They're "Just" My Tires

By Dave Trux

As we all know, the tires are the only part of the car that actually makes contact with the road. Well hopefully and no, I do not recommend dragging your shoes along the pavement to reduce brake wear! A lot of people just don’t pay attention to their tires. Every day, we see tires that are under inflated or have irregular wear patterns to the extreme to where a customer who lives in Placerville and commutes to San Francisco had steel cords showing but didn't want to replace their tires.

The old line I always use is, "Every tire we install is guaranteed to wear out". So, take a minute every so often and look at your tires. Are they under inflated? Are they cupping? Are they showing signs of tread wear? Is there cracking in the sidewall?

Even people that don't put a lot of miles on their cars will eventually have tires that become damaged and unsafe over time. The rubber breaks down over time when exposed to the elements, eventually to the point where they become unsafe. When tires are repeatedly exposed to the sun, they will chemically break down. Sometimes it’s not a case of mileage but a case of age.

If you're not sure if your tires are properly inflated or wearing correctly, stop by your service center. Improperly inflated tires will definitely rob your vehicle of fuel efficiency, performance and will be a safety hazard for you, your family and everyone else on the road.   

A 25 Million Dollar Document

By Bob Cox

Have you ever been in a situation where your head is telling you to do one thing while your heart tells you to go the opposite direction? This is a true story about two men thrown together by the tumultuous winds of change during the Civil Rights Movement. Both men altered their original plans and the results would be extraordinary. One would become immortalized in American history while the other would achieve wealth beyond net worth.

Seconds after delivering his riveting "I Have a Dream Speech" upon the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on a warm August day in 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King gathered up his notes, turned to his left and faced one of his volunteer security guards. Just before a throng of media surrounded King, the guard summoned the courage to ask for the type-written speech. Without a word, King handed the man his notes and the guard quickly folded up the three sheets of paper, took them home and inserted them in a book where they rested undisturbed for more than two decades. The guard’s name was George Raveling.

Two days earlier, the 26 year-old Raveling, an ardent supporter and admirer of Dr. King's work had not planned to attend The March on Washington. Raveling changed his mind after having another soul searching conversation about civil rights during dinner with his best friend Warren Wilson and Wilson's family. When Warren's father, Dr. Wilson strongly urged the young men to reconsider, they both finally agreed.

The following day, an event organizer asked George and Warren if they would be willing to provide security and they both said yes. At the time, Raveling was an assistant basketball coach at Villanova University. Nine years later, he would go on to become the first African American head coach for a Pac 8 school, Washington State.

Twenty one years passed after King's speech, when there was a knock on the door. A reporter for the Cedar Rapids Gazette named Bob Denney had arrived at the office of Raveling to interview him after he became the first African American head coach at the University of Iowa. When the reporter learned that Raveling possessed Dr. King's original speech, Denney was shocked! Minutes later, Denney offered to have the documents museum treated and framed as a gift, which Raveling gratefully accepted.

One of the most compelling parts of this story is not what was written in those original notes, but the words that were conspicuously absent from them. Nowhere in the speech was the famous phrase "I have a dream". During the first few minutes of his speech the next day, King followed the script with eyes affixed upon the pages. Then, he heard the voice of African American gospel singer Mahalia Jackson shouting above the crowd of 250,000 civil rights supporters, "Tell them about the dream, Martin." King paused, set down the papers and gazed across the sea of humanity. After a moment of silence, he broke free from the script and spoke from his heart. In slightly over 16 minutes, King inspired millions with his words. "And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It's a dream deeply rooted in the American dream . . ."

When a collector recently offered over 3 million dollars for King’s original notes, Raveling, now 77 turned it down. A recent USA Today story quoted a rare documents historian as claiming they could easily be valued in the $25 million price range. When Seth Davis of Sports Illustrated asked him why he refused to sell this treasured piece of history, Raveling thoughtfully replied, "At this point in my life, what difference does it make. I'm not rich, but it's not like I'm poor either". The gift presented to him over five decades ago by a man that was his hero clearly meant more to him than any amount of money.

While there are many intelligent people that would emphasize the importance of planning carefully and using the awesome power of the mind, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and George Reveling gave us two powerful examples of the value of being flexible by consulting your gut instincts. The willingness to improvise when your carefully constructed plans have run short of taking you to the “promised land” takes great faith, courage and wisdom. Had Dr. King followed that carefully crafted script, his message may have been just another excellent speech that no one would remember today. For George Raveling, had he said no to either Dr. Wilson or the anonymous organizer, that 25 million dollar document that he has treasured so dearly for the past half century would be either missing or in someone else’s possession.   

A Nice Guy’s Secrets to Success

Meet Jack Williams of Smog ‘N Go

By Bob Cox

I recently had the chance to ask Jack Williams, the owner of Smog “N Go some questions that give some insight into his success and why Smog ‘N Go is one of the fastest growing companies in the region.

Q: Why did you decide to open a smog testing facility?

A: In the late 90’s, I had to take my wife Lisa’s car to get it smogged. My neighbor told me about a new concept was called “test only”. This is where the car is tested but you don’t have to worry about having it repaired at that point. I went to a local “test only’ facility and realized that I had waited close to an hour in an un-air-conditioned, cramped waiting room. I had an epiphany. There were about five or six things not being done that should be done in that industry that would revolutionize it. I went home and told my wife that I wanted to quit my job as the regional manager for a temporary help firm and start a smog check business.

Q: How did your wife respond to your announcement?

A: She laughed and said “Jack, on a good day you can find the engine in a car”. But, she was very supportive and we spent all of 1999 purchasing property and building our first Smog ‘N Go in Elk Grove. It opened January 6, 2000. Since that time we have grown from our first shop to six shops in the greater Sacramento region. We have shops in Elk Grove, Rocklin, Fair Oaks, Laguna, Folsom and West Sacramento.

Q: Just how big is Smog 'N Go?

A: We are tied with the highest volume company in the state of California and are number one in Northern California. We smog check approximately 80,000 vehicles per year. We have had consistent, steady growth over the last several years. It’s been exciting. We have been recognized by the Sacramento Business Journal as one of the “fastest one hundred growing companies” five times during our 15 years of business.

Q: Is there a key principle that you incorporate that you feel has made Smog ‘N Go successful?

A: Yes. We always take care of the needs of our customers above our own. If there is ever any time where our employees need to make a choice that can either benefit our customers more, or our company more, I always say “Go to the side of the customers, because it will pay dividends in the future”.

Q: Can you share an example of putting the customer first?

A: Yes, right after we opened up our first shop, a woman came in and had her car smogged. She left with a “passed” smog certificate. About 45 minutes later she called saying that when she got home, she opened up her mail and found a coupon. She said “I doubt if you will honor that coupon because I have already been there”. I said “No, bring the coupon back and we would be happy to give you the $10. So, a half hour later she was back in my office so I gave her the $10 and she was extremely excited. About two or three weeks later, there was a wonderful editorial in the Elk Grove Citizen from this lady talking about her positive experience. Over the fifteen plus years that we have been in business, we have had many experiences like that where we always go to the side of the customer and it has always come back to bless us.

Q: What motivates people to patronize Smog ‘N Go?

A: People get their car smogged because they have to. What we do is get them out within 15-20 minutes, give them a clean, friendly and comfortable place to wait while we take care of their smog check needs so that they can get on with the things they want to do. Our slogan is, “In and out in a hurry!”

Q: Tell us about your "Multiple Niche" concept for success?

A: When we opened this business up we wanted to have multiple niches: Things that we do and accentuate that our competitors were not doing. Usually they operate in converted garages and gas stations. We built all six of our facilities, from the ground up with multiple bays for faster service than our one bay competitors. We have expanded hours so our customers can have their cars smogged before or after work. We hire friendly and knowledgeable customer service representatives. Our waiting rooms and bathrooms are clean and comfortable, and we provide free WIFI. Half of our clientele are women and they know Smog ‘N Go will treat them with respect.

Q: What other services have you rolled out?

A: We have been offering DMV renewals and transfers of title for a few years. This gives our customers an option so that they don’t have to wait in long lines at the DMV.

Q: What kinds of vehicles are you qualified to register?

A: We can register all vehicles, including cars, trucks, boats, motorcycles and RV’s.

Q: Are there any major changes coming?

A: Yes. The Bureau of Automotive Repair has announce that starting March 9, 2015 all vehicles 2000 and newer, all diesels 1998 and newer and all hybrid vehicles are going to be inspected without the old tailpipe dynometer testing. We purchased the new On Board Diagnostic Testing equipment to do this and not every smog shop has made that investment in the equipment.

Q: You are very involved in the community. Tell us about that.

A: Smog ‘N Go has been really excited to partner with the Make-A-Wish chapter here in Northern California. MAW grants wishes for children with life threatening illnesses. Over the years Smog ‘N Go and our customers have donated over $300,000. I am also very involved with the Boy Scouts of America and with my church. (A note from GFI Mag: Mr. Williams was on the board of Make A Wish for six years and served as chairman of the board his last year. In addition he has served for several years on the Executive Board of the Golden Empire Council of the Boy Scouts of America which serves up to 20,000 young men a year in Northern California. He served as chairman of the board for two years. He has served on the local board of the Brigham Young University Management Society. Jack was awarded the “2014 Sacramento Philanthropist of the Year”.)

Q: Do you have any advice for success in accomplishing your goals?

A: One of the things that have really helped me in my day to day obligations is being able to differentiate doing things effectively and doing things efficiently. I can be very efficient when I am working with paperwork and inanimate objects, but I become effective when I work with people, because people are not inanimate. I look at them as my brothers and sisters. They need your time, your consideration, your courtesy. You can’t check them off your list of things to do. You need to give people the time that they need to express themselves or to work through any situations, concerns or problems that they may have. When it comes to people, never treat them efficiently, always….always, effectively.

Editor’s notes: For more information about Smog ‘N Go, call (916) 760-4200 or visit their website at www.smogngo.com.

Success Tips for Young Entrepreneurs

By Alika Salazar

If you’re a young entrepreneur or planning to become one, find something you love and stick to it. Your odds of success are better if you are very passionate about your business and you give it 120% all the time. Don’t let anyone tell you it can’t be done. Keep going and you’ll achieve what you want to achieve in life. Be prepared to make some sacrifices to your personal time because the business may require it, at least for some time. But, the reward in the long run definitely balances out the work you have to initially put into it. Here are a few questions I often get asked by friends and customers.

Q: As a young entrepreneur, have you experienced age discrimination? In other words, has anyone ever said that you were too young to own a successful business?

A: Not usually. Usually they’re pretty impressed by everything that’s going on and how much we've grown.

Q: What kinds of hardships and obstacles did you have to overcome when you first started your business six years ago while you were still in school?

A: I had to go to school from 7 am to 3 o’clock and then have to go to work after that and work until six or seven, sometimes even later if there were repairs that had to be done. Sometimes you have to make sacrifices to get the job done. Owning a business is not a nine to five job. It could be 80 hours a week.

Q: With such a large amount of time dedicated to your business, you must have made some big sacrifices in your social life. Can you tell us about that?

A: Yes. In the last year, I've worked six days a week and there’s no end in sight right now. Most of the time, when my friends invite me to do fun things, I tell them I have to work. When you own a business, you have a lot of fires to put out every day.

Q: Is it common for you to have social plans interrupted by a crisis at work?

A: Yeah, and then you've got to stay there longer because you have a situation and you've got to take care of it. Or sometimes you've got to drive somewhere to get something. You just have to do it. That happens all the time, but it’s okay because I really do love my work!