Mark Smith
We offer high end motorcycle accessories and protection items (helmets mainly). Representing vendors with the finest details and highest quality standards.
Tell us about yourself?
I’m a motor-head enthusiast, engines, racing and everything that involves an engine, has been on my life since my early age. My grandfather was a race car driver, who met many fine Formula 1 and Touring gentleman drivers, when the motorsport was just beginning.
I never took a driving lesson in my life, watching my grandfather drive on urban streets at 110-115 mph, made me realize that this is no joke, everything that involves races and high speed engines, drives me.
Since I’ve had this passion all my life, we came across a business opportunity, to represent the finest helmet producer in the world: Guang.
French originated, produced with the highest quality and materials, we launched our own web site and brand LeArmet on 2020, making the official launch on Canada on the “The Motorcycle Shows” Trade Shows on Toronto and Montreal.
If you could go back in time a year or two, what piece of advice would you give yourself?
Invest more on advertising, when correctly guided, the return over the advertising investment, will be enough to cover the sales area with lots of work to do and achieve. Also not to invest so much on stock, until you get to know which are the best sellers and start from there.
What problem does your business solve?
We offer unique experience with the helmet brand Guang, there are no competitors to what we offer with them. If the budget is tight, we offer also the Biltwell Catalog, from California which with different materials, they comply with awesome product line and accessories. We offer products as backpacks, and gloves, additional to the helmets, to be a more complete competitor with non traditional accessories.
What is the inspiration behind your business?
The uniqueness of Guang and their accessories, made us realize that offering the correct products to the correct people, we may find a niche that will buy not “one” but many accessories from us, since our customer service guided method of engagement, make our customers to come back. Also selling only online (no brick and mortar location as of yet allow us to focus our budget strategy on advertising only and lower prices than our competitors.
What is your magic sauce?
Our products speak by themselves, highest quality materials, customer satisfaction guaranteed, and highest level of commitment on delivering what the customer want and needs.
What is the plan for the next 5 years? What do you want to achieve?
Higher sales, position the brand on distribution system, and probably opening a boutique store to allow people come and check out the product.
What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced so far?
We launched without knowing the pandemic would hit so hard economically, so people didn’t invest in high end accessories, waiting to see what happened (weeks before the pandemic hit we launched on Canada with the highest standards that our launching budget allowed us to) so the trade shows didn’t left us with a high ROI, but only loss. Since then, we lowered our costs to only online, and it’s worked so far.
How do people get involved/buy into your vision?
Whenever you want the best motorcycle helmet, unique and fashion wise, Guang is the brand to get. Along with additional accessories such as Point 65 Boblbee Backpacks, and 78 MotorCo Leather Gloves. Biltwell Helmets and accessories, adjusts to every budget. Come on in, take a look at shop.LeArmet.com
