Today we’d like to introduce you to Drake Tulloh.
Hi Drake, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
In 2018, I was just coming out of a divorce and had filed bankruptcy. Things weren’t great or even good at that point. I’d spent the prior 8 years as a mechanic but always had the dream of starting my own business. By then, I probably had five or six business ideas that never came to fruition or flat-out failed. It’s funny now, but it was to the point that the relentless business ideas were even mentioned as one of the reasons for divorce. Regardless of the situation I was in, call it determination or stupidity, I still loved the idea of owning a business and did not want to throw in the towel. As I continued to work my day job, one thing I kept noticing was that commercial vehicle fleets were underserved by many, if not all, of the major repair facilities in the area. Over the next year and a half, I continued to see this and the opportunity to serve that market. I started to build a rough business plan and performed a SWOT analysis, which looked hopeful. As COVID lockdowns began to set in and work slowed at the dealership, it gave me a chance to sit down, polish the business plan, and begin to execute upon it. 4 months after the start of COVID, I left the dealer and launched PFM Fleet Service as a 1-person operation. The main differentiator for PFM was that I would head out on-site to maintain fleet vehicles at their location rather than having to coordinate pickups and drop-offs at a shop. Not having a brick and mortar also significantly lowered our startup costs. The mobile service quickly grew in popularity once fleets realized how much downtime this eliminated. After the first year of operating as a solopreneur, I hired our first technician, and we moved into a small shop in rural Mt. Gilead. The location was not ideal, as it was nearly 45 minutes away from many of our customers in Columbus, but it was what we could afford at the time. We were having to offer free towing to and from our shop to keep our customers satisfied since we were so distant. We remained at that location for a year and a half before moving in 2023 to a much larger location in Delaware. This was a game-changer for us. Delaware is a beautiful and industrious city with numerous fleets and trucking companies to serve. By the time we moved to Delaware, we had 3 Employees and were continuing to grow quickly. In under a year, we had outgrown that space and again moved. This time to our current location, also in Delaware, which is a 14,000 sq.ft. shop with 2 mobile service trucks, a team of 7, and revenue now in the 7 figures. It’s been a wild ride so far with how rapid the growth has been, but I wouldn’t trade the long hours and stress for anything. I’ve been extremely lucky to have a great team who are all driven to grow and succeed both personally and professionally. This has been paramount to our success.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has been an exciting and gratifying journey, but I wouldn’t consider it smooth. There are always changes that must be made quickly in order to survive. As a startup, we had countless issues to resolve and processes to develop. The key for me was to look at each issue as an opportunity to make myself and the business better. Learn from each one and only make a mistake once. Having both a mentor and dedicated business coach after the first year of operation greatly helped with smoothing out the challenges we faced ahead as well. I would recommend a coach or mentor to anyone looking to take the next step.
The most significant hurdle I faced when starting, and I believe a lot of boot-strapped startups face, was building a team while revenue is low. When you’re making the jump from one employee to two, your payroll literally doubles, and your current revenue likely won’t support that. Whereas when you hire your 6th or 7th employee, it is a much smaller percentage of overall payroll and revenue, thus being much easier. Early on I had to make sure hiring an employee would generate enough revenue quickly to cover their costs and at the very least provide a small profit to the company to help continue growth. I was very careful in the hiring process to avoid a costly hiring mistake, which I believe is one of the easiest ways to sink a small business in its infant stages.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
As a company that focuses solely on commercial vehicles, our aim is to make it easier for fleet managers and owner operators to take care of their fleets. We hire experts who have spent years in the field so they understand the problems managers/operators face and find solutions for them.
To make life easier for our customers, we offer services such as picking up and dropping off vehicles for free, providing mobile service, and a custom portal that allows them to see all of their service history 24/7. Having the best-trained service advisors and technicians around also allows us to provide unparalleled service. Our goal is to reduce the stress that comes with fleet maintenance, especially when a truck breaks down. Recognizing that downtime translates to financial losses for our customers, often amounting to several thousand dollars per day, our mission is to expedite the process of returning vehicles to service in the fastest and safest manner possible.
Are there any books, apps, podcasts, or blogs that help you do your best?
Favorite books:
Leadership: Traction by Gino Wickman and It’s Your Ship by Captain D. Michael Abrashoff
Sales: Sell or be Sold by Grant Cardone (also has some great life takeaways)
Small Business Financial Management: Profit First by Mike Michalowicz
CEO/Inspiration: Play Nice but Win by Michael Dell
Contact Info:
- Website: www.PFMFleetService.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PFMfleetservice
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drake-tulloh-786122199/
Image Credits
Simply Sims Photography
Cool World Photography
