Dick Bonnet is an independent contractor for TorcUP of WV selling Hydraulic Pneumatic and Battery bolting tools (torque wrenches) to the industry in West Virginia.
Dick’s job is to locate prospects and demonstrate the tools on the application and then follow up with training and service once the sale is made. He works out of his home in Parkersburg and covers the length and breadth of West Virginia. The parent company is TorcUP Inc., out of Easton, Pennsylvania.
Their tools range from 120 ft/lbs torque to 100,000 ft/lbs torque with a +/- 3% accuracy. They are used when torque is critical (just about anything that moves) and when you can’t do it by hand.
TorcUP tools are used in wind farms, coal mines, power plants, quarries, oil and gas, railroads, chemical plants, heavy equipment, plastics and other industrial applications, including cranes and hydraulic cylinders, car shredders, steel, aluminum and silica metal.
SHOW NOTES:
- 3:17 Dick, take a minute, fill in some gaps from that brief intro and give us a little behind the curtain look into your business.
- 5:05 Can you tell us more about your entrepreneurial journey?
- 6:31 How long did you run your scrap plastic company?
- 7:20 How long did you own that company?
- 7:57 What is your 30 sec. pitch for TorcUP?
- 8:30 What is your target market?
- 9:20 How long have you been an independent contractor for TorcUP?
- 9:40 What was it like to transition from owning your own company to becoming an independent contractor?
- 11:48 What is your key to success as an independent contractor?
- 14:34 What has been your best business moment?
- 16:43 What has been your worst business moment?
- 17:52 PWV Commercial Break
- 18:28 What is the vision your have for your role in TorcUP of WV long term?
- 19:25 How do you attract new customers?
- 22:32 What is one of the biggest challenges you face in your business right now?
- 24:29 What is one piece of advice that you’d give to young people who are thinking about starting their own business?
- 26:02 What is one piece of advice you’d give to somebody who is interested in doing work as an independent contractor?
- 31:00 What is one thing that you do every day that you think contributes to your success?
- 32:43 What is one book or podcast that you’d recommend for aspiring entrepreneurs?
- 36:00 Is there anything else you’d like our listeners to know about you or your story?
- 37:26 How can our listeners learn more about your company and perhaps even get in contact with you?
- 39:13 Outro
Email: dbonnet@torcup.com
Phone: 304-834-6300
Book Recommendation: The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement by Eliyahu M. Goldratt