The Turn Around Project: Episode 2

What Did I Get Us Into?!

July 1st was Day 1.
The official kickoff to a 90-day sprint to save the dealership I once built — and then sold — more than six years ago. But the real work started almost a month before that.

Before I walked through the front doors, I needed to know exactly what I was walking into.

I’ve spent years helping other dealers assess and improve their operations, and I wasn’t about to give this store any less. So, weeks before stepping foot on site, my team and I ran a full DELV Analysis — the same deep dive we use at Ownex to evaluate dealerships across the country.

We looked at the vitals: financial health, inventory flow, sales penetration across every department. We mapped the store’s location and market potential. We studied the customer experience, end to end.

Then we graded it all using our star chart system — think Michelin stars, but for dealership performance. Each score gave us insight into where the problems were… and where the greatest opportunities might lie.

That was the plan at least.

Because if you’ve ever been in a 20 Group, you already know this: numbers can’t show you the whole story. You can analyze trends and spot weaknesses, but they won’t tell you what it feels like inside. You can’t see the fatigue. The fear. The weight of trying your hardest and still watching the scoreboard light up red.

And I know that feeling.

I’ve stood in that exact place — doing everything I thought I was supposed to, and still watching it slip. It’s not just frustrating. It’s isolating. You start wondering if maybe it’s you. Maybe you’re the problem.

That’s where I assumed this team was.
Not because they weren’t trying — but because I’ve been there too.

Those pre-COVID years? They were brutal. And COVID didn’t solve our problems — it just gave us temporary cover. An artificial boom. We mistook luck for leadership, supply constraints for strategy. And now? The music’s stopped. The lights are on. And we’re all looking around trying to figure out what went wrong.

I walked into the store for a meeting in mid-June, a few weeks before the official start. The team didn’t know yet that I’d be stepping in. This was supposed to be a quiet conversation — just a heads up to the GM that I’d be officially starting next month.

Instead, before I could even open my mouth, they beat me to the punch:
“I just put in my two weeks.”

The words hit like a wave.

My chest tightened. My shoulders pulled in. My mind spun. All I could hear in that moment was:

What the hell did I just get us into?

But this — this is what a turn-around looks like.
It’s not some clean before-and-after highlight reel. It’s chaos. It’s tension. It’s emotional.

And if I was going to lead through this, I couldn’t get rattled.

So I paused. Took a breath. Centered myself.
And remembered: This isn’t a failure. It’s just the first test.

Thankfully, I’m not doing this alone.

I’ve got two of the best guys in the industry walking this road with me. Danny French — a longtime friend, former parts leader, and my co-conspirator in designing the dealership of the future. And Justin Watson — someone I came up through the ranks with, sat next to in 20 Groups, fought through the same battles.

Between the three of us, we’ve seen just about every version of what can go wrong… and what it takes to get it right.

These star charts are what we’ve developed to both easily classify and translate both the operations and opportunities of a dealership. And as you can see, this dealership needs a LOT of work!

Day 1: The People Beneath the Numbers

That first week, it was all about the team.
We sat down one-on-one. No slide decks. No canned speeches. Just conversations — honest, sometimes awkward, but real.

And what we found?
Wasn’t apathy. Wasn’t incompetence.

It was heart.

The lead salesperson — high energy, magnetic, a natural community-builder. He’d already started organizing events on his own time, outside of work, because he couldn’t get support to do it inside the store.

The parts manager — prepared, polished, and absolutely holding the place together with grit and duct tape. Sharp as hell. But clearly carrying too much, too often, without enough recognition.

The F&I manager — organized, fierce, and clearly the one customers trust to sign on the dotted line. She owned that office like it was hers. Exactly what you want in that seat.

After three interviews, I felt lighter. Hopeful. Like maybe, just maybe, this could work.

And then…

Another Curveball

I was walking toward the door at the end of Day 1, saying thank you and goodnight, when I heard:
“Did you get my email?”

It was the service advisor.
The only service advisor.

I hadn’t seen anything come through.
“I’m putting in my two weeks.”

Another punch to the gut.

I smiled. Thanked him for letting me know. Kept it together.
But inside? I was already sketching out a brand new plan.

Because this is the work.

It’s not just coaching from the sidelines.
It’s taking the hits — and showing back up anyway.

By the time you’re reading this, we’re already deep into the plan. Want to follow along in real time?
@ownex_io on X
@Maxwell Materne on Linkedin
@max_materne on Instagram
Ownex.io for newsletters and behind-the-scenes updates

And if you want a blank copy of the Ownex Star Charts to score your own store — just shoot us a note at hello@ownex.io. We’ll send it your way.

Next up: Episode 3 — Building a Roadmap.