Good Neighbor Podcast: Milton & More
Bringing Together Local Businesses & Neighbors of Milton, Crabapple, and Hickory Flat
Good Neighbor Podcast: Milton & More
EP #191: Strickland Brothers Oil Change with Michael Jaramillo and Danielle Simione
Discover the captivating journey behind Strickland Brothers Oil Change as we sit down with co-owners Michael Jaramillo and Danielle Simione. How did a brand focused on honesty and transparency rise above a competitive industry? Michael recounts the inspiring origins of the franchise, founded by Justin Strickland in North Carolina, and how it was designed to be a safe haven for customers, particularly women who often feel uneasy about automotive services. You'll hear Michael’s own heartfelt experiences that led him to join this customer-first business, driven by a vision to make automotive care accessible and trustworthy.
Danielle Simione and her husband James also share their unique path into the automotive world. With James' mechanical expertise and Danielle's marketing prowess, the couple found an ideal partnership with Strickland Brothers. Danielle opened up about the unexpected opportunities that came her way, from helping out with operations to becoming an owner. Michael further elaborates on his partnership with his father, both of whom bring their strengths to build a community-focused business. This episode offers a touching glimpse into the lives of those who are dedicated to making Strickland Brothers a welcoming and reliable brand for everyone.
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Stacey Poehler.
Speaker 2:Hey everybody. I am here with the co-owners of Strickland Brothers Oil Change. I have Michael Jaramillo and Danielle Simononi here. Danielle's husband, james, is also an owner. Welcome, guys.
Speaker 3:Thank you.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we're happy to chat and learn about you guys. I know it's kind of a newer business in our area. Michael, do you want to start out by telling us a little bit about the Strickland Brothers Oil Change?
Speaker 4:Yes, so this brand was started in North Carolina. It's a franchise. Justin Strickland named it after his two sons, the Strickland Brothers. He wanted to create a brand that rised above the competition in regards to honesty, transparency and customer service. He worked at a lot of different competitors throughout his career and really did not like having to force pressure, sell products and services to customers in the quick lube industry and that you know there's that stigma that that's going to happen and that oil change is really just like a loss leader and it's really trying to find out what else they can, you know, fix in the car or whatever needs to be done. And sometimes they would be told by upper management to stretch the truth to make sales, and he really disliked that. So he wanted to create a new brand where he really went away from that um, and that we all, uh, that we are a safe place for especially women um, you know, either mothers or daughters um, that really would sometimes have anxiety. But I myself, my father, was in in mechanic all my life.
Speaker 4:But I myself, if I went to a business for my car, an automotive shop, if my father wasn't working there, I myself would be nervous because they can tell I didn't know about cars, you know, and so every time they'd ask me something, I would call my father and I, just, you know, whenever I wanted to open a business, it just spoke to me when I would. When I heard about the brand, and it's like this is what I've been searching for, and they say some of the best businesses were created, or some of the best owners behind the brand were when they themselves wanted to be a customer. And so this is what I want to offer to the public, to the community, a safe place that they can go to. And it's working. The majority of our customers, nationwide, are females, and so it tells you that it's working you know, Danielle, do you want to add anything to that?
Speaker 3:I don't know. I think you said it all.
Speaker 2:Well, why don't you start, Danielle, kind of with you know you and James, and kind of what your journey was and what led you into, you know, the automotive industry?
Speaker 3:Well, my husband, he actually went to school for mechanics, so he actually has a degree in it. He's been through different companies and everything else and it was like when he got here, you know, he loved Strickland Brothers since day one. You know, um, and when I was here I sometimes people you know, of course people don't show up so I would actually, you know, do the tablet. I learned the tablet myself, I did it for free, it was just helping out the company. And then, um, michael seen you know my determination and everything, and he learned that I had a marketing background, so I started doing their marketing and then we had this special opportunity to become owners and we just love it so much.
Speaker 2:That's great. And how about you, michael? I know you spoke a little bit about your father's background, but you know what really kind of led you to this particular industry?
Speaker 4:background, but what really kind of led you to this particular industry? Yeah, my father was at a point in his life where he needed a changing career and he had just been laid off from a company that he had been working for a long time. And I had been looking to invest in either more rental properties or a company, and we settled on an automotive brand that will enable him to work, you know, and be a part owner of the industry he's most familiar with, and then I would help with the business side. Um, so it was a project where my father and I were going to be working together. Unfortunately, due to his health, um, he was not able to fulfill the role that he, you know, wanted.
Speaker 4:But when I come in this shop, it's still dedicated to him, um, in in much ways, and my love of of trying to help customers with their vehicles, make sure that they can maintain them, is twofold. One is from the history that just me being growing up around it and just being with my father and his passion, but also I personally work in the banking industry and I have a career. I'm still in the banking industry and one of the biggest financial mistakes someone can do is to buy a new car every three, four or five years. It's just not a healthy thing for their finances, and so I would love to help give people the comfort of maintaining their cars so they can feel more comfortable, keeping it longer, benefiting their savings, their retirement, their investments what have you? Just reducing the likelihood that they would rush into another car payment. So that is really near and dear to my heart on the financial banking side of it. So for me, it's the best of both worlds, trying to help people save money in a very honest way. But I have a career. So when my father was no longer in the picture every day, I was on the hunt for another business partner, and when we hired the Simeonis, it was pretty clear that, whether you want to say you want to say you
Speaker 4:know God or the universe that, like, these are the people I was looking for and they even as employees. They just took ownership of the store and I immediately said you know what? Would you guys come on and be part of the ownership so that I have, you know, peace of mind that this store is being taken care of? So Danielle plays many hats, she does the marketing, the HR, you know the store manager. She also will pour oil in your car, you know, she plays many hats. And James is the mechanic and makes sure that the guys know what they're doing. And I do the banking side. So it's a perfect blend.
Speaker 4:You know, I do the financial behind the scenes and some of the upper level stuff, so but but yeah, that's kind of in a nutshell some of our stories.
Speaker 2:Yeah, sounds like there's a lot of synergy there between the three of you, so that's great. Can you talk about any myths or misconceptions that are out there about, you know, the oil change business and kind of what you guys are doing there at the shop?
Speaker 4:The myth I want to attack is that there is not a safe place to go to. You know, in that the husbands or the fathers have to always be involved, there are safe places out there. We're not the only one, um. Justin strickland is, however, trying to be the only one that has a national, really kind of uh, that national reputation of being that chick-fil-a of the automotive industry, like very good quality, customer service, friendly automotive shop. Um, but they're out there. And if you have anxiety going to an automotive shop, just keep searching, look up Google reviews. You know, ask your friends and family, but they're out there. And if you, if you find yourself right now, you know, near the Hickory flat area, in or near the Hickory flat or anywhere in cherokee county, and you and you don't have that in your life that place you can trust, and this is what we're here for great.
Speaker 2:What are some things that y'all do for fun when you're not working?
Speaker 3:me and my husband. We love playing with our kids and spending time with family. We love playing with our kids and spending time with family. Of course also, we always think about the shop.
Speaker 4:To be honest, I know that we have a lot of our crew and Danielle's husband loves James Cook fishing. Between my career at the banking industry and here, really it only leaves time for hanging out with my kids too. That's my fun time, that is my getaway. Really it only leaves time for hanging out with my kids too.
Speaker 4:That's my fun time, that's my, that is my getaway it's just involving myself in their world and and what's going on with them at school and stuff like that, so that that kind of helps release some of that energy.
Speaker 2:You know yeah, that's great um any hardships or challenges that you've all had to overcome, kind of and getting the business going.
Speaker 4:Not really, except just the company as a whole. I mean, this was a big project of mine and when I found myself running trying to manage this by myself without my father which was what our original plan that was a pretty big hardship. And you know, I'll be honest, part of me thought, you know, maybe I should just give up, maybe I should sell this to another franchisee. But I really didn't want to, and it was that drive and motivation to keep going that I just trusted that I would find that partner that I was needing from day one, and it took some time. I think it was close to a year after we opened that we hired the Simeones. But yeah, I would say that was the biggest hardship is just the business itself and getting to where we are, where we have 325 Google reviews in our first year and a half, blowing out all the competition of what the reviews they had, and they've been here for five, six years. So it really speaks to what we're trying to deliver here and the feeling accomplished, that we actually are succeeding.
Speaker 2:That's great. Anything else you guys would like to share about the business that you haven't had a chance to say?
Speaker 3:Well, for me, you know, I'm a very honest person, like I will say how it is, no matter if somebody's feelings gets hurt or anything like that. Um, you know, I always tell the customers I'm going to be honest with you, no matter if it's good or bad. You know, I think that's really a good thing here is because I'm allowed to do that.
Speaker 3:I don't have to upsell, I don't have to, you know be on that level yes, feel pressured to quote us, you know right, we don't have that, and I think that's one big thing, because I've been a stay at home mom for the last, you know, 10, 11 years, because we have children, and it was like me being able to come here and actually be myself and not have to worry about, you know, quotas and deadlines and all that. It's just made me so much happier. It really has being able to do that.
Speaker 4:It's great. The last thing I want to add is that Circa Brothers, this first store, is just the beginning. My vision is to have multiple stores with a focus on giving employees an opportunity to purchase into the company. I don't know if you guys are, I don't know if you've heard of an ESOP like an employee stock ownership plan. It has been proven that ESOP is incorporated into a business. You have higher productivity from the employees because they take ownership of the store, higher customer satisfaction scores and higher profit overall, more market share because it's a safer place to go to and people really care. They don't necessarily see it as a job, they see it as a career.
Speaker 4:So, as soon as I can, we are incorporating that here. So even the high school graduate that's an intern and learning for cars they will have an opportunity to be here long enough to purchase, to be a part owner through that esop. This is what makes public so successful, and there's other companies that do this, but it's not very common in the automotive space and so, um, just like how the simians, they were employees first, but I said I want you guys to be part owners. It's in that same um light. And so this is just the beginning, but soon we'll'll be able to put a plaque on our monument sign outside saying this is employee owned, and I find that to be really exciting to me to get to that point and we're not there yet, but that is our goal. And so when you come here, you know that every employee loves working here and they are taken care of and they will take care of you that's great, and can you guys share where folks can find you?
Speaker 3:yeah, it is at 68 74 Hickory Road, woodstock, georgia, 30188 it's right on the border of Canton and Woodstock.
Speaker 4:It's in the Hickory Flat area. We're not too far, we're just, you know, down the road from Holly Springs.
Speaker 3:Right next to Brewster's.
Speaker 4:We have customers from Milton, you know, west side of Fulton, Milton, alpharetta, and then we have the majority are Canton and Woodstock, which is you know, and then we have the majority are Canton and Woodstock, which is you know, holly Springs, of course included. So we do get customers also from Waleska and Ballground. So just kind of in that general area. We do have a Facebook. You can find us, you know, on Facebook. Just look up Strickland Brothers Woodstock or Hickory Flat. We have both of those. We are less active on Instagram, but you can find us on Google. We have a lot of representation on our Google business page, but pretty much you just got to drive over here and experience it. There's no appointments needed, you just come swing by, okay.
Speaker 2:That's great, all right, well, thank you both so much for joining me today. It sounds like you've got a great business over there. Folks really do need to check you guys out, all right. Well, thank you both so much for joining me today. It sounds like you've got a great business over there. Folks really do need to check you guys out. Thank you.
Speaker 1:Thank you for listening to the good neighbor podcast Milton and more. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to GNP Milton dot com. That's GNP Milton dot com, or call 470-664-4930.