What does it take to grow a commercial vehicle company while building strong, lasting partnerships in a competitive industry?

In this episode, Kyler and John sit down with T.J. Matijevich, Chief Revenue Officer at Model 1, whose journey spans years of rapid expansion and industry shifts. T.J. shares insights on how Model 1 has built trust with dealers, tackled new market segments, and handled the challenges of transitioning into the non-passenger space.

Tune in to learn how Model 1 approaches dealer relationships, strategic acquisitions, and the evolving commercial vehicle landscape.

Key Takeaways:

1. Prioritize Rapid Problem-Solving to Build Trust: Resolve customer issues swiftly by taking ownership, regardless of the root cause, to minimize downtime and reinforce trust and loyalty with your clients.
2. Make Calculated Growth Moves through Strategic Opportunities: Embrace an entrepreneurial mindset by balancing planned acquisitions with seizing timely opportunities, enabling sustainable growth and diversification in product offerings.
3. Adapt and Expand into New Market Segments: Leverage existing infrastructure to enter adjacent sectors, streamlining processes and reducing vendor dependencies to meet evolving industry needs and ensure long-term growth.

Timestamps:
(00:00) Meet TJ Matijevich
(01:24) Model 1’s rebranding and growth story
(04:46) Model 1’s strategic decisions during the financial crisis
(08:06) Sales strategies across customer segments
(09:48) Model 1’s consumer market experiment
(14:59) Talent acquisition for new market segments
(16:41) Entering new product markets
(20:04) How partner support evolved as Model 1 scaled nationally
(29:08) The complexity of multi-partner vehicle service
(31:53) Learning from past mistakes in electrification
(34:46) Model 1’s strategic expansion in non-passenger markets
(36:27) Localizing upfitting services to enhance customer experience
(41:06) Model 1’s vision and future bets