In 1999 I started in the car business. I stopped by the Nissan Dealership in Orem, UT to say hello to a good friend that worked there at the time and ended up hitting it off with the boss who hired me on the spot. Within the first month I was the top salesman, and stayed there for a bit. I grew very tired of the hours, and the high-pressure sales pitch, which was not my style. It seems most dealers are on this path, bigger, less personal, when the transaction is not about the customers needs. After a couple years, I figured out how things were actually done, and began to think that I may be able to do this on my own. I was fortunate that my Dad was in a position to help me get started.
I sold cars very different than other dealerships, and my business began to grow. Everything was done on a very personal basis. I bought specific cars only for specific people, and didn't carry any inventory. I started getting numerous referrals, and began doing 20+ a month. By myself, buying, selling, and cleaning. After a while, I started getting trade-ins, and began to be busier. By 2010 the dealership was doing 50+ a month, I had 8 employees, and things were good. I still did specific cars for people when asked, but it wasn’t my preference. I wanted to sell what I had on hand first, because vehicles in inventory are depreciating assets, and I was constantly worried about the bottom line. During this time, referrals starting coming in less and less often, I spent my time managing people, managing inventory, and accounting. I missed being able to take time with people, find out their actual needs, and provide a meaningful service instead of just being cheap. I pushed away these thoughts and just kept trying to make as much money as I could.
Fast forward to 2014, I began being very sick, and needed a kidney transplant. Later that year, my sister gave me one of hers. The business was suffering because of the time I had to spend recovering, and ultimately failed. January 2017, I shut the doors. Since then, I have been contemplating what I want to do. I took some different jobs and found I hated them all. I figured out why I had started to dislike the car business. It had evolved into something passionless, hectic, and me just trying to make a buck.
Ultimately, I decided to go back into the car business, and do it how I did in the beginning. Back to doing it the way I loved. Buying, selling, and getting people what they actually want is what I’m all about. I am excited to go back to simplicity, and providing real, genuine service.