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Gain Traction


Feb 1, 2023

Darren McLea is a Business Development Consultant at Molloy Sales Development Group, where he consults with business owners to help identify and implement solutions in their business for training, performance, communication, operational standards, and more. After starting out as a “cleanup kid” changing tires and fixing flats in high school, Darren went on to become the Executive Vice President and a Partner at McLea’s Tire. Prior to joining Molloy, he sold the family business to AAA. His purpose is to help people to exceed their wildest dreams and have a ton of fun along the way.

In this episode…

What’s the best way to earn the respect of your team members as a manager or owner of a tire and auto repair shop? According to Darren McLea of Molloy Business Development Group, the answer is simple: walk a mile in their shoes. “All the pushback, hesitations, or resistance that employees have — I've dealt with that, I've been one of those, I've worked through it,” Darren said. “I think that's why I was always so good at implementing things.”

On this episode of Gain Traction, Mike Edge sits down with Darren for a conversation about building a positive culture and getting team members to buy into the vision and direction of a shop. Darren says he’s learned to be “very good at coming up with creative ways to incentivize everybody throughout our company.” He emphasizes the importance of being engaged with employee development and making human-to-human connections. Don’t miss your chance to hear these valuable insights!

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn: 

  • Stories from Darren McLea’s early days in the tire and auto repair industry
  • Why Darren returned to work at his family business after leaving to go to college
  • How his experience working in all aspects of tire and auto repair helped Darren handle employee pushback
  • Darren’s favorite problem to solve
  • Why making a human-to-human connection can override a disagreement with a customer over the price of service
  • Darren’s favorite iconic movie series

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Sponsor for this episode...

This episode is brought to you by Tread Partners

At Tread Partners, we provide digital marketing for multi-location tire dealers and auto repair shops. 

By using our strategy, branding, and marketing services, we help shops sell more tires and put more cars in bays.

We’ve helped companies like Action Gator Tire, Colony Tire and Service, and Ulmer’s Auto Care Center bring extreme growth in paid leads, ROI, and searches. 

So, what are you waiting for?

Visit www.treadpartners.com or email info@treadpartners.com to learn more.