In January of 2021 , Asim Abbasi was an IT consultant longing to break out of the corporate world . A mere 6 months later , he was celebrating the grand opening of Double A Trailers , a full-service dealership he opened with no previous industry experience .
After 27 years of IT consulting , the trailer industry called out to Asim Abbasi . When he came across a dealership being sold , Abassi recognized the success one can achieve in the industry and opted to open his own full-service dealership .
Not sure how to begin , Abbasi joined the NATDA , where the NATDA team connected him with dealer member benefits like a consultant to answer his questions . A huge proponent of aligning himself with the right people , Abbasi cites this as a main reason for his success .
“ It was a long process ,” Abbasi said . “ In the beginning , I didn ’ t think I was going to be able to sign on with anyone , especially with the way things are with the industry right now . All the big names said , ‘ No no no !’, but I kept calling . Finally , I was able to sign with American Hauler . Then , Continental Cargo , Legend Manufacturing , Liberty Trailers and KRIN Custom Trailers .”
From a service perspective , Abbasi took the same approach , hiring Jorge Ayala as General Manager , Joe Shafer as a technician and Priscila Uriostegui as Office Manager .
“ The process was a lot ,” remembered Abbasi . “ I got in touch with Mark Podeyn Consulting – that was money well spent . I had no idea how this business worked , and he helped me greatly along the way .”
After the initial consultation , Abbasi took to calling manufacturers . Despite the state of the industry , he found several companies willing to work with him .
16 NATDA Magazine www . natda . org