Tales from the Road: Ryan and Val Visona

Ryan Visona jumpstarted his tool distribution business in 2010 after leaving his previous career as an engineer for an electrical contractor. When he first began his journey into mobile tool distribution, Visona worked under a flag — first in an office space and then out on the road — but a lot has changed in the last 15 years. From starting over as an independent, to taking on his wife, Val, as his business partner , and staking out a name for their business on social media, the Visonas have grown into a real dynamic duo, ready to take on all the challenges this industry has to throw at them.  

“So, let’s take a chance on the road,” Ryan says. “Whatever that means.” 

Influencing the tool world

Located in the northwest suburbs of Chicago, the Visonas have a wide customer base. They have their usual stops at independent repair shops and dealerships, but they also sell to construction shops and rollercoaster technicians at a Six Flags Great American theme park. The customers don’t stop there, though. 

Located in the northwest suburbs of Chicago, the Visonas have a wide customer base. They have their usual stops at independent repair shops and dealerships, but they also sell to construction shops and rollercoaster technicians at a Six Flags Great American theme park. The customers don’t stop there, though. 

“I give her all the credit in the world for how hard she's worked and continues to do it. That's her full-time career while working with me, so it's interesting,” Ryan explains. “We naturally stood out immediately when this happened.” 

Their presence online has expanded the reach of their business, allowing them to sell both in-person and online. Val has also expanded their product offerings, creating her own line of workwear socks made from bamboo and cotton, selling them on the truck and worldwide, as well as through other distributors.  

Having that online presence and staying aware of others who have taken their business to social media gives the Visonas the freedom to shift sales plans as they see fit. A new tool comes across their feed, one with thousands of views, and hundreds of comments and shares? It just might find its way onto their truck.  

“You can be educated just by scrolling and the algorithm knowing that you're into tools. It will show you what is hot now,” Ryan says.  

Aside from the financial boost Val’s social media presence has brought, it’s also worked to connect the two with others in the industry, opening their eyes to the larger world of tools outside of the “island” that is their route.  

“We work in a very diverse area,” Ryan says. “I get to work weekly with so many people from literally around the world, ironically, within my route. You get to know them as people, and you get to know their families and where they're from and their stories. As a tool guy, you get to see the ‘world’ within your island.” 

Attitude is the key

When talking to the Visonas, their humbleness shines despite the accomplishments they’ve achieved and the hard work and dedication they’ve poured into all facets of their business.  

One way they’ve managed to stay passionate about what they do is by shifting their outlook. When challenges come, and they certainly do after 15 years in this industry, the Visonas face them with optimism.  

“You keep trying and you keep going,” Ryan explains. “If you celebrate a good day and then a bad day the next, the next day the sun rises and you have another chance to make it right and make it better.” 

The biggest thing the Visonas have learned from their time in this industry, and the thing that makes the hard times easier to fight through, is the reassurance that they’re not alone in their struggles. If Ryan could give advice to anyone starting out, it would be to do your best and “don’t sweat the small stuff.” Failures can creep up on you, stop you in your tracks, and make moving forward feel nearly impossible, but they don’t have to control you or how you run your business. The pressure you put on your success can lead to your downfall; Ryan advises distributors not to think too much about the “what-ifs” of this business. 

“You're going to have amazing weeks and amazing days, and you're going to feel wonderful about it, but there will also be some slow times and some down times and things that might not go quite right,” Ryan says. “Just figure out solutions and plans and try to enjoy yourself while doing it.” 

Willing to change

The only constant in life is change, and the same is true for the world of mobile tool distribution. The Visonas have seen their fair share of change, whether willingly or not, and they’ve adapted at every twist and turn.  

When looking to the future, the duo knows that things don’t always turn out the way you thought they would, but it doesn’t have to be a bad thing.  

“If I looked at myself before Val Tools, I would say, ‘Hey, maybe I'll just run my route for the next 20 years and retire. Or maybe I'll add a second franchise,’” Ryan says. “But now, with technology changing so fast and rapidly, we're in this interesting boat where, whatever our plans for the future, we're kind of in a position to say we want to do online sales, truck sales, and then continue the growing [workwear] sock line [Val] has. We're kind of letting the future pull us as opposed to saying, ‘Hey, this is exactly what we want to do, right?’ [We’re] keeping an open mind on what the next direction is.”