← Mick Unplugged
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- [00:00]
Matt Ebert
Don't be afraid to give up the control. And in, in, in my case, I wouldn't have been able to grow. I didn't, I didn't come from money, so I needed capital to grow. So the only way to, to do that is being willing to, to let investors partner with me.
- [00:22]
Podcast Host (Intro/Outro)
Welcome to MyC Unplugged, the number one podcast for self improvement, leadership and relentless growth. No fluff, no filters, just hard hitting truths, unstoppable strategies, and the mindset shifts that separate the best from the rest. Ready to break limits? Let's go.
- [00:48]
Mick (Podcast Host/Interviewer)
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to another exciting episode of MC Unplugged. And today we've got a billionaire on the call. From a Single Shop in 1999 to over 600 locations nationwide, he turned Crash Champions into a 3 billion with a B dollar powerhouse. And he did it all without a college degree. But what he realized was that when you put people first and you have a burning desire, great things are going to happen. Please join me in welcoming the bold, the relentless, the visionary, my guy, Mr. Matt Ebert. Matt, how are you doing today, brother?
- [01:24]
Matt Ebert
I'm good, Mick, thanks. That introduction makes me blush a little bit, so appreciate that.
- [01:29]
Mick (Podcast Host/Interviewer)
Don't blush, man. It is all you. It is all facts. I meant to even add in there, Chicago's finest. I was just in Chicago a few weeks ago and I wanted to hit you up, but someone, I'm not going to mention anyone's name, didn't give me your contact number so I couldn't hit you up, man.
- [01:46]
Matt Ebert
But just too bad, missed opportunity there.
- [01:50]
Mick (Podcast Host/Interviewer)
But I'll be back in a few months, so we'll make sure that that happens. But Matt, man, been a huge fan of you, the work that you do, but more importantly, man, the human being that you are, you do a lot of good in the world and you lead a dynamic team. And I tell people all the time, you want to see a great culture, just look at the team, right? Great culture doesn't have to speak, right? It's shown in the team and what you have. When did you know that people in connection was really like a thing for you?
- [02:26]
Matt Ebert
It evolved. To be honest, it really became a necessity just because it, what we do is a service, right? Collision repair. You can't do service businesses typically without people. And so just, just to have any kind of leverageability where it's not my own hands doing it, you gotta involve others. And so whether it's a team of two or three, or in our case now almost 11,000, it definitely requires teamwork. And so I think, like, I didn't have a big aha moment where I'm like, oh, teamwork's where it's at. It really did evolve from, okay, I can't do this on my own anymore. Need some help. And then the biggest thing is learning as we go as to how to keep that culture going when you get bigger. It's a lot easier when it's just face to face. But when you get more distant from the people as the organization grows, those are the challenges that have been tough to meet. Some creativity because you're depending on others to take care of that same culture through.
- [03:43]
Mick (Podcast Host/Interviewer)
Well, you do an amazing job, brother. Like I said, over 600 locations. You physically can't be everywhere all the time, but the culture is the same. You walk into one shop, and it's like you walk into all of them. So that speaks volumes of who you are, man. So, Matt, you know, on our show, we like to talk about your. Because that thing that's deeper than your why that true passion that fuels what you do. And a lot of times that can change from time to time. And sometimes it can be different at home than it is in business. So if I were to say, Matt, like, what's. What's your. Because why do you do what you do, bro?
- [04:17]
Matt Ebert
Yeah, it's. It's all about the people. And, you know, at the company today, we say we champion people, and it's because we're helping people in a time of need, so we get to take care of people. We also get to help people change some lives, both through social media, some charity stuff, and also through career paths as the company has grown. But, you know, that too has evolved. If I go back to when I was, you know, teenage years, when I first got into the collision space, it was out of necessity. I had wrecked my car and needed to learn how to fix it. And what I would say is, it kind of started from a place of making things better. So I had a problem, I wanted to fix it. Even, you know, jobs I had as a teenager, from cutting the grass to painting a house, like, getting to see something in the before and after. And then, you know, that kind of evolved to just my attitude toward people, both in friendships and personal life and in business. It would surely be great at the end of this all for people to say that their life was better for having known me. Now, as through the company, we're able to do that at a grand scale where people are in a time of need and you never want to talk to us. At Crash Champions until you have a wrecked car. But you sure do when you do. And so we're able then to help people in a time of need. Because someday, odds are either you or someone you love is going to end up needing us. And so appreciate the opportunity to do that.
- [05:59]
Mick (Podcast Host/Interviewer)
I love that brother. So, Matt, we have something in common, right? So you were 16 when you had a crash and you decided to fix your car. So I'm gonna tell on myself. My sister always tells this story privately, so I'm gonna tell it publicly for the first time. So I was 16, I didn't have a crash, but I backed into something and my mom's car was white, so I backed into like an industrial trash can. Trash, whatever. And there's this big green mark on the bumper of the car. So me at 16. Oh, all right, I gotta go figure this out. So I go to the local Lowe's and Rachelle, I know you're laughing, but whatever. And it was at this point in time, Matt, that I realized all white is not the same. So I go grab a can of white spray paint, thinking I can just go spray over this green mark on the car. Nah, bro, it was an off white that didn't match the car. So my question for you, Matt, is did you. Were you fixing your car because you didn't want anyone to know, or were you just truly intrigued that you wanted to fix the car? Because me, I didn't want anyone to know. And I went a good four days before my sister ratted me out. And so then I got in trouble.
- [07:15]
Matt Ebert
So unfortunately mine wasn't so minor. So there was no covering it up and hoping nobody, nobody would know it had to be fixed and fixed right. And I was afraid of making an insurance claim because I afraid then I couldn't afford the insurance. And for me, the car was not just cool, but it was also freedom. So the first chance to ride around without my parents and getting to go wherever I wanted, so to speak, was something I didn't want to lose. So I was determined to not make a claim and have the insurance get canceled to where I would lose that freedom that I had just gotten right away. So it was seemed pretty desperate at the time for me.
- [08:00]
Mick (Podcast Host/Interviewer)
Yeah. Yeah, that's crazy, dude. That's crazy. So I love that. And I want to go to the journey of starting the shop then. So when did you know that that's what you wanted to do? And then I'm going to have a few follow up questions, but I want to start there. When did you know that. All right, this is what I want to do.
- [08:20]
Matt Ebert
Yeah, I. I always wanted to own my own business again. Even in young years, I mentioned mowing the grass. I would push my lawnmower around town and mow people's grass for a few dollars. I grew up in a small town in Illinois, and from that small town, I didn't really know anybody. So opening my own collision business, I was a little bit afraid of, well, where would I get work? How would I have any cars to fix? So I opened some Subway franchises at first, as my first attempt in, like, an official business didn't do so well there. Ended up going back to work in the body shop business, managing another person's shop, and he talked me into partnering up with him on a shop. So. And this was all in my 20s. So basically went from attempting something else that didn't work, coming right back to the collision business. And the gentleman whose shop I was running saw an opportunity for us to partner together in one. So that's how I ended up owning the first body shop.
- [09:27]
Mick (Podcast Host/Interviewer)
I like that, dude. So you start the first one. Walk us through the first couple of years, right? Because, you know, if you're like me, and I think we're a lot of like, yeah. When I started my first business, I wanted to be as big, and I'm using air quotes for those listening, as big as I could, but I don't think I could fathom what that really was. Right. So, like, for me, when I first started, big was all right. I can go from one customer to like a hundred customers, and then a hundred customers to, like, 500 customers. Right. So when for you, when it was like, all right, I've got one shop. What is it like to have two or three shops? And I know that you said you were doing Subway, so you understood the franchise concept and how to grow, but when did you realize, man, this can really blow up? Finding great people today, it feels impossible. Like searching for a needle in a haystack. Too many resumes, not enough real talent. And here's the truth. Most leaders settle for the hay, but not with ZipRecruiter. ZipRecruiter finds the right candidates for you fast. And right now, you can try it free@ziprecruiter.com unplugged. Here's why I love it. The second you post a job, ZipRecruiter's smart technology goes to work. It doesn't wait. It starts matching you with the top qualified people for your role instantly. And when you see someone you like you don't have to just sit and hope that they apply. You can personally invite them with ZipRecruiter's invite to apply feature and that gets results fast. So ditch the other hiring sites and let ZipRecruiter help you find your needle in the haystack. Four out of five employers who post on ZipRecruiter get a quality candidate within the first day. Try it free now at this exclusive address. Ziprecruiter.com unplugged again ziprecruiter.com unpluggED ZipRecruiter the.
- [11:33]
Podcast Host (Intro/Outro)
Smartest way to hire this podcast you're listening to it was once just a dream. A dream that became reality not by accident, but because someone decided not to let the what ifs keep them from creating something they believed in. Starting your own business is a dream lots of us share, but too many let it remain just a dream. Don't hold yourself back from creating what you believe in and turn those what ifs into why nots with Shopify by your side. Shopify is the commerce platform behind millions of businesses around the world and 10% of all e commerce in the US from household names like Mattel and Gymshark to brands just getting started. What if I can't design a website? Shopify's got you with beautiful ready to go templates to match your brand's style. What if I need a hand? Get help with everyday tasks like enhancing product images, writing product descriptions, or generating discount codes with Shopify's AI tools created for commerce. What if people haven't heard about my brand? Shopify helps you find your customers with easy to run email and social media campaigns. And what if I get stuck? Shopify is always around to share advice with their award winning 24. 7 customer support. So turn those dreams into and give them the best shot at success with Shopify. Sign up for your $1 per month trial and start selling today at shopify.com realm. Go to shopify.com realm shopify.com realm.
- [13:08]
Matt Ebert
Embarrassingly, it took a long time, Mick. I you know, I grew up in a a small blue collar town. College wasn't talked about. It wasn't an opportunity for me. 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 in entering business. You know, the goal was just to make to make enough money to live at first and then I started to observe things that were happening around me. So this industry is a very fragmented one and people began to consolidate it acquire other businesses and. And grow big. And so as I was watching that years down the road, I felt like there was a need. That's where the industry was heading. And so to me, it was a little bit of survival instinct of if this is where the industry's heading and I want to be in the long term, I'm going to have to think about doing that. My partner was 20 years older than me, and he wasn't ready to retire, so had to kind of wait until 2014. So you're talking 15 years in the partnership in the one shop before I could grow. And during that time, I spent a lot of time reading, studying, expanding what I knew. So I was a little bit kind of handcuffed and then set free and ready to go pretty fast by. By that point in time. It's funny, because I thought I had missed out on a lot of opportunity. Little did I know there's still a huge amount of opportunity out there. So it took me a while to think bigger. And then I used to think, you know, and then it started with, okay, a couple shops, and then, okay, let's be a strong regional player. And then Covid is where the whole national view came in. Because that's when relationships like insurance partners that refer a lot of work, they change the game even more from. It's much more efficient and easier for them to deal with national partners through direct referrals than it is, say, 30,000 individual shops across the country. And so seeing that accelerate led to, hey, I think being regional isn't even going to be enough. We really need to be a national player long term. And so that pivot came in the middle of COVID just reacting to the marketplace and the world around us.
- [15:50]
Mick (Podcast Host/Interviewer)
Yeah, Matt, I love the vulnerability and honesty there. And I think that's a great lesson for early entrepreneurs. You know, a lot of times you're going to hear think big, grow big. And all of that is true. But it's got to be stages. And sometimes those stages are a year. Sometimes Those stages take five to 10 years to get there. But I think the leadership lesson, the entrepreneur lesson, first and foremost, is make sure that you and your employees can eat and do enough to make sure that that happens. Right? Like when I started my first business, at the end of the day, Matt, like, this was the truth, bro. I wanted to be able to get my kids McDonald's when I could, but then take them to Applebee's or Chili's every once in a while, right? So literally, those were the basic goals. And I didn't try to go outside of that until I knew, all right, I'm comfortable. Let's get uncomfortable so I can grow more. Let's get comfortable, then let's get uncomfortable again so I can grow more. I'd love for you to expand on that. For the viewer or listener that's an early stage entrepreneur, how important it is to make sure that you and your team have food on the table before you really start doing anything else.
- [17:07]
Matt Ebert
Oh, 100%. The. The thing is, like, you learn pretty quick that cash flow matters. And so if one thing's for sure, I learned this in the subway business. If you have one that doesn't make money, two, getting two, thinking that that's going to change your world isn't the case. You. You need to figure it out with the one first. Um, but, you know, this goes back to my. My childhood, really. I wasn't naturally gifted at. I don't. I don't think anything other than learning. So it wasn't. Didn't have natural athletic ability. Was the last picked in basketball. They picked the girls before me. They would, they. They would. They would say, hey, we'll give you Matt. You know, we'll. We'll play one short. We'll let you take Matt. But, you know, not being naturally gifted at things like that, I think gave me the superpower of determination of figuring it out. And so the ability to stick with something and learn, you learn first how to do it once, and then twice, and then three times. But I think that figuring it out is super important, especially if you're going to scale it, because then it has to move on beyond just your intuition, beyond just me being there at the counter talking to the customer, being doing the right thing. You have to learn how to manage other people into having them help you do the right thing as well. And so you need some systems, processes, et cetera, to do that. Once you figure it out, then you build those, and then you can try it a second time, a third and a fourth.
- [18:46]
Mick (Podcast Host/Interviewer)
And the second lesson that you just talked about in there, Matt, is also something that I talk to leaders and entrepreneurs about, is you've got to understand your outside influences. Meaning, hey, Covid's happening. What's the world doing? My centers of influence. Right. The insurance industry, for you, probably some car rental industry has changed as well, too. Right. Understanding that what happens today isn't necessarily the same thing that's gonna happen next week. And again, I think a lot of times entrepreneurs and leaders get so much tunnel vision that they're not paying attention to the market, they're not paying attention to what influences their business. Talk a little bit about why that's so important for the entrepreneur leader that's listening.
- [19:33]
Matt Ebert
Yeah, I think it's, you know, one thing I learned early on is somebody taught me and it's probably in many books, but if you want the way to get rich is find out what people want and bring it to them. And so it's simple concept, but really what is it that people want? Where, where is the business need to be tomorrow to meet people's needs? And if you can do that, you'll, you'll, you'll be successful. So one, one kind of blessing and curse for the industry that I'm in is vehicles are changing so rapidly today. Like it's, it's screamingly obvious. It's not, it's not even gradual like cars five years ago compared to today because of the ADAS systems and the attempt to build them out to be self driving one day. All of that is happening so fast. It's clear to see that there's no way five years from now the business can operate the same as it is today. Sometimes I think it's more gradual of an evolution than what I'm seeing in this rapid transformation. But recognizing where things are heading and then what will this business have to be to meet the needs of people five years from now is, is very much on my mind and it seems should be on every business's mind. I don't want to go the way of the dinosaur. So even from what we do as a core, which is fix cars that have been in collisions, they're trying to make cars stop having collisions. Now there's 280/8 million vehicles on the road. It's going to take a long time before that happens. But at some point in time we'll have to do other services to these vehicles in order to, to continue. I happen to be in an industry that's making it pretty obvious at the moment that you need to pivot and grow and change in order to meet the needs of the customer. But I think every business does. Sometimes the change isn't so obvious.
- [21:42]
Mick (Podcast Host/Interviewer)
Yeah. You know Matt, I want to applaud you for something that you and your business, your company do amazing. And I like to say there's probably three or four brands that really do this. But I'm for you, I'm going to say McDonald's right. When you walk into one crash champions, you've walked into all of them, meaning even down to floor mat Placement, I don't even know if you realize that, bro. But like where the floor mats are, what the lobby looks and feels like, looking into the shop itself, like seeing the brand, seeing everything that's uniform. And you can't do that without something you were talking about earlier, right? Systems and processes that makes it easy to replicate who you are and not have to worry about, you know, oh well, this branch or this store, this region does something this way and this region does it another. Then there's no continuity. You can't promote, you can't scale humans when things are different. So one, I applaud you for that. Two, let's talk to the viewer and listener about why consistency, processes and systems are so important when it is time to scale and to expand.
- [22:50]
Matt Ebert
Yeah, because you, because the results matter. Because the perception matters. And appreciate the compliment, Mick, but we're a work in progress too. Like, it's not to the degree that I would love it to be, which is, you know, perhaps what it never will. Right. I'll always want things to be better and always want them to get there. But you, you need that consistency. The McDonald's is the perfect example. If you couldn't count on the same french fries at every drive thru you pulled in, you, you wouldn't, you wouldn't treat it the same. And so I think that's pretty understandable to everyone that when you see that name, you expect it to be the same. And from our standpoint, our customers are. We're a once in a decade event, probably unless you're in your teenage years. Then we happen to be maybe, maybe more often. But for us it's more of a how do we get a universal result of a happy customer and a happy insurance partner and a happy employee? And that's the forever moving target and goal. Again, we look at it from a people point of view. So in championing people, it starts with our own employees can't have a great customer experience without a great employee experience. So how do we make sure that they have the tools that they need? How do we make sure that they have an environment that they want to work in? How do we make sure that we treat them well? You got people in the middle that, that varies a little, but as much as you can solve for variances, the more you know that your employees will be happy there, then you know that the customers will get the same experience and they'll be happy. So it's really looking at it from a customer point of view, how do you get there? And consistency is definitely A key part of it.
- [24:50]
Mick (Podcast Host/Interviewer)
Absolutely. Absolutely. Another thing that you've mastered really well that I don't think you get enough credit for. So I'm going to give it, I'm going to give it now because that's what I do is mastering mergers and acquisitions. Right. Like I tell people a lot of times, you can't, you can't scale without some type of acquisition. Right. But, but in order to do that, you have to know what you're looking for. You have to have the ability to not just acquire, but in your instance, fold people into a culture which is darn near impossible to do a lot of times. Right. Especially with, with mom and pop acquisitions that sometimes feel like they're going into a corporate. There's always that little bit of tug, that little bit of friction, but you've really mastered how to bring people into your culture through acquisition. So talk a little bit about that, brother.
- [25:43]
Matt Ebert
Yeah, again, I would say best thing to do is put yourself in the other person's seat. And so I remember early days, for example, the seller would be, nobody can know until the money's in the bank. And then you're walking in, the deals close, the money's in the bank and you're walking in to the employee surprise. What a horrible, horrible experience. And so learn very quickly. And to this day, hundreds of acquisitions later, we still have to talk to sellers through it. Like, no, we, we want to get the contract firm, get you comfortable, but we have to let the people know early. Like, they're going to be upset with you, the seller, because they're going to be mad that you didn't trust them. Adults don't like surprises. Kids do. So announcing early and having that month to sit down with each employee and talk through what this means for them and what it's going to look like going forward for them. And it's just one avenue of trying to bridge that culture difference because it is going to be, it is going to be a bit different. So the sooner you can talk about it, the sooner you can start to get their, their buy in and their, and their willingness to give it a try. And then, you know, you make mistakes and you learn from them and that getting in there ahead of time so that their first paycheck goes well and all those things where people get nervous, you want to make sure to deliver the best experience you can out of the gate. And then the culture. One of the reasons why I'm on your podcast or even started doing any of this is because it's not my comfort Zone. I'm only a year in, but a year ago, probably a disaster. And I'm probably still closer to that than a master of doing these interviews and things. But it started from how do people get, because it's so many people, how do people get to know us or about us? And so putting, putting content online that anybody can check out is a great way for people to get to know us. That's how this all started.
- [27:50]
Mick (Podcast Host/Interviewer)
Amen to that, dude. Amen to that. You know earlier you talked about not being a dinosaur, right? And your industry, just like many are seeing a ton of innovation. Which means, you know, I know you're a great learner, right? Like that's your thing is to always learn and to always do some self knowledge. How has innovation in the automobile industry impacted what you all have had to do? Right? You've got electric cars that are coming in now, some self driving cars. Like is it becoming more of a challenge to stay up to date with everything?
- [28:24]
Matt Ebert
Oh, very, very much so. It's both tooling and training and then it's a bit of a research paper before you repair a vehicle because there's so many different type of metals and the technology, you know, I describe it when I started, you would get in the car and if you left the keys in it when you got out it would ding, ding, ding. And if you left the, the lights on and the keys in it, it would ding faster. Like that was the, that was the technology that in the am, fm, you know, cassette radio. Nowadays we know the car helps you park, you got it helps you not change lanes. All this technology is crazy to the point of look, there's I think about 15 million lines of code in a 777 airplane. And in today's modern vehicles there's 150 million lines of code. So if that gives you an idea of the complexity of, of today's cars, it really is a chase to keep up with, with, with where they are. It's a challenge for the industry, especially when it's shorthanded anyway, which is why we do so much talking about what a great opportunity there is in, in blue collar work. Not just ours, but other, other trades as well. But there's abundance of opportunity for people because there's so much new to learn and so much new to do on these cars. It's not what you imagined it to be 20 years ago.
- [29:55]
Mick (Podcast Host/Interviewer)
So you know, that's a great point because there are a lot of industries that are struggling to get new talent. Right. But you're saying that you have a ton, not just you specifically, but your industry has a ton of opportunity for people coming in. What is unique about the collision business, the, the automotive side that should be attractive to people. And I'm not just talking young people, I'm just talking people in general.
- [30:25]
Matt Ebert
Well, I think the, the technicians get paid better than, than people think. And that I don't think was always the case, but it finally has gotten to a respectable wage. You know, our average technicians make six figures now. And it's just something that I think young people should know as an opportunity because there's stereotypes and stuff that have come with our industry for so long. And I'm sometimes might sound anti college, which I'm not at all, but it's not for everybody. And so if that's not a path that you can take and working with your hands is something you love to do, there's nothing greater than watching a car transform from wreck to, to back to new. You know, after, after just a couple days, you get to see a big transformation. So I just view it as, it is a great opportunity that people should be aware of. There's many other opportunities in the world for sure. I just think this one has been stereotyped in a wrong way in, in decades past.
- [31:27]
Mick (Podcast Host/Interviewer)
I get it, man. I get it. So you talked a little bit ago about, you know, always wanting to improve for the listeners and viewers. How does a $3 billion company improve? What are you looking to improve on?
- [31:41]
Matt Ebert
Yeah, all those systems and processes are always a work in progress. The culture is always a work in progress. You know, we first, first, I think you want to be the best, and then you continue to grow. And being the biggest is a cool thing to shoot for one day. But that work to continue to work at being the best is what I think consumes the day to day. And then the growth comes naturally as part of the business plan. Even though you do it intentionally, it's concentrating on making sure you're the best that you can be makes the growth possible. That's how I view it. An industry under consolidation. From what I've read and observed and studied, you know, we'll continue to consolidate till it's 65, 70% consolidated and our industry is say, 30% consolidated today. So it's, you know, not quite halfway there. So I see, you know, once that happens, then there ends up being maybe one, two or three, three national players probably. And so, you know, I want to make sure that Crash Champions is one of those two or three left standing. So that's that's kind of what I see as kind of the next phases of continuing to improve. And you never know, there's, there's other services we can perform, there's other geographies we could look at. There's all kinds of opportunity out there as long as we continue to do things well.
- [33:19]
Mick (Podcast Host/Interviewer)
I love that dude. I want to get your advice. I want you to give advice to the listeners and viewers, especially those, those founder led business owners that are trying to balance control and growth. What's a piece of advice you have for that? Because again, you've mastered that as well too.
- [33:41]
Matt Ebert
Don't be afraid to give up the control. And in my case, I wouldn't have been able to grow. I didn't come from money, so I needed capital to grow. So the only way to do that is being willing to let investors partner with me. It's really about what each individual is trying to accomplish. I started to think pretty big at the time that I brought in private equity investment. And so for me, a smaller percentage of something much bigger was the path I wanted to go. I probably could have had a much easier life if I just stayed in a regional, regional kind of play and did it through debt and let the business kind of finance its way to maybe say 20 shops or so over the next so many years. But I also looked at it as like, okay, then what? Because I was always putting all the money back in the business. Still, still am. And so if all the money keeps going back in the business, what would be the plan to maybe get, get paid one day? And I viewed that as a risk for me because it's a consolidating industry. By the time I was ready to sell, would they already be done and would they, would they want to buy and pay, pay a good price for it? So it was just looking at maybe working backwards from the end game of yeah, if I want to just do this and I'm not worried about an exit and I'll run it forever, then, then, then great. Or if I want to do this and this is my exit point, just knowing that, I think you just need to know where you want to end up. For me, it was looking at meeting the needs of the industry, not being able to do it on my own. Letting a partner in has been a great thing and you know, transparency, I'm very much a cards on the table kind of guy. So being very transparent with the partners as to what I was wanting to accomplish, keeping the relationship in perspective has been great. I view it as the, the investment is A tool for them to grow their money and our biz, and they're a tool for us to grow our business. And keeping it in perspective has been great, because then I don't get any delusions about what the relationship is about. If the business can quits making them money on their investment one day, then the money's probably going to go away. And I think, again, the transparency builds trust between you and the partners. And it's been a great relationship for me. Not everybody has had that experience, but I think the best way to set yourself up for it is to be honest and open about your goals and theirs at the outset and work toward them together.
- [36:38]
Mick (Podcast Host/Interviewer)
Love that, dude. Love that. Matt, you've been so gracious with your time, and I know how busy you are, so I appreciate you doing this. I want to end this with our quick five. So I ask you five rapid fire questions. You ready?
- [36:50]
Matt Ebert
Yeah, sure.
- [36:51]
Mick (Podcast Host/Interviewer)
All right, let's go. So your Chicago area guy, what's your favorite Chicago food?
- [36:58]
Matt Ebert
Oh, food, man. We got great food here, period. But pizza, I guess, comes to mind right away.
- [37:04]
Mick (Podcast Host/Interviewer)
All right, Deep dish. Thin.
- [37:06]
Matt Ebert
Thin.
- [37:07]
Mick (Podcast Host/Interviewer)
See, I tell people all the time, Chicago pizza is actually thin. Like, it's not the deep dish that everybody promotes.
- [37:13]
Matt Ebert
Yeah, yeah, that's more like a casserole. Yeah, that one every once in a while, but thin all day. Yep.
- [37:18]
Mick (Podcast Host/Interviewer)
There you go. There you go. What was the biggest lesson you learned leaving Subway?
- [37:27]
Matt Ebert
I didn't like the business, for one. So don't do something you don't like. But also, again, cash flow matters.
- [37:35]
Mick (Podcast Host/Interviewer)
Love it. I love it. What is a car in the shop that you love just seeing come in?
- [37:43]
Matt Ebert
Oh, anything high end is cool to look at and see. So we've got some lux shops now where you see some pretty unique vehicles, from Lamborghinis to. To rolls Royces to McLarens to. Any of those are pretty. They're pretty impressive cars.
- [38:01]
Mick (Podcast Host/Interviewer)
Okay. All right, now the flip side of that, what's the car that comes in and everybody in the shop is like, oh, man, here we go.
- [38:09]
Matt Ebert
Oh, I don't want to say that. We'll prejudice people against it. You know, I would say anything older is because older gets rusty or gets, you know, more. So anything older is less appealing than newer.
- [38:24]
Mick (Podcast Host/Interviewer)
Okay, I dig it. I dig it. Three words that define Matt Ebert.
- [38:35]
Matt Ebert
Transparent, trustworthy, and ambitious. Confident. You asked for three, I gave you four.
- [38:46]
Mick (Podcast Host/Interviewer)
But see, there you go. Four words that describe Matt. I love it, dude. I love it. Matt, man, where can people follow and find you? And I'm going to make sure that we have links to the main site so people can see the crash champions near them too.
- [39:04]
Matt Ebert
So for me, Matt, Ebertcc is all the social media, any of them MattebertCC, Crashchampions.com is the company website and then there's also Mattebert.com so any of those avenues reach out.
- [39:19]
Mick (Podcast Host/Interviewer)
I got it Matt. I'll make sure we have it there Brother, it was an honor to spend time with you. Thank you for letting me pick your brain personally because I asked you questions honestly that I wanted to know. So thank you for being authentically you, thank you for being transparent and just thank you for the soul that you are. Matt. I appreciate you brother.
- [39:37]
Matt Ebert
Hope it was helpful to the listeners. It was fun. Mick thank you.
- [39:41]
Mick (Podcast Host/Interviewer)
It totally was. And to all the viewers and listeners, remember your because is your superpower. Go unleash it.
- [39:51]
Podcast Host (Intro/Outro)
Thanks for tuning in to this episode of Mick Unplugged. If today hits you hard, then imagine what's next. Be sure to subscribe, rate and share this with someone who needs it. And and most of all, make a plan and take action because the next level is already waiting for you. Have a question or insight to share? Send us an email to hellockunplugged.com until next time, ask yourself how you can step up.