Axi's Blog

"workshop"

2012-01-25T19:55:00.000-08:00

My partner and I "workshop" together to get things accomplished. There are not enough hours in the day to work in and on your business. We are staying in downtown Denver at a B-n-B for our most recent pow-wow. We "walked" to the Denver Public Library today...had a great meeting of the minds and admired the architecture at the same time (all along the way). We have talked to people from many different states and countries and enjoyed our break. Thank you God for the blessings you have given us and the ability to be better because we want to be!

Stephen Brunston Blogs for Body Beautiful Collision Repair

2012-01-05T15:58:00.000-08:00

Bang! You just got rear-ended! You check your back….seems OK, then you think of the other people in the car that hit you……they seem OK. Then it hits you: How will this affect my life? Why today of all days? You need your car fixed, fast, with no hassle. Let me tell you about Body Beautiful Collision Repair.

You might be intrigued to know how insurance industry relationships are important in the auto body business. When you take your car in for repair, you never see how much work and trust goes into the experience you have behind the scenes. The body shop spends enormous energy representing you to your own insurance company claims department. The only time you see what is happening is when things go wrong.

Body Beautiful leaps out to be on the cutting edge of systems management and technology. What this means to you is that their reputation for fast, honest and dependable work, works to your benefit with the insurance company. For instance, they may have a need to call the company with undiscovered damage in a repair. Instead of stopping the repair, taking longer to do your work, they call the insurance company and based on their reputation, receive the go light without a hic-cup.

I know from personal experience that Body Beautiful Collision Repair has committed to a multi-year track of performance management in a effort to exceed all expectations when it comes to car repair. Joe and Janine Little have demonstrated to the rest of the industry how they can manage your repair in less than ½ the time it takes a traditional shop to fix your car. They are in demand as paid consultants to the rest of the industry based on their results for quality and customer service. You may have heard of Six Sigma; it is a disciplined, data-driven approach and methodology for eliminating defects. They use this approach to run both shops in a lean, effective way. These folks have become recognized experts in their industry.

You may never see the actual work that goes into the effort Joe and Janine put into your repair. In our experience that’s the way it should be, invisible to you. Because their shop works so smooth you’ll never know how it got that way.

We breath a sigh of relief when our clients choose Body Beautiful Collision Repair. We know the work will be faster than expected, done right the first time, and quality after the repair that is guaranteed for a lifetime.

Call me at anytime to discuss how insurance is effected by which body shop you choose.
Stephen Brunston
Colorado Insurance Professionals
http://www.colorado-insurance.com/home.html

2011-09-15T15:00:00.000-07:00

http://hooplanation1.blogspot.com/2011/08/superior-service-at-body-beautiful.html

Did you know you could check someone's background online?

2011-09-15T14:48:00.000-07:00

I was playing on the internet in between doing real work and I stumbled across a site that could be very helpful to employers...especially small businesses. I imagine in the scary world we live in, this may be helpful to "check out" your new boyfriend...LOL!

http://www.instantcheckmate.com/?src=PHLIL09152011B70X70-20&mdm=display&aid=148

HooplaNation: Hail Damage on the car Oh No!

2011-08-02T17:31:00.000-07:00

HooplaNation: Hail Damage on the car Oh No!: "I was recently out of town and arrived home from Houston at 6am on a Wednesday, one of my worst fears was realized when I parked outside at ..."

Summit Software Solutions Conference

2011-05-15T09:22:00.000-07:00

Many people in business attend conferences. Most often out-of-state to please the majority of the attendees. Face it! It's difficult to pack a bag and get away from your business...and traveling is tough; especially with today's security measures at our airports. (Side bar: Joe and I were rendered naked by the TSA on our way to Chicago...LOL!)
I'll cut to the chase! It is work to get to a conference. But when you walk away from that conference with nuggets of wisdom and key learnings, the ability to express yourself to your peers and hear what they want to say and the celebration of your industry...it is PRICELESS! A very warm "Thank You" to Frank and the Summit Team for an informative and fun conference to celebrate 10 years in business. CONGRATULATIONS!

Panhandling

2011-04-10T16:57:00.000-07:00

I drove to my daughter's place yesterday. I was going to hang out and help move some rooms around and steam-clean carpets. My grandson, her son, is almost a one-year-old. He has been fortunate to have his mom home with him this last year. Needless to say, he has a case of separation anxiety so he hangs on to her apron strings. This is not where I was going with the story but needed to paint the picture about what I was able to enjoy...I had an "aha" moment(admittedly, I have them a couple times a week because I seek these moments). As I sat at the I-25 exit at Hampden, I noticed a panhandler that had one of the usual signs that made me feel bad, but also question whether I should give change that I can barely spare these days. I was suddenly and completely overwhelmed with how blessed I (and so many people I know)am! I was (and am) truly sorry for that man's place in life and didn't even question what caused it...drugs, alcohol, divorce, loss...you know what I mean. The air in my lungs was expunged as I "realized" how much I have. Even though money is real tight, even though our business is having challenges due to the economy, we have close friends with life-threatening illnesses, we have family making poor choices, we have debt we never imagined...WE HAVE LIFE! Albeit challenging, we have so much to be thankful for. As I post this, I hope anyone that bothers to read it can identify with these feelings. Gob Bless!

Your vehicle's frame...

2010-09-13T18:34:00.000-07:00

Cars are constructed on a frame or assembled using a unibody structure. The frame is designed to provide structural integrity. The frame component of a vehicle includes suspension mountings, lower and upper frame rails. The "frame" of a unibody model includes the windscreen, rocker panels, rear window frames and the A, B and C car pillars.
Frame damage is not always apparent and an auto repair expert must be consulted to evaluate the extent of frame damage after an accident. The Auto Channel reported in 2005 that "hundreds of thousands of cars on the road right now will fail to properly protect" due to damaged or faulty frames.
When buying a used car, there are some important things to check. One of these things is damage to the frame of the car. A damaged frame can be costly to fix and can cause the car to be improperly aligned, which can cause extra wear and tear on your tires.

Check to see if the doors and trunk open and close without catching. If they catch, there could be a problem with the car's frame. Often, a damaged door is a sign a vehicle has been in an accident.

Check under the car on both sides with a flashlight for any bends in the metal or welding marks visible on the metal frame rails of the car. Check all sides of the vehicle.
Consult a professional! A professional collision repair facility, like Body Beautiful can measure your vehicle’s frame to ensure that it is aligned to factory specifications. And if it isn’t, we can straighten it!

2010 Car Care Safety Fair...JOIN US at Southlands on Saturday!

2010-08-18T18:51:00.000-07:00

WHAT IS DISCRETIONARY SPENDING ANYWAY???

2010-08-07T19:04:00.000-07:00

A Wall Street Journal article, a few weeks back, described how "CEOs Fight To Prevent Discretionary Spending From Creeping Back Up." I have absolutely no idea what that means....When operating in a LEAN environment, there are only two kinds of spending: Spending for activities that add value for customers, and spending for activities that do not. I don't know how either of them can be 'discretionary', or why they would 'creep back up' or why it takes special focus from a CEO to control them. Glad I run a small business and don't have to deal with "making things up" to justify my position!

Lean Politics??

2010-07-30T11:44:00.001-07:00

Amazing But True

A guy by the name of Chuck Fellows is a candidate for the Michigan state senate. Among the issues that have Michigan voters agitated this year is some controversy over giving tax credits to the film industry. When asked for his thoughts on the matter, Fellows replied, "I want to see a cash flow statement and a value stream map of the process before taking a position. My ‘gut’ tells me it brings jobs and positive attention to the state." Now there are lots of consultants and employees working on lean in government, but this is the first time I have heard an elected official talking about value stream mapping a process to determine its effectiveness. It is not quite as remarkable as it might seem, however. Fellows has only been a politician for a couple of years, following 34 years in production management at Ford. Maybe we need to start sending more Ford folks to capitols.

2010-07-11T10:18:00.000-07:00

The formula for success is to identify value as the customer defines it, and focus your efforts on enhancing that value, while eliminating efforts and expenses on anything that does not add to that value. Straightforward enough, and the challenge is really in defining value. Whether you do so through your own lens, however, or whether you can actually see how value looks from the customer's lens is - to steal a phrase from Mark Twain - the difference between lightning and a lightning bug.

2010-06-27T19:44:00.001-07:00

This is Jason. He is an intern with our company. He loves his job and the people he works with. He will do anything that we ask him to and loves pulling weeds more than anything (NOT!). We appreciate Jason and his hard work! This is Jason's first (spray) paint job...way to go, Jason!

Lean & Mean!

2010-06-24T12:32:00.000-07:00

Body Beautiful Collision Repair is honored to be one of five shops featured in "Fender Bender" magazine's June article about "Going Lean"!
http://www.fenderbender.com/FenderBender/June-2010/Little-and-Lean/

Driverless Cars

2010-06-12T12:06:00.000-07:00

Fully autonomous vehicles, also known as robotic cars, or driverless cars, already exist in prototype, and are expected to be commercially available around 2020(Uh-oh...body shop FOR SALE!). According to urban designer and futurist Michael E. Arth, driverless electric vehicles—in conjunction with the increased use of virtual reality for work, travel, and pleasure—could reduce the world's 800,000,000 vehicles to a fraction of that number within a few decades. This would be possible if almost all private cars requiring drivers, which are not in use and parked 90% of the time, would be traded for public self-driving taxis that would be in near constant use. This would also allow for getting the appropriate vehicle for the particular need—a bus could come for a group of people, a limousine could come for a special night out, and a Segway could come for a short trip down the street for one person. Children could be chauffeured in supervised safety, DUIs would no longer exist, and 41,000 lives could be saved each year in the U.S. alone.

Smart Car!

2010-06-09T19:12:00.000-07:00

I look at these vehicles traveling down the road and CANNOT imagine being in an accident in one, but tests say...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mz-s1sIoLhU

Don't Drink and Drive...

2010-06-07T14:59:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klM_XlojzH4

Your Vehicle’s Paint…

2010-06-03T17:44:00.000-07:00

So how do you maintain your car's paint job? Here are a few things you can do to protect your car from scratches, or at the very least, minimize the impact scratches have on your vehicle's appearance.

Keep your car clean. Take your vehicle to the car wash regularly or wash it yourself. Bird droppings, bugs and dirt have a way of damaging your vehicle's exterior. Even chemicals found in rain water can damage a paint job. If you decide to wash the car yourself, choose a soap that is designed for vehicles. Other basic soaps can strip the wax. Also use cloths designed for washing vehicles. Find a shady place to wash your vehicle and make sure the surface is cool.

Giving your car a good wax provides more protection for your paint job. Keep in mind it is a good idea to get the advice of a professional before using any product on your vehicle’s finish.

Keep your car parked in the garage or in a shaded area. Keeping your car parked in the shade protects your vehicle from sun damage. There are still other hazards that can cause damage to your vehicle's paint job such as salt, tar, dust, mud and gravel. Your vehicle may begin to show signs of wear and tear. Your vehicle may also accumulate scratches from rock salt and this could cause rust and paint damage.

Touch up scratches. To maintain your car's paint job touch up the damaged areas as soon as they occur. It is advisable to take your vehicle to a body shop.

Spokeo

2010-04-14T17:03:00.000-07:00

Ever hear of SPOKEO? I think it is best to make sure anything you post online, you would be willing to share with anyone and everyone. Check out this article:

http://www.9news.com/news/article.aspx?storyid=135404&catid=339

WHAT DO "YOU" THINK??

Food Bank of the Rockies

2010-04-05T20:26:00.000-07:00

We are dealing with the fourth straight monthly decline in home prices, 36,000 jobs were lost in February and consumer confidence continues to tumble…could the state of the economy remain this bleak?! And for how long?!

Because we have a passion for what we do and a passion for the communities we serve, during the month of April, Body Beautiful Collision Repair will donate 2% of our profits to Food Bank of the Rockies!

Don't Drink and Drive!

2010-03-17T15:45:00.000-07:00

Local law enforcement agencies always step up their efforts to apprehend intoxicated and impaired drivers during St. Patrick's Day. From 5:00 PM to 3:00 AM, the patrols will be on roadways that have been identified as problem areas for accidents and high incidents of DUI arrests.

BE SAFE, DON'T DRINK AND DRIVE!

Seat Belt Commercial

2010-03-03T16:52:00.000-08:00

I found a CNN report about a moving commercial that advocates seat belt use. You can watch it here.

Smart Car Crash Test

2010-02-18T15:13:00.000-08:00

An interesting video of a smart car crash test...

MSN Money Article About Repairing Cars and Trucks

2010-02-15T14:18:00.000-08:00

MSN Money article makes good points about repairing your car or truck. Check it out!

http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Insurance/InsureYourCar/7ThingsAutoBodyShopsWontTellYou.aspx