real world RETAIL
The focus is always the customer’s happiness. If there’s an issue with an install, the vehicle comes back and the issue is fixed. Mobile Toys also honors warranties. The retail side of the business has grown steadily 15 to 20 percent each year. company focuses on high-end home audio and custom installation. “I worked for them in college, and when they wanted to build a new location, I talked them into building a car-only side of the business. A third of the building was dedicated to that and had a separate entrance. That’s where Mobile Toys came from. That was over 15 years ago.” Pate left town for a while to follow other job opportunities, but returned three or four years later. “They wanted to get out of the car audio business and offered to sell it to me,” he said. Pate purchased Mobile Toys with his business partner, Lou Le. It’s been about 10 years since then. Audio Video is still in business as a separate entity. “Every year has been a fun experience.” In the last four years, he added, growth has been tremendous. “Each year, we look at the previous year and analyze what went right and what went wrong. If it’s something we can continue and learn from, we stay with it. If it’s not viable, we dump it and move to something new.” Pate attributes their success to staying on the cusp of what’s trending in the market. “We want to be at the forefront.” This desire led them to become more than just a car audio shop. “Now we’re a manufacturing company. We do e-commerce, upholstery and high-end hot rod interiors. We had a staff of three people [in the beginning]. Now we have 18 people. It’s a company that’s changed a
26 Mobile Electronics June 2019
The Mobile Toys team works quickly and efficiently. Every build is triple-checked by other technicians to ensure it fulfills what the customer is expecting. Pictured is Project Manager Matt Vowell.
lot in the time we’ve owned it. I think it’s because of the continuous progression of wanting to get better—wanting to be better.” The business’s installations set them apart from the rest. “We build some of the best cars in the industry,” he said, adding that he constantly pushes to be the best by practicing everything he both teaches and learns at Mobile Solutions and other industry training sessions. “Think of the next install as your best install,” Pate said. “No matter what it is—whether it’s a radio install, or a full custom build. Everything is done in a very specific way according to our installation practices. That way, if anyone takes it apart, it’s easy to service.” Because of the mindset they apply to everything they do, the company has been growing rapidly, “almost to the point of having to hold on for dear life.” A car audio shop has grown into a business with various divisions, all centered around manufacturing, he added. Ensuring everyone is growing in the same direction is probably the biggest challenge.
For those who join the team, it takes a period of adjustment to get accustomed to the procedures. “It’s like wrangling an alligator,” Pate added. “A really fun alligator that just drives you insane.”
Mobile Toys Inc. Focuses on Speed, Precision and Top-Tier Training Though salespeople have a base salary, they can also earn a commission. “All installers are salary as well,” Pate said. “All our production people—the guys who build the enclosures—are hourly employees. We have five people just for production, and there are two people who swing back and forth. I bounce around wherever I’m needed, and Edgar Diosdado does, too. Seven of us are on and off production, and five are permanent production-only employees.”
