Car Care Council Women’s Board Presents Inaugural Aftermarket Women’s Business Summit

The Car Care Council Women's Board (WB) presented the first-ever Aftermarket Women's Business Summit Nov. 1-3 in Las Vegas, NV, during the Automotive Aftermarket Products Expo (AAPEX). Female shop owners and managers from all over the country attended the day and a half event, which featured education sessions and networking opportunities focused on empowering them to achieve business and professional success.

The Car Care Council Women’s Board (WB) presented the first-ever Aftermarket Women’s Business Summit Nov. 1-3 in Las Vegas, NV, during the Automotive Aftermarket Products Expo (AAPEX). Female shop owners and managers from all over the country attended the day and a half event, which featured education sessions and networking opportunities focused on empowering them to achieve business and professional success.

The summit was kicked off during the 14th annual Women’s Board Reception on Tuesday, Nov. 1 where attendees met and networked with WB members and other industry professionals.

The morning of Wednesday, Nov. 2 began with attendance at the AAIA Town Hall Breakfast, followed by summit keynote speaker Noah Rickun, BuyGitomer, sharing specific ways to differentiate from the competition in his session titled, “How to Make Customers Love You and Keep Them Coming Back.” Wednesday afternoon featured a Women’s Summit exclusive Shop of Tomorrow demonstration, a one-on-one session with AAIA president and CEO, and WB founder, Kathleen Schmatz, and a roundtable discussion focused on innovative ways toward a successful business.

Steve Miller of The Adventure LLC closed out the summit on Thursday, Nov. 3 with his session on the importance of brand integrity, “Your Brand, Your Promise.” Summit participants also took advantage of opportunities to visit the AAPEX show floor and AAPEX Learning Forum sessions scheduled throughout the week.

“By all accounts the inaugural Women’s Summit was a great success. Feedback throughout the event was extremely positive with many participants indicating the summit delivered value beyond their expectations,” said WB president Ruth Ehlinger, AAA.

The inaugural Aftermarket Women’s Business Summit was sponsored by four Diamond level sponsors, five Emerald level sponsors and two Ruby level sponsors. For a full list of event sponsors, visit http://carcare.org/wb_summit.

Retailers, program groups, independent warehouses and manufacturers’ reps are encouraged to invite and host female shop owners and managers from their companies to participate in the 2012 Aftermarket Women’s Business Summit. For more information, e-mail [email protected].

About the Car Care Council Women’s Board:
The Women’s Board is comprised of professional men and women who are dedicated to getting information to female audiences concerning educating women about car care and encouraging young people to investigate "automotive" as their career choice. The goal of the Car Care Council Women’s Board is two-fold: To encourage women to become active in vehicle maintenance; and to promote career opportunities for women in the automotive parts and service industry. For more information, visit http://women.carcare.org.

When Your Shop Is Worth Much More Than You Thought

Although every sale of a shop in which I am involved has its own unique set of circumstances, which makes my job both very interesting and very challenging, Cowden Automotive stands out as particularly memorable because I was able to demonstrate to the long-time owner, Paul Cowden, that his business was worth about three times what he had initially thought.

Case Study: Owner of San Francisco-based Import Service Shop Delighted to Discover Just How Valuable His Business is to Qualified Buyers
I sometimes share case studies of the clients I have been able to assist in my role as an aftermarket business broker and provider of intermediary and advisory services. I do that when I think the story will provide a reader in similar circumstances with new insights or helpful information.
In the case of Cowden Automotive, Inc., I acted in a consulting capacity assisting the owner and his broker in valuing the business, creating a marketing plan, finding a qualified buyer, and arranging financing for the sale.
Although every sale of a shop in which I am involved has its own unique set of circumstances, which makes my job both very interesting and very challenging, Cowden Automotive stands out as particularly memorable because I was able to demonstrate to the long-time owner, Paul Cowden, that his business was worth about three times what he had initially thought.
Needless to say, delivering that kind of good news to a shop owner is a rewarding experience. Discovering that the sale of his business would result in his retirement nest-egg being substantially larger than he had ever thought was a fitting tribute to someone who had spent his entire working career as a busy automotive service shop owner.

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