#445 - I Lost My Mojo: A Dealer's Honest Take On a Brutal Year

<p>In this episode of the Independent Dealer Podcast, Jeff Watson and Luke Godwin check back in with Nick Markosian of Markosian Auto — a multi-location buy here pay here operator, NIADA board member, and one of the most candid voices in the independent dealer space — for a wide-ranging conversation about what the last 18 months have actually looked like. Nick doesn&#39;t sugarcoat it. Lost his mojo. A three-year lawsuit draining resources. Closing a remote location. A portfolio that&#39;s been shrinking on purpose. And an honest take on what survival looks like in one of the toughest business cycles the industry has seen in years.</p><p>What You&#39;ll Learn:</p><p>-Why Nick is closing his Logan, Utah location — and the honest answer to what makes remote locations so hard to run when resources are already stretched thin</p><p>-How a three-year lawsuit funded by private equity nearly derailed his business — and what every dealer needs to know about litigation being used as a weapon against small operators</p><p>-Why Nick paid down seven million dollars in debt over the last two years instead of chasing growth — and why he thinks that discipline is exactly what will position him to win when the cycle turns</p><p>-How Nick&#39;s collections manager built a door-knocking campaign and a late fee waiver text that pulled in thousands of dollars from 30-plus-day accounts — and what scrappy collections actually looks like at a portfolio under pressure</p><p>-Why subprime lenders are buying as deep as ever despite rising delinquencies — and how that is pulling customers away from buy here pay here at a rate most dealers are not ready to admit</p><p>-Why Nick believes AI is finally a legitimate lead management tool — and what he learned from a Copart AI phone call that changed the way he thinks about using it in collections and BDC</p><p>-Why every independent dealer who plans to be in the industry five years from now needs to show up to the NIADA DC Policy Conference — and what it actually looks like when dealers walk into a senator&#39;s office and tell their story</p><p><br></p><p>If you are a buy here pay here dealer going through a hard season right now — watching your portfolio shrink, questioning your decisions, wondering when the cycle turns — Nick&#39;s conversation is the most honest one you are going to find about what it looks like to weather it with your business and your sanity intact.</p><p><br></p><p>Support the businesses that support the podcast:</