Erikka Tiffani Wells: From $6 An Hour To General Manager of Walser Hyundai

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She started at $6 an hour in a daycare. Today she's running one of the most talked-about dealership models in the country.

Erica Tiffany Wells is the GM of Walser Hyundai Brooklyn Park and co-founder of WOCAN (Women of Color Automotive Network).

Her path into automotive started with a broken-down car she couldn't afford to fix and a trade for marketing flyers. It turned into a career that's landed her on Automotive News' 40 Under 40 list and at the center of one of the industry's most disruptive operating models.

In this episode, David sits down with Erica to unpack:

  • Why Walser's no-commission, four-day workweek model is outperforming traditional dealerships

  • The real reason single-price, single-point-of-contact stores fail everywhere else and succeed at Walser

  • What Erica learned building Audi's first pilot BDC, and why she thinks OEM steering committees are broken

  • The burnout trap of hustle culture, and the moment she realized working 12-hour days was hurting her team, not helping it

  • Why WOCAN exists, what's actually stalling progress for women and people of color in dealership leadership, and what change requires from everyone in the room, not just the people already convinced

This is a conversation about culture, leadership, and what it really takes to build a dealership people want to work for and buy from. 

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