Fixed Ops Roundtable

What if the “fixed costs” you’ve accepted for years… aren’t actually fixed at all?

That’s the question that kicks off this episode, and trust me, once we pulled on that thread, the whole sweater started to unravel.

In this Fixed Ops Roundtable conversation, I’m joined by Steve Thompson of Integrity Cost Consulting, Shon Kingrey from Kayser Automotive Group, along with Sarah Vantine, and we go straight at one of the most dangerous assumptions in dealership operations: that overhead is just the cost of doing business and not worth revisiting.

Spoiler alert: that assumption is costing dealers a lot more than they realize.

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What we discuss in this episode:

Why “fixed costs” are often anything but fixed, and how contract drift quietly eats away at profitability
Real-world stories of uniforms, laundry, telecom, waste, and utilities ballooning without anyone noticing
Shon’s no-BS take on contracts, guarantees, and why “handshakes” sometimes outperform legal fine print
How small, unchecked line items turn into six-figure losses across multi-rooftop groups
The power of benchmarking beyond your own stores, and why most dealers are benchmarking the wrong way
How Steve’s team finds refunds, negotiates better rates, and monitors vendors so dealers don’t have to
Why saving money isn’t just about dollars, it’s about what those dollars can fund: people, growth, and peace of mind

There’s a moment in this conversation where it really hits you:

A few percentage points here and there can equal an entire employee, or more, every single year.

If you’re building budgets, planning for 2026, or just trying to protect profitability in a tighter market, this episode will absolutely challenge how you think about expenses you’ve probably ignored for far too long.

Listen to the episode featuring Steve Thompson & Shon Kingrey for even more insights!

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Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fixed-ops-roundtable/id1608656237