On The Ramp - The Independent Automotive Garage Owners Podcast.

This episode is sponsored by Castrol and The Race Group. To learn more about Castrol Service, please visit: https://www.castrol.com/en_gb/united-kingdom/home.html

Joanne Knowles is the Event Director for Automechanika Birmingham and the UK Garage and Body Shop event, the two biggest trade shows in the UK independent garage calendar. She joins Alex and Dawn on this episode to talk about what actually goes into running them, why attending matters more than ever, and how Motivate is starting to change the way new talent is brought into the industry.

If you're a garage owner, technician, college tutor or student, this one's worth your time.

Timestamps:
00:00 - intro
01:14 - automechanika vs uk garage and body shop
03:00 - why garage owners should attend
07:31 - feedback, parking and the autonomous bus
09:20 - introducing motivate
12:20 - women, the ignite arena and engaging colleges
18:16 - computer science, adas and the future
21:34 - the case for cpd accreditation
25:22 - castrol | the race group partnership
26:37 - industry community, the blend and ben charity
33:15 - takeaways and how to get involved
41:13 - uk garage and body shop 2026
44:00 - outro

Subscribe for more expert insight, honest conversation, and real stories from inside the independent garage sector.

https://beacons.ai/ontheramp

#ontheramp #mobilemechanic #garageowners #automotiveindustry #castrol #automechanika #ukgaragebodyshop #motivate #independentgarage #automotiveevents

This episode is sponsored by Castrol and The Race Group.

To learn more about Castrol Service, please visit: https://www.castrol.com/en_gb/united-kingdom/home.html

Jordan from JLK Vehicle Solutions, better known online as The Norfolk Tech, joins us to share how a Covid redundancy pushed him into self-employment and how he's built one of the healthier mobile businesses in the UK.

In this episode, Jordan breaks down why the trade undercharges, what it really takes to run a mobile business day to day, the value of community for solo operators, and why he's been willing to talk openly about burnout.

00:00 – Introduction
02:15 – Redundancy during Covid
06:10 – Six weeks to self-employed
08:45 – Building the business on Facebook
19:20 – A typical day on the road
22:35 – Why the trade undercharges
33:00 – Sponsored Segment
38:00 – Getting scammed, security, and working on driveways
53:00 – Diary management and parts
01:06:00 – The mobile tech community
01:10:00 – Talking openly about burnout

Subscribe for more expert insight, honest conversation, and real stories from inside the independent garage sector.

#ontheramp #mobilemechanic #independentgarage #automotiveindustry #castrol

tps://beacons.ai/ontheramp

If you are a garage owner thinking about starting, specialising or scaling, this episode offers a clear look at what actually drives results.
In this episode we cover how this specialist garage was:
- Built With Clarity From Day One
- Built Without Guesswork- Built With Purpose, Not Pressure
- Built Through Focus, Not Expansion
- Doing the Right Things Early

This episode is kindly sponsored by Castrol and The Race Group. Find out more about Castrol using the link below:

https://www.castrol.com/en_gb/united-kingdom/home.html

Timestamps:
00:00 - Introduction
01:42 - Early career and dealership experience
04:15 - The decision to leave the dealership
07:10 - Career perspective and Australia
10:05 - Starting The Mini Repair Shop
14:20 - Building the brand before the building
18:35 - Launching during COVID
23:10 - Finding customers in the early days
28:45 - Why specialising in MINI works
34:20 - The role of social media
40:05 - Partnerships and early growth
46:30 - Expansion vs focus
52:10 - Key lessons for garage owners
57:00 - Final thoughts

Most garage businesses start broad.General repairs.
General customers. General positioning.
But over time, staying general can make growth harder, not easier.In this episode, we explore the journey from a traditional town-centre garage to a specialist Land Rover business and the structural decisions that built long-term resilience along the way.
We cover:
- Transitioning from petrol station to full garage operation
- The risk of moving from a high street location to a commercial unit
- Why mastering internal workflow comes before expansion- How specialisation strengthens pricing confidence and authority
- The importance of perception in building value
- This is not about chasing trends. It is about deliberate evolution.
- If you are thinking about resilience, repositioning, or future
-proofing your garage, this episode is for you.
This episode is supported by Castrol and The Race Group.
To learn more about Castrol and how they support independent garages,
visit:https://www.castrol.com
Timestamps:
0:00 - Introduction
2:10 - The Origins of the Business
6:15 - From Petrol Station to Garage
12:40 - The Risk of Leaving the High Street
18:20 - Moving to a Commercial Unit
24:30 - Building Systems Before Expansion
30:15 - Controlling Parts and Workflow
36:40 - The Shift Toward Specialisation
44:10 - Becoming a Land Rover Specialist
52:30 - Perception and Premium Positioning
1:01:20 - Lessons in Building Resilience
1:08:45 - Final Thoughts

Running a garage does not come with a manual.
In this episode, we sit down with Sarah Petty, co owner of JP Petty Motors, to talk honestly about what it is really like to learn the motor trade while already carrying the responsibility of running a business.
Sarah did not come from a technical background. She learned on the job, asked questions, made mistakes and slowly built confidence in an industry that does not always make space for uncertainty. We talk about running a family garage, the pressure that follows you home, making difficult pricing decisions, learning when to ask for help, and stepping out of the shadows to become a visible leader.
This conversation will resonate with anyone who has ever felt like they were figuring it out as they went along.
Timestamps
2:00 – Coming into the garage with no technical background
5:10 – Learning on the job and early challenges
8:00 – Moving into a service advisor role
11:00 – Balancing family life and the business
14:00 – Covid and the pressure on the garage
17:30 – The moment everything had to change
20:00 – Learning to ask questions and not guess
23:00 – Knowing what you do not know
26:00 – Stepping out of the shadows
29:30 – Confidence and leadership in the garage
32:30 – Putting yourself out there in the industry
35:00 – Discovering the wider automotive community
38:30 – Information overload and staying grounded
41:30 – Running a family business together
45:00 – Supporting staff and building trust
48:30 – Growth pricing and difficult decisions
52:00 – Vehicle health checks and changing processes
56:00 – Capacity pressure and future thinking
1:00:00 – Final reflections on learning as you go
This episode is supported by Castrol and The Race Group.Visit Castrol here: ⁠https://www.castrol.com⁠