Real World Retail: LIS Audio

LIMITLESS PURSUIT

Having built a solid foundation, LIS Audio is working toward eventually expanding into a second facility and adding additional categories to an already growing list of services.

Sound Wave Customs’ annual Salepocalypse went on as scheduled on March 13. Although less people attended, a greater number of higher-end products were sold.

WORDS BY ROSA SOPHIA

In Spring Hill, Kan., LIS Audio—Limitless Innovative Solutions—continues to do business during the spread of COVID-19. The store is owned by business partners Justice Berry and Cameron Powell, who stated the shop is able to remain open because they provide essential services in the form of GPS trackers and ignition interlocks. Open since December 2016, the shop works on everything from custom audio builds to safety, and has extensive plans in place for expansion.

“We’ve had about a 30 percent increase in both clientele and profits, each year,” Powell said. “We’ve both been consistently growing our knowledge, practicing new methods and techniques, and we just started revamping our shop again so we can be more efficient.” The business’s mission is simple: “We like to be limitless in our pursuit of knowledge, innovative in our techniques, and always provide a solution no matter what—Limitless Innovative Solutions.”

Currently, Powell and Berry make up a staff of two. They met at a previous job and decided to team up, both feeling that certain aspects of the 12-volt industry weren’t being addressed in their area. Before opening their own store, they visited other shops and felt dissatisfied with their experiences.

Most of all, they wanted to create a welcoming atmosphere in their new business. “When you walk into a shop, you want to feel welcome,” Berry said. “We didn’t feel welcome [when we visited other shops]. And we didn’t want people to feel unwelcome when they came to us. When people are comfortable with you, they’re more inclined to do business with you.”

They also felt more shops could improve upon practices in the install bay. “It comes down to simple things like taping off areas while you’re working on them, and using seat covers and steering wheel covers,” Powell said. “We also maintain the battery while we’re working on a vehicle.”

During the shop’s first year of business, both men stayed late and worked long hours. Eventually, Powell said, they had to come to grips with this. “If you’re not 100 percent mentally available, you’re wasting your effort and talent,” he explained. “We had to decide to get out of here in good time, so we could come back fresh the next day, ready to accomplish things.”

A Solid Business Structure From the Ground Up

The shop has comprehensive plans in place for future growth into multiple categories, according to Powell, including marine audio.

Berry often takes clients home or back to their jobs when they drop their cars off at the facility. In the future, this could be expanded into an additional business plan involving local parts deliveries for other shops. The business is also prepared for growth with an employee handbook and contracts. When it comes to hiring additional employees, Powell and Berry said there will be some benefits available. They will also offer commission incentives for employees who handle tasks that aren’t ordinarily part of their job description.

“For example, if they take care of inventory, and that’s something they don’t ordinarily do, they’ll get a small bump in commission,” Powell said. “If it’s an installer who also works in sales, they’ll get a commission on whatever they sell.” Any employees will be required to attain MECP certification. Berry noted there will be a grace period in which an employee will be expected to earn their certification if they wish to remain in their position. “We are also going to implement sales certification,” he added.

To help bring in new staff, and attract people to the industry, Powell said they have plans to educate the public and do outreach at a local technical school for high-school age kids. “We want to help young people find out if this is something they’d like to do,” Powell said, adding, “This will also help us find new hires.”

The shop is prepared with detailed hiring plans for all categories or

Currently, LIS Audio is reorganizing the shop with a focus on efficiency and increased productivity. In the future, they may section off areas of the bay. For now, the shop has an open floor plan with plenty of room for growth.

departments—which will continue to grow as the business grows. One plan includes fleet work. “We haven’t contracted any because it’s just the two of us,” Powell said. However, they’re prepared with an entire sales plan for fleet and commercial accounts. “We want to include integrated audio, remote starts, GPS trackers and safety sensors.”

Plans are in the works for a second facility once they have a staff, according to Berry and Powell. The current building would be used for fabrication purposes, while they envision using the new location for basic installation. The timeline, they added, depends on how quickly the business can build a team.

After walking into the front of the building, Berry and Powell said the entire shop is visible. The garage is on the left, with offices on the right. “Our fabrication area is across the garage on the far

end. Everything is wide open,” Powell said, adding that in the future, they may section things off. “On the back wall, we have our test bench, tool boxes and other work areas.”

The latest shop revamp, now in progress, will be geared toward increased productivity. “We put up some new shelves. We put up more cabinets, and we’re installing new router tables,” Powell said. “We have more peg boards so we can re-organize. We’re also about to build another big work station.” Currently, LIS Audio is appointment-only, and the front door stays locked. “The only time we get anyone walking straight in is if we have our garage doors open on a nice day.”

Consistency in Goal-Setting Leads to Increased Revenue

With a solid foundation in place, Powell said he and Berry feel that consistency and setting smaller goals have led

Justice Berry and Cameron Powell opened LIS Audio in December of 2016, intending to bring better service and higher-quality installation practices to their local area.

to increased visibility in the community and an increase in revenue each year. “We set small goals and achieve them quickly,” Powell said. “We also avoid becoming overwhelmed with too many larger goals.”

Rather than have a showroom with interactive displays, the shop prefers to utilize demo vehicles. “We have clients come back who are willing to let us show their vehicles to potential customers,” Powell said. This is done mainly for extensive custom installations. Powell and Berry will see the new client at least twice before moving forward with a project. If the client is interested in viewing a demonstration, the shop will reach out to a previous client who hired the shop for a similar project. Then, Powell said, the client has a real experience to give them an idea of what these products would sound like in their own vehicle.

Most clients come to the shop through word-of-mouth due to the way in which the two men have built the business, and

very little is spent on marketing. “We made our name by doing good work,” Powell explained, stating that when they first started, they were always willing to travel to clients’ homes, their jobs or wherever they were. This increased their positive reputation in the Kansas City area and helped them build revenue to open a physical location.

“The most of what we’ve done in terms of advertising is a 30-day boost on Facebook once a year, and that’s it,” Powell added. Clients range from teenagers with new cars, to older men looking for full custom projects. The facility stands between the countryside and the edge of suburbia, so they attract both city dwellers and those who live in the country.

Taking the Next Step Forward

Powell and Berry both attend trainings held by their local distributor, as well as KnowledgeFest. The shop adheres to MECP practices, while trying to go above and beyond. Powell cited vehicle grounds

as an example. “We will run a full ground from the front to the back of the vehicle so we aren’t messing with sheet metal. We don’t want to have bad grounds, because that equalsnoise and other troublesome issues,” he explained.

One of the shop’s custom builds recently sold at auction for $154,000, according to Powell. “It was a 1970 Charger. We took care of the electrical work, and reeducated the car builder on vehicle wiring. It had starting problems when he brought it in, and when the car left, it had no issues,” he said, adding that the car builder had initially used the wrong gauge wire. “We also did custom kick panels, a full trunk build and added lighting accents.”

The shop was also named a Top 50 Retailer for the second time in three years. “We’ve had awesome growth,” they said. “In our third year in business, we’re on firmer ground.”

Their goal for the coming year is to build a team so the shop can continue to grow and expand. “Just finding employees has been our biggest problem,” Powell said, adding that the workload continues to increase in volume, and it’s becoming a bit too much for two people.

Powell feels the team at LIS Audio will grow as the business grows. “As long as we keep doing what we’re doing, those who really want to be involved will show up,” he said. “They’ll want to come here and be part of a Top 50 Retailer.”