Brian Bellante, owner of Auto Diagnostic & Repair, always knew he wanted to own more than one repair shop. When he opened his original shop in Antioch, CA on November 1, 1999, he already had his second shop in mind. But it took 22 years to get there.
Twenty-two years to the day later, November 1, 2021 Auto Diagnostic & Repair’s Brentwood, CA location opened, a repair shop that held integrity and honesty as its guiding force.
Located about an hour midway between San Francisco and Sacramento, Bellante says he knew that if he opened up a business in his hometown of Antioch and kept to his entrepreneurial spirit, that customers would not just get their cars repaired there once but that they would be return customers.
Whether those customers are visiting his Antioch shop or the Brentwood location, it’s customer service that makes Auto Diagnostic & Repair stand out. And it’s not just his ASE-certified techs that make the difference with customers, Bellante says – at both locations, his service advisors at the front desk knows how to communicate and explain a repair issue so the customer can make an informed decision. This results in trust between everyone at both shops.
Before he opened his first shop in Antioch, Bellante says he received some sage advice: “Make your business franchise-able even if you’re not planning on franchising.” By keeping that in mind, he says he was able to focus on the key components of owning a business that’s consistently profitable with ongoing training for both employees and management plus overall strategic planning.
He also listened to advice about not going it alone. By partnering with DRIVE, he says he has learned that he doesn’t need to have all the answers. “Just do what they say!”
Brian’s DRIVE business coach, Karla Vice, commends Bellante for his dedication. “Brian’s such a perfect DRIVE client. He knows to trust our advice and that makes being part of his team a real pleasure.”
Between the two locations, Auto Diagnostic & Repair has 12 employees and 16 bays. And while Brian’s shops are not the least expensive in town, they are among the busiest, with loyal customers that feel confident that the team at Auto Diagnostic & Repair will fix needed repairs right the first time.
Simply put, Bellante says he now has freedom. “Before DRIVE I always had to be at the shop. Now I’m free to do whatever I want…when I want.”
