Interview with Sportsmobile West Owner Alan Feld

[bigreen505]

Sportsmobiles may be the ultimate adventure vehicle for people who go places to do things beyond just sightseeing - you know, activities that require gear, or people who travel with the whole family.

At the 2009 Overland Expo, Alan Feld spent some time talking to us about the history of Sportsmobile and gave us a guided tour of a couple vehicles. Enjoy! You can watch the video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XkUvYn-T0M or subscribe to the Overland Expo netcast on iTunes.

Cheers,
Bill Green/Sagen Media

[adventureduo]

Very cool. Thanks for taking the time to produce that. I'll post it over at sportsmobileforum.com if it's not already there. Makes me miss our SMB!

[bigreen505]

Thanks Dave! expeditionpictures (Joshua White) is responsible for production.

[Willman]

Great job Bill!

Man i want one!

:drool:

[mountainpete]

That's a great interview. How much do those things cost again? Need to save pennies :)

[N8URE2]

Thanks Bill, great job

[surfgeek33]

Less than an Earthroamer:sombrero: We love ours.....but by the time you have it shipped accross the Canadian Border, it will probably cost as much as an ER.

That's a great interview. How much do those things cost again? Need to save pennies :)

[kjp1969]

Bah, a few weeks before this was shot I stopped by the SMB factory in Fresno and he gave me a tour. Modest guy, he didn't tell me he was the owner.

[Doin_It]

Pete -


Need to save pennies I think you meant dollars............

[stevenmd]

Wow, that was cool. Thanks!

[dzzz]

Bah, a few weeks before this was shot I stopped by the SMB factory in Fresno and he gave me a tour. Modest guy, he didn't tell me he was the owner.

Bah?

It's unfortunate for him that he has the time to give factory tours. He must worry about his business.

[kjp1969]

Bah?

It's unfortunate for him that he has the time to give factory tours. He must worry about his business.

I don't know why you would say that or what you base it on- its not the impression that I got from spending 40 minutes talking with him. Rather, he seemed willing to take the time to discuss his work- he was genuinely passionate about his vans and very knowledgeable about all the systems.

[Blackeye]

I don't know why you would say that or what you base it on- its not the impression that I got from spending 40 minutes talking with him. Rather, he seemed willing to take the time to discuss his work- he was genuinely passionate about his vans and very knowledgeable about all the systems.

Well said Kevin,
I am very impressed with an operation that is run by someone who is extremely passionate and intimately knowledgeable about their product and the needs / desires of their customers. All it takes is one visit to the factory in Fresno, CA and you will see what I mean. From the top on down, everyone is really "into" their incredible product.
Blackeye

[1leglance]

Bah?

It's unfortunate for him that he has the time to give factory tours. He must worry about his business.

That is the funniest thing I have ever seen....
Do you really think that GM & Chrysler are better off because their top dogs fly to DC in corp jets instead of driving their own rigs? Alan daily drives a SMB.

Do you think if more car company top brass actually spent time with customers that we would not have better products...Alan wheels with his customers and enjoys talking to people.

You have a very interesting perspective to believe that the owner is better off staying distant from the end user. When I had my cigar shop I would never buy a cigar from a maker who didn't smoke or wouldn't sit down with a newbie and teach the art.
As a nurse the best doctors are often ones that have been patients or had close family as patients.

But hey you are allowed your ideas, the rest of us who own SMB's are very happy to have someone like Alan around.

[dzzz]

Wow, have any of you guys ever run a real business? He has fixed costs and probably debt and like everyone he doesn't know when the economy will turn around. There's plenty of good companies in his business who have gone out of business. My post had nothing to do with your good feelings about sportsmobile.
I hope when they're busy a salesman is the primary contact. At that time the owner is probably working a 10 hour day and needing to work 15 hours.

[kjp1969]

Wow, have any of you guys ever run a real business?

Yep.

Hey dzzz, do you have a name and location, or do you have some need to stay anonymous? Just curious.

[EMrider]

Wow, have any of you guys ever run a real business? He has fixed costs and probably debt and like everyone he doesn't know when the economy will turn around. There's plenty of good companies in his business who have gone out of business. My post had nothing to do with your good feelings about sportsmobile.
I hope when they're busy a salesman is the primary contact. At that time the owner is probably working a 10 hour day and needing to work 15 hours.

Yes, I have run a real business.

My observation is that how much time the 'owner' works per day is a totally irrelevant indicator of the success of the business. It is what they do that matters much more, and strategic decisions like cost mgmt. and debt levels are indeed very important. But interacting with potential customers (aka, people in general) and cheerleading for the company are also reasonably good uses of time. My guess is that if SMB had any meaningful debt or excessive fixed costs they'd already be dead like the others in this biz.

I was there a week ago and was amazed at how much activity they have on the production floor. Now way to tell whether or not it is profitable, but at least people are busy.
R

[bigreen505]

I hope when they're busy a salesman is the primary contact. At that time the owner is probably working a 10 hour day and needing to work 15 hours.

I first met Alan in 2005 at the Outdoor Retailer show. No matter how busy he is, he will always find time to talk with someone about Sportsmobiles and give a tour. That is the kind of person he is and it reflects in the kind of company that he has created Sportsmobile West to be.

How you choose to run your business is up to you, but just because an owner takes the time out of his day to talk to you does not mean the company is failing.

[jcbrandon]

I'll jump in with my regards for Sportsmobile the company and Alan Feld, the businessman.

About eight or nine years ago I happened to be in the neighborhood and just dropped by the factory hoping to get a glimpse of one of the vehicles in the parking lot. I was greeted like an old friend and invited to take a personal tour of the facility. I said I hated to take up anyone's time as I was not a qualified prospect and could not possibly afford to buy a truck. My escort insisted on showing me around and showing off the quality in everything they produce. Only later did I learn that my guide that day was Alan Feld, the owner of the company.

I will never forget how I was treated that day.

[ujoint]

Maybe the only way Alan can sleep at night is knowing that all potential customers were treated properly & given all of the correct information on his product. And, there's no one else to blame if the sales stop!!!!

[Nullifier]

In my buisness I am very hands on with my guests. Despite the fact my company services about 25,000 people per year, I would guess that I intereact with close to half of them personally. I go out of my way to not let people know I am the owner. Not because I am not proud of what I do, but because I think I am more effective operating as an "employee".

Yes I do worry about my buisness as I am sure he is too. This is because I am aware of the fact we are only on the edge of the storm. However I think my buisness will survive better with me in the floor rather then in the back of he house. I prefer to let book keepers do book keeping etc. Yes I am involved in the planning and overall direction but working with guests is why I got into the buisness.

[1leglance]

Wow, have any of you guys ever run a real business? He has fixed costs and probably debt and like everyone he doesn't know when the economy will turn around. There's plenty of good companies in his business who have gone out of business. My post had nothing to do with your good feelings about sportsmobile.
I hope when they're busy a salesman is the primary contact. At that time the owner is probably working a 10 hour day and needing to work 15 hours.

I was a Tobacconist with 2 stores and I spent lots of quality time with my customers even though most never knew I was the owner. To be successful you have to know your market, how better to do that than to spend time with the enduser?
Todays auto market is an example of an industry that hasn't stayed in touch with the consumer.
How many top execs actually use their own products? Airline execs that fly coach and sit in airports waiting?

A wise man hires good people who are good at what they do instead of trying to do it all himself. Alan's wife & son work there also, is that bad?
Jonathan his son is a great salesman and Alan takes pride in listening to peoples thoughts and concerns as they look at spending $100k, that way he knows where to place his energy.

Dzzz I would have to ask you what YOU know about running a biz, sure you can toss out some big works about debt and working long hours. But unless you can prove that your way of doing things as far as custom vehicle building is better than I suggest to watch and learn from someone who is as successful and well liked as Alan.
This thread alone should tell you he is doing it right.

[Saline]

Two years ago my wife and I stopped by SMB in Fresno. We were thinking about ordering one in a few years so we wanted to check out thier facility. We were greeted in the lobby by the receptionist who called someone in to give us a tour and answer any questions that we might have. It was Alan that gave us a tour and answered our questions and was very nice and very knowledgable about their product. I had no idea that he was the owner. Good experience.

[Chris]

Ok I just feel compelled to say this little bit.

It’s the culture of the Fresno Sportsmobile shop to engage, learn and satisfy.

I especially like he fact it includes the owner.


I could go on about the way it is run and the items I might think need to be changed....but that would be my opinion and one of many I'm sure. So instead I will just consider the source of the bold one line comment (Dzzzz) and end here.

PS. Yes, besides owning one or two I've spent 30+ years performing 360 degree evaluations of many....some of the largest in the country.



:rolleyes: