SDR #359: How I Got In The Car Business Part 1
May 18, 2026
AI Summary
5 min readChris Collins opens this episode by reflecting on how his early life experiences shaped his approach to business, leadership, and understanding people. The conversation centers on his personal history as the foundation for the methods he later developed in automotive service training, with particular attention to the moment a soccer coach's comment steered him toward a dealership job.
Early instability and divided worlds
Collins describes growing up between Bremerton, Washington, and Tijuana, Mexico, after his mother remarried and the family moved south to work at an orphanage. He recounts living in a trailer, witnessing violence, and navigating two distinct identities: the American child with parents when in Mexico, and the poor missionary kid when attending school in Chula Vista. These shifts required constant observation of how people behaved in different settings. He notes that adults around him often said one thing while doing another, which prompted early skepticism toward authority and a focus on whether actions matched words.
Reading people and handling conflict
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What you'll learn
- 1 (01:15) **Series Setup and Personal Background** - Chris introduces a multi-part series on his life experiences and how they shaped his approach to the car business
- 2 (04:30) **Early Life in Bremerton, Washington** - Born into poverty with an absent father and single mother on welfare
- 3 (16:19) **Move to Mexico as Missionaries** - Stepfather marries mother and relocates family to an orphanage in Tijuana
- 4 (24:52) **Orphanage Experiences and Soccer** - Uses sports to fit in among 150 abandoned children
- 5 (27:13) **Escape from the Orphanage** - Family flees in the middle of the night after discovering molestation by the orphanage director
- 6 (32:23) **Public School in San Isidro** - Mother places him in local school after struggling with homeschooling
- 7 (43:01) **Dual Identity and Observations on Happiness** - Develops two separate lives between Mexico and the US
+ Full timestamped outline available in the app
Guests on this episode
Show Notes
In this episode of Service Drive Revolution #359, Chris, Hogi, and Adam kick off a brand new series diving into the origin story of the Bulldog. Chris reminisces about the pivotal moments that shaped his career, starting with a life-altering piece of advice from a soccer coach that led him away from the field and into the car business.
Plus: A look ahead to our upcoming Service Manager University Live certification starting in June!
🔥KEY TAKEAWAYS
- The Soccer Coach's Ultimatum: Why a single conversation about commitment changed Chris's entire career trajectory.
- The Decision to Pivot: Choosing between professional soccer, a music career, and the world of business.
- Service Manager University Live: A sneak peek at our new virtual community for certifying elite service managers.
- The Value of Focus: Why going "100% in" is the only way to make something of yourself.
- Reminiscing on the Journey: Part 1 of a new series exploring how the industry's best training content was created.
- The Tacoma Stars: How close Chris came to a completely different life in professional sports.
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🛑 Book a free 30-min. discovery call for coaching that grows your profits: https://chriscollinsinc.com/chris-collins-method/
🛑 Best Selling books on making Fixed Ops a money printer: https://chriscollinsinc.com/shop/
🛑 Got a question? Call us at 1-833-3-ASK-SDR
🛑 Want to work with the best? https://chriscollinsinc.com/careers/
🛑 Grab Chris' New Leadership Book I AM LEADER: https://iamleader.com
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