Research findings — independent workshops

581 workshops.
4 continents.
The findings are free.

Independent automotive workshops are losing more than $400,000 in potential revenue every year — not from lack of skill, but from the absence of the right systems. This research documents exactly where it goes, and what to do about it.

581
Workshops
4
Continents
$400k
Avg annual leakage
34%
Avg recovery
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What we found

The problem isn't skill. It's systems.

We asked workshop owners how good they are at the one thing that matters most — turning technicians' time into money. The average score was 29%. Not because these mechanics aren't skilled. Because no one has ever built the right tools for how they actually work.

The research is consistent across markets, shop sizes, and geographies. Everyone has the same core problems. The solutions are the same too.

13.6%
of revenue is lost after everything else has gone right — purely from uncharged time. This is often larger than the entire profit margin.
50%
of working time is not tracked. Not because technicians don't want to help — because the tools to do it easily don't exist.
17%
of workshops can invoice quickly and accurately. Getting paid for the work done has one of the lowest scores in the research.
29%
average score when workshop owners rate their ability to turn technician time into money. The best shops score above 80%.
34%
more revenue on average for workshops that implemented systematic fixes — with the same technicians, same rates, same premises.
Free assessment tool

Find out what your shop is leaving on the table.

Five assessments built from the research. Each takes 5–8 minutes. Each gives you a personalised score and a specific action you can take this week. No sign-up required to start.

Start the assessment →
01
You Are Not Just a Mechanic
How much of your time is making money?
→ 02
The Clock Is Always Running
Where does your time go?
→ 03
What Your Comeback Really Costs
How much is the knowledge gap costing you?
→ 04
The Day You Work for Yourself
Are you ready to go solo?
→ 06
The Eight Steps That Turn Time Into Money
Score your shop across the full playbook
→
MIKE
DUGGAN
About the research

Mike Duggan

I spent 30 years as a business consultant helping some of the world's best-known companies transform their operations. I also grew up in my grandfather's workshop. That combination made the question unavoidable: why do independent mechanics — some of the most skilled people I know — consistently struggle to make the money their work deserves?

The research started as curiosity. It became something more serious when the pattern became clear: everyone has the same problems, and the solutions are the same too.

This research was conducted independently across 581 workshops on four continents, using the same methodology used in enterprise business transformation projects. The findings are shared freely because the industry deserves better tools and better information — not because anything is being sold.
Coming soon

Your Workshop, Your Rules

The independent mechanic's guide to owning your time, your shop, and your future. Ten chapters. From first job to shop owner — and how to make money reliably at every stage of the journey.

Second edition · 10 chapters · Free digital download
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YOUR WORKSHOP,
YOUR RULES
2ND EDITION
MIKE DUGGAN
2nd Edition