Some industries resist change. Auto repair is one of them. My guest on The Scaling CEO, Brett Carlson, set out to rebuild it from the ground up.
Brett is the co-founder and CEO of ServiceUp, a company digitizing the entire vehicle repair process. Backed by a recent $55 million Series B, ServiceUp connects fleets and insurers to repair shops through a two-sided marketplace. Brett’s not a typical founder. He’s worked in sales at Oracle and Cloudera, launched multiple ventures, and even written a novel about a life-or-death expedition in Patagonia. His journey shows what it takes to scale in a massive, fragmented industry overdue for a shake-up.
Scaling a Marketplace With Giants on Your Side
Building a two-sided marketplace is notoriously difficult. Brett explained how ServiceUp solved the chicken-and-egg problem by enlisting large customers.
“Our largest customers… are taking our technology and having their existing shop network run our technology. So… if you want to work on our Amazon vans you will use this platform.”
Instead of begging repair shops to join, ServiceUp let major fleet operators drive adoption from both sides of the market.
The Value of Stealing Good Ideas
Brett’s scaling playbook borrows from companies that paved the way.
“I’m a big believer in stealing other people’s good ideas… I always compare the DoorDash model… reading DoorDash’s early go-to-market allowed us to avoid mistakes.”
His advice to CEOs: don’t waste time reinventing the wheel. Study what worked in other industries, then adapt it to your own.
Spend Like It’s Your Last Dollar
The Series A rush almost tripped Brett up. With Tiger Global backing, the temptation was to “turn on the spigot.” But fast funding can lead to reckless spending.
“Do not spend money unless you have the money to spend… watch every 5 cents, even if you just raised $15 million, $50 million, $100 million.”
Discipline with capital is a survival skill, especially when hype around unicorn growth distorts what “normal” scaling looks like.
Growth Is a Process, Not a Lottery
Too many CEOs benchmark themselves against overnight successes. Brett reminded me that most enduring companies grow through grit and time.
“The notion that like most of the solid companies… they’ve just grown over time through sheer grit [and] wise decisions. You don’t become a unicorn overnight.”
He pointed to Nvidia-decades of slow progress before explosive growth. CEOs must resist envy and stay focused on building.
Lessons From a Snow Cave
Brett once survived two weeks in a collapsing snow cave on a Patagonia expedition. That experience shapes how he leads today.
“I grabbed a shovel to go dig another snow cave… I just knew if I started digging again that I would warm up… I equate that to building a company… just keep working and eventually something will break free.”
Scaling requires persistence. When problems feel insurmountable, keep digging.
Knowing What You’re Bad At
After raising his Series A, Brett considered stepping aside as CEO. Tiger Global insisted he stay. That forced him to confront his weaknesses.
“One of the number one things is understanding what you’re bad at and being open to getting better.”
His approach: double down on strengths, hire around weaknesses, and never ignore the need to manage people. As he put it, “If you cannot connect with other human beings… you’re going to have trouble.”
AI Will Reshape Auto Repair
ServiceUp already layers AI into its operations and customer interactions. Brett expects automation to limit his headcount to 175 people while scaling nationwide.
“I believe… ServiceUp will scale up to about 150 to 175 people and then we will automate most of the processes that are currently manual.”
But he’s clear: the physical world still matters. Vehicles still need mechanics. AI won’t replace them, but it will transform how they work.
Takeaways
Brett Carlson proves that scaling isn’t about flashy ideas or reckless growth. It’s about discipline, persistence, and the humility to learn from others.
As a CEO, you don’t need to invent everything yourself. Steal good ideas, spend wisely, keep digging, and build a company that endures.
I’m Glenn Gow. I coach CEOs ready to scale with confidence. On my podcast, I uncover the strategies elite leaders rely on to grow bigger and faster.
Listen to the full episode of The Scaling CEO with Brett Carlson for a candid look at rebuilding a broken industry.
