Spring Hill, Florida, independent tool distributor Sjoerd Royenga ended 2019 with a rather unfortunate incident – a downed power line near his home caused a fire that burned down his tool truck and all the tools inside. Though a great tragedy, Royenga was able to recover quickly with the help of not only his suppliers but his customers.

“The suppliers, especially Ace Tools, which is my main supplier, really stepped it up and helped me out tremendously,” Royenga says. Even more aid came from his customers. Wanting to help Royenga in his time of need, his customers began paying more with every purchase.

Royenga says being a multi-route owner was his saving grace during this time. With three trucks, plus a back-up trailer from one of his drivers, he wasn’t out for too long. And after about eight weeks, Royenga received his new truck, a Freightliner M55.

One benefit of purchasing a new truck, Royenga notes, is that because it’s empty, he had the ability to “add some options that normally don’t come with [the truck].” For example, where the three-bay toolbox usually goes, he had removable shelving put in, making the space more versatile.

Royenga began his career as a tool distributor about eight and a half years ago. While out looking for a new job in a management position, he found an ad for Matco Tools.

“At that point, Matco Tools was advertising that [being a tool distributor] was like a management position, so I applied for it not really realizing what it was,” Royenga says. “Then they called me explaining [the job], ran me through the process, and I was approved to become a distributor.”

After about six years as a Matco Tools distributor, Royenga decided to go off on his own, becoming an independent distributor. He says the switch had an interesting effect on his customers.

One of the biggest challenges Royenga faced as a distributor was collecting money from his customers. Once he became an independent though, Royenga was upfront with his customers, saying “I do this to make an honest living for me and my family, and I don't work for a big corporation, so if [you] don't pay, [you’re] taking away money for my family.”

This is something Royenga believes all distributors need to explain to their customers. Whether they are independent distributors or not, they are a small business, and not getting paid is never okay.

Letting his customers know that they are all in this together really helped, as did Royenga’s affordability and warranty policy.

“After the switch, people started buying more tools from me,” Royenga says. “I actually asked them, ‘What's the difference?’ ‘Why are you buying from me now?’ And the answer was, ‘I can afford you, and the warranty is still the same.’”

Royenga doesn’t feel he does anything “special” to make himself stand out as a tool distributor, he just takes care of his customers, whether they buy from him or not, and that seems to work for him.

As for the future, Royenga plans on being a distributor for another 20 years.

“Hopefully,” he says, “with the same truck.”