From book keeper to autobody repair shop owner, Lana Pagiamtzis is just getting into her stride.
ana Pagiamtzis started out in partnership with four others and worked only on the administration side of the business, while still working as a personal trainer.
In a huge leap of faith she took on the whole business, solo, in 2015 despite the fact it wasn’t exactly thriving. Scroll forward to today and she can confidently run every aspect of the business. She also took another leap of faith by becoming the first Fix Auto franchisee in Australia. She didn’t undertake the decision lightly, heading to Canada to attend the Fix Auto global conference and visiting some of the network's shops and talking to Canadian franchisees.
Pagiamtzis has benefited greatly from Fix Auto's support. “It has helped raise the profile of the business, the branding is very professional and the customers comment on this. Fix Auto can have important conversations with insurance companies on your behalf. They have a raft of systems and procedures that have been very beneficial to how we run the business and allow us to interact with insurers in a more professional manner.”
A turning point for the business was being appointed as a conventional repairer for United Hail. So positive was the customer feedback that more insurance work was sent to the shop. Turnover has grown and the workforce has grown from 5 to13.
The shop itself is small, but well laid out and has one new M&N spray booth with another one planned. Discussions for prep bays which it could really do with are also under way. Focusing on key to key times, Pagiamtzis invested in a wheel alignment system that can also be used as a hoist. It has more than paid itself off.
In just four years Pagiamtzis has taken an underperforming business which didn't have a steady workflow and transformed it into a thriving boutique shop. "There were a lot of quiet times at first, now I love hearing the constant noise of equipment and work going on in the workshop." She has been intelligent and reached out for as much help and support as she could find in the industry and made the most of what she has learned. The shop also does its own mechanical work and one of the staff benefits is to allow them and their immediate families to service their cars there and buy parts at cost. That's on top of flexible working hours, bonuses and free lunches as bonding for team building.
As soon as Pagiamtzis has perfected her first shop, we won't be surprised if there is a second or third in the near future. She's one to watch out for.
powell’s points
Pagiamtzis took on an aging business and with research and good advice made considerable changes. Changes can be the hardest thing to implement and initially can take their toll on production but will be beneficial in the long term. Congratulations on a big, gutsy effort.
shop stats
Size: 1200m2 total
Staff: 12
Type of repairs: All types
Avg cars repaired PW: 35-40
Avg key to key: Drive 2-3 Non-drive 5-10