For our 100th episode, we have a special guest. Chris McMahon is the owner of McMahon Ford in Norwalk, CT. He was O'Brien's first boss, his first sales leader, and has been a lifelong mentor. He's also O'Brien's father. He joins the show to talk about the lessons he's learned over his career as a salesperson, manager, and business owner.
Time Codes:
(0:58) - Introducing Episode #100
(2:22) - Chris’ background and career beginnings.
(6:21) - Have car dealers always had a bad reputation?
(8:18) - What did you learn about sales in your first job with a dealership?
(16:36) - What was your experience like as a sales/general manager?
(24:35) - How did you become an owner?
(26:21) - What did you learn from your business mentors?
(30:40) - What led you to leave a great opportunity to chase a riskier one?
(34:59) - Did your mentors ever discuss their business philosophies?
(37:00) - Taking over one of the worst-performing dealerships in the state.
(38:12) - What was your experience like venturing out on your own?
(42:06) - How did you lead through tough times in the business?
(51:31) - What did you hope to teach your children by having them work at the dealership?
(1:02:03) - What is the purpose of business?
