Chaya Milchtein Is Using Her Automotive Knowledge To Empower Others

07.04.2024 - 13:07 / forbes.com

As an automotive writer and influencer, Chaya Milchtein is driven about sharing her knowledge with her followers. Now she has authored a guide to car ownership that puts her advice in the hands of everyday people.

Written in mind for those who need a car, but also might be financially strapped, “Mechanic Shop Femme’s Guide to Car Ownership: Uncomplicating Cars for All of Us” (Little, Brown Spark) teaches how to manage this major financial investment without any jargon. This paperback answers important questions such as whether to lease or buy a car, how to find a good mechanic and when parts such as your tires should be replaced.

At first, Milchtein didn’t envision a future in automotives when she created a GoFundMe fundraiser upon turning 18. She was aging out of the foster care system and desperately needed to find a job.

“I had never any intention to do anything with cars; in fact, I didn’t even have a driver’s license,” remembered Milchtein. “I really firmly believed that I’d never be able to afford a car.”

Milchtein’s life changed when a woman who saw her GoFundMe reached out and asked how she could help. Milchtein replied that she needed a job and that person put her in touch with a human resources manager at a Sears.

“I got this interview, and she asked me what department I wanted to work in,” she said. “And I blurted out the first thing that came to my mind, which was whichever one makes the most money, and she offered me automotive or appliances.”

After landing a job at a Sears Auto Center in Glendale, Wisc., Milchtein has built up an over-seven year resume of advisory and managerial roles in repair shops, dealerships and collision shops in three states. It also instilled in her a love for helping people with their cars.

Milchtein took her interest in educating others about autos online through launching a blog in 2017. “A career coach recommended that I start a blog to share my knowledge since I was already answering people's questions in Facebook groups and my DMs,” she remembered. “I called that blog, ‘Mechanic Shop Femme,’ and it stuck.”

When she was laid off in 2020, Milchtein turned her blog into a full-time job and her website grew into a virtual automotive educational resource. She also built up her social media, first on Instagram and then on Tiktok.

Her paperback also reflects her mission—to empower every car owner with insider knowledge. “It explains things your mechanic tried to explain but in a way that you can actually understand, and it answers questions you probably didn't even think to ask,” said Milchtein.

Despite having a strong writing portfolio and staying on top of industry trends and new vehicle models, Milchtein has gotten pushback from those questioning her