TROILO’S SECRETS TO SUCCESS
Tire dealer Tony Troilo would be the first to tell you there is no secret to his success. He simply follows these basic rules.
- Study your market.
- Diversify.
- Know what you want to and go after it.
- Hire good people.
- Make a profit.
Rosson & Troilo Motor Co.’s five retail/commercial stores cover central Virginia. Much of the territory is rural, so Troilo has to make sure he’s a “one-stop shop.”
“We’re so diversified that one market could never break us,” he says.
“If farmers have a drought, or the passenger tire market goes through a recession, or truckers go on strike, we’re still okay.”
That was never more evident than last year, when Troilo lost a bid to supply tires to the state of Virginia—worth some $3 million. He has been the successful bidder on more than one occasion.
Seven years ago he saw a need for towing and recovery service because there were no heavy-duty wreckers in his area. He performs that service as well, with the help of eight wreckers and an all-purpose vehicle. The business paid for itself in less than five years, he says.
“Don’t be afraid to go backward and change if you find you’ve made a mistake. I’ve made plenty of mistakes. You have to regroup and go back at it in a different direction.”