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Success Story
1 Stop Business Supplies:
The Small Business That Runs Big
Gus Dubiner, owner of 1 Stop, in his office
- Dealership:
- 1 Stop Business Supplies
- Industries:
- Office Supplies
- Business conducted online:
- 70 percent
- Owner:
- Gus Dubiner
- 1 Stop Business Supplies Uses:
Software for growing office dealers
Technology has changed everything. It makes nearly everything faster and easier, with higher quality and lower price. But the best thing about technology? We think it’s the way technology helps small businesses prosper even under tough competition.
Just ask Gus Dubiner. Gus recently sold his dealership, 1 Stop Business Supplies of Rocky Hill, NJ, for a handsome profit after six years of ownership. And though 1 Stop wasn’t big by any measure (with just three people on the payroll when the business changed hands), Gus had steadily developed and diversified his market share over the years. Gus had built a network of clients that stretched across the Northeast — and it was this trait that made 1 Stop such a hot prospect for acquisition.
And Gus built his diverse customer base using technology to give his small business giant capabilities. Thanks to powerful assistance from ECi’s Britannia software and the support of first-call wholesaler ActionEmco, 1 Stop was able to meet the office needs of even the largest organization.
Britannia Ecommerce: ‘A Genuine Win-Win’
In March of 2008, for example, Gus was putting together a program for an account that would serve 75 different branch locations across the country. Using the BritLink online ordering platform, Gus built a list of pre-approved items for his client, which authorized users at each branch were able to order online. And thanks to Britannia consolidated billing features, corporate headquarters could pay for all orders on a single statement each month.
It was a genuine win-win, says Gus. “The customer saves money by eliminating unnecessary or extravagant purchases and reducing expenses through consolidated order processing, and we gain from all the reduced expenses and efficiencies that come from using the Internet. And of course, it was a big help with customer retention, too.”
Gus is no stranger to the benefits of online ordering. 1 Stop was one of the first dealers to implement BritLink when it was introduced, and today 70 percent of its supplies business comes in via the Web.
“If you’re a dealer, you make money two ways — either by selling more to the customer or by reducing your expenses. BritLink helps you do both,” Gus contends. “Customers like it because it makes ordering easier and you can manage who can buy and what they buy more efficiently. And as a dealer, why wouldn’t you want to use a system that increases your own internal productivity so effectively?”
Growing Up by Spreading Out
1 Stop is by no means a new business; 2008 marks its 20th anniversary. And the dealership didn’t always have a technological advantage — Gus had only been in the picture since 2002.
Up until then, he was a road warrior for much larger corporations for close to 25 years, traveling to branches nationwide and providing accounting and technology support. “I was looking to transition to less travel and a more local work environment. 1 Stop was for sale and it looked like a good deal,” he recalls. And despite strong competition in the area, Gus saw solid potential in the business and was confident that the skills he had learned in his previous career would help set his new business on a growth curve.
But first a few changes were in order.
When Gus bought the business, it was driven primarily by a retail store that had been in operation since the company’s founding. “Our retail location did well for the first two years after we bought the dealership, but then local grocery stores and pharmacies started growing their office products business and drawing walk-in business away. Closing our own store was really the only logical choice,” he remembers.
Gus also found the dealership had a commercial base that was concentrated too close to home. “We made a conscious decision to spread out geographically. It was just too easy for one of the big national players or even another local independent to put a sales rep in our territory as it was back then, and start trying to pick off customers,” he reasoned. “Spreading out over a larger area made us a lot less vulnerable to that kind of attack.”
That’s when he turned to Britannia. Knowing technology as well as he did, Gus saw that ecommerce was his best chance to grow the business — and that the QuickBooks® system he inherited from the former owners couldn’t offer what he needed. With Britannia’s integrated Web storefront and Net-based purchasing with all top suppliers, the system gave Gus the tools he needed to carve out his niche in a changing marketplace.
Educated Customers Wanted
It also helped that Gus had a very clear idea of the kind of customer he wanted and, just as importantly, the kind he didn’t want.
“There’s a well known retailer in New Jersey whose slogan is, ‘An Educated Consumer is Our Best Customer,’ ” Gus explains. “We took that as our approach, too. The people who buy from us know they may not always get the lowest price on every line item, but they also know at the end of the month, they will realize a lower cost in their P&L and at the same time receive a level of service the big box stores and larger independents just can’t offer.”
According to Gus, 1 Stop thrived by focusing on these high quality accounts. “You have to know just who your profitable customers really are and constantly track the key metrics that define success.”
That’s where the Britannia system really shines, he says. “[Britannia] gives us the ability to analyze what a customer is buying; it allows us to look at average discounts per customer and track gross profit per customer. There aren’t too many better ways to see how well you’re doing and secure the business.”
Selling Satisfaction
After six years at the helm of his own small business, there’s an unmistakable note of pride in the way Gus Dubiner talks about his time at 1 Stop Business Supplies — and it has just as much to do with the quality service he provided as the success he had. “We sold 70 percent office supplies, 25 percent furniture, 5 percent printing and 100 percent customer satisfaction.”
Looking back, Gus is sure that there is still room for an independent to succeed by offering superior service. While his view of the future is certainly realistic — “We operate in a landscape that is fiercely competitive and that changes constantly,” says Gus — he remains convinced that there is plenty of opportunity for dealers with vision and determination.
“If you make a plan, track your progress and adjust your budget as necessary, this can be a great industry for a small business,” Gus maintains. And with the support of key business partners like Britannia and ActionEmco, Gus Dubiner has provided six years of compelling evidence for that claim.
Source: ECi Britannia, Q1, Volume One, Issue One, 2008
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