Secrets of The Heavy Equipment Industry
Secrets of The Heavy Equipment Industry
How can a business owner gain confidence to start a business?
Entrepreneurship wasn't something I was naturally inclined toward. Many people you meet on this journey talk about early entrepreneurial experiences, like having a paper route or shoveling snow in their neighborhood. That wasn’t me.
I believe everything happens for a reason and at the right time. My journey exposed me to a wide range of people at higher levels, and the more I interacted with them, the more confident I became. I realized I had gained enough industry wisdom to venture out on my own.
I could have moved to another dealership, but I wasn’t interested in facing the same challenges repeatedly in a different place. There were clear opportunities in the market, and I thought, "Why not me?" I knew someone would address the pain points we’re solving today—it wasn’t rocket science. So, I asked myself, "Why not me?" That mindset gave me the confidence to take the leap and just go for it.
How can business owners identify the true need in their market?
When we started, Heave was designed to be like an Expedia for contractors, allowing them to buy and rent equipment easily online. This was around the time of COVID, which I thought would be a big advantage for us since in-person meetings became difficult. However, existing dealerships were resistant to using our service. They saw it as a threat because they relied on their sales teams to meet customers face-to-face.
I compare the heavy equipment industry setup to cable companies: in most towns, if you want cable, you have only a few providers to choose from. It’s a protected market, and that’s how heavy equipment has always operated. After two and a half years of grinding, we realized the real pain point for customers wasn’t just buying or renting equipment—it was getting their equipment fixed. Since there are only a few providers who can sell or rent to you, there are also only a few who can repair your machine. That's when things started to click for us.
What helps entrepreneurs embrace challenges and adapt quickly?
I believe you have to struggle to grow. In sports, I didn't face much struggle early on, so when challenges arose, I didn’t always respond well. In business, starting the company was a struggle for two and a half years. For me, entrepreneurship was a battle against myself—how I would respond to difficulties. I've grown in that regard, learning to believe in what I was doing and sticking with it.
I became comfortable with things going wrong and focused on problem-solving. In a corporate environment, I learned that problems often lead to a blame game, where people try to protect their paychecks rather than fix issues. In a startup, it's different. You accept that things will go wrong, but the benefit of a young company is having a blank slate. When problems arise, you come up with solutions. Being agile allows you to fix things quickly and improve over time. I love that challenge, the energy, and the ability to move fast and make changes. My goal is to keep improving in every area of my life.
*This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.*
