Accomplishments / Revenue Growth
Built a 262-Dealer U.S. Network from $0 to $900K+, Then Sold the Business
- Role
- Co-Owner / Operator
- When
- 2009 – 2015
- Category
- Revenue Growth
Problem
Knox Armor, a UK brand, had no U.S. distribution. Building it from zero meant creating a national sales channel without the cost of a large in-house sales team.
Action
Imported the brand from the UK and built a national B2B dealer network served by independent sales representatives, backed by sampling, co-op marketing, product demonstrations, and rep training.
Result
Revenue grew from $0 to $900K+ through 262 dealers, at a 64% gross margin and 28% net profit, before the business was sold.
What I did
- Import and distribution. Imported Knox Armor from the UK and set up U.S. distribution.
- Dealer network. Built and grew a B2B network of 262 dealers nationwide. Visited key accounts regularly, cold called prospective dealers, and demonstrated products directly.
- Independent reps. Managed independent sales representatives across the country. Supplied product and samples, rode along on visits to their core dealers, and built a tiered commission plan for eight reps.
- Marketing and training. Ran co-op marketing with dealers, in-person product demonstrations, and virtual training for reps and dealers.
Results
| Revenue | $0 to $900K+ |
| Dealers | 262 |
| Gross margin | 64% |
| Net profit | 28% |
| Average item price | $88 |
The business was sold after reaching these results.