Where it all started

John Klippstein is the owner of Klipper Automotive in Tucson, Arizona. They are a full service automotive shop that John founded in 2019. He got into the automotive business in 2003, after nineteen years of being in the home-building business. John felt a responsibility to get into the business because of the poor customer service and incessant upselling that other automotive businesses are known for. John decided to take it upon himself to change the narrative around automotive businesses, and said, “Every reason in the world why we didn’t want to go into an auto repair shop is why I got into this business.”

“Nobody gets taken advantage of at Klipper Automotive”

Honesty and transparency are the #1 priorities of Klipper Automotive, and they never upsell or oversell in their facility. John says Klipper Automotive does things differently than the big-name automotive companies because those companies don’t want to take care of their customers as a whole, but he does.

John spent many years learning the ins and outs of auto repairs. Throughout his high school education he had some exposure to auto mechanics and then he began working on his own cars. When John started his construction business in the early 80s, he started buying support vehicles for his business and he dealt with auto repair shops and dealerships on a regular basis. He noticed that their customer service was often confusing and very high-pressure for him as a consumer. That was the reason he wanted to get involved. John says, “Good customer service, honesty, transparency and reliable pricing are what has made Klipper Automotive successful.”

Making it through a pandemic

August 2019 is when Klipper Automotive opened their doors. In March 2020, the state of Arizona was shut down. Their business, the week following the shut down, immediately decreased by 90%. However, because of John’s commitment to his employees, not a single full time employee was laid off. After the hardships of keeping a business alive through a pandemic, John told us, “But we have made it! Since September 2020 to September 2021, Klipper Automotive has seen a 100% increase in sales. And I’m not kidding when I tell you this: I know for a fact that FreshLime is significant in that.”

Klipper Automotive has over 400 5-star reviews online, and they deserve every single one.

Advice from an expert

John’s advice for anyone wanting to start their own business today is to recognize that we live in a technology-driven world and customers expect quick response times. Consumers want to be able to schedule their day and be as productive as they can, and having online tools to do just that will help any small business not only communicate with its customers, but grow the business at the same time. “The ability to embrace these new platforms is important in going forward in business. FreshLime has been a really great tool for our customers to easily review us without having to jump through hoops,” John said.