Overcoming Entrepreneurial Challenges With Jared Kugel of Tire Agent

Jared Kugel is the CEO and Founder of Tire Agent, an innovative e-commerce platform revolutionizing how consumers purchase and install tires across the US. Tire Agent has been recognized as one of the fastest-growing companies, ranking #936 on the Inc. 5000 list, with Jared himself being a 2024 finalist in the New York area's Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year. An expert in automotive, e-commerce, and fintech, Jared is dedicated to providing exceptional customer service and fostering strong partnerships within the tire and automotive industry.

In this episode…

The automotive industry is known for its tight-knit community and loyal professionals who often spend their entire careers in the field. How did one entrepreneur leverage this industry culture to build a successful e-commerce tire business from scratch?

According to Jared Kugel, Tire Agent started with a simple LinkedIn message and evolved through multiple iterations before finding its footing as an online tire retailer. Jared faced numerous challenges, including financial hardships and countless rejections from investors, but persevered through sheer determination and the support of industry connections. His journey highlights the importance of adaptability, resilience, and building solid relationships within the automotive sector.

On this episode of Gain Traction, Mike Edge welcomes Jared to discuss his entrepreneurial journey in the tire industry. They discuss Jared's background, the inception of Tire Agent, early challenges in fundraising and business development, and the company's growth into a successful e-commerce platform. Jared also shares personal anecdotes that illustrate the dedication required to launch a startup in the competitive automotive market.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn: 

• [01:54] Jared Kugel's first job and early challenges
• [02:56] Managing 15 kids versus managing 100 adults: Jared's perspective
• [03:35] The journey from family tire business to founding Tire Agent
• [07:39] Jared's LinkedIn message that led to a $750,000 investment
• [11:17] How Tire Agent pivoted multiple times before finding success
• [17:32] Crazy customer service stories
• [21:25] The comprehensive structure of Tire Agent's customer service
• [23:24] How Tire Agent partners with dealers for mutual growth

Resources mentioned in this episode: 

• Jared Kugel on LinkedIn 
• Tire Agent 
• Eric Gill on LinkedIn
• Gills Point S Tire & Auto Service 
• Mike Edge on LinkedIn
• Tread Partners

Quotable Moments:

• "I was answering the calls on holidays, weekends, and the middle of the night. I did not celebrate a holiday or birthday; I was all in."
• "If it no longer is fun or you don't enjoy it anymore, you shouldn't be doing it — because this is something you'll do half your day."
• "You can never be happy if you never experience sadness — you appreciate the highs that much more."
• "We want to create a foundation of friendship and family when you're building a business because that's what helps grow."
• "Without customers, there is no business; if you take care of your customers, they will take care of you."

Action Steps:

1. Personalize customer interactions: This builds a deeper connection with customers and ensures they feel valued.
2. Invest in comprehensive staff training. This will ensure that staff is knowledgeable and prepared to offer the best customer service, reduce errors, and enhance customer satisfaction.
3. Implement a dedicated post-sale support team: Creating specialized teams for post-sale support, such as warranty handling and package tracking, ensures that customers have a seamless experience even after the purchase. 
4. Leverage multi-channel customer acquisition: By partnering with platforms like Tire Agent, dealers can gain additional customers without extra marketing expenditure, thus diversifying their customer acquisition channels.
5. Regularly review and update customer service protocols:  Adapting to changing market conditions ensures the business stays responsive to customer needs.

Sponsor for this episode...

This episode is brought to you by Tread Partners. 

At Tread Partners, we provide digital marketing for multi-location tire dealers and auto repair shops. 

By using our strategy, branding, and marketing services, we help shops sell more tires and put more cars in bays.

We’ve helped companies like Action Gator Tire, Colony Tire and Service, and Ulmer’s Auto Care Center bring extreme growth in paid leads, ROI, and searches. 

So, what are you waiting for?

Visit www.treadpartners.com or email [email protected] to learn more.