tells the story of his upbringing and how it all came to be. We discussed his business, and business in general. John’s business is customer focused and he makes a point to not take a customer’s money until he has the product to fulfill the order. He puts the responsibility on himself and his team to make sure they have inventory on-hand. In a time when everybody is trying to be everything to everyone, K-Tuned is successful largely because they stay focused and know their strengths. There’s no fancy this or that, just common sense and treating people right. This is a good listen. Enjoy!

036: Brian Gillespie from Hasport Performance on building and maintaining a performance business Jul 13, 2015

Show notes

Brian Gillespie is co-owner of Hasport Performance, a company focused entirely on quality engine swap components for Honda’s. The company started out as a Honda/Acura salvage yard and quickly grew into something bigger. Hasport pioneered billet aluminum engine mounts and has a strong focus on customer support. An innovator in the industry, Hasport Performance is now a fully-equipped manufacturing facility and it’s all grown from the Honda street racing scene in the 90’s! Brian’s learned a lot over the years and is here to offer us all some guidance. Enjoy!

Action items that you can do THIS WEEK:

1. Look at what the Hot Rod guys are doing, and use that for inspiration to come up with ideas for the import scene

2. Subscribe to Racecar Engineering Magazine

Game Changing Product: OEM Turbo cars and AEM Infinity

Most useful software program: Solidworks, Skitch

Favorite App: iPhone alarms to keep himself on point and on time, Overcast podcast app

Favorite Shop Tool: Faro Arm, 3d Printer, Mitsubishi Laserjet cutter

035: Nick D'Agostino from Wiseco Pistons is here to discuss pricing strategy and customer value Jul 10, 2015

Show notes

Straight outta Detroit, Nick is a big cubic inch kind of dude. His childhood was all about big displacement and American muscle but now he says the focus is on improving engine efficiency. He comes from a family of home builders and electricians and has risen as the gatekeeper at Wiseco pistons. Nick and I discuss his story and how the industry looks today, from his viewpoint. He works for one of the larger corporations in the automotive performance industry so he offers a unique perspective.

Game Changing Product: Davis Traction Control

Most useful software program: Office 365 feature called “Lync”

Favorite App: Soar

Favorite Shop Tool: Kent Moore Digital Torque to Angle Meter

034: Bottle and Nero Deliwala from Titan Motorsports talk racing, business systems, and lessons learned Jul 06, 2015

Show notes

“Bottle” and Nero Deliwala are the owners of Titan Motorsports, one of the founding internet e-commerce businesses in the performance automotive world. They were involved back in the days when NOPI was a big player and the OEM’s were sponsoring import drag racing. In this episode we talk about how racing fuels their distribution business and how their business has grown and changed over the years. From a college dorm room to a multi-million dollar business, Titan Motorsports has taught these guys a thing or two about business and they share some lessons in this episode.

032: John Shepherd the legend from Shep Transmissions shares his goals, his daily grind and what it takes to be the man Jun 05, 2015

Show notes

John Shepherd is a legend in the import drag racing world. First with DSM’s and now with GTR’s. But did you know that throughout the 90’s Shep worked as a tech at a dealership? Then one day the dealership went out of business and he was jobless. Not long after, Shep got some encouragement from a friend and started out on his own. Now, over a decade later he’s world-renowned for his attention to detail when building super high-performance transmissions. In this episode Shep and I talk about all the little details that go into building a business including the daily grind, and even the mindset he had when starting out. It’s useful encouragement for any aspiring shop owner!

031: Are the odds stacked against you!? Eric and Marc Kozeluh from Twins Turbo Motorsports tell their rags to - fabricator's story Jun 01, 2015

Show notes

Marc and Eric Kozeluh are identical twin brothers from New York who grew up reading Hot Rod Magazine. These guys came up at the time that B-series engines were making damn near the same power as a Mustang 5.0 and they wanted to know more. Like any story worth telling, they had some serious obstacles to overcome and they conquered and made a statement because they were willing to put in the time. If you’ve ever used your upbringing as a crutch then you need to stop being a little bitch and listen to this.

030: Jeremy Allen the engine builder at Inline Pro talks about engines, drag racing, and family May 29, 2015

Show notes

Everyone in this industry has at some point asked themselves “why am I doing this?” Jeremy Allen has been working at Inline Pro for a career since his early 20’s. Like a lot of us, it started as a lifestyle and turned into his job. Now 14 years in, Jeremy talks about how he keeps everyone happy; from his customers, to his boss, and even his kids.

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