Ep 168: Stop Guessing. Start Leading. | Eric Joern

In this episode, Josh Parnell sits down with Eric Joern, partner and Chief Revenue Officer at Kaizen CPAs and Advisors, to discuss how financial strategy can help auto repair shops grow beyond simply balancing the books. Eric shares his journey from working at a car dealership to becoming a CPA and helping Kaizen specialize in the automotive industry. The conversation explores leadership, employee development, accountability, continuous training, and why great advisors do much more than prepare tax returns—they help business owners make better decisions. Learn more about Promotive or start your next search at https://www.gopromotive.com. Stop managing chaos and start leading with purpose. Visit https://www.limitlessleadership.co to learn more about Limitless Leadership coaching, training, and speaking. Visit https://www.tekmetric.com to book a demo and see how Tekmetric can help you run your shop with more clarity and confidence. Optimize Labor. Unlock Capacity. For less than $5 a day per technician, improve absorption rate, increase ELR, and give your techs the career pathway that keeps them engaged and in the bay. Book a demo today! https://meetings.hubspot.com/jen-grimes/demo-meeting?utm_campaign=41778739-Limitless+Leadership&utm_source=Limited+Leadership&utm_medium=LL+referral&uuid=57616c84-28ec-48d0-9a44-7b64074e5d8c Timestamps: 00:00 Cut Through the Noise 00:25 Podcast Introduction and Guest 01:24 Sponsor Messages 03:22 Introducing Under the Hood CPA 04:38 What Kaizen CPAs Does 06:40 Eric's Career Journey 08:43 From Dealership Employee to CPA 12:29 Specializing in the Automotive Industry 15:47 Defining Leadership 16:46 Training as a Long-Term Investment 19:28 Kaizen's Training Systems 20:06 Customized Growth and One-on-Ones 21:52 Building Better Employee Relationships 22:48 EOS Quarterly Check-Ins 23:14 Supporting Employees Beyond Work 23:53 Leading Across Multiple States 24:58 Rethinking Shop Hours 25:42 Scheduling for Success 27:14 Building Customer Loyalty 28:15 Developing a Growth Mindset 30:24 Helping Shops Embrace Change 31:34 Why Accountability Matters 32:34 The Best Leadership Advice Eric Received 34:03 Time, Action, and Execution 35:50 Under the Hood CPA Podcast Launch 37:23 Where to Find Kaizen CPAs 40:07 Final Sign-Off I'm Josh Parnell, Founder and CEO of Limitless Leadership. With a team of leadership coaches, trainers, and speakers, Limitless Leadership helps aspiring leaders tap into unrecognized potential to achieve limitless results. For more information, please visit https://www.limitlessleadership.co.