Bruce Miller and Bruce Miller Jr, Miller Motors

Kyle Mountsier: 0:00This is in the dirt with ASOTU.Paul Daly: 0:04

I'm super excited to be here with my new friend Bruce Miller as the Miller Automotive Group. Miller motors, Miller motors in Louisiana. What part?

Bruce Miller Jr: 0:12

New Orleans?

Paul Daly: 0:12

Okay, so super unique story. I think we're getting in at the very beginning of your story in automotive. So tell me about like, You are the you were born into the industry? Yes. Right. Yeah, your father's dealer principle. Tell us a little bit about your story.

Bruce Miller Jr: 0:29

Yeah, my dad's been, you know, in the car business for like 20 years. He just started his own use car lot about a year and a half ago. And I just graduated college about a year ago, I didn't really know what I wanted to do. So at least for now, I'm just kind of learning what he's doing

Paul Daly: 0:49

that sounds that sounds like this story. I just got into the car business. Not sure what I wanted to do. Pretty much the story of everyone that's been in the business for 30 years. It all starts right here. What did you study in college?

Bruce Miller Jr: 1:00

Economics. Okay.

Paul Daly: 1:01

And so outside of automotive, what are the areas of interest? You know, the other industries or things that you have an interest in? Not sure, right.

Bruce Miller Jr: 1:10

No idea. Why

Paul Daly: 1:10

did you do Why did you choose economics?

Bruce Miller Jr: 1:13

I don't really know. Okay, it just kind of happened.

Paul Daly: 1:15

Yeah. Are you good with numbers? Just generally,

Bruce Miller Jr: 1:17

yeah. I'm more more analytical. Yes. So I think it's kind of interesting, but I don't know where, how applicable that is, or where I would like to apply this stuff.

Paul Daly: 1:28

So you've kind of grown up in an environment where like, dealership life has been a part of your family dynamic? Yes. What are some things that you feel like, came into your life as a result of being involved in a family business? That's a dealership? What's that dynamic? Like?

Bruce Miller Jr: 1:45

It's interesting. You know, I just, my dad's like, has always just been on the phone. I've heard him talk about, like, the car business and his strategy for like, feels like my whole life at this point, you know, so I feel like, as he's like, actually trying to teach me these things. I feel like I already have like some understanding, of course, just like absorb Shep. Right, exactly.

Paul Daly: 2:08

So what is what is, I mean, we can your dads are having a conversation, but we'll ask him maybe later, but what is your perspective on how your dad looks at treating people within the organization treating customers? Like what are some of those things that you've picked up?

Bruce Miller Jr: 2:24

Yeah, he's, he's really big on like, having a company culture, and you know, treating people well. And yeah, he's like, he's got a whole network of people that all want to come work for him. And you know, that he's just developed over the years. You know, He only says he's a good boss, but I don't really know. He says he's a good

Paul Daly: 2:46

boss, pan the camera. He's right here, Bruce. Oh, this is Bruce and Bruce. Yes. Can you come in? All right, here we go. We got we got lucky. All right. Now we have father and son, now we're gonna get the true story. So Bruce, Jr. was just telling us that he studied economics. And he grew up in the business. And so we're kind of grilling him on some questions, because his story of coming into the industry and saying, Well, I'm not sure what I want to do, right. I said, that sounds like the story of everyone who's been in the business for 30 years.

Bruce Miller: 3:14

That's why we're here now, so we can get a little bit further education. Three days in after one hour phone call with the auto we're at the auction, he's telling me I pay him too much for this car. He's telling me the market the supply on this car. So I'm at the auction, was he was he right? 100%. Right. I'm at the auction with more data than I ever had. I just like go by my gut. That's a cool car. I'm gonna buy it. You know, he's

Paul Daly: 3:37

like, your Moneyball hire. Yes. Yes, the analytics version, you

Bruce Miller: 3:40

know, so, that's been awesome. Having me as a father, it's like, you know, come from nothing. You know, just rough childhood, gotten his business from support a family. And now I own a dealership with my last name on it, but it's his last name one or two. And now he's working for me. It's we're working together. It's been like a, it's been, um, it's hard to describe, you know, like, it's been a great thing, you know, so, and he's actually doing a good job. And he's helping me it was even better, you know?

Paul Daly: 4:11

Yeah. So that's an amazing story of kind of coming into the auto industry, building it from the ground up, and now being able to bring your son into it and see what he wants to do. But it's a it's an amazing thing when your kids all of a sudden start kind of investing back into you. And that's kind of what's happening. Let me ask you this. How did you get into automotive like, what was your first step into like the industry to begin with?

Bruce Miller: 4:36

So for them on my cousin, cousin, Yvonne, my friend, my cousin's girlfriend, worked at a dealership as a receptionist, and we was hanging out and I was like, 18 19 years old. And she says, Man, you remind me of those salespeople at the dealership. And so I got married young and I needed a real job. So I answered the ad for a dealership and it was the first time My mom and dad were alcoholics, not the greatest parents, like they didn't have the greatest childhood. You know, I was married at 20 had a kid feud, you know, a few months later, definitely behind the eight ball, high school dropout, you know, sort of there was little options for me to be a successful human being, you know, that I was like a hustler. The late the girl said, I should be salesperson I was like, I'm gonna go apply there. So I applied a call 10 times they wouldn't answer my phone call after the interview. They wouldn't. You know, so finally I got got there. And it was like love at first sight. You know, I've been in the business ever since then. I started out as a 21 year old salesperson. I was a 22 year old salesperson a year 23 year old finance manager. 25 year old used car manager 29 year old director of three used car lots 32 year old GSM of the biggest Chevy store in New Orleans. 30 year old operation manager and five variable operations. Then as the pandemic happen my partner's let me go we fought about people how to treat people don't they want the heavy fire people over the phone? It was just like we just and I like stood up for these things.

Paul Daly: 6:07

I love this story in the way it's pan out. So this shirt that I'm wearing says love people more than you love cars. It's one of our mantras as of our organization, Automotive State of the Union. Tell me your perspective on what you need to do to treat people within your organization, how you need to treat them and how that's been a path to your success.

Bruce Miller: 6:24

It's been a path my whole way. Because the first eight or nine years I had a rough people. My first week on the job. I asked my manager off for Wednesday nights because I went to church. And he told me he looked at me says Son, I am your guy now. You can't have off on Wednesday nights because I'm your God. Now. If I was minutes late to work, I lost the whole off day. I said, Man, how does that equate I'm five minutes late to work and I lose 12 hours. So it was just I was stepped on treated bad. You know, back in my day, you had to really want to make it because if the odds are stacked against you, nobody wants you to make it nobody was helping you make it so I just knew that like when I got when I you know no phone when the rabbit has the gun when I got the gun I invested in

Paul Daly: 7:08

people afford to wait what was that saying that some Louisiana stuff right there when the rabbit has the gun. No fun when the rabbit

Bruce Miller: 7:14

has the gun. Yeah, so now oh, now since I had the gun, I was able to like invest in people, I realized that I was always a good car guy. But at some point, it clicked on me says man, I'm not just selling cars, I'm leading people. I'm managing people. And so I would like be concerned with them. I'd invite them to my church, I would like help counsel with them. I would like pour into them. And I have so many people that you know, work for me over the last 20 years that are in prominent positions. I get text message routinely once every few weeks, man Thank you Bruce, I owe a lot to you. Like I cared for him. You know, I always like brought the team together. And I took my team to pelicans game. That's it my team to you know, always had events and always like, you know, so Christmas parties, things like that, you know, so

Paul Daly: 8:00

I'll tell you what, I just I love it when we find our people because this what you're saying and that the mentality that you have is very similar mentality that we see amongst some of the very, very, very best dealers in the country. We got to Bruce's father son, gen one. gen two is just starting. But you heard it here first. This is rising star. Thank you so much for giving us a few minutes of your time.

Bruce Miller: 8:23

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Kyle Mountsier: 8:24

Thank you for listening to in the dirt with ASOTU. We love the automotive industry and the people who make it run day in and day out. We would love to connect with you more through our daily dose of fun, a free email that you can sign up for at ASOTU.com That's a s o t u.com. We put our heart and soul into it every day. Thanks again for listening. Join us next time for more Conversations in the dirt with ASOTU

‍