Today we’d like to introduce you to Jarrett Rogers.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Jarrett. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I have always been an entrepreneur at heart. I got it from my Mother who was always holding top positions at her corporate jobs and had her own side gigs as well. While growing up, she encouraged me to start my own businesses. I had lawn care, babysitting, sold candy on the bus, and did whatever I could to make money. Fast forward many years and I’m living on my own doing what status quo America said I should: Going to college and trying get a good job. Although I was doing odd jobs at the time, I knew what I wanted and that was on my own business. Be my own boss and ultimately have freedom from it all: stress, finances, etc.
I graduated my 2 year college down in Oceanside, CA and moved to Orange County for a fresh start and to attend CSUF to get my bachelors. Well, one and a half years into it I dropped out and started a tech company. It was a HUGE learning experience for me. I had a fire for what I was doing but what was to come was a huge awakening. I did almost everything wrong and lost a lot of money and relationships but the learning curve was necessary if this was what I wanted to do. Long story short, I went back to work for a few more odd jobs then was forced into uncertain living conditions due to finances. At that time, my Father was deployed oversees and because I was busy in Orange County with work, I couldn’t go down to San Diego to help my Mother with the vehicles that often so she was stuck taking her car in to the local shops. She would send me the invoices asking if everything seemed correct and almost every time it was the same story: they were taking advantage of her lack of automotive knowledge. I got fed up with these shops and when I’d go down to inquiry about the repairs, I’d get a completely different answer which solidified my knowledge about mechanics being sleazy and shops taking advantage of people’s ignorance.
After that experience, I thought to myself how many people are paying thousands more a year out of pocket due to wrong information from their shops. I then thought about this booming “on-demand” market we’re in a BOOM, the light bulb went off in my head. I would send the best and most trusted guys in the field as mobile mechanics to people’s homes or offices to conduct repairs for customers. I got many friends, family, and random strangers’ opinions on it and they all loved it but had great questions which sent me to the drawing board quite a few times. During this time, I was still living in uncertain living conditions which made me work harder to get out of it. We can go into that conversation when we hit 1 million users [ :)].
Fast forward a year later and we’ve completed over 300 repairs from basic oil changes all the way up to swapping out numerous engines and transmissions right in customer’s driveways.
We’ve been featured in the LA Times as well as The Orange County Business Journal. We were a finalist in the Tech Coast Angels Fast Pitch Competition and have pitched at Hustle Park put on by OC Tech Happy Hour. We have a development team and just recently brought on a kick ass SEO/Marketing member.
Things are going well but we’re nowhere close to where we want to be. We’ve been fortunate to attract many mechanics from our competitor’s platforms. That alone tells me we’re doing something right and mechanics as well as customers are appreciating our business practices.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
No it has definitely not been a smooth road. I started this business with literally no cash.
Fortunately, my first job was for a buddy of mine and was straight labor as he already had the parts. I lucked out with my first mechanic who is now a good friend of mine and one hell of a mechanic. He knocked out the job and I walked away with $120 to my name. Every bit of success in this business I’ve had to fight for and I’m still fighting but every bit I’ve learned a great deal from to add to my repertoire.
Some of the struggles I’ve had to endure was living in horrible circumstances and coming to each and every job like I lived in a 5* resort. I’ve had to fire employees, deal with shady customers that want to take advantage of you, not get paid for jobs, have my girlfriend take out a $5k loan to help the business stay afloat.
I’ve had many sleepless nights and have had to cry myself to sleep on others. But it got better. I started focusing on myself, my mind, and the energy that I was releasing into the universe. I started becoming more positive and focusing on my health and things started to change. It was a mind shift and persistent action that got me to where I am today and will continue to get me to where I want to go.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Trusted Mechanix – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
TrustedMechanix is an on-demand auto repair company where our mechanics come to your home or office to complete repairs from brake changes all the way to engine and transmission swaps. Because we don’t have a typical brick and mortar, we avoid excess expenses which we pass on to our customers. On average, we save customers 20-50% from what local shops and dealers charge, not to mention the work is being done at your location. No need to get a tow truck and inconvenience your day.
What we’re known for and what makes me the happiest is making customers feel like the work that’s being done to their vehicle is what needs to be done, not just some upselling scheme. Although we bring all concerns to your attention, we explain what needs to be done now and what can wait. In the end, we know auto repair can get expensive and you need someone you can trust.
What sets us apart from our competitors is:
1) We are mobile!
– Just by being mobile, we beat out about 99% of our competition. We send qualified and certified techs to you to fix your vehicle. Most repairs can be completed same day pending parts are available.
2) You can trust us!
– Normally the words “Auto Repair” and “Trust” are seldom found in the same sentence and come off as oxymorons. Not with TrustedMechanix. We completely vet and background check our technicians to ensure only the smartest and friendliest people arrive at your location.
3) SAVE!
– Because we don’t have a shop, we pass savings on to you.
4) The best mechanics want to work for us!
– Other mobile platforms have had internal issues and have created a mistrust with their technicians. They’ve found that our mechanics enjoy their work and have more resources to work successfully.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
We definitely have some HUGE plans in store for the future. We will remain as the most trusted and convenient source of automotive repair but we plan to make this one hell of a tech company as well.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.TrustedMechanix.com
- Phone: 714-763-0227
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @TrustedMechanix
- Facebook: Facebook.com/TrustedMechanix
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/trustedmechanix-irvine-2
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
