Dameian Shepard started his journey in the trucking space by delivering snacks to various locations. It was just him and his wife putting in shift after shift non-stop.
And then, they bumped into a new opportunity with Amazon. They grabbed this chance while continuing to operate their 11-year-old business, which meant they had to work in 3 shifts now. The hard work paid off, and cash flow started to increase. But it was too much to handle, and they had to choose one now. And it was Amazon.
However, they soon realized that putting all their eggs in a single basket was a risky idea. As a result, they spread their operations to reduce their reliance on Amazon.
Being a car guy, he also ventured into car hauling for the sheer love of it. Not just that, Dameian continued to expand his business and started a firearms store. Additionally, they now have taxing and towing services, which makes them self-sufficient.
Interestingly, despite having a low margin compared to other verticals, Dameian enjoys the gun store space.
He spoke about maintaining healthy relationships with financial institutions, brokers, and fellow workers. He also revealed an incident that could have turned out badly during the conversation. But in the long run, it was a lesson that resulted in significant changes to his policy.
**Five key takeaways from this podcast: **
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Why Shepard prefers buying equipment over leasing?
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What are the adjustments made to save/keep things running?
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How are Shepard’s different verticals managed efficiently?
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Why shouldn’t the new guys rely on Amazon?
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What are the pillars of a trucking company?
Discover more about Dameian Shepard and his business in his chat with Rahmel Wattley.