About

Welcome to the Automotive Service Business Network

Or, for better clarity,

Welcome to the Web Center of the Automotive Aftermarket, Service Sector, British Columbia

The automotive aftermarket isn’t just about parts.
It’s about people — professionals — keeping Canada on the road.

But you wouldn’t know that from how the industry is framed.

Search “automotive aftermarket” and you’ll find study after study focused entirely on product. Just parts. Not a word about the people who install them, service them, support them, or rely on them to make a living.

Apparently, those parts just sell and install themselves.
That’s not just wrong — it’s insulting.

We are the ones who generate the demand that drives this entire industry.
Manufacturers don’t mass-produce brake pads, diagnostic tools, or service equipment on a whim. They do it because we — the service professionals — make those parts relevant through the real-world work we do every day.

Despite that, we’ve been reduced to a marketing segment.
A label. Sometimes even a condescending one — like “DIFM” (Do It For Me), as if we’re a footnote to the DIY crowd.

That’s not who we are.

We are technicians, shop owners, service managers, jobbers, trainers, mobile reps, and more.
We are business owners, skilled tradespeople, and frontline problem solvers.
We are professionals — and we’ve been sidelined for too long.

The personal connections that once held our industry together have eroded.
Field reps have disappeared. Brand loyalty has faded. Many shop owners are isolated, navigating constant change without access to the people and resources they once relied on.

And yet… there’s a whole support network that still exists — businesses that were built to serve us:

• Tool and equipment suppliers

• Software vendors

• Technical trainers

• Warehouse distributors

• And yes, even manufacturers who still care

But the connections are scattered. The communication is broken.

That’s the reason ASBN exists.

Here's a different viewpoint that demonstrates our relevance within the Automotive Aftermarket.

Let's follow the money.

Most commercial businesses owe their income to other commercial companies within this network. So, it doesn't take much research to trace the tree to its original source. 

The general consumer is the original source of funding that ultimately supports this vast and complex network, and only one sector is fully responsible for bridging the gap between retail and commercial.

That is the Automotive Repair and Service industry.

It's time for a new marketing reset.

Since all roads of the aftermarket lead to the service sector, one would assume there would likely be a strong relationship among all participants. Well, there is none.

Read. We are at the Core of the Automotive Aftermarket for more information on this topic.

From the beginning, all participants worked hard to build their local and regional markets by developing close relationships with their commercial customers in the service sector. Through personal connections, the field representatives applied resource tools such as product training, customer support, warranty issues, inventory management, service tips, and resources, along with the occasional gossip. This, in turn, developed business and brand loyalties, resulting in substantial market shares. 

This may have been an expensive, antiquated system, but it was all we had, and it worked, for the most part.

Then, through cost-cutting measures to stay in business and the promise of unlimited customers worldwide, most commercial product manufacturers and service suppliers decided to significantly reduce their field sales and service force, which was replaced with public websites. This was a significant shift in their marketing process that has proven to have had an adverse effect on their market shares and customer confidence. Then came the COVID-19 pandemic, which sealed the doors to this decision. This also sealed the fate of too many of our industry suppliers and local business service providers who do not have the resources to build an alternative marketing process. 

Read Where Have All Our Reps Gone? for more on this topic.

The lure of the World Wide Web information superhighway is unmistakable. Still, that platform has proven to be entirely governed by the general consumer worldwide, and that's not who we are.

What is ASBN?

ASBN — the Automotive Service Business Network — is a commercial platform built to reconnect the people who keep the industry moving.

We’re not here to sell you anything.
We’re here to restore the missing links — between service professionals, suppliers, trainers, and supportive industries that share a stake in our future.

We’re building:

• A space to share knowledge, insights, and practical solutions within the ranks of our people on the front line

• A way to highlight brands that still stand by the people in the field

• A network where supportive industries and frontline service providers can collaborate directly — no middlemen, no fluff

And when it comes to marketing? Let’s be real:

We don’t need gimmicks or lifestyle ads. We need relevant information — from people who know what they’re talking about.

There is already a hungry, focused audience for tools, services, and products that don’t apply to the general public — they apply to us.

We don’t need to be convinced to care.

We just need a place where the right people can find each other again.

That place is ASBN

Your Move

If you work in or around the service side of the industry —

If you supply, train, support, or turn the wrenches —

You belong here.

So here’s the ask:

• Join the network. (It's free)

• Use the resources and tools provided

• Share and contribute your links, videos, tips, and articles to the libraries

• Share your insights

• Join the conversations

ASBN isn’t finished. It’s just getting started. And it needs people who care enough to shape where it goes next.