Brian Barber

You don't have to write code. But you have to invest in it. Or someone who does will eat your lunch.

We built our own ERP because nobody else was building what we needed. Six months of development. Replaced $35K/year in SaaS that didn't fit. Most jobbers think tech is someone else's problem. "I sell parts, I don't write code."

Hot take: the auto parts jobber who builds technology wins the next decade. Not the one with the most locations. Not the one with the lowest prices. The one with the best tech. Here's why.. 🧵

Was 40% APR smart? No. Was it necessary? Yes. Would I do it again? Already did.

At scale.. that's hundreds of thousands of dollars tied up. So when someone says "just grow organically".. I know they've never imported a container. Growth capital is oxygen. And sometimes oxygen is expensive.

I've paid 40% APR on merchant cash advances. More than once. I know. Every finance person reading this just had a heart attack.

My daughter Rose turns 2 this year. She does not know what her dad does all day. She does not care about the containers. But she knows when I am home. That matters more than any container.

The moat is real. Competitors who can't float the cash can't compete on cost. Our private label brands — Bremex, Tectonic, Krypton — exist because of this supply chain. Importing isn't a shortcut. It's a commitment. Start with one container. Bet what you can afford to lose.

We've had disasters. Container arrived with wrong specs. $30K+ to fix. Port delays turned 85 days into 120. Quality issues on brake pads — every unit hand-inspected. You build systems after the disasters. Not before.

Everyone talks about importing from Asia like it's a cheat code. Find a factory on Alibaba. Place an order. Sit back. I wish it were that simple. We import 30+ containers/year from 7 factories. Every one is a calculated risk. Here's what it actually costs 🧵

The handshake gets them in the door. The portal keeps them. If you're in B2B and customers still have to call to place an order.. you're making it harder than it needs to be. Convenience wins. Every time.

Some old-school customers push back. 'Just call me,' they say. But the ones who've ordered at 10 PM from their couch? Seen their balance instantly? Not waited on a Monday callback? They're not going back.

In auto parts.. the handshake used to be everything. You'd visit a shop. Shake hands. Leave a catalog. Follow up next week. That still matters. But it's not enough anymore. 🧵