Learning From Leaders very visual thinker, so during brainstorm sessions he prefers to have access to one. “That’s how you get all the ideas out,” he said, adding that the approach brings the entire team to the table where they can brainstorm solutions and new initiatives. “Now your team is on the same page because they understand the objective, whether it’s solving a customer’s problem or brainstorming a new idea.” For Witt, it led to huge personal growth—but it’s also been essential for the success of DST. “There are lots of install companies. There are lots of companies that sell hardware. There are lots of project management companies,” he said, adding, “We decided to bring it all together into one.”
then the insurance company would hire this company: Premiere Services.” Witt said the company had installers, the ability to get any aftermarket equipment necessary, supply agreements and a national agreement with InstallerNet. “They could replace anything for anybody in any state and any city. They wanted to build this new division because they were watching the slow and steady decline of traditional aftermarket car audio,” he explained, adding that as insurance claim frequency began to decline, the company decided to take a closer look at fleets. “They came to me, and we launched this.” Ultimately, though, it was Witt and the installation director, Carlos Garcia, who partnered to create another venture—Driver Safety Technology. They incorporated the business in December 2017 and opened the doors in January 2018, entering the world of integrated fleet safety. “We aggregated our skillsets, took our experiences and let go of the past,” Witt said. “All of that allowed us to put together a very disruptive business model in the fleet safety environment.” Building an Operational Framework There are many differences between the corporate and entrepreneurial worlds,
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and Witt benefitted from a solid foundation. “I am blessed because I had an amazing career with Alpine,” he said. “I loved every minute of it.” In the corporate environment, he said he learned a business must have a solid operational framework which includes repeatable, sustainable procedures. Also, he added, there must be policies that encourage compliance by employees. “Policies should not be restrictive or punitive. One of the biggest takeaways from my corporate career—30 years at Alpine and three years at VOXX—was that you’ve got to be an entrepreneur with a clear and operational framework.” The new company took shape at a whiteboard. “We spent three months just mapping out the vision we had for Driver Safety Technology,” Witt said. “I leveraged all of those management and executive skills I learned into this new framework of being an entrepreneur and starting something from scratch. I let go of the nemeses of the corporate world—like too many procedures, too much policy—and just took the bits and pieces that were necessary to set up a little corporation focused on doing the right thing for the customer.” In fact, every wall at DST’s office has a whiteboard, and Witt added that he’s a
Follow Your Instincts to Find the Right Path Another key takeaway from the corporate world, according to Witt, is how important servant-type leadership really is. “If you’re a leader and you think you can just boss everyone around, you will fail at some point,” he said. “Trying to live into this notion of servant leadership is what we are practicing here at DST. We have big ideas, but we understand it’s going to take a team to pull things off.” Empowering employees—whether there are three or 300—is very important, he said. Witt feels this is something many entrepreneurs don’t take into account— just “letting go and allowing people to do their jobs.” While Witt isn’t thinking about retirement yet, he will make some determinations later this year. Then, he’ll decide whether or not he wants to step back. His passion for the industry remains a constant. Witt said that throughout his career, whenever he was faced with decisions, he always listened to his heart. If no answer appeared, he added, “I would ask myself, ‘What do I truly want to do?’” Follow your heart and your passion, he said. “That’s what makes anyone significantly more successful” in whatever field they choose.
