From Second Guessing to Leading a Garage Business

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