The Meyer's Manx dune buggy launched the kit car industry back in '64. Enthusiasts purchased bodies and parts in kit form, then built vehicles using the running gear from a "donor" car. Innovative Street Machines in Miami offered kits for Porsche Speedsters that used VW parts, plus three '30s Fords & a '66 Cobra based on Ford running gear. Reporting to the sales office in Plantation in November of '99, I began selling kits manufactured at the factory in Little Haiti.
Since this was my first phone sales gig, I began using their deadline-driven, scripted approach. Ugh! My results were on par, but this approach did not feel right. Trusting my gut, broader conversations with prospects led to more sales, making me the top dog in my fourth month. While monitoring my calls, the marketing manager told me to stick to the script. I told him where he could stick it and quit. Never work for someone dumber than you.
Using the web to drive sales in '99 intrigued Benedict, the company president. He hired me back as an "ambassador without portfolio." Ostensibly back on the payroll to handle customer service calls, brainstorming with Ben in between calls led to my next stumble. There was much rejoicing among the talented sales folk like Jerry & Eddy when I replaced the Marketing director.
Building a Microsoft Access database, we digitized the workflow and enhanced reporting. Leasing a G4 Mac and a RISO Graphics printer brought graphic design and printing in-house. We launched a website, and when a customer asked for a shopping cart, his $14K sale became our beta test.
Pete interviewed for a sales gig and ended up as our COO. Adding him to the brain trust led to product quality improvements in the existing line and new models. Event sales at hot rod shows, component sales, and a certified builder network quadrupled annual sales from $1.5M to $6M within five years.
After a falling-out with the owner, George, Benedict got the sack. Hans, his replacement, hired an IT guy, a graphic artist, and a webmaster to replace me, trying to pass them off as my staff. After six months of denial, The Lying Dutchman changed his tune, and I accepted a meager severance. After terminating Pete, he stole from his pal George, bankrupting the company in less time than it had taken us to build it.
The modern Muscle Car era began for many with the retro-styled 2005 Mustang. As PR Maven, authoring the backstory for Steeda Autosports Screamin' Yellow Q racing homologation, my words were showcased on the Ford display at the SEMA Show in 2004.
Taking over web maintenance and messaging led to their first $10K day in online sales. Stepping up my photography game, I shot thousands of photos at events and for installation instructions. Contributing articles and photos led in time to editing in-house publications. Creating an FM radio station for events, I informed and entertained. Building a digital media portal eliminated both the cost of developing multiple prints of photos and the expense of mailing them out.
My unindicted co-conspirator for most of these shenanigans was their graphics guru, Rob. Watching the axe fall all around us, we kept picking up the slack. These were dangerous times when a brother could lose his gig just for drawing a hand turkey. Two guys with Sisu to spare were soon doing the work of five.
OOMM 3.0 opened in the margins while still in Florida, serving a growing number of pals who shared my automotive passions, helping Jeff in Canada with e-commerce and marketing, and Danny in Spokane with the sponsorship of his SCCA racing team, automotive events for hospitality clients, and the development of a teen driving school. Work here began in sunny south Florida and continued when my bride and I relocated to the high desert in Nevada.
