Inside the Shop: Bringing the Operator Lens to ETA at Chicago Booth

Owais Aslam recently spoke at Chicago Booth about what Aslam Capital is building and how the team is approaching the auto services market. He described the session as energizing - driven by thoughtful questions and genuine curiosity about the operator side of entrepreneurship through acquisition.

During the discussion, Owais shared lessons learned from working in the shop - details that rarely appear in case studies or spreadsheets. He pointed to the realities that shape outcomes day to day: signing checks, hiring and retaining technicians, fixing workflows, managing customer expectations, and solving the operational problems that don’t wait for a “perfect” plan. That firsthand lens, he noted, changes how the theory reads and how decisions get made.

He also highlighted why the sector feels timely. With an aging vehicle fleet, a wave of retiring owners, and a highly fragmented set of operators, auto services offers real opportunity for people who want to build by operating - not just by modeling. For Owais, that combination creates space for disciplined operators to turn small improvements into compounding advantages over time.

He closed by thanking everyone who joined the session and invited continued conversations with anyone interested in the operational realities of ETA or in what Aslam Capital is building.