There is no shortage of ways for a prospective mobile distributor to break into the business of selling tools. Finding the necessary footing to build a career and ensure long-lasting success, however, is far more difficult.
But for the five individuals who make up Big Boy Tools, a Chesapeake, Va.-based collective of Mac Tools distributors managed by 14-year veteran tool salesman Buddy Weaver, there is no better path to staying power in the tool business than working with each other as part of a close-knit team.
“We’ve built a situation that’s like family atmosphere,” says Dave Shaffer, who joined forces with Weaver earlier in 2015. “We all get along great and feed off each other. If one guy’s down, we pick him up. We all share in ideas and thoughts. It’s just a good group of guys to be associated with.”
According to Weaver, the evolution of Big Boy Tools into a financially stable and consistently successful multi-route business is largely due to the ability of five people with varying backgrounds and personalities to come together and understand they will be managed differently by Weaver but be treated with the same level of fairness.
“I don’t consider any of my guys an employee,” says Weaver. “I’m their partner. I have partnered up with them to help them service their route."
Schaffer is the only member of the team with any experience as a mobile tool distributor prior to joining Big Boy Tools. Nigel Clarke managed a shooting range. Steve Walters worked in construction. Myles Shaw and Jake Raschdorf had backgrounds as mechanics, but they had never sold tools before. So having the support of a consistently successful one like Weaver has been crucial to each individual's development.
“I had never run my own business,” says Walters, who was in construction for three decades prior to signing on with Weaver and getting his start selling tools. “I wasn’t ready for that yet. I knew I needed to learn the ropes of the tool business, but I picked a good group of guys, I think, to learn from.”
Getting established as a mobile tool distributor also requires a significant financial investment, one which can deter some people from considering it as a viable career option. However, according to Shaw, aligning himself with Weaver helped alleviate some of those types of concerns and help make his goal of selling tools a reality.
“I just wasn’t financially able to do something like this," he says. "But [Weaver/Big Boy Tools] gave me the opportunity to work on a truck, and it has been a blessing."
The support Weaver provides his fellow distributors doesn't stop once they agree to join Big Boy Tools. Raschdorf, the first to sign on to the company, credits Weaver with helping him develop the proper skills and obtain the necessary knowledge to find success.
“Everything he taught me, I stuck to the plan,” Raschdorf continues. “I didn’t veer from it."
While everyone admits Weaver is an incredible resource of knowledge and support, they are also quick to point out that having one another -- and the backing of Mac Tools -- also allows them to sell tools both efficiently and effectively.
“Mac Tools is on the other end of the phone when I need them,” says Clarke. “I’ve got the internet, and the other guys I’ve teamed up with Big Boy Tools. They are a phone call away. If I don’t have an answer I need, I can always find it.”
