Her Story
About Nicole
I've worked with anything with a motor my whole career - four-wheelers, side-by-sides, dirt bikes, motorcycles, everything except boats. I love that the tasks change daily and I've always been hungry to learn more. I started in high school at a tire shop and used car lot, where I eventually became a partner and helped out at auctions buying used cars. When I had to move to take care of my father, I started at a different company doing service advising, even though I had never written a repair order before. I've always been a go-getter, so I took on scheduling, parts, warranty, and kept expanding my skills. I've mostly chosen family-owned and operated businesses throughout my career because they treat you better and always supported my education - sending me to any learning classes I wanted, whether it was for upselling sales at service, suspension, steering, or anything else. Since September of last year, I've been working as an auditor and inspector for Cox Automotive, which is my first corporate position in a long time. I maintain the checks and balance system between manufacturers and dealers, and do off-lease inspections during downtime.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Nicole
01What do you attribute your success to?
I strive for perfection, and I have a really strong drive because I have a lot of people that rely on me. I've always been a go-getter and hungry to learn more. Throughout my career, I've had really good support from family-owned businesses that always encouraged me to continue growing into management positions and sent me to any learning classes I wanted - whether it was for upselling sales at service, suspension, steering, or anything else I wanted to learn about. That support and my passion for the automotive industry, combined with my drive to keep learning, has really shaped my success.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Keep my mouth shut. It's hard for me, honestly, because when I see things wrong, that's the first thing I want to do is say something. But I've learned that sometimes you have to hold back, even though it goes against my nature to speak up when I see things being done wrong.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Don't give up. Keep fighting, and keep showing up. Know what's right and wrong in your heart. In the end, I think the good always comes out on top, but you can't give up. You're gonna have people shut the door in your face and not want to give you a job because you're a girl versus a guy. And it happens. So just don't give up, and you've got to keep showing up. I've worked at places where they've become family long after I've left, and when you work at a shop, you're with those people over 8 hours a day most days, so it becomes family.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenge is being a woman in this industry. It is still hard to move up in the industry because of men. Another challenge I face is having tattoos - I believe that tattoos tell stories and represent different things in life, but the older generation has had a lot of problems trying to understand that it's how we express ourselves. These are real barriers that women in automotive still face today.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Family is most important to me, along with having a balance between work and personal life. I believe in right and wrong, and when you see things that are getting done wrong, whether it's something small or big, you need to speak up. Somebody needs to be the balance system. There's not enough good people in the world anymore, and I think it's important to be one of those good people who stands up for what's right.
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