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Andrew Walker of Under Hood Insights on Solving the Technician Shortage With AI and Smarter Training 1-12-26
00:09:44
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- [00:00]
A
This is Scott Becker with the Becker Business and the Becker Private Equity podcast. We try to bring you one to two business and market insight episodes today. Plus typically a discussion, an interview with a brilliant business leader. We're thrilled today to get to visit with Andrew Walker and Andrew's going to talk to us about his business and what he's doing. And Andrew, we're just thrilled to have you on. Can you tell us a little bit about what you do in about your business?
- [00:29]
B
Oh yes, absolutely. Again, like I said, it is a privilege to be here. And so what I do for a living, actually I'm still currently doing is I'm an automotive technician. I'm a master technician or advanced level ASC technician. I currently work at a dealership and I'm actually kind of transitioning into like an instructor kind of role. And so you know, I, I just kind of notice my industry is just auto repair in general is full of huge opportunities, so to speak, and problems that I think that I can help, you know, bring some solutions to the table that are effective not only for technicians, shop owners, but also, you know, car owners as well. Like we want to address everything and give them tools too. So we wanted to initially make this business and I say we because I do have an actually like a kind of co found founder. He joined on a few months after I started it up and I worked with him for 10 years and I think it's a great business relationship and he helps out on the technical back end of things and he's instructing as well, actually a John Deere dealership. So he, he's got a lot of insight knowledge. I would say we both are, you know, experts in our field for sure. And you know, lifelong learning is very important to both of us. And so we, you know, that passion we obviously want to push out into other younger technicians as well. We need technicians in this industry bad.
- [02:00]
A
And talk about that because it seems like there's just a tremendous shortage of people in trades and notwithstanding everybody doing so many different things, there is such a need for people in trains and technicians and so forth. Talk about that, that shortage that we have in the trades and how that's, you know, how that possibly evolves and how you guys are helping to solve that, quite frankly.
- [02:22]
B
Well, I will say the, the shot, you know, the shop owners are noticing it. I mean they're probably feeling it more so than anything. They knew it was coming I think for a long time. But you know, the problem is we have guys that have spent 30 years in the industry in a bay. And they're about to retire, and they're, you know, they're gonna get all the boomers and the Xers that are moving out. And not many of these younger guys were pushed into trade jobs, you know, is. Which would be guys like my age. And I'm, you know, like 38 right now, so I'm not too old. But, you know, I got in after the military and the GI Bill, you know, got me into the industry, so to speak. And. But for other guys, you know, I know nobody was really pushing it as a kid for us to go do these jobs. They weren't paying very well. And then you also have a huge rise in technology on the equipment we're servicing as well. And so training. I think if you ask my honest opinion, I think if we. If we fix the way that we bring a technician in or somebody who's interested in the auto repair industry from a young age, 18, and lay out a solid career path for him, instead of leaving him to figure it out on his own, he, you know, he would most likely stay in this industry. He would empower him. I'm trying to kind of raise the. The level of a technician up higher. If you really get your training and your skills done, you can make good money. I. I personally make good money doing what I do, which is why I haven't stopped you.
- [03:58]
A
We love that. And talk about some of the. Talk about what you're most focused on and excited about as you build out your business. Talk about what you're most focused and excited about this coming year.
- [04:08]
B
Well, right now. So we decided that our best approach, considering that we're bootstrapping the business and everybody's working for sweat equity, is that we develop our software solutions that we had ideas for. We just actually, a few months ago, released our first one, and it is available on our website. You can just go click it, sign in, and then use it. And it's called Tammy, and it stands for Technical Assistance and Maintenance Information. And what it does is it allows you as a car owner to take like an estimate, a repair estimate, scan it with your phone, and then it uses AI to read the repair order. And then it compares it to a database of knowledge that we built instead of using the Internet. This is like our knowledge as technicians. So, like, it would compare that to that, and then guide the user through, like, possible upselling or maybe you don't need this part, or, you know, blah, blah, blah. So we made that. It said it's most like minimal viable product right now. And but we're also focused on a training app for technicians where, you know, we're going to call it FNG and it stands for new guys. And that will allow like a brand new technician to have a master tech in his pocket, you know, pretty much throughout the day helping them guide through, like how to repair a car. That way the shop owner can keep his experts working and not training, you know, a younger technician, but the technician also can use it as training wheel, so to speak. I estimate that a brand new guy, you know, could probably go. If he used the app every day on every car that he went on, he would only have to use it for about a year to just be flowing, you know, and, and normally it takes like three to five years to get a guy to that point.
- [06:06]
A
That's amazing. And where can people find the app? Can you tell us where they can find this or they can find it online?
- [06:12]
B
Well, right now FNG is currently under development, but we did release Tammy, which is the scanning repair order app that you can, you know, flag for upselling or maybe you're getting charged too high or maybe it's time to find a new shop. You know, it can help the car owner there. But that is on the website, there is a direct link. It's www.underhoodinsights.com.
- [06:38]
A
Love that. And talk a little bit about you're, you've been a technician for a long time, you're now starting a business. Any lessons that you have so far that you'd like to share with people about, about what you're doing?
- [06:52]
B
Like as far as, like a new guy or, you know.
- [06:55]
A
Yeah, either a new technician. What advice do you give? Somebody wants to be a technician, wants to be a mechanic. What, what advice do you give somebody?
- [07:03]
B
I do think that they should focus highly on their training and, and, and education. I think it's commonly overlooked. They, they obviously want to just get you into the bank, get you start moving. But you know, that, that to me is like building a house without a foundation. And so, you know, even if you are working, if you're at a shop that's not training you from at least like the first couple weeks you need, you need to find a new shop to work at. Don't take the training, don't want them keep pushing the can down the road. Like you need to know as much as you need to know, you need to be trained for years, your first five to six years. So, you know, I, like I said, I was fortunate. I had the GI Bill and then I was a Staff sergeant in the Army. So I kind of like have this natural driving initiative and I kind of know and understand training very well. And so I just kind of was able to lay that out for myself. But I know it's not there for technicians. So we are trying to do that, to build that kind of a hub for a technician. But what they can do now is they can focus highly on the training.
- [08:16]
A
And take a moment on any leadership lessons you learned in the military that you'd like to share with us.
- [08:22]
B
Well, leadership is a very, you know, complex, dynamic subject. But ultimately, you know, if you can, you know, you know, motivate people and you can create a drive and also give them purpose for why they're doing that, I think that's the, you know, best leadership style to have in general. And so, you know, your day to day decisions should kind of be based around that. Especially if you're in charge of somebody or you're supervising somebody. It's. It's your responsibility to take the time to motivate them. You got to find a reason to motivate them. You got to find a reason to give them purpose for what they're doing and then direction.
- [09:07]
A
Love that. Andrew, it's fantastic to visit with you. Can you tell people again the exact name of the website? So people come to the website, but amazing what you're doing. I salute your service. I salute your entrepreneurship. We're so thrilled to have you visit with us today on the Becker business and the Becker Private Equity podcast.
- [09:28]
B
Yes, it's www.underhood insights.com.
- [09:33]
A
Andrew, thank you so much for joining us. Thank you very, very much.
- [09:38]
B
Absolutely. Thank you for having me. Like I said, it's a privilege.