Jim Edwards, a Charlotte, N.C.-based Cornwell dealer, was selected by Professional Distributor magazine as the winner of the M. Eagles Tool Warehouse $1,000 Home Entertainment Package. Edwards recently spoke with Professional Distributor and discussed his experiences as a mobile tool dealer.
When Jim Edwards “retired” a few years back, he went about looking for a worthwhile way to pass his time. His interest in the automotive industry and his past experience as a business owner led him down a path toward becoming a mobile tool dealer.
Now Edwards is a successful Cornwell dealer based in and around the Charlotte, N.C. area with six successful years in the business behind him. He attributes his staying power to a number of factors, all of which have helped him navigate his way through his “retirement” years.
“My interest in entrepreneurship, being my own boss, and having been my own boss for most of my life, it was just a natural extension to do the tool business,” says Edwards. “It’s a combination of interests. I like business and I like dealing with customers a lot. I’ve done that through my whole adult life.”
His business acumen has allowed Edwards to not only survive as a mobile tool dealer, it has helped him thrive. In addition to owning his own motorsports company for more than 20 years, Edwards spent the vast majority of his professional career in the real estate and mortgage industries. He’s also owned other companies in the past, and his experience as a businessman stretches back four decades.
While some tool dealers struggle to gain their footing in the business during their first weeks, months and seven years on the job, Edwards found immediate success. He is proud of the fact that his business has grown each and every year since he got his start.
Edwards points to his ability to purchase tools at “the right price” as one of the main reasons he was able to excel at selling tools.
“You don’t make your money selling the tools,” he continues. “As such, put a little bit different of a focus on your business and it will help keep you a little bit more successful than just worrying about where your next customer is going to come from and where your next collection is going to come from. They’ll take care of themselves if you’ve got the proper tools, the proper attitude and the proper demeanor.”
As for where the industry is headed in the coming years, Edwards believes there needs to be a concerted effort by shop owners to better train their employers on the equipment needed to do their jobs.
“A lot of businesses aren’t keeping up with the equipment and the training,” he says. “The young people coming in are getting introduced to it, perhaps in schools, but they aren’t getting the extended information that’s needed to continue.”
Despite those thoughts on the future of the industry, Edwards says his approach to selling tools hasn’t changed much since he went into business for himself. Instead, he relies on his willingness to work hard, work consistently and enjoy that work to allow him to continue to sustain himself as a mobile tool dealer.
“I’ve been blessed to basically fall in love with whatever I’ve done in my lifetime,” says Edwards. “So I do enjoy the business very, very much.”
