focus on tool storage sales, or, as Sledge
likes to put it, “moving metal.”) Both
trucks combined pull in about $19,000
a week.
Sledge’s ultimate goal (in the next
four to five years) is to become his own
district manager for his fleet of trucks,
riding along with each distributor once
a week. This, he says, may allow him
to slow down after “chugging hard for
a long time.” A “long time” in Sledge’s
world is 18 years as mobile distributor.
So far, the only thing giving Sledge a
pause on his big plans is starting up his
third truck, which was originally slated
for 2018, but may breach into 2019.
“This job is so hard,” Sledge says of
expanding routes and taking on employees.
“It’s so hard to trust somebody with
your money, you know. There is someone
else out there that I can trust, but,
are you willing to take that risk? That’s
the question. And … that’s what all of us
mobile tool distributors struggle with.”
But when has challenge ever stopped
someone like Sledge, who started a business
in a recession, and then kept up
with it when it boomed back up and
hasn’t looked back since?
Matt Sledge was first featured in
Professional Distributor's September
2008 cover story, "On his own, but not
alone."
24 Professional Distributor I October 2018 I VehicleServicePros.com
Since Professional
Distributor first covered his
business in 2008, Sledge,
much like the flourishing
Nashville-area he services,
has grown his business
substantially.
Sledge’s inventory has a
focus on automotive repair
tools and equipment. On his
previous route, he stocked
a larger variety of industrial
and heavy duty equipment
to match his diverse
customer-base.
SPECIAL FEATURE
/VehicleServicePros.com