What if every week you could know where your shop's performance stands in the market? That's the vision behind Market Genie, a platform designed by shop owners for shop owners. In  Episode 195 of The Digital Shop Talk Radio, host Lauren Thunen sat down with Parham Parastaran, CEO of  Left Lane Auto and Founder of Market Genie, and Derek Dimke, Operating Partner at Left Lane Auto, to discuss how comparative analytics can fuel smarter decisions and sustainable growth.

• From One Shop to a Nationwide Network
• Why Market Context Matters
• Knowing When You're Ready to Grow
• Leaning into Change
• Final Thoughts

From One Shop to a Nationwide Network

Parham's journey started in 1992 with a single muffler shop and no experience in the auto repair industry. Before opening his first business, he was a tennis pro and shared with us that he "didn't know where the oil went," but realized quickly that auto repair is a people's business, and he's great with people. 

He discussed the highs and lows of expansion. Today, Left Lane Auto owns and operates 55 locations. Now an expert in the industry, Parham noticed a gap in the data available to shop owners and started Market Genie to fill it. At its core, Market Genie was built to answer the question every shop owner asks: "How's business?" That simple question sparked a big idea—what if shops could anonymously share data and get real-time visibility into how shops around the country are performing?

Why Market Context Matters

Market Genie is a benchmarking platform that allows shop owners to anonymously share and compare essential metrics such as car count, average ticket, and gross profit. By turning isolated performance data into industry-wide context, it empowers shop owners to make better, faster decisions.

“You would know, last week, I’m down 5%. Okay, you don’t know if 5% is good or bad that you were down. It’s possible that you were down 5% and it was actually a good thing because everybody around you was down 8% or 9%,” Parham explained. 

That kind of insight, according to Parham and Derek, is critical for avoiding both overreaction and underperformance. "It helps narrow where you should look," Parham said. "Where should we put our attention today that's going to have the biggest bang for your buck?"

Instead of waiting for P&L statements or manually pulling reports, shops using Market Genie get proactive intelligence. The platform integrates seamlessly with AutoVitals and shop management systems, pulling in data automatically and sending out weekly summary reports every Monday morning. There’s no need to export, sort, or analyze spreadsheets—shop owners and managers start their week with instant clarity.

Derek shared that at Left Lane Auto, they use these summaries to manage 55 stores across 12 states. “We take those weekly summaries and then we send those to all of our managers, all of our regional managers receive those for the stores underneath them,” Derek said. “And then that is our starting point for discussion for operational changes, efficiencies, good, bad, whatever it may be for that particular week.” With Market Genie, benchmarking is about directing attention, reinforcing processes, and supporting smarter, more confident leadership at every level of the business.

Knowing When You're Ready to Grow

For shop owners contemplating expansion, Parham offered a candid look at the lessons he learned scaling too quickly during his early years.

“You need to absolutely have steady car counts. They’re not always going to be growing, and that’s why Market Genie exists, because you could be doing everything. Your car counts aren’t necessarily growing, it’s just the market is not there. And for people that have been in this business a long time, they know that market goes up, market goes down.” 

He emphasized that AutoVitals data plays a central role in their decision-making. In fact, Left Lane Auto tracks process effectiveness by monitoring average ticket value as a reflection of proper inspections and customer communication. It’s not about upselling, it’s about sharing with the customer what will benefit their vehicle in the long run. 

Leaning into Change

“Embrace the change. The world is not going to go backwards.” Derek said, “The world is going to continue to evolve, and those that embrace the change of technology embrace different ways and new ways of doing things, you will be on the forefront. You will have a competitive advantage over those that don’t.”

Parham echoed the sentiment, emphasizing that change doesn't have to be all at once. Even small steps can make a difference. He recommended a gradual approach to implementing AutoVitals in shops that might not appear ready. “When we install AutoVitals and we look on Market Genie, average ticket goes up,” Parham noted. 

The takeaway: start where you are, make manageable changes, and build from there. Whether you're new to digital tools or expanding your use of AutoVitals, incremental progress can lead to meaningful results.

Final Thoughts

As for the future? Market Genie aims to grow from 1,600 to 3,000+ shops, unlocking even more localized and detailed insights. In the age of data, ignorance isn't bliss—it's risk. Platforms like Market Genie provide clarity, direction, and confidence to make the right decisions at the right time. As Derek put it, when you have the right tools, "You will have a competitive advantage over those that don't." For shops ready to turn data into direction, check out  Market Genie's integration with AutoVitals.