Today, we’d like to introduce you to Ruben Salomon . Ruben was introduced to us by the brilliant and talented Paige Olvera.
Ruben, can you walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
At first, my business was really a side hustle. I was working as a lead at a company. It was a stable job, but the company was bringing in new management and making changes I wasn’t comfortable with. I knew I wanted to pursue my side hustle as a full-time career, but I was really nervous. Balancing the side hustle with a full-time job, being a father, and managing a personal life can be overwhelming.
When COVID hit, a lot of things changed. The new management eliminated the second shift, which I was leading. I took it as an opportunity to focus on my side hustle as my main career and source of income. I realized this is what I wanted to dedicate myself to 100%, and the hustle started from there.
It was definitely scary because you don’t know how things will turn out when you’re running a business. At first, it was just me and a couple of guys working in a small yard, out in the sun, doing jobs. We weren’t sure what would happen, but people kept calling, asking for help and jobs. After hustling for six months, we moved to a 5,000 square foot shop in Grand Prairie. I got excited because I knew this was a market I wanted to tap into, to help smaller commercial truck businesses thrive. Now, a couple of years later, we have a 7,500 square foot facility and are looking to expand further.
Please tell us more about your brand, Longhorn Upfitters LLC
We specialize in commercial truck upfitting, doing everything from hazard lights to flatbeds, cranes, service bodies, and custom builds. We handle anything related to commercial upfitting, whether it’s for trucks or vans. If you need it, we can do it. Our customer service sets us apart. In the commercial upfitting industry, larger businesses often lack the personalization and customer service we provide. We treat every customer and every build like it’s the only one in the world. While we respect larger companies that cater to businesses with hundreds of trucks, we focus on smaller businesses. We can handle large projects, but we specialize in and cater to smaller ones. We also refurbish used equipment and do fabrication, covering everything from new to refurbished items. Our unbeatable prices and quality customer service are key to our success. We offer top-tier service for new and used equipment at a fraction of the market cost. If anyone you or anyone you know ever needs commercial upfitting, check out Longhorn Upfitters, upfitting experts you can trust!
So, as we mentioned to our audience earlier, you were introduced to us by Paige Olvera and we really admire them and what they’ve built. For folks who might not be as familiar, can you tell them a bit about your experience with Paige.
I’ve known Paige, Mama Oinkers, through her sister since she was a little girl. When her sister put us in contact, I was running my side business and needed a simple logo. Paige did logos, and that’s how we met. She created the logo, and when I decided to brand my business officially, she revamped everything, turning it into the brand Longhorn Upfitters.
She took my vision and created a brand. She shared her expertise and drive to pursue digital marketing, letting me know it could further my business. We established a full brand, opened a Facebook page, and an Instagram page, which gave us significant exposure.
From there, we moved to other online platforms like a website and a Google My Business page. The impact of being online has been huge. We’ve received calls from all over the United States because of our digital presence. Paige did a fantastic job creating these platforms and establishing our digital footprint. I’m really excited to see what else we can do in the online and digital marketing world to further the Longhorn Upfitters brand.
Website: https://longhornupfitters.com/
Instagram: https://instagram.com/longhornupfittersllc
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LonghornUpFittersLLC
Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/longhorn-upfitters-arlington
Other: https://maps.app.goo.gl/6ujTguqgJ4njWcDu9
https://mamaoinkers.com/
https://www.instagram.com/mamaoinkers
Image Credits
mamaoinkers
