strategy & tactics
The three shop owners of 806 Autowork (left), Ocala Car Audio (center) and Industry Auto Designs (right) have shared similar struggles during their time changing locations.
MOVING ON UP How can a business retain or attract a client base during or after a move? Owners and installers share their tips and experiences when it comes to moving to a new and improved retail location. WORDS BY ROSA SOPHIA
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oving is an experience often met with reluctance—packing things in boxes, labeling, loading everything onto a truck and then unloading. While moving from one residence to another can be hectic, moving a business involves even more complications. Opening a new business is just as fraught with questions and concerns. What are the best ways to notify clients of a move? If you’re moving out of town, will your clients travel to meet you, or will you have to attract a new customer base? When opening a new business, what’s the best method for spreading the word? Parish Tanner of Ocala Car Audio in Ocala, Fla. has moved several times in his local area, finally ending up at his current location in late 2014. “Stay in touch. Set up an open house and invite people in to tour new
44 Mobile Electronics January 2017
facilities,” he advised. Retailers and owners agreed that careful planning is the key to any successful move, and there are a number of approaches retailers can take when notifying their client base. Regardless of how a business chooses to notify clients or attract a new client base, it’s important to get things going as quickly as possible. Opening a new business requires the same meticulous approach. Bryan Turvaville recently founded 806 Autoworks in Amarillo, Texas after working professionally in the industry for 14 years. “Opening your own shop is not an easy task,” Turvaville said. "There is a lot of hard work and dedication that has to pour into the business. You will have to make some sacrifices. But if you stick it out, and push through, it can be one of the most rewarding things you will ever
do. I am a new shop, and I know I will have difficult times ahead, but I am ready for those challenges and will take them head on.” As a first-time owner of a mobile electronics retailer, Turvaville’s new location is about a mile away from his previous employer. “I entered the industry in 2002 when I attended Acoustic Edge Stereo Institute. From that point forward I had always envisioned owning and operating my own shop,” Turvaville said. “It took every bit of that 14-year span to gain the experience and knowledge to get to this point.” Tanner has moved enough times that he’s familiar with the process, and had originally started his business working out of a car port at his house. “I got into the new building and it was probably a couple months before we were fully up and running to where we needed to be,”