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      <p class="hero-label">Automotive Auctions &bull; Marketplace Software &bull; Sales Leadership</p>
      <h1>Kevin B. Leigh</h1>
      <p class="hero-sub">
        VP of Sales at Autura. Founder of Auction Simplified &mdash; sold to Traxero in 2021. Thirty-plus
        years building, leading, and operating in the automotive business, from lot boy to the software
        that runs the industry.
      </p>
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        <a href="/speaking" class="btn btn-primary">Work With Me</a>
        <a href="/writing?cat=Automotive" class="btn btn-ghost">Read the Playbooks</a>
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      <div class="proof-item"><span class="proof-num">30+</span><span class="proof-label">Years in Automotive</span></div>
      <div class="proof-item"><span class="proof-num">13k → 40k</span><span class="proof-label">Retail Units / Year at West Herr</span></div>
      <div class="proof-item"><span class="proof-num">2021</span><span class="proof-label">Auction Simplified Sold to Traxero</span></div>
      <div class="proof-item"><span class="proof-num">VP Sales</span><span class="proof-label">Autura Marketplace</span></div>
      <div class="proof-item"><span class="proof-num">5</span><span class="proof-label">Published Books</span></div>
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      <h2 style="margin-top:12px;">Why you're probably here</h2>
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      <a href="/speaking" class="start-card">
        <h3>For Operators &amp; Dealers</h3>
        <p>Thirty-plus years of lessons from the lot, the auction floor, and the boardroom. Start with the writing on auctions, pricing, and platform choice &mdash; or reach out to work together.</p>
        <span class="start-link">Read the operator playbooks &rarr;</span>
      </a>
      <a href="/speaking" class="start-card">
        <h3>For Event Organizers</h3>
        <p>I speak to dealer groups, auto conferences, and industry gatherings on auctions, marketplace software, sales leadership, and operator-built technology. Past keynotes include NADA, Digital Dealer, and Baltimore Tow Show.</p>
        <span class="start-link">See speaking topics &rarr;</span>
      </a>
      <a href="/books" class="start-card">
        <h3>For Readers</h3>
        <p>Start with <em>Badass and Sold</em> &mdash; the car seller's playbook drawn from three decades of retail, wholesale, and auction experience. <em>Wholesale Simplified</em> follows for the auction side.</p>
        <span class="start-link">See the books &rarr;</span>
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<!-- ─── Featured Automotive & Auctions ────────────────────────────────────── -->
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        <h2 style="margin-top:12px;">From the operator's seat</h2>
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      <a href="/writing?cat=Automotive">All automotive writing &rarr;</a>
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            <a href="/writing/the-golden-mile-of-golden-rules" class="post-card" data-cat="Car Flipping">
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          <img src="/assets/images/posts/ch1-the-golden-mile.jpg" alt="The Golden Mile of Golden Rules" loading="lazy">
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          <span class="post-card-cat">Car Flipping</span>
          <h3>The Golden Mile of Golden Rules</h3>
          <p>By the time I opened my own lot, I had learned enough from my father to know my edge.</p>
          <div class="post-card-meta">
            <span>April 15, 2026</span>
            <span class="sep">&bull;</span>
            <span>11 min read</span>
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      </a>
            <a href="/writing/prep-that-pays" class="post-card" data-cat="Car Flipping">
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          <img src="/assets/images/posts/ch2-prep-that-pays.jpg" alt="Prep That Pays" loading="lazy">
        </div>
                <div class="post-card-body">
          <span class="post-card-cat">Car Flipping</span>
          <h3>Prep That Pays</h3>
          <p>Prep is not about doing more. It is about doing the right things in the right order for the vehicle you have and the time you have to work with. The sellers who make the most …</p>
          <div class="post-card-meta">
            <span>April 15, 2026</span>
            <span class="sep">&bull;</span>
            <span>13 min read</span>
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            <a href="/writing/the-b-a-c-o-n" class="post-card" data-cat="Car Flipping">
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          <img src="/assets/images/posts/ch3-the-bacon.jpg" alt="The B.A.C.O.N." loading="lazy">
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                <div class="post-card-body">
          <span class="post-card-cat">Car Flipping</span>
          <h3>The B.A.C.O.N.</h3>
          <p>Knowing where to find a good car is one skill. Knowing how to walk in the door and buy it for less than it is worth is another. I have watched buyers with cash in their pocket…</p>
          <div class="post-card-meta">
            <span>April 15, 2026</span>
            <span class="sep">&bull;</span>
            <span>11 min read</span>
          </div>
        </div>
      </a>
            <a href="/writing/pricing-it-right" class="post-card" data-cat="Car Flipping">
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          <img src="/assets/images/posts/ch4-pricing-it-right.jpg" alt="Pricing It Right" loading="lazy">
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                <div class="post-card-body">
          <span class="post-card-cat">Car Flipping</span>
          <h3>Pricing It Right</h3>
          <p>The Eldorado took three days of calling and one Sunday morning to buy. The acquisition was a win. What happened next was a $14,500 education.</p>
          <div class="post-card-meta">
            <span>April 15, 2026</span>
            <span class="sep">&bull;</span>
            <span>9 min read</span>
          </div>
        </div>
      </a>
            <a href="/writing/titles-branding-and-paperwork" class="post-card" data-cat="Automotive">
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          <img src="/assets/images/posts/ch5-titles-branding-paperwork.jpg" alt="Titles, Branding and Paperwork" loading="lazy">
        </div>
                <div class="post-card-body">
          <span class="post-card-cat">Automotive</span>
          <h3>Titles, Branding and Paperwork</h3>
          <p>The car is not the product. The title is the product. A vehicle without a clean, transferable title is a pile of metal you cannot legally sell. Buyers know this. Platforms kno…</p>
          <div class="post-card-meta">
            <span>April 15, 2026</span>
            <span class="sep">&bull;</span>
            <span>10 min read</span>
          </div>
        </div>
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            <a href="/writing/marketing-your-listings" class="post-card" data-cat="Car Flipping">
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          <img src="/assets/images/posts/ch6-marketing-your-listings.jpg" alt="Marketing Your Listings" loading="lazy">
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          <span class="post-card-cat">Car Flipping</span>
          <h3>Marketing Your Listings</h3>
          <p>The first auction software I built had a problem I did not expect.</p>
          <div class="post-card-meta">
            <span>April 15, 2026</span>
            <span class="sep">&bull;</span>
            <span>12 min read</span>
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      <span class="badge">New Release &mdash; 2026</span>
      <h2>Badass and Sold</h2>
      <p class="book-sub">The Car Seller's Playbook to Flip Fast at Top Dollar</p>
      <p>
        Whether you're selling one car or a hundred, this book breaks down the psychology, tactics,
        and negotiation strategies that top performers use to close faster and earn more — every single time.
      </p>
      <div style="display:flex;gap:16px;flex-wrap:wrap;">
        <a href="https://amzn.to/4svBhnD" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="btn btn-primary">Get It on Amazon</a>
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          <span class="post-card-cat">Management</span>
          <h3>New Manager Rule #13: Never Lie to Your Team</h3>
          <p>Honesty is the foundation of effective leadership. The day your team stops bringing you their problems is the day you stopped leading them.</p>
          <div class="post-card-meta">
            <span>October 13, 2024</span>
            <span class="sep">&bull;</span>
            <span>2 min read</span>
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            <a href="/writing/the-golden-mile-of-golden-rules" class="post-card" data-cat="Car Flipping">
                <div class="post-card-img">
          <img src="/assets/images/posts/ch1-the-golden-mile.jpg" alt="The Golden Mile of Golden Rules" loading="lazy">
        </div>
                <div class="post-card-body">
          <span class="post-card-cat">Car Flipping</span>
          <h3>The Golden Mile of Golden Rules</h3>
          <p>By the time I opened my own lot, I had learned enough from my father to know my edge.</p>
          <div class="post-card-meta">
            <span>April 15, 2026</span>
            <span class="sep">&bull;</span>
            <span>11 min read</span>
          </div>
        </div>
      </a>
            <a href="/writing/prep-that-pays" class="post-card" data-cat="Car Flipping">
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          <img src="/assets/images/posts/ch2-prep-that-pays.jpg" alt="Prep That Pays" loading="lazy">
        </div>
                <div class="post-card-body">
          <span class="post-card-cat">Car Flipping</span>
          <h3>Prep That Pays</h3>
          <p>Prep is not about doing more. It is about doing the right things in the right order for the vehicle you have and the time you have to work with. The sellers who make the most …</p>
          <div class="post-card-meta">
            <span>April 15, 2026</span>
            <span class="sep">&bull;</span>
            <span>13 min read</span>
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      &ldquo;Through software, innovation and knowhow, we can future-proof the towing industry.&rdquo;
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    <p style="font-size:13px;color:rgba(0,0,0,.6);margin:10px 0 0;font-weight:600;letter-spacing:.06em;text-transform:uppercase;">
      Kevin B. Leigh &mdash; Baltimore Tow Show 2023
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<!-- ─── About Teaser ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────── -->
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      <span class="badge">About Kevin B. Leigh</span>
      <h2>Lot boy to marketplace software founder</h2>
      <p>
        I started in this industry washing cars at my father's dealership. I worked every seat from
        there &mdash; sales, finance, general manager, digital marketing director at West Herr, and on to
        founding Auction Simplified in 2012 (originally Dealer Simplified). We sold to Traxero in 2021.
        Today I'm VP of Sales at Autura, scaling what's now the largest impound auction marketplace in the country.
      </p>
      <p>
        Off the clock I write books, raise a family with Mary, and keep showing up &mdash; because the real
        leverage in this industry is time in it.
      </p>
      <a href="/background" class="btn btn-ghost">Read the full story &rarr;</a>
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      <div class="stat-card">
        <div class="stat-num">30+</div>
        <p>Years in automotive</p>
      </div>
      <div class="stat-card">
        <div class="stat-num">13 → 40k</div>
        <p>Units/year growth at West Herr</p>
      </div>
      <div class="stat-card">
        <div class="stat-num">$0 → exit</div>
        <p>Auction Simplified founder to sale</p>
      </div>
      <div class="stat-card">
        <div class="stat-num">5</div>
        <p>Published books</p>
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