Storytelling #1: How Do You Build a Unique Startup in the Used Car Sales Industry?

For the first episode of our "Storytelling" interview series, we invited a man who introduced a unique concept for selling used cars to our region. Tomáš Martiš is the driving force behind this unique project Auto Realitka. He built it from the ground up, and today it is known throughout Slovakia. How did he land his first customer, what marketing approach does he consider most effective in this business, and what was the biggest challenge he faced when launching his business?

1. How did you get started in business? Did you try a variety of different things, or was Autorealitka your first business?

Looking back a few years, my early days in business were very interesting to me. Even back in high school, I knew I wanted to start my own business someday, but as is often the case, it took me a while to find my footing. While I was in high school, my mom sold sportswear, and I would go from store to store, offering these clothes to my friends and their parents. I also visited various restaurants and cafes, where I offered the clothing to the staff. At the time, it wasn’t an activity that brought in a lot of money, but every now and then, I used the money to enjoy a nice weekend like any typical teenager.

When I was 17, I went to England for a summer job, where I managed to earn my first—what was, for me at the time, a significant amount of money—which I used to buy a carpet cleaner, a vacuum cleaner, and some car care products. I created a website and a Facebook page—TOMMYLUX—and started cleaning and deep-cleaning cars in my backyard. Occasionally, I’d go to deep-clean a sofa set, but I always had to ask my mom to drive me there, since I didn’t have a driver’s license yet. As soon as I turned 18, while I was still in high school, I registered my business. At the same time, I attended seminars and lectures at an unnamed financial brokerage firm.

„My last regular job was at a factory in England, where I worked in the human resources department.“

When I graduated from high school and couldn’t afford to go on to college, my little business venture didn’t bring in enough to live on, so I went to work. I worked at two well-known Slovak banks and as a salesman at two used-car dealerships—one of which was the most famous in Czechoslovakia. After that, I went from one job to another (for example, I drove for Uber in Vienna, polished laminate body parts for buses and other machinery near Linz, and so on :D) and, on the side, I’d buy and sell a car here and there. My last full-time job was at a factory in England, where I worked in the HR department and was primarily responsible for Slovak and Polish employees—I recruited new workers, arranged housing for them, and helped them open bank accounts. Plus, I handled some paperwork related to the warehouse and transportation. Subsequently, after an argument with my manager, I returned to Slovakia in December 2017 and was thinking about what to do next. I even had an interview in Vienna with an airline, since I was interested in becoming a flight attendant.

2. What did Autorealitka do in its early days, and what does it do today? What services do you provide?

From the very beginning, Autorealitka.sk has been dedicated to helping people who want to sell their cars with ease. At first, I did this work all by myself—it was a one-man show—and then a few friends joined me.

Today, we’re essentially doing the same thing we did in the beginning—that is, helping people sell their cars—but it’s much more complex and sophisticated. We handle the entire process, from photographing the vehicle and assisting with pricing, advertising on all classifieds portals and social media, communicating with prospective buyers, arranging vehicle viewings, the sale itself, deregistration, and even canceling insurance. We also provide comprehensive services related to vehicle financing and insurance for the buyer, and we have long-standing partnerships with several providers.

 

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A post shared by Tomáš Martiš (@tomas.martis)

A huge difference compared to when we first started is that we now have a sophisticated internal system for tracking business transactions and a customer database, our own in-house call center, nearly 20 brokers, two trainers, and several offices throughout western Slovakia. We also regularly organize various conferences, training sessions, workshops, and interesting competitions for our team.

3. How did the idea come about to start such an unconventional business, one that wasn't common in Slovakia in the past?

I was the first to bring this business to Slovakia. Or at least, I’m not aware of anyone else doing something similar in this form. This idea came about completely spontaneously and partly by chance. It happened when an acquaintance of mine approached me and asked if I could help him sell his car, since he didn’t have time to do it himself. Since I had extensive experience selling cars, I said yes, even though at the time I wasn’t entirely sure if I’d be able to help him the way he envisioned. He told me the amount he wanted to get for his car, adding that whatever was left over would be mine.

In fact, I didn't even take any photos of that car back then—he sent me the photos himself, and I just listed it for sale. I managed to sell it in about three weeks and earned my first commission from the sale. That’s when it occurred to me that I could offer this kind of service to more people. If one person appreciated it, it was quite possible that others would, too. I started talking to several people about it, and even though most were skeptical at first, I was convinced it could take off. So I wrote up a business plan outlining how the whole thing might work. With my first commission, I bought a DSLR camera—which I still can’t bring myself to part with—and had my first website built.

4. „Autorealitka“ is an interesting and apt name for the company. How did you come up with it?

I called my best friend to tell him about the business model I’d come up with. We sat down for a beer, and I explained the whole thing to him. He was thrilled, and then he told me that it was basically a real estate agency for cars. That’s when I blurted out, “Autorealitka!”—and just like that, I had a perfect name that exactly captures what we do. This friend later started working for us as a broker and is still with us today, currently as a trainer and manager—he’s in charge of training new hires, as well as recruitment and overall support, especially for new employees at the company.

5. Do you remember how you got your first real customer?

Just as I mentioned in response to the third question. After that, I talked about this service everywhere—I mentioned it to all my friends, acquaintances, and on social media. I visited all the local auto repair shops, which were a huge help in attracting my first customers.

6. What were the biggest challenges you faced when launching your project?

I had no experience with how legal entities work—that is, limited liability companies, accounting, and so on. Just the usual problems faced by new entrepreneurs. Another challenge was getting people to understand the service itself—that it could actually help them., save time and avoid the hassle of selling a car. It was a completely new concept; back then, people didn't understand it at all. Things are much better today.

7. What do you consider your greatest achievement?

I consider my greatest achievement to be that I was able to build a project from scratch—one that hadn’t existed here before and that people didn’t have confidence in. Also, the fact that we’ve been on the market for almost 5 years and are still growing—hiring new people, opening new offices, and developing new processes that make our work easier and help us grow.

 

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A post shared by Tomáš Martiš (@tomas.martis)

8. If you had to start building Autorealitka from scratch again right now, what would you do differently?

Throughout our journey, many things—relationships and so on—went wrong, but thanks to that, we are where we are today. I am convinced that every single setback moves not only me as a person forward, but also the entire company as a whole.

9. How did you handle marketing when launching the Autorealitka startup, and how did you adapt your approach as you began to expand?

The classic amateur trial-and-error approach. It was mainly Facebook posts, the occasional contest, and campaigns, but nothing special. I consider setting up our own call center to be our best marketing decision—it brings us the most customers.

10. Which marketing activities do you consider to be the most successful?

Setting up our own call center with trained staff and fine-tuning the call script, which people respond to very well.

11. You primarily advertise cars online. What factors in the online world ensure that a vehicle sells as quickly as possible?

Our added value is that every real estate agent receives a mirrorless camera from us, and we teach them how to take professional photos and edit them. It’s also important to advertise vehicles on all available portals and social media platforms, and, of course, the ad copy must be well-written.

Another factor that really helps us sell cars is that we can arrange financing, so a customer who comes in without any money can drive away in their new car within an hour. Last but not least, it’s our quick communication with prospective buyers and the prompt handling of the entire purchase process. Because once people decide to buy, in most cases they want the car right away.

12. What are your future plans for Autorealitka?

We want to change the way people think about selling their cars. We believe that in the future, we’ll have brokers in every city who will have their own offices, and people will want to sell their cars themselves through companies like ours. We want people to be convinced that the best way to sell their car is through us. We believe that with the steps we’re taking today, we’ll be able to expand Autorealitka into neighboring countries within a few years—and perhaps eventually throughout all of Europe.

We want to be the McDonald’s of the used-car market. Eventually, we’d like to open showrooms in larger cities where our customers can display their cars if they’re no longer using them. I think we have a very good vision, and we surround ourselves with the best people who share it with us.

13. What advice would you give to someone who wants to start a business selling used cars?

Let him give us a call; we’ll set up an interview, and if we like him, we’ll be happy to welcome him to our team 😀 First and foremost, I’d recommend that someone like that get a job somewhere where they’ll teach him the ins and outs of sales. That way, they can acquire top-notch sales skills, and they should definitely have a passion for cars so they’ll enjoy the work in the long run. Because this job isn’t always a walk in the park, and unless you genuinely enjoy it, you’ll never make a name for yourself in this industry.