Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Doug DeLucca. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Doug, thanks for joining us today. One of the things we most admire about small businesses is their ability to diverge from the corporate/industry standard. Is there something that you or your brand do that differs from the industry standard? We’d love to hear about it as well as any stories you might have that illustrate how or why this difference matters.

In general, the automotive repair industry does not follow a set of standards. Your experience will typically be very different depending on which auto repair facility you go to. At our independent repair facility, we hear a variety of stories from our clients regarding their previous experiences. Our industry typically has a reputation for dishonesty and a general lack of trust. One of the guiding principles to opening Boca Auto Fix was to help change that perception, one client at a time. That may sound cliche, yet it’s a principle we apply every day and our clients voice their appreciation regularly.

What sets us apart from other automotive repair facilities is consistency, honesty and reliability. We have candid conversations with customers, with no pressure, to ensure they are fully aware of the present condition of their vehicles. We take pictures and videos of the good, the bad and the ugly. We prioritize the work presented to our clients, leading with safety. We paint a full picture of where the vehicle stands mechanically and work closely with our clients to build a plan to ensure their vehicle is safe, reliable and efficient.

Doug, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am a Florida native, residing in Boca Raton since 1983. While I have worked as a part-time mechanic since 1996, I pursued a career in IT upon graduation from Florida Atlantic University in 2005. After a 20+ year IT career at Citrix, I decided to take my passion to a new level by opening my own automotive repair center. Though I have been working in the vehicle repair business for many years, Boca Auto Fix is my first business venture. Over the years, I have progressively built my auto repair and diagnostic skills, including obtaining Master ASE certification. With today’s vehicles becoming ever so dependent on technology, my technical background, coupled with my automotive diagnostic expertise, ensures I provide an honest and thorough repair of your vehicle.

My motivation to do what I do comes from 1) the desire to provide for my family while teaching my daughter’s the meaning of hard work and tenacity 2) to change the way people perceive the automotive industry by showing them that mechanics can be honest and fair while providing quality work. We do this by following three simple yet powerful principles, consistency, honesty and reliability. The auto repair industry is generally not looked upon by consumers in a positive light. At Boca Auto Fix, we are changing that perception one client at a time.

Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.

As early as elementary school age, I was turning wrenches on cars with my grandfather and father. Before opening our auto repair shop, I had my part time auto repair shop for 13 years. I would service my own vehicles, build project cars and service vehicles for friends and family. Over those years I learned from those close to me how many challenges they were having with other auto repair facilities and dealerships.

After spending over 20 years in corporate America, I decided to jump full time into auto repair with my own facility. I took all of the feedback I received from family and friends and created our guiding principles for Boca Auto Fix. Consistency, honesty and reliability.

In 12 months, we took the original 1000 sq ft shop with one lift and grew it to a 2750 sq ft shop with four lifts. We now have over 200 clients with over 130 Five star google reviews. We cherish our clients and enjoy providing a much needed service to our community.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

To be quite frank, I’m not a fan of social media. I personally removed my personal page from Facebook in 2017. When we opened Boca Auto Fix in 2022 we realized that we needed social media presence for the business.

After creating the business page, we simply started posting content from our shop every working day. We would post pictures and videos of our day to day operations. I use videos to walk our audience through vehicles I was working on at the time. We then took the most popular posts and boosted them, focusing on having folks like and follow our page. Would take the same posts and make sure they were on Instagram. In approximately 6 months we had over 500 followers on our Boca Auto Fix Facebook page and over 100 Instagram followers.

We view social media as a long term strategic marketing endeavor. We did not expect, nor see immediate results. After the shop was open for about a year we started getting feedback from new clients that they have been following us on Facebook. We believe that we must be in front of our new clients many times before they decide to reach out to us. Social media helps with that and we still post 2-3 times a week with genuine content.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.bocaautofix.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/bocaautofix
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bocaautofix
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/boca-auto-fix
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@bocaautofix
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/boca-auto-fix-boca-raton