felt discouraged by my lack of experience, and I was told I wouldn’t like it, or that I wouldn’t feel welcome in the field,” Punga shared. “The continuous support and training I’ve received from the employees and owner at Kinetic have been more than I could hope for.” “I don’t think that any of us can know everything and none of us will, and we have to be open to continuous learning, because this ensures that we are the best that we can be,” Vaughan added. Vaughan also regularly sends her shop manager for training, with the goal that he can run the shop without her, which he already does most of the time. “I feel that my position in the business is to bring in the work, so that I can work on the business, instead of working in the business,” Vaughan said. “I believe in technician training, but it’s hard to find. We have a huge hole in our industry; we get a lot of training as apprentices and on the job, but there is a lack of advanced training in our industry. Unfortunately, there’s not much available that isn’t just about selling a tool, or a product.” Though that lack of advanced training is a frustrating challenge, Vaughan is taking a proactive approach on what she can control, which is how she educates her clients. “In the spring, Allie and I are planning on building a series of courses for women, so that we can help our clients better understand their vehicles and the importance of keeping them maintained,” Vaughan said. While the current economic landscape makes it hard to predict exactly what the future holds, Vaughan says that for now, her biggest goal is to build a stronger brand reputation for Kinetic Auto Service and invest in more staff.
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NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2020
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