Single Dad Opens a Repair Shop - His Story

This is the story of how and why our shop was founded. We hope this inspires those of you who not only have opened a shop, but are striving to open any business so you can spend more time with your family. It’s been 27 years since our shop was opened and it was really cool looking back at the highlights and the rollercoaster ride! Enjoy!
Our Affiliate Store:
Autel MS909 Scanner: amzn.to/4bVbXQ2
Top Don Battery Maintainer & Jump Starter: amzn.to/4bW0dwB
Topdon Phoenix Lite 2 Scanner: amzn.to/3wJMEBz
Brake Fluid & Coolant Test Strips: amzn.to/4ayOQJS
5 Piece Protective Lug Nut Socket Set: amzn.to/453c4GW
Fluke Multimeter: amzn.to/3UX86La
We are partnered with AESWave. We've dealt with them for years and they are great people so please show your support to them! Our store link is:
www.aeswave.com/RoyaltyAuto
Yes we make commission on these products if you buy from these links. This supports the channel. We will never recommend a product that we don't truly believe in. This is just the beginning of our products. We will add more as we go.

[@michaelt8330]

I consider it an honor to be a long-term employee here! I have learned more in the last 8 years than I have in my entire career. I can vouch for both of these guys that they are legit and sincere and the things that they say in the practices that they do. The professor under sells himself with his knowledge I can assure you!

[@StrongerThanBigfoot]

Lucky guy

[@daves2520]

Thank you for running an ethical business and caring about your customers. You are an encouragement to all of us.

[@thenegotiator5193]

I love to hear stories like this where someone is “self made” and parents didn’t just hand them the keys to a business. “You can’t skip the struggle” to be truly successful.

[@mikecarr2230]

Single father while starting out on your own? My wife and I have a 1 year old and man, are we tired. You’re an inspiration man, keep doing great things. I’m in Savannah, maybe I’ll come across your shop one day

[@JoesAutoElectric]

Sherwood, you are one of the most caring and down to earth guys in this industry. I felt every word you and your son spoke. Your passion for diagnostics comes through in every video. God bless you. I'm honored to know you.

[@theroyaltyautoservice]

Hey Joe, thanks so much! I really appreciate you!!!

[@peters1821]

Hi Joe! Miss your videos! I hope you're doing good! God bless you!

[@JoesAutoElectric]

@@peters1821 I miss going them as well. Thanks so much.

[@riceburner4747]

Sr., your a humble man. I'm 71 & see you run a great business. Word of mouth has helped your business by treating ppl well. A great story & thanks for sharing it with us.👍

[@k6ul]

The story of successful people is always 1) keep pushing, don’t give up, and 2) learn from everything that happens. And in my experience #2 is the most important of all - keep learning from everyone and everything around you. There isn’t an experience in life or a person in it you can’t learn something very valuable from.

[@DJ-tn7vj]

Like most of us who started up as techs and turned into shop owners. The pressures of being a father or mother, to always put food on our kids plates and keep the lights on, pushes you to another level. We all are glad to hear your story guys. Very motivating

[@youutartur1104]

I'm blessed to work for a shop like yours, specialist shop, family owned, with a massive reputation of good service. Started as cleanup, now diagnostician, the family allowed all my mistakes as long as I brought more to the table on the next one. A shop like yours and the one I'm in is a godsend. I'm happy for you and your success. The most important thing I see in a business like this is leading people, I've seen it at my own- where you're not good at one thing so you are placed into another. Everyone wins, you stay happy, you're not given up on, and you produce a lot stronger in another area of the shop. I see you did that with your son and that's the mark of a true leader. Other places won't explore a persons other talents. One person we had (passed away) was just awful at R&R, but somehow ended up being so good at interior work and detailing we kept him as that and he made some of the ugliest cars look beautiful and did the dash removals nobody wanted to do without breaking a single item- and when he did the way he'd repair it left us all in awe.

[@mandytuning]

Love to hear humble beginnings of shops, im a well rounded great tech, in my town of P.R people said im the best,but as a shop owner i suck,by same year as you in the 90's i struggle as a shop owner, but never find my way, i keep working for others and doing automotive side jobs still today. If you open a shop near to central Florida i will gladly be part of your team.

[@StrongerThanBigfoot]

Great thing here is just because you’re not strong in one area doesn’t mean you can’t excel in another area of a business. More business owners need to understand this.

[@johnbonifas6040]

It would be really nice if you could talk about getting started my son wants me to open a shop your son seems to have his goals set for him that's great God Bless

[@theroyaltyautoservice]

We could do some videos on that. Do you have any specific questions we could answer in a video to help you?

[@dporrasxtremeLS3]

What a Fantastic You Tube Channel ! You all give back to the whole world of automotive needs and maintenance. Thank you ALL ! This Channel is SO Informative and interesting!

[@ronfernstrom8659]

Amazing journey in life as well as in the learning aspects of obtaining the shops you have ventured into! Your ethics for your shop household of customers and employees beats true with my heart. Thanks for your very interesting story.

[@djosbun]

Do you know how many times Alexander Graham Bell failed? Many, many, many, MANY times! The best discoveries are found through failure. You are just like Mr. Bell in that you have reached success due to always learning and not giving up. May God continue to bless you!

[@metal.mover23]

man this is a touching story sherwood is the man... cats and the credle used to get my dad tooo

[@moog2961]

Love your story lads , I can see just by watching the videos that you guys are all about the people. Hard work always pays off in the end. Keep on wrenching lads. X.

[@ralphmarkasher]

Thank you for sharing. Watching your videos and hearing your story, if I lived in your area I would trust you with my vehicles.

[@patrocman4818]

Love watching your content. Thanks for sharing your journey.. keep on posting

[@DependableAutoTruck]

i as a viewer haven't watched your channel very long but do think i have watched them all. when i ask a question you always respond that means more than you will ever know. you always say that you will be glad to help any of us any way you can and i believe that thanks so much for the time and effort you go to to explain and try to help us who want to learn thanks again

[@matcotoolsi]

I love your story. I started my business 6 years ago from scratch working at my house with a ⛺️ on the side of my house on the gravel making a lot of mistakes now I'm in 2 1/2 bay shop away from the rain, snow and heat. I would like to talk to you guys and learn more from you if that's possible I'm still struggle with some things that I don't see the way out I think learning from people like you is one of the best ways to learn something in life, thank you for sharing your experiences.

[@thelifescout8335]

Awesome story and what timing this comes at. I am taking steps to start my own business and this weekend in fact I’ll be attending World Pac Chris Cotton business class. Like you mentioned in your early days not knowing the numbers and I can say I need to understand the basics and how that work in junction with one another.

[@johnrpizzaguy]

Great story. I’ve been a tech since 1984 and I’m currently training my last apprentice. I just had him watch your A/C basics videos (thank you for those), the skills that I have learned over my now 39 years have allowed my wife and I to live comfortably and raise two kids here in San Luis Obispo California. Unfortunately shops are closing down due to the mechanic shortage,how cool that you guys found good techs treat them well and they will stay because some other shop is actively looking to take them away.

[@kentporter2991]

Excellent story! 5 Star ⭐️ operation! Can’t wait to meet you guys! 👍🇺🇸😎

[@lampo238904]

We need more Mechanics like you man it’s a blessing

[@wonjat5]

A great story of hard work, tenacity, being prepared to learn and look for opportunities.

[@kymelefsen5276]

Well done guys. Love it. Persistence pays off. Keep up the fantastic work.

[@truckladders4104]

Great content My life story is almost an exact copy. Divorce business colapse shops that rained inside harder than out. I added heart failure and more sons just to up the challange!,We are through to the other side but the challanges took their toll. Your story brings tears to my eyes because when your in the thick of the battle you cant reflect on where youve been Reading your story makes me reflect on mine Cheers to the survivors!

[@bogusienombre355]

Hi guys, This was helpful. Suggestion: on your channel, set up a play list. Shop talk, diagnosing, break it into systems like suspensions etc. It"'ll be easier to use as a resource channel for your viewers and you get more YT hits and your channel will grow. It's a win win situation. Viewers get frustrated if they have to hunt for a solution and it's all jumbled up on one page. Also your titles need to tell them in short order what solutions can be found or it's a general topic on off the wall things and maybe add in humor or how preventive maintenance pays off. Highlight who has the best car that has been well kept up. Do a customer engagement section. Like your channel and see. growth potential Best of luck.

[@philfortner1805]

The most brilliant mechanic out there! I have learned so much!!

[@AAB371]

Great back story. Keep the videos and stories coming.

[@Tillerman4]

So ….. I call myself customer zero… though I am sure I wasn’t. I had an 1982 Ford T-Bird that overheated and needed a head job. I couldn’t afford to pay for it (thru local shops). Sherwood hit me up later that same day and did the job in his back yard under a tarp for a more than reasonable fee. Car ran awesome til I sold it. Sherwood still does all our extensive repairs and tires. That was over forty years ago… This family and company still works on our family cars when needed. Carry on gentlemen.!!🇺🇸🙏😎 I need my helicopter serviced.!!😉🤣🤣

[@spelunkerd]

I find it very interesting to meet professionals who somehow find time to post videos, all the while operating a working shop. For a few years after completing training one can get away with using the skill set you learned, but all the best find a way to constantly upgrade their skill set. This is a great story, love the family business angle.

[@MichaelOConnor-tg5nv]

Great video and an amazing story. Very Inspirational! Keep up the great work. Regards from Melbourne Australia.

[@dag221]

This was a great video. Sherwood used to do my repair work in the 2 bay downtown shop in St.Marys. It was interesting to hear the history before then and try to figure out the locations etc.

[@davidsawyer1599]

I am new to the channel. This is an awesome story! I have been doing some catch-up here and there. I drilled down on those communities y'all serve. Roughly 20k population each location according to wiki. I would have to say that available clients are sparse. To actually make it and grow. Is a testimony to fortitude and perseverance. I am glad for your success and hope it continues.

[@Quickwrench75]

Where did you get your extensive automotive knowledge from Wizard? Any particular training center? Or just self taught over your years of experience. You scope knowledge is amazing. Love those videos.

[@theroyaltyautoservice]

A lot I learned from doing, especially early in my carrer. I've also been blessed to have meet and become friends with some of the smartest people in this industry. I've gone to as many training classes as possible, and still do, and this helped me get better and better. I teach know and that has helped me learn even more because I have to make sure I can teach each subject in a way so that different people can learn it. I found out quickly that we all think in little different ways so it's been fun figuring out how to present material from direct viewpoints. And I've had some great students so it been very fun! Thanks for the question!!!

[@edlopz1722]

Thank you for sharing your life experiences and what you been through, all the ups and downs and all the challenges that life threw at you. Also its great to finally reveal the man behind the camera who does an outstanding job. Buying the buildings was definitely a smart thing to do. Looking forward to see more videos from you guys. Shoutout to your great employees as well. Good luck with opening the third location soon

[@2eagle86]

You eventually get into fixing cars the niche is their!! Interesting to hear how everything started from beginning to end KZbin is another great source for income and getting your name out their

[@erno9248]

Awesome ....Thanks for sharing...

[@peters1821]

Hi guys! It was amazing to watch and listen to you guys! I'm happy that I found this channel! Good to know that there are still people out there doing this not only for the money! God bless you guys!

[@steveanderson4553]

Great story! Thank you for sharing. Love your videos keep them coming. 👍

[@malibuStroker]

Great story,loved to hear about your journey!

[@PaulCrow-BOT]

Love this!!

[@isalmankhan1]

So glad to see you guy's😍

[@malizia63]

This is an awesome story.

[@user-tl8ex1dg6y]

Thank you professor. Keep on doing this lovely work for us.

[@scotts2k]

Thanks for sharing your story. Really enjoy the content and knowledge you share

[@edmundoporras3821]

Awesome & genuine video. God bless you both and your business.

[@randyduncan8863]

This was ur best video thank u I'm a single father one hoist shop an my oldest son is in a wheelchair so my shop has to make it. Again great video thank you

[@daveswensen9627]

I found you guys on tiktok and more recently here. I really enjoy the content and the quality of work with explanation. Thanks

[@113036stat]

Thanks for sharing your experiences!!

[@arneminderman3770]

Great guys!! Exelent shop!!

[@raymundomiranda7853]

I love you're videos guy's 💪

[@thomask4836]

What a great video! I wish you the best! Thank You! ! ! !

[@BenKlassen1]

Good story!

[@KGauto_Diagnostics]

Fantastic video guys. Really respect the dedication you've put in to get to where y'all are! Praying for your continued success and hope I can see it through documentation. If you ever want to open a TX location, I'd be honored to work with you! Much love and blessings!

[@ronwilson6186]

Another excellent video

[@mikeantee2733]

Inspiring sir !

[@rickdasilva3726]

Good stuff

[@danman9017]

good story tks

[@bailment1]

Thanks guys! Love to learn more about the business side of the shop. I’m looking to buy a shop out here in the west and I’m a literal sponge for knowledge. I also share the same business ethics you all have. Thanks for sharing your story. I’d love to hear more.

[@user-om3pr9if2e]

Thank you for taking the time out and sharing. I appreciate your technical knowledge and indepth step by step guide of do's and don'ts when fixing one's vehicle. I have a 4th gen 4runner V6 4x4, that has vibration when braking quickly. Wondering if it's drums (I never surfaced) or maybe new brake pads. Anyways thank you and glad to see your sons involved voluntarily 😊

[@astrogate1]

First of all, I must commend you for being a great father! I know that song really well, and it is so true. You worked very hard and stuck with it in order to start your very own shop. It looks like God was with you and blessed you. Cheers!

[@StrongerThanBigfoot]

This is what I’d like to do because I honestly hate working for other people.

[@karetnikovalexey]

What a great story! PLEASE do the video on your processes and how you take care of your employees. As a green shop owner, I would really want to learn from your experience. Thank you for all your content!

[@NorbCo]

Been watching for a while here from Minnesota and incredibly glad you guys posted this video - working toward that goal of opening up my own shop. Incredible story, I love hearing this story after discovering yall!! Best pieces of advice for someone wanting to open their own shop?? Things such as equipment, advertisement, learning curves? Took some solid notes from the video and more curious on any after-thoughts. Many thanks and keep uploading the tremendous content!!

[@theroyaltyautoservice]

Some simple things: In our shops the mindset everyone has is "What am I here to do? Answer; Make people's lives easier.". And we mean everyone, of course clients but also each others' and our vendors too. Next thing, when you make a mistake own it. We make mistake all the time but we never charge the client for it. This is a big one. It can hurt but you have to do it. And tell the client, they will understand and appreciate you even more for not charging them for something they didn't need. Final thing: charge appropriately. You have to know your market and you have to offer a level of service commensurate with what you charge. You can't charge Ritz Carlton prices and give Motel 6 service, but if you do the extras you should accordingly. There is nothing wrong with profit. We have to make it. Just don't let profit be your only motivation. Hth.

[@aosanchez5]

Inspiring story! So you only had this one kid

[@tibortorok6343]

Hajrá előrre!

[@dickdaley9059]

Dad, you are a true and persistent professional of your trade. Your struggles over the years are reminiscent of many others who tried and failed. Let’s talk among men…your shop once accepted my job with quality parts provided by the customer. Guaranteed by the customer to fit and perform without recourse. And the installation goes without issues. Then, the same customer later requests service with the same parameters, with the same vehicle on a different service and is refused because customer provided parts are now not allowed. I do not wish to criticize a business with great integrity and honesty, but your management fumbled the ball, refused to speak to me, and drove my business away. I wish you well in your expansion plans, but the fundamentals that got you here are subject to erosion with your success. How do you assess this situation if you ultimately make the policies that guide your business?

[@youutartur1104]

As another technician, you bringing in your own parts is not a good way to enter a shop. Even an OEM set of pads and rotors exclude warranty and support. Why? If the part is incompatible or broken, you're paying for it to be done twice and now you're upset because you just lost what you saved from not buying it at the shop. And, if we provide the part we often have avenues of getting the labor paid for by the supplier and all is good. And third, we don't make money off you, parts often generates more revenue than labor- brake pads charge .3 hours to replace, but profit on parts is $90- no shop will be happy to do it. Another point is modifications, gladly will we install some coilovers, but asking us to lower it to a clearance that will damage the car or yourself is a no no. Even with a waiver, it still gets ugly. Yes we lowered your car and told you that the axles may have more stress, but you're blaming us anyways because you think WE damaged the axles during the modification. Third kind of repeat point, you don't want customers that bring their own parts. Often they think they know better than us, they don't, and they're annoying to deal with. While we spent half an hour on the phone talking about cold air intakes, why they're not good, why we don't want to do them, why your engine sucked up 3 gallons of water from the road- the advisor could have billed out 4 other jobs that are $1000 in profit a piece.

[@Mdavied2023]

everything is great but the son said excellent point too take care whether parts stores employees and clients

[@dc-wp8oc]

Interesting story and thanks for sharing. How did you come by the name of the business and who wrote the mission statement? Do you track how many callbacks each tech has during the year?

[@johnleinen7167]

Great attitude makes a huge impact on being successful, I wonder, would you guys hire THE FLAT RATE MASTER? I understand he's looking for a job.

[@nickayivor8432]

Brilliant video. Thanks for sharing it God bless you 👍 QUICK-WITTED Royal Auto Service From Nick Ayivor from London England UK 🇬🇧 ⏰️ 07:15am Good Morning 🙏 🌄 the 🌞 is out

[@nickayivor8432]

Please read The Royal Auto Service Our Mission Statement. Please read, make a video You're an amazing person,brilliant video Please 👍 QUICK-WITTED The Royal Auto Service From Nick Ayivor from London England UK 🇬🇧⏰️ 19:55pm

[@MsFireboy2]

Thanks for posting. Sherwood question in your opinion are the techs coming out of trade school lacking in applied theory of electronics? Oh congrats on all that you have achieved.

[@Horsecockbadger]

Love the channel from ypur master tech brotha in ireland 🇮🇪 👌 btw are you looking forward to the ever evolving technology to come and working on it everythin from autonamy to electric/hybrid

[@dckiller1129]

I started my mobile mechanic business in january and its been stressful so i know how hard it can be i just wanted to say i love your videos ive watched your tiktok before but just saw your yputube the otherday and ive watched every video but i would love to see more and tips and how to open up a legit business im scared to do so becausei dont even know how the taxes work so ive been avoiding it but want to become legit and was wondering if you got any tips or opinions

[@bcshay]

so how many years would you say you struggled to own/manage a shop until you became successful and the business was profitable? btw, i subscribed and watch your content because the shops passion for cars and their craft is at a level i find valuable. i’m a youtube mechanic and im always picking things up here and there from you guys. its not common to find people who care about their careers these days. especially in the services industry

[@theroyaltyautoservice]

It took about 6 years to start to see real progress. I made a ton of mistakes, and still do haha, but I was able to make a living from day one. But I had very low expenses in my personal life. And I still do.

[@CSXBoys]

Wait, is this Royalty Auto out of Camden County?

[@indianajustin5587]

Have you got any advice for someone just getting started in the field? I work full time right now and am interested in pursuing technical and mechanical knowledge, I just do not know how to do it.

[@thejohnbeck]

Are there any good business books you can recommend for someone interested in learning about running a small business?

[@franzwiens]

Hi Any a/c videos?

[@contraband1543]

Shame they make it so difficult nowadays. Probably 10000 more laws now than then.

[@edwinasimmons3471]

"PromoSM" 🙈

[@patrocman4818]

Love watching your content. Thanks for sharing your journey.. keep on posting

[@thelifescout8335]

Awesome story and what timing this comes at. I am taking steps to start my own business and this weekend in fact I’ll be attending World Pac Chris Cotton business class. Like you mentioned in your early days not knowing the numbers and I can say I need to understand the basics and how that work in junction with one another.