Today we’d like to introduce you to Justin Cole.
Hi Justin, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I was born with what I call the Car Bug (an ingrained love for cool vehicles). That led me to start my first business at 12 so I could buy my first car ASAP. We did lawnmowing/landscaping work. I ended up buying that car, a 1968 Mustang fastback, at 14 and have since bought and or sold over a thousand vehicles. I secured a multimillion-dollar loan while in college to open my first dealership. I then went to work for the big box stores to learn more about the corporate side of the car business. After five years of making my way through the ranks at companies like Berkshire Hathaway Automotive, I opened Accelerate Auto Group which is a full-service car dealership. I then added Don’t Trade It In (it specializes in buying vehicles directly from the public) and Accelerate Auto Repair that offers repair, customization, paint/body, and restoration services to retail clients. FAST.CARS is the latest addition to the family and will launch soon. It’s going to be the best and fastest way to buy a vehicle in person or online, nationwide.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
It has not been a smooth road at all. As Elon Musk puts it, “Starting a company is like eating glass and staring into the abyss.” It’s very hard and like Elon, I’ve been crazy enough to do it multiple times. I could write a book about my struggles but a few examples include being annihilated by and losing pretty much everything I had to the Great Recession, going through hundreds of people to build a good core team of six mechanical/paint/auto body techs, and being so strapped for cash while building businesses that I had to live on the Ramen Noodles style diet for consecutive years. I used to go to Sam’s Club to get a rotisserie chicken each week. I shredded it up and ate chicken sandwiches every day.
We’ve been impressed with Accelerate Auto Group, Accelerate Auto Repair, Don’t Trade It In, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I summarized the businesses in a previous question. The number one thing that sets us apart is that we do everything we can to make sure that our clients know that we genuinely want them to get what they want. They win before we win. We’ve been quite successful at this, and I’m proud of the excellent reputation we’ve built, especially in an industry that’s so infested with sharks. It’s hard to compete with sharks and maintain your integrity when they don’t.
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
More and more vehicles will be bought online.
Contact Info:
- Email: jcole@accelerateautogroup.com
- Website: www.accelerateautogroup.com, www.accelerateautorepair.com, www.donttradeitin.com, FAST.CARS (coming soon)
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/accelerateautogroup/ ,www.instagram.com/accelerateautorepair/, https://www.instagram.com/donttradeitin/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/accelerateautogroup ,https://www.facebook.com/AccelerateAutoRepair, https://www.facebook.com/donttradeitin
