Being creative and fast thinking is the key to success in today’s flexible business environment. Dvir Edri, founder of Nationwide Auto Transportation went from a freelance locksmith to shipping around 4000 vehicles all over the U.S. each month. How did he make it happen?
Experience is Key
Dvir Edri started work as a freelance locksmith in 2008 and soon thereafter knew that he wanted to be an entrepreneur. He focused on gaining new information and learning as many new skills as quickly as he could and soon opened his own locksmith company.
“During this time I gained invaluable experience, not only with the actual workings of a business, but I learned new marketing and advertising skills, with a laser focus on how to generate new leads. Once I was comfortable that I knew enough, I decided that it was time to move on.” As it seems with any well-conceived business plan, he soon received an offer and sold the locksmith business.
Be Ready/Research For Opportunities
What was next? As he really enjoyed the advertising side of the business, he researched what kind of business opportunities related to advertising and accident and disaster management services… and bought a tow truck company.
All of his earlier work was outsourced to freelance contractors. The company would do the advertising, marketing, and booking of clients; and the contract towing company would execute the job.
Never Stop Investing in You
One of the shiniest gems of knowledge that the young entrepreneur has to offer is the importance of investing in all aspects of your business, including yourself, your employees, and your business processes.
One of his subcontractors acted as a mentor and it made financial sense, as well as opened up chances for future growth. He became a manager in the business and after a few years had grown into a position where he offered to buy the thriving business. He sold but stayed in the same industry, until he had an incident where he needed to get a truck across the country, but did not have the time to drive.
After several failed inquiries and unsolvable problems, Edri recognized a gap in the market. He looked at all angles of car shipping and understood how he could integrate the freelance subcontract model into an auto transport model… and Nationwide Auto Transportation was conceived.
The company ran as a subsidiary of the towing company at first, but it soon outgrew it and he took the reigns in a full-time capacity.
Advertising in The Right Way Gets The $$$
Advertising and lead creation are the secret to an auto transport broker’s success, and this is what Dvir worked very hard at in the early stages of his business. He also felt that as it was his own creation he had an absolute vested interest in how successful it will be. This was the inspiration to literally go the extra mile, and how he found the energy to help the business grow… it has more than 50 000 happy clients in its two dozen years of doing business… It also gives a return of around $20 000 per month.
“Never stop investing in your business – both in your processes, tools and in your people. It’s important to keep your reputation in good standing too. And never stop investing in yourself.”