Past Winner Stories
Ziebart of Indianapolis
www.ziebart.com
Ziebart International Corporation has been providing detailing protection and accessories for cars, trucks and vans since 1959. Along with more than 40 years experience of maintaining the interior and exterior of vehicles, the company is also the leader in aftermarket accessories. Services include professional detailing, paint and fabric protection, rust protection, window tint, electronic systems and other accessories such as truck bed liners and running boards.
Denny Fryman, president, Ziebart of Indianapolis, has faced a mountain of obstacles and challenges in recent years. Growing up on a farm taught him the value of hard work so he had a reserve of strength to call upon during the hard times. It also taught him to take advantage of opportunities. “One Summer, my dad offered to pay me 50 percent of the farm’s net profits, to be applied toward my college education, for my work,” he said. “As it turned out, we had a really good year and that motivation planted a seed in my mind for entrepreneurship.”
Fryman was introduced to the Ziebart franchise opportunity through his brother-in-law, Dave Marshall. After starting with a dream and a limited cash flow, the company was a victim of the national interest rates and the resulting slow sales of new cars. Fryman hired a Detroit businessman who was making a name for himself with a business that manufactured a product that converted 4-wheel drive vehicles to part-time 4-wheel drive. With a 30 percent savings in gas expenses, customers were interested. “The product may have saved our business,” Fryman said. Although the relationship was short, it provided an entrée into other business opportunities. Fryman decided to expand into the Indianapolis market and opened five stores in two years. New challenges were on the horizon.
Ziebart’s reputation was built on vehicle rust protection services. As manufacturers began to use rust protection warranties as a marketing tool, the implication was this industry was no longer needed. Other services, such as window tinting, faced possible demise through legislation. Then the company became embroiled with a lawsuit with the franchisor about contract law, product liability law and antitrust issues. Eventually, the case went into arbitration but the hits just kept on coming.
Another issue was succession planning. Any small business owner can become too closely identified with the business. This scenario hit too close to home for Fryman when his brother-in-law (who also owned Ziebart franchises in the Dayton, Ohio area) developed medical problems that left him disabled. Fryman was asked to step in and run his brother-in-law’s eight stores, along with the eight he now owned in Indianapolis. “I was still the lead person in our lawsuit with the franchise and my business had just doubled,” he said. “The pressure was overwhelming.” There were also issues to be dealt with in the Indiana legislature, employees and management who were being constantly courted by the competition and the day-to-day business challenges.
Facing these obstacles head-on has been an ongoing learning experience. Fryman credits the employees and management in working through the hard times. The company is structured to allow employees to share in the rewards of entrepreneurship without the risk of investment. Loyalty to vendors has also proven to benefit both sides of the equation. Vendors are often participants in company programs with stronger relationships as everyone’s reward.
Involvement in the franchise lawsuit forced Fryman to release control. “As a result of not micro-managing, I’ve actually found the team seeks my counsel even more,” he said. “Many of our people have been here more than ten years and they’ve grown up as a team.”
Denny Fryman, president, Ziebart of Indianapolis, has faced a mountain of obstacles and challenges in recent years. Growing up on a farm taught him the value of hard work so he had a reserve of strength to call upon during the hard times. It also taught him to take advantage of opportunities. “One Summer, my dad offered to pay me 50 percent of the farm’s net profits, to be applied toward my college education, for my work,” he said. “As it turned out, we had a really good year and that motivation planted a seed in my mind for entrepreneurship.”
Fryman was introduced to the Ziebart franchise opportunity through his brother-in-law, Dave Marshall. After starting with a dream and a limited cash flow, the company was a victim of the national interest rates and the resulting slow sales of new cars. Fryman hired a Detroit businessman who was making a name for himself with a business that manufactured a product that converted 4-wheel drive vehicles to part-time 4-wheel drive. With a 30 percent savings in gas expenses, customers were interested. “The product may have saved our business,” Fryman said. Although the relationship was short, it provided an entrée into other business opportunities. Fryman decided to expand into the Indianapolis market and opened five stores in two years. New challenges were on the horizon.
Ziebart’s reputation was built on vehicle rust protection services. As manufacturers began to use rust protection warranties as a marketing tool, the implication was this industry was no longer needed. Other services, such as window tinting, faced possible demise through legislation. Then the company became embroiled with a lawsuit with the franchisor about contract law, product liability law and antitrust issues. Eventually, the case went into arbitration but the hits just kept on coming.
Another issue was succession planning. Any small business owner can become too closely identified with the business. This scenario hit too close to home for Fryman when his brother-in-law (who also owned Ziebart franchises in the Dayton, Ohio area) developed medical problems that left him disabled. Fryman was asked to step in and run his brother-in-law’s eight stores, along with the eight he now owned in Indianapolis. “I was still the lead person in our lawsuit with the franchise and my business had just doubled,” he said. “The pressure was overwhelming.” There were also issues to be dealt with in the Indiana legislature, employees and management who were being constantly courted by the competition and the day-to-day business challenges.
Facing these obstacles head-on has been an ongoing learning experience. Fryman credits the employees and management in working through the hard times. The company is structured to allow employees to share in the rewards of entrepreneurship without the risk of investment. Loyalty to vendors has also proven to benefit both sides of the equation. Vendors are often participants in company programs with stronger relationships as everyone’s reward.
Involvement in the franchise lawsuit forced Fryman to release control. “As a result of not micro-managing, I’ve actually found the team seeks my counsel even more,” he said. “Many of our people have been here more than ten years and they’ve grown up as a team.”