A Day in the Life of a Big O Tires franchisee

A Day in the Life of a Big O Tires franchisee

by Mary Vinnedge

Bill Walker plays a behind-the-scenes role as part owner of two Big O Tires® dealerships in Indiana. “I don’t meet with customers anymore. I take care of the back-office stuff so the store managers, my son, Tom, and his half-brother, Josh, can concentrate on customers. I don’t punch a clock. When I finish my work, I go home. Sometimes that’s as early as 3 or as late as 7.

Walker typically goes first to his New Albany store, which handles 90 to 100 cars a day. His son, Tom, also part-owner, manages this store. “We might have a personnel issue or trouble with a computer or product to discuss. Tom is so customer focused that if someone is there, he pays no attention to me. I get there early so I can talk to him.” After Walker takes care of business there, he heads to his Jeffersonville store, which services about 60 vehicles a day, and checks in with Josh, who’s also a part-owner. At both stores, he deals with mail and other paperwork such as writing checks to pay for utilities, vendors, software licensing and more.

Walker brown-bags a sandwich or eats lunch out, which is beneficial because “I always wear something with a Big O logo on it. People come up to tell me their car is making a funny sound and we talk about it. I may end up making an appointment for them at 3 o’clock.”

LEADING BY EXAMPLE

Walker is off on Sundays and Thursdays, but like all of his 50 employees, he goes in on Saturdays. “It’s important not to ask them to do something I wouldn’t do,” he says.

Walker began working in the auto-parts industry as an 18-year-old. In 1988, he joined Big-O, earning several promotions through the years, before buying his first store in 1995 and leaving a corporate position to focus on his franchises in 2010.

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