We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Gabriel Campolla. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Gabriel below.
Gabriel, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Finding those key vendors can often be make or break for a brand. Can you talk to us about how you found your key vendors?
Finding key vendors is the quintessential foundational element in our organization. When we look for vendors, we first use our own core values to review how well they align with them. We don’t expect them to align 100%, but as long as they fit into each of them, we think it’s a good staring point. Our core values are: Compassion, Quality, Speed, Accuracy, Joy, and Power.
Potential vendors must also have a similar “why” – we’re all in business to make money, but TEYKO succeeds by offering industry leading products and being an active participant in our community. We seek vendors who have a stronger mission than just selling items.
We’ve found that following this method has lead to incredibly easy working relationships, quality product development, and happy customers.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I started TEYKO as a means to explore and serve the premium automotive community. On a deeper level, I want to show the kids of my community that something great can come from here.
I want TEYKO to become an example and a resource for kids by using our story and the stories of other business owners and high-ranking professionals.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
Resilience is a funny one. As TEYKO grows and we find more people to connect with, we’re also met with a lot of resistance. We’re not trying to market to people who are into cars, so we go to car enthusiasts. Car shows, car related events, dealerships, detailers… you know – car people. They are so resistant to trying something new, it’s unbelievable. A part of me was banking on the “it’s a local company” thing to get some traction. Nope. Because the products are designed to fit a nation-wide audience, most people not only assume, but have an unwavering believe that TEYKO is a national brand and that I’m just a multi-level marketer.
Meanwhile, I am approached by “gurus” who tell me to target car people – it’d be a piece of cake to sell to them! Well, it isn’t. Our intended market already has a product they like. So, getting them away from it to try mine is doable, but it takes a lot of relationship and trust building. No sudden movements here. Car Shows turn out to be a less-than-stellar venue because most guests to a car show are there to… look at cars. Not to buy anything. Getting them in a purchasing mood is, again, doable… but takes a lot of effort.
Dealers and detailers. The pros. They also have products they like and are not keen on changing what works. Additionally, our products are designed for the enjoyment of the product and process and the pros want quick results in durable packaging. Those two don’t exactly go hand-in-hand.
Being resilient on my journey has taught me a lot. But, perhaps, most importantly, it’s that getting people away from their familiar products to try something new is incredibly challenging and time consuming. I feel like I’m “over the hump” and TEYKO is starting to become a go-to name, but it has taken years of relentless effort. I’m confident this resilience will pay off, but building a great brand will take a great amount of time.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
As aforementioned, our products are designed to appeal to a nation-wide audience and not just our local community. Because of that, our products appear to have been made from a giant corporation. That, in turn, has lead to a much lower hurtle when it comes to gaining trust from the public or retail partners.
I’ve studied consumer products for most of my life, and I am the designer of the products for TEYKO. The intention from the start, was to create products that could visually compete with the top dogs in our industry. The professional appearance of the products is a double-edged sword: when selling to other states, we achieve the intended result. Folks turn down our competitors and buy TEYKO products. However, locally, consumers are hesitant to buy from the guy in the networking group who is representing an unknown brand. That’s one thing, but getting people to believe it is indeed a local company is another. They think I’m the “Avon” or “MaryKay” of car care and it’s challenging to get others to understand that I am actually the creator.
Overall, this ultra-professional appearance of our products, website, and marketing material has been a positive. It definitely makes conversations with strategic partners easier because they can instantly tell that TEYKO is serious and not just a hobby.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Www.teamteyko.com
- Instagram: Teamteyko
- Facebook: Teamteyko
