Mindset Shift

April 30, 2020
Why we need strong leaders more than ever right now.

How are you? No, really, how are you? First and foremost, I hope everyone reading is safe and healthy. To say it’s been a surreal couple of months is an understatement. Despite the designation as an “essential business,” I can safely say that there’s nothing business as usual about these times. I’ve said it before, but it truly bears repeating, that FenderBender’s sole mission is to be a helpful resource for the strategies you need to improve your business. As we get through this situation together, please do not hesitate to reach out at any time.

Although this issue is not COVID-19 themed in nature, I hope that you will find applicable strategies and ideas in many of the stories. For example, our main feature this month, “How I Did It,” looks at four shop operators that have risen through challenging circumstances to find incredible success as business owners. In our strategy section, there are great articles about choosing creative content for social media videos; refurbishing and selling rental vehicles to survive slow times; and how to recognize outstanding work. And, of course, the situation was top-of-mind for all of our columnists this month.

What I hope this issue—and our content on fenderbender.com—provides for you during this time is what I like to call “an island of sanity.” There’s plenty of fear and doom-and-gloom to go around; and while it’s understandable, it’s not exactly helpful. More than ever, we need to be a stable, grounding force not only for our businesses and the industry, but for our people, too. 

Recently, I had the pleasure of talking with Collision Advice owner Mike Anderson and FenderBender columnist Jason Boggs for a panel discussion, and what struck me most was how optimistic they both were. They both truly believe that not only will this industry survive COVID-19, but that we will actually be better off after. Mike even joked, “There’s saying, ‘If this is the end of the world, there’ll be two things left: cockroaches and body shops.’” 

While I wouldn’t want to be stuck with cockroaches, I certainly wouldn’t mind being stuck with body shops. In my very first editor’s letter for FenderBender, I wrote that the “ingenuity and resourcefulness is one of my favorite parts of covering this industry, and it never ceases to inspire me.” I stand by that, and I look forward to witnessing this industry’s ability to rise above current circumstances.

Best,
Anna Zeck
Editorial Director

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