Based on the Gulf Coast of Florida, independent distributor Scott Maroney knows his way around a toolbox. “I’m not a salesman,” he says. “I’m a mechanic that drives a tool truck.”

Knowing your products and your clients is a key part to being a successful distributor. Concentrate your efforts on an industry you're familiar with.

About 90 percent of Maroney’s customer base is made of automotive service facilities - which includes body shop, independent repair and dealerships.

“When I was a mechanic, the last 10 years at the dealership, I was the shop foreman,” Maroney says. “I was in charge of 16 to 18 mechanics. I know mechanics, I‘ve heard all their stories.”