Join host Brad Hurlock for another Origin & Impact episode of the Garage Grit Podcast! This week, we sit down with David Light of Lighthouse Automotive, located on the iconic Outer Banks of North Carolina.
David shares how he and his wife built their auto repair business from the ground up—literally starting with a backyard, a tree, and a metal shed. Hear how they grew to two locations, how they weathered a changing industry, and what it takes to build relationships that last decades.
In this conversation, we talk about:
Starting a shop from scratch in a small, tight-knit community
The unique challenges (and opportunities) of running a business on an island
Building a team by hiring entire service departments
Creating a “grandmother” level of customer care
The importance of coaching, peer groups, and tracking your numbers
How word-of-mouth can build (and sustain) a business for decades
The next chapter for Lighthouse Automotive
If you’re a shop owner, operator, or anyone curious about what it really takes to build a sustainable business, you’ll get value from David’s journey and hard-earned insights.
Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and leave a comment below about your own shop’s origin story or lessons learned!
🔗 Learn more about AA Shop Marketing:
https://aashopmarketing.com
🔗 Join our Facebook community for auto repair shop owners:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/forautorepairshopowners
🔗 Listen to all Garage Grit episodes:
https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/garagegrit
Timestamps
00:00 – Intro: Starting from scratch on the Outer Banks
02:40 – Building a team by hiring specialists
04:15 – Customer care: Treating everyone like family
07:00 – Training, coaching, and continuous improvement
10:00 – Running a business with your spouse
12:50 – Finding and keeping customers in a small town
17:30 – The power of coaching and tracking KPIs
25:00 – The impact of peer groups and community
34:30 – Managing for growth, not just survival
36:00 – What’s next for Lighthouse Automotive
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