Inside Small Business | Small Business & Home Business Marketing

Meet Day Dreamin’ Exotics

Day Dreamin’ Exotics, LLC is an exciting new company offering Exotic Car Day Tours in Salt Lake City, Utah. I know what you’re thinking… What’s a Day Tour? We own 5 exotics sports cars; Ferrari, Aston martin, Porsche, Viper, Lotus. Tours are conducted “euro-caravan” style on open roads through some of Utah’s most breathtaking scenery. We travel 150 miles on the Tour, with pit stops every 30 minutes to switch vehicles and drivers. Each participant gets to drive every car in the fleet.

I am a long time car enthusiast and I’m lucky enough to not only have the money to own the car of my dreams (Porsche 911 Turbo), but a wife understanding enough to let me buy it. Most of my friends do not have the same luxury. I asked myself, “How can the average guy experience these amazing cars?” I came up with the idea last fall and quickly realized that there are a few companies around the nation with the same idea. One problem: they charge $1000-2000. Here in Salt Lake City, there is not very much disposable income and very few people are going to drop $2000 in one day. The challenge was to make it more affordable for our financial environment. I pitched the idea to Ian Harding, owner of Luxury Imports Online. He has bought and sold cars for me in the past. He loved the idea. We tested the waters at the Utah Auto Expo and there was lots of interest.

For the last 6 months we have been brainstorming and gathering data. This is the first start up business for me. I never dreamed it would require this much work. Many people want to help or fund the project, but we have decided to do it all ourselves. We hired a Tour Manager and part time marketing help. Our grand opening was last weekend and we have started booking tours. The word is slowly getting out.

I am excited to share ideas with business owners who deal with similar issues and frustrations. And if you find yourself in Salt Lake City, come visit us and take the tour.

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Meet eReplacement Parts

Hello there! Allow me to introduce myself and to tell you a little about my company, eReplacementParts.com.
My name is Mike, and together with my business partner Dave, we started our online business with basically no money and with no real understanding of how to build a website. For a time, it was literally running out of a living room. Four years later, we’re a prominent online merchant selling power tool and machinery parts. I had worked in power tool sales and repair for several years before we started eReplacementParts.com, so I had a decent understanding of tool parts and tool operation. I had also worked as the (very unskilled) web developer for another online store which sold house wares. Through these two previous work experiences, I discovered that it was very feasible to make money selling products on the internet, and that I had a good product that could move.
Everything related to our company has been a huge learning experience. We’re constantly faced with problems and situations that require solutions, and if we didn’t have an answer or the know-how to solve those problems, we had to learn. It’s simple as that. Running a business is about being prepared and willing to meet challenges. That’s what this blog will focus on: challenges that we’ve faced and continue to face, and how we have responded.
Right now we’re currently employing about 15 people, with managers, programmers, bookkeepers, shippers and others. Our inventory is very complicated and very organized. We maintain a very secure and useable website that lives inside two powerful computers. We have many future goals that keep us moving forward and keep us focused. All of this and more comprises eReplacementParts.com, and as always, it’s still a work in progress.
Dave and I will be updating this blog weekly, so come back often, and hopefully we’ll provide information that will be helpful with your own small business.

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