Boyd's Garage

Blue Rock Station,
1190 Virginia Ridge Rd.
Philo Ohio 43771 USA
+1-740-674-4300 (phone)
+1-740-674-6303 (fax)

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A while back I spent what began as a not-so-pleasant afternoon, sitting around Boyd's Garage in Dobson, North Carolina.

Now it wasn't Boyd's fault that my mood was so dark, but rather the fault lay with my little VW Rabbit that was still trying to make up its mind whether or not it might stop the next time I hit the brakes. So, as Carl searched the hills of Appalachia for parts, I got to know Boyd and his wife and their kids and cousins and a various assortment of "Bubbas" who wandered in or past.

Between explaining to nearly everyone I spoke to that my name was not "Buddy," and discovering that RC Cola and Moon Pies really are the official breakfast food of North Carolina, I found myself treated to a lesson in business better than any book or course I've ever been exposed to. Boyd's tutorial was tacked helter-skelter around the waiting area...on the walls, the counter, the soda machine, and the back of his hound dog, Blue.

The first sign that caught my eye was, "Lack of planning on your part does not necessarily mean an emergency on my part." Words to live by. This was the cornerstone of his customer service philosophy. More signs in the customer service section included: "Price List: Answers, $6; Answers requiring thought, $10; Correct Answers, $20; Dumb looks, still free." Nice to know up front what you're paying for.

In addition to fair prices, he did have quite a lenient credit policy: "We cash personal checks up to a maximum of $20 if you have six pieces of I.D. and leave a $50 cash deposit until the check clears. "

They also addressed my warranty and quality concerns: "Suppose we refund your money, send you another one without charge, close the store, and have the manager shot. Would that be satisfactory?" Another sign boasted, "Stupid mistakes are always made by others. . . we only make unavoidable errors."

And even a corporate communications policy was addressed, with "Nothing is quite so annoying as to have someone go right on talking when you're interrupting."

The philosophy of life section observed that "Great people talk about ideas, average people talk about things, small people talk about other people." Boyd also wanted us to know that "There are three kinds of people in the world... those who make things happen, those who watch things happen, and those who wonder what happened."

On the cash register was a joke about a husband, his wife, and a doctor... which I will not go into right here, for reasons of discretion. Suffice it to say that it was tasteless, sexist, obscene, and extremely funny.

What really struck me, however, was that mixed among the slogans and jokes were thank you letters from satisfied customers, crayon drawings from local school children, pictures of little league soccer and baseball and basketball and volleyball teams which Boyd sponsors, and just an overall good feeling about the place.

Boyd's garage is not a fancy place. It's cluttered and greasy and small and certainly not politically correct. But the folks who work there work hard and laugh easily. They asked me about my car, but they also asked me about my family. I felt better when I left than when I came in. They did good work, and they charged a fair price.

So if you really want to know how to run a successful business, skip the M.B.A. program at Harvard. I assure you, they haven't got a clue. Just spend an afternoon in Boyd's garage. You'll get more out of it, and it's a heck of a lot cheaper...unless you drive a Fiat.

written by Jay Warmke - July, 1998

All I Ever Needed to Know about Business
I Learned at Boyd's Garage