DRIVE recently announced the DRIVE Shop Spotlight of the Month, a new initiative that will call attention to a client that deserves recognition.
The inaugural shop is Juke Auto in Austin, Texas.
Juke and Jonna Ball have been in business since 2004, and they love being part of the Austin community – both the business community and the great people who reside in the city.
What started out as a small, two-bay shop has turned into a three-building, 20-lift business with more than 20 employees. The current location was custom-designed and built for Juke Auto and it shows. Their location pops with its industrial-meets-funky red and black aesthetic.
Even more important to Juke and Jonna Ball, though, is what they have built since Day 1. From a new customer walking in the door to each repeat customer, everyone receives the same honest, quality service.
That philosophy extends to their great crew and the people they hire. When entering the door, you only will encounter positive, helpful people. From service advisors to technicians to the team of drivers, they all have the same philosophy of respecting each other and each customer.
Juke Ball has learned that a skilled but negative prospective employee just won’t make it at his shop. He’ll hire an eager, smart but less experienced person any day of the week.
Of course, it didn’t start out like this. The business was initially very chaotic – a stressful mess with anemic profits. As a client of DRIVE, Juke and Jonna Ball have learned that honesty with your customers is key, but you also have to be honest with yourself.
The Balls realized that reaching out for some help and constructive criticism is part of the evolution of a business. Without that training, your shop won’t move forward, and that vision of your business at the start won’t be realized.
“I knew I needed help and was fortunate to find DRIVE,” Juke Balls says. “It has instrumentally helped me achieve my vision.”
Juke always has been focused on happy customers, happy employees and, of course, being profitable.
“The work is a lot deeper than handing out candy to get a cheap smile,” Juke Ball adds. “It involves a brutal hard stare at every aspect of the shop. A lot of sights are painful, but improvement comes from honesty. Nothing can’t be fixed. Nothing is beyond a shop owner’s ability if they have the honesty and capacity to work and to listen to your DRIVE advisor.”
With this success comes the ability to work in the community. The shop works with the Austin ISD Alternative Learning Center and invites students to the shop often to encourage future technicians and service advisors – and maybe potential shop owners too.
The Juke Auto household is just as funky and fun as the business. Juke and Jonna Ball love exploring Austin and beyond with their kids and dog, Bella. Juke races catamaran sailboats semi-professionally, both nationally and internationally. Jonna is a true multi-hyphenate: a roller-derby athlete with the Texas Roller Derby, a musician and an artist, she also grows the family vegetables and raises chickens.
At the end of the day, this Australian-native husband and California-raised wife are an integral part of their community – and their shop is proof that they are now true Austinites.
DRIVE is proud to say they are a client, and salutes Juke Auto as the November 2019 Shop Spotlight of the Month.
DRIVE, a Monrovia, California-based consulting group, provided this article.
