Interview with Conrad Coe: Operations, AI, and the Evolution of Automotive Wrapping

Host: Jeremy Rivera, Unscripted Small Business
Guest: Conrad Coe, Operations Manager at Exotic Vehicle Wraps

Episode Overview

In this episode, Conrad Coe shares his unconventional journey from music education to becoming operations manager at one of the nation's top automotive wrapping shops. We explore how AI tools are transforming small business operations, the value of hands-on experience over formal education, and why showing the heart of your business matters more than polished marketing in today's digital landscape.

Top Quotes

On Experience vs. Education:

"I would rather have four years of hands-on practical experience at the thing you're trying to do than a degree saying I'm good at it."

On AI in Small Business:

"We wrap cars with vinyl. That's sticky. So what we've been using AI for has been mostly beneficial for us."

On Marketing Differentiation:

"No one uses dashes. Nobody does except for GPT and AI models... In that way, we are using AI to help us differentiate ourselves from AI."

On Customer Service:

"We're not vinyl installers. This isn't a vinyl wrap shop. This is a client experience shop."

On Problems as Opportunities:

"Problems are bugs and not a feature. Like, you're going to have problems. That problem then therefore becomes a feature if you know you're going to have these problems."

About Conrad Coe

Conrad Coe is the operations manager at Exotic Vehicle Wraps, a premier automotive aesthetic restyling shop in Loudoun County, Virginia. With 20 years of experience in the industry, Conrad's path started in retail management, moved through music education at Berkeley Boston, and evolved through design, print, and installation before landing in shop management. His hands-on approach and mentorship style have helped shape one of the longest-running and most respected shops in the automotive wrapping industry.

Key Discussion Points

The Non-Traditional Path to Success

Conrad discusses his journey from aspiring music teacher to operations manager, emphasizing how mentorship and practical experience often outweigh formal education in trades and hands-on businesses. The automotive wrapping industry relies heavily on learning through doing, with most resources available online rather than through vocational schools.

AI's Impact on Small Business Operations

The Pros:

• Using tools like Claude and Lovable to build custom apps for consultation processes and workflow management


• Validating pricing models to ensure labor percentages, material costs, and profit margins are competitive


• Analyzing competitor pricing across different markets to escape the "bubble" of local pricing


• Checking business decisions against broader industry standards

The Cons:

• AI-generated marketing creates uniformity across the industry, making differentiation harder


• New shops with three months of experience can appear identical to established 16-year veterans


• The challenge of protecting original copy and maintaining brand voice in an AI-saturated market


• However, this uniformity creates opportunities for meritocracy—authentic content stands out more than ever

The Marketing Evolution: From Glamour to Authenticity

Conrad explains how Exotic Vehicle Wraps' Instagram transformed over the past year. They shifted from high-glamour portfolio shots to showing the hands that do the work. This change included:

• Cataloging the entire installation process from beginning to end


• Highlighting the team and building morale through social recognition


• Advertising the consequences of not having services like paint protection film


• Using authenticity to differentiate in an AI-dominated marketing landscape

As Matt Brooks of SEOteric has noted, showing the heart of your business—like pool installation companies documenting the installation process rather than just finished pools—creates more value and trust with potential clients.

Information Gain and Moving Industries Forward

Drawing on conversations with Michael McDougall of Right Thing Agency and others, we discussed how AI can only rise to the level of its training data. Small businesses that add fresh, experience-based insights to the marketplace create "information gain" that helps them stand out. Real conversations between practitioners synthesize new data points that don't exist in AI training databases yet.

Problems as Features, Not Bugs

Conrad shares a powerful reframing: every customer question is a gap in your marketing. When clients call asking how things work, they're identifying opportunities to improve your website and reduce future support time. He emphasizes:

• Viewing client complaints as collaboration and free beta testing


• How one client "sold himself everything" by asking about additional services, increasing average ticket costs


• The importance of inviting collaboration from employees, clients, and unexpected sources


• Empowering team members to own processes, which boosts morale and productivity

Conrad's philosophy echoes across industries—whether it's precast walls or automotive services, the focus should be on client experience first. When that becomes your North Star, all other business decisions gain clarity.

Cross-Channel Marketing Reality for Small Business

Unlike larger operations, Exotic Vehicle Wraps operates with 100% digital, grassroots marketing:

• No radio, TV, or traditional media spend

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