Finding new customers
One of the keys to landing new clients was to turn Nouri’s online expertise to advertising, by using the likes of Google and Kijiji to get the word out.
“New customers can be anywhere, but in the future, businesses will reach most of them online,” he says. “That’s why we spend a lot on online advertising.”
Another strategy was to branch quickly into ‘paint replacement’ wraps with tuning films, which target auto enthusiasts and other consumers, rather than businesses. While this is still a side business to GTA’s primary focus on advertising graphics, it too has seen demand grow.
“Now the car enthusiasts are looking for us,” Nouri says. “We’re always first in their online search results. The business has been getting more and more popular. I plan to exhibit at high-end automotive shows.”
Both the first and second GTA locations have been near highways, which has helped draw customers based everywhere from downtown Toronto to Brampton and Burlington, Ont.
“We have very flexible hours,” says Nouri. “Some customers drop off their vehicles at 11 p.m. And because many businesses need their cars on weekdays, we’re open full-time on weekends just to wrap those vehicles. They really like that about us. As a small business professional myself, I really understand their needs.”
The growing popularity of food trucks has been a boon to the vehicle wrap business.
Indeed, GTA’s business model relies on catering differently to its split customer base of businesses and consumers. While the commercial clients usually need their vehicles wrapped right away, luxury car owners are in no hurry, as they prioritize quality over speed.
“We’ve had customers come in who’ve had a bad-quality wrap in the past,” says Nouri. “They pay us to remove it. It’s important to realize in this business that if people don’t like the quality you provide, they will never come back to you.”
A specialized model
Another key to success has been to keep GTA’s focus narrow.
“If you need surgery, you don’t go to your family doctor,” says Nouri. “Similarly, we’re not a print shop. We’re specialists who only do car wraps. We provide a warranty and have never had any issues with our work.”
So, while GTA now prints its own graphics, it does not compete with printing companies; in fact, they are among its customers, as many would prefer to leave car wraps to specialists.
“I exhibited at the Graphics Canada show for my first time in April and it was really good to be there,” Nouri says. “Many print shops want to sell car wraps to their customers, so we sell wholesale to them. We got a lot of projects from that show.”
The narrow focus has also helped optimize use of the shop’s limited space. From wrapping a maximum of two cars per month in its first year, GTA now wraps approximately 20 to 25 per month, for a total of more than 250 per year.
“We can easily work on three at the same time,” says Nouri.
The company has even wrapped boats.
The GTA team includes two graphic designers, a production manager and two full-time certified installers. Nouri mostly focuses on sales and marketing, as he has built direct relationships with his customers, but he is also assisted by two public relations (PR) and sales representatives.
“In the next couple of years, I’ll look to expand into a bigger facility,” he says.
In the meantime, however, expansion is already beginning at a cross-Canada and international scope.
“I’ll be opening GTA branches in Vancouver, Montreal and the U.K. in the coming year,” says Nouri. “I’ve researched these markets and I’m working with contacts I know, such as my cousin in the U.K., who’s also a graphic designer and a fan of cars. In the past, there’s been a disconnect between suppliers and customers, which has left this opportunity open. Within the next few years, I’m sure everyone will know about car wraps.”
Nouri will own each of these branches, which will operate based on the technical, sales and marketing expertise he has developed over the past six years.
“I’ve learned a lot and it feels good,” he says. “I went from knowing nothing to becoming an expert.”
