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?