Leadership: Tyler Robertson, CEO
Founded in 2014, Diesel Laptops is a provider of workshop efficiency solutions for heavy truck and equipment repair companies. The company provides this through diagnostic tools, repair information, technical skills training and virtual technical support.
Diesel Laptops offers a complete line of diagnostic software for commercial trucks, hardware and laptop kits, with products and services covering everything on a commercial truck, including diesel engines, electronic transmissions, ABS systems and more.
CEO Tyler Robertson says the company’s goal is not the products and services that Diesel sells. “Our goal is to take care of the problems that our customers face every day and provide them with tools and resources to be more efficient in their work,” he says. “It seems that we always do it the other way around, compared to most other companies. We started with the problem, developed a solution, and then figured out how to sell and market that solution. “
The company offers technical support based in the United States, made up of computer experts and former diesel technicians. The company offers a money-back guarantee, as well as training in a variety of formats, including a YouTube channel, weekly online live training classes, live on-site training and classroom classes.
For other growing companies, Robertson suggests focusing on cash management. “Money really is king,” he says. Adding employees, inventory and expenses can make cash management a challenge, but he suggests doing everything possible to avoid selling shares in your company, as this is your most valuable asset.
After hiring more than 30 new employees since March, the company still has 20 open positions at various skill levels, especially software engineers, salespeople, IT professionals, accounting and more.
Diesel relies heavily on online marketing, including an online ad network, blog posts, webinars, a podcast, Facebook groups, YouTube and more. “This allowed us to scale up very quickly and efficiently,” he says.
For those who want to start a business, he suggests learning the basics, but “don’t think too much”. Start small, learn the basics for your business: gross margins, ROI in marketing, marketing messages, the sales process and other fundamentals. “Whether you’re selling $ 1,000 a month or $ 10 million, those principles don’t really change,” he said.
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Kopis
Greenville
Industry: Software development
Leadership: Andrew Kurtz, CEO
At Kopis, based in Greenville, founded in 1999, employees work in one of the fastest growing and changing industries in the world.
“When we started Kopis 21 years ago, we had a vision to help our customers solve their technology problems,” said Andrew Kurtz, founder and CEO of the software development company. “This focus has helped us to grow steadily over the years.”