Podcast Summary: Mick Unplugged – Matt Ebert: Reveals the Leadership Secret to Scaling an Empire

Date: September 15, 2025
Host: Mick Hunt
Guest: Matt Ebert, CEO of Crash Champions

Episode Overview

This episode features Matt Ebert, the founder and CEO of Crash Champions, who discusses his journey from running a single collision repair shop in 1999 to leading a $3 billion national powerhouse with over 600 locations. With authenticity and humility, Matt unpacks his leadership philosophy, the pivotal role of company culture, lessons from entrepreneurship, and the importance of adaptability and people-first values in scalable success. Mick and Matt also dig into topics like mergers and acquisitions, industry innovation, and personal motivations, providing an array of actionable insights for aspiring and current business leaders.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Evolution of Leadership & Culture

• People-Driven Success

  • Matt emphasizes the necessity of teamwork and connection in service businesses.
  • Quote: “You can't do service businesses typically without people...whether it's a team of two or three, or in our case now almost 11,000, it definitely requires teamwork.” (02:26)

• Scaling Culture Across Locations

  • The greater the scale, the harder it is to maintain culture.
  • Matt credits his ability to maintain consistency in culture as evidence of people-first leadership and systemic processes.

• The ‘Because’ Beyond the ‘Why’

  • For Matt, his “Because” is about championing people—helping others in times of need, providing meaningful career paths, and genuinely improving lives at scale. (04:16)

Entrepreneurship: Early Struggles & Growth Mindset

• Origin Story

  • Matt started in collision repair as a necessity, having wrecked his car as a teenager.
  • Early entrepreneurship efforts included running a lawn mowing service and opening Subway franchises, which provided lessons on cash flow and passion.

• Thinking Bigger, Gradually

  • Growth was incremental, limited by partnership constraints and mindset.
  • Quote: “Thinking big was nothing that was presented to me as a kid and so I literally was just trying to survive, trying to pay the bills...” (13:07)
  • The transition to a national vision came during COVID, as industry consolidation and insurance partnerships pushed for broader reach.

• Advice for Early Stage Entrepreneurs

  • Focus first on ensuring you and your team are secure before aiming for massive growth.
  • Quote: “You learn pretty quick that cash flow matters...You need to figure it out with the one [shop] first.” (17:06)
  • Importance of systems and learning from each attempt before scaling.

Navigating Change & Driving Innovation

• Monitoring Industry & External Influences

  • Matt encourages leaders to stay vigilant about changes in market demands, customer needs, and rapid technological evolution.
  • Quote: “What will this business have to be to meet the needs of people five years from now is, is very much on my mind...” (19:33)

• Impact of Technology in Collision Repair

  • The complexity of modern vehicles has shifted the skill set required in the industry—making continual learning essential.
  • “There's about 15 million lines of code in a 777 airplane. In today’s modern vehicles, there's 150 million lines of code.” (28:24)

Systems, Consistency, and Scaling

• Power of Replication

  • Matt models his approach after brands like McDonald’s, emphasizing experience uniformity.
  • Quote: “If you couldn't count on the same french fries at every drive thru you pulled in, you wouldn't treat it the same.” (22:50)

• Culture in Mergers & Acquisitions

  • Ebert highlights transparency and early communication as essential in smooth integrations.
  • Valuable practice: inform employees before deals close to honor trust and minimize surprises. (25:43)

People, Opportunity, and Industry Perceptions

• Attracting Talent to Blue Collar Work

  • The modern collision industry pays well (“our average technicians make six figures now” (30:25)) and offers the chance to work hands-on and see tangible impact.

• Lifelong Improvement

  • Matt remains focused on improving systems, processes, and company culture, seeing “being the best” as continuous work, regardless of scale. (31:41)

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• “It would surely be great at the end of this all for people to say that their life was better for having known me.” – Matt Ebert (04:16)
• “Adults don’t like surprises. Kids do.” – Matt Ebert on the importance of transparency in acquisitions (25:43)
• “Don't be afraid to give up the control. ...The only way to do that is being willing to let investors partner with me.” – Matt Ebert (33:40)
• “If the business quits making them money on their investment one day, then the money's probably going to go away.” – Matt on private equity partners and mutual goals (33:40)
• Three words that define Matt: “Transparent, trustworthy, and ambitious. Confident—you asked for three, I gave you four.” (38:35)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Teamwork & Leadership Evolution — 02:26
• Finding His ‘Because’ — 04:16
• Early Business Failures & Lessons — 08:19, 13:07
• Stage-by-Stage Growth, COVID Pivot — 13:07–15:50
• Advice for Early Entrepreneurs — 17:06
• Adapting to Market and Technology — 19:33, 28:24
• Power of Systems & McDonald’s Analogy — 22:50
• Approaching Mergers & Acquisitions — 25:43
• Attracting & Redefining Blue Collar Work — 29:55, 30:25
• Continuous Improvement & Industry Consolidation — 31:41
• On Sharing Control & Scaling with Partners — 33:40
• Rapid Fire Q&A (Personal Insights) — 36:50–39:18

Notable Rapid Fire Q&A (36:50–39:18)

• Favorite Chicago Food: Pizza, specifically thin-crust, not the famed deep dish
• Biggest Lesson from Subway: “Don't do something you don't like. But also, again, cash flow matters.”
• Dream Car in the Shop: Luxurious, high-end cars (Lamborghini, Rolls Royce, McLaren)
• Challenging Cars: Older vehicles—rust issues, more wear and tear
• Three (actually four) Words for Matt Ebert: Transparent, trustworthy, ambitious, confident

Final Thoughts & Where to Connect

Matt Ebert’s story is a testament to the power of resilience, people-first leadership, and open-minded growth. His willingness to share control, focus on continuous learning, and champion for employees sets a strong example for modern leaders.

Connect with Matt:

• mattebert.com
• Social: @mattebertcc
• crashchampions.com

“Your ‘because’ is your superpower. Go unleash it.” – Mick Hunt (39:41)

This summary provides both a high-level and deep dive into Matt Ebert’s leadership secrets and actionable lessons for anyone seeking to lead with impact and scale with purpose.