The HELDERBURG Lifestyle- and how Paul Potratz reset his own life

Jeff Sterns  0:00  
Jeff Sterns connected through cars with my good friend Paul Poe tracks. And I can't tell you how excited I am to be visiting with Paul today because Paul's a special guy to me, he may not know that I think he plays himself down a little bit. And I left retail dealerships and went into the software business to car dealers at car chat 24 and a little bit of consulting. And Paul helped me out quite a bit in trying to get me going and working at some of these conferences, referred some clients always just very nice to me, even though he's a big name. If you're not in the car, business, portraits, advertising portraits, websites are a household name in the car industry. So when I would bump into Paul at a conference, and he would treat me like I was an important guy that always meant a lot to me. So Paul still operates the company that he founded portraits, advertising or marketing, he can get deeper into that in a second. But what made me ask him to come onto the show, and I want to pronounce it right. helderberg lifestyle centered around Land Rover defenders, I

Unknown Speaker  1:02  
think 90s in 110s, right. 90s 110s 130s. So yeah, the full range.

Jeff Sterns  1:09  
Okay, so I want to dive right into this. But you have such an interesting background, you're such a diverse guy. And I know you're going to want to play this down. So we're just going to dig it right out of you, if I'm not mistaken. And remember, we can edit in Yiddish, we would call you a schmatta. Guy, you're a you're a suit, a haberdasher or a bespoke suit guy and also columnist in some famous magazines or a famous magazine. Am I right? Yeah, for I wrote for quite a while for Forbes magazine. Paul, you're an advertising and marketing guy. That's all you're gonna give it. Like I wrote for a long time for Forbes magazine.

Unknown Speaker  1:49  
Jeff Sterns connected through cars, if they're bigwigs, we'll have him on the show. And yes, we'll talk about cars and everything else. Here he is. Now, Jeff Sterns.

Unknown Speaker  2:06  
I mean, I wrote for a lot of different magazines, and over the years, just really trying to get exposure trying to build brand.

Jeff Sterns  2:14  
What like, for example, at Forbes, what were you the authority in where they asked you, or invited you to contribute?

Unknown Speaker  2:21  
So it was, I had, I met Gary Vaynerchuk. And he asked me to come speak at one of his conferences. So he went to Miami went to speak at one of the conferences. And then I talked about video and video marketing. So then it was one of the publishers from Forbes that said, Hey, once you come to an article talking about, you know, video marketing, and I mean, what I've always talked about is for CEOs, so busy, you know, owners of businesses, or whatever, that they really need to get out, they need to be part of their marketing, because, I mean, it's cliche, but people would much rather buy from somebody they feel like they know, versus just a nameless, faceless, you know, brand. Sure. And so that's what I started writing about. I was writing about, you know, anything from video podcast, to video marketing, to doing, you know, reels on Instagram, building your YouTube channel. So it all really revolved around video, because that's what I've always used, I mean, to build, you know, build sales for myself or build sales for anyone

Jeff Sterns  3:26  
Where did the suits where you call to haberdasher? Is that what it's called?

Unknown Speaker  3:30  
Yeah, that, you know, the suits, and it's, I wanted to be a fashion designer, when I was young, I was always into different fabrics, and textures and contrast, and how to put, you know, how you can actually put a plaid with a Gangnam. And people like, that doesn't make any sense. But you can. So I just always loved fabrics and textures and colors. So, you know, starting out, when I really didn't have any money, I would go to the Goodwill store, and I would rummage and try to find suits and try to find things that you know, and that's how I started. And I would find some pretty cool suits, you know, and from some, you know, some guy that was dead that if he was stylish many years ago, and then as I started to make money I started you know, especially with all the traveling and all the conferences, because I was gone pretty much nonstop. I was gone 20 days out of the month speaking at conferences, so I got to hit a lot of different stores and, you know, pick and choose and I will usually find my clothing off of the discount racks were people didn't want it because it didn't fit what they were they wanted to look like everybody else. And I wanted to look like somebody else. So that's how the suits really started. But yeah,

Jeff Sterns  4:43  
well for the show. I'll try to find some pictures of you in some of these suits. I mean, no doubt, making a brand for yourself being remembered. No question, someone running into one of these conferences, would expect to see you in some suit that you would never really see anyone else in And not super shocking for me because I was in the exotic car business. And although I dealt with a lot of clients that never wore a suit, when we would get into the proper English, that the meetings in England, I mean, this is what we would see and this is what we would try to wear if we could get away with it. But it makes complete sense when I was talking to you earlier about your lifestyle and Landrover project, about how involved you are with the colors. And the leather swatches. I mean, enrolls Bentley Lotus, of course that Ferrari Lambo store anything, asked him, of course, there's the bespoke department, where you pick your leathers and your stitching and embossed and what the mats are, and the color of the brakes and the wheel, you know, etc. So I think that's right up your alley, I think you love it.

Unknown Speaker  5:47  
I do. I definitely do love that. And it's, you know, Land Rover and the defender and why I love that so much is because they were built as a farm truck, they were not never ever a luxury vehicle, they weren't meant to be a luxury vehicle. They weren't meant to be a status symbol. But that's how I look at it. It's just it's a wonderful canvas to do whatever you want to do with that. And that's what I love about it. I mean, and you know, like the ones behind me just like this one, that's the one that's blue. So that's a custom color that I came up with. That is a flashback to the 80s. I mean, there was you know, the Ford Thunderbird was similar to this color there. So I took that color and the interiors like a creamy white and put a rope on the front, it has a mahogany floor in the back. But then of course it does have power windows, central door locks, puddle lights, LED lighting, air conditioning, heating, heated seats. So it's got all those modern features. And I've always been drawn to. I just feel like we lost style many years ago. And the cars that we drive the cars that we buy the way we dress. I mean, it just amazes me when I go out and see somebody in their pajamas. And I'm like really, you take no pride in what you do

Jeff Sterns  7:07  
as you're speaking to the guy who took the baby to the grocery store Sunday in his pajama bottoms. I did it but now you've got me self conscious about it. You got me.

Unknown Speaker  7:20  
I think you have to you know, and I mean granted I go around being on a farm because I have a horse farm in upstate New York. And I'll be out with the horses or with the dogs or whatever. And you know, and I'll look homeless when I go into a store full of mud and everything else but

Jeff Sterns  7:39  
well, but I'm also in Palm Harbor, Florida near Clearwater Beach where I mean pretty hard to not see someone in a flip flop.

Unknown Speaker  7:47  
But you that but that's fine that fits. I mean, you know it's hard for me when I go to the warm climates because I sweat like a pig when I'm wearing all that wool there

Jeff Sterns  7:58  
I'm hoping that you don't have like wool baggies did you go through a process to land on defenders or was it always defender when you were heading this way?

Unknown Speaker  8:09  
No it was it was always Land Rovers it was always defenders because growing up my dad was always in love with stuff and it was anything handmade. And if it was made in England he was all about it and my dad was not you know growing up but we you know definitely not a wealthy family Far from it. Actually below middle class and my dad would save and save and save to be able to have nice things he would rather have fewer things if they were nice but he never bought into name brand logo look at the logo stuff. And so it started with his Raleigh three speed bicycle is what it really started with me riding in the baby seat in the back and then you know he was always drawn the Land Rovers and you know Norton motorcycles and triumphs. And that's that type of stuff. So that's it was just an automatic and I remember looking at pictures of defenders in our actually Land Rovers when I was very young series trucks gone, Man, I wish I could have one of those. And I always dreamed about having one. And then finally, you know, one day I bought one and it drove like crap. It handled like crap, it was just horrible. It just was not a vehicle you would want to drive. And that's where I set out to say, What can I do to make this Land Rover Defender, a daily driver? Because I think it's cool. I think it's it's different. And it's not a status symbol, per se, but everybody thinks it's really cool. So that's the way it started me working on my own and you know, and then something just clicked one day and I said, You know, I think I could start offering these but it just kind of fit in everything that I was I mean, you know, like my boots, you know, I primarily always wear boots that are Edward green. And made in England handmade shotguns, I've always loved English shotguns, I've always loved you know, upland hunting, I don't like to shoot the little birds. But I liked the whole thing about it. I love you know, wax kept cotton coats, barber and the flat caps. And I don't know, it's just something that you know, that we migrate to something that we like, and everything around British is just so exciting to me. And I don't know why I think the British have a really nice style, their vehicles are not very reliable. But the lines, I mean, even when I was a young guy, and everybody was wanting to drive, you know, come arrows, I wanted a Jaguar XJ s seven, it was just, that's kind of the way it started was and where I live, and you know, the horse farm and it just fit perfectly. And I said, you know, this is going to be, you know, sharing what I enjoy. And I really love to do photography and videography. And so I started shooting pictures of my defenders and on my personal profile, and it just the interaction and engagement was kind of surprising. I said, I've got to build up, I need to build a brand around this. And that's what I started doing. You know, and it hasn't been that long. But you know, it's it's been surprisingly, it's done really well.

Jeff Sterns  11:29  
So you launched your Facebook page, and Instagram around this February of 20. If I recall,

Unknown Speaker  11:36  
September 11 2019 is when the page went up, but I didn't really have any defenders available to sell. So it took me a while. I mean, I started the build process, actually may of 2019. Launch the page in September of 2019. finished the first defender in February of 2020. So that's when it really started was February of 2020.

Jeff Sterns  12:06  
So in business, February of 20, with your first defender, and you're doing and we'll put them on the if you're listening to this, please go to YouTube, this one, this is one that's worth watching, because we'll put up we'll have some beautiful photos and video here. So you start posting this on Facebook, you start posting this on Instagram, and I want those that are listening, because I don't know how long until we get this video up. But at the time of this recording, that's only a year in about three months ago. And now, if I recall from our conversation, you have 20,000 legitimate organic followers on Instagram, my memory serving Yep. Correct. I mean, that's absolutely incredible and how you're resonating but I wanted to back up a little bit about the the unit itself. So you talked about how not so drivable. And I agree I've driven many of them. They're a farm implement their tractor, and they're unbelievably capable off road. There's no doubt about it. But for driving and handling on the road, leaves a little to be desired. So you've talked about stereo, you've talked about colors, you've talked about leather, but suspension, brakes, engines transmissions, steering, what have we done, what I've done

Unknown Speaker  13:24  
is I set out to meet the right people with my ideas. we fabricate a lot of our own parts. So we have our own braking system now which is basically sports car breaking six pistons in the front four pistons in the back billet aluminum, I mean, that's a big red calipers. We also set out to to rework the engine. So we do a modern turbo vnt turbo modern cylinder head, we rework the injection pump, we go into the suspension, we lower it by an inch, we use progressive spring, we use polyurethane bushings anti sway bars. So I mean, what we've been able to do is modify these defenders so they truly are a daily driver that will roll down the road, you know, you'll be you will get speeding tickets and you will get pulled over because they don't drive the way that original defenders drive. You can drift them through the corners. They're fast, it's still that diesel motor so it's got that really cool sound. And of course fuel mileage is really good. So that was my goal to set out how do I take this really cool iconic truck that's been existence over 60 years and make it where it's reliable, comfortable. I can do my hands free calls Bluetooth calling and and everything in it. Just like I could a normal vehicle. But I'm not rolling around with a Bentley badge or a Mercedes badge on it that people think I'm trying to show out and that's not what it's about. I mean helderberg The brand is about lifestyle and it's about slowing down and not you know is for someone Yours I was all about the grind and all that stuff. And it's not about the grind and slowing down enjoying life, understanding that we're not here for that long and just taking everything in. I mean, it's, it's an, it's a vehicle to be able to explore and discover new things. And it's, you know, it's, I can't think of another vehicle like it really that people will buy these vehicles, and they want to keep them forever. And they talk to me about actually passing it on to their children. So that's really what it's all about. But yeah,

Jeff Sterns  15:33  
and you're, and you're building in the quality that honors your father.

Unknown Speaker  15:38  
Yeah. And it's just, yeah, and I just have a tremendous amount of fun with it, you know, somebody years of the ad agency, I would get the call our, our leads are down, I'm googling myself, we're not coming up. And I'm like, Oh, my God, really, you know, and then having the calls that you know, you'd have a client upset, and then you because your account manager, you know, didn't call them back immediately. And then you're saying, Well, I'm going to be involved on your account. Now, what I love about helderberg is when people call me they're very happy, and they're, they're always happy. Well, they have to wait, I mean, but they're always happy. And I have people that will call me and try to negotiate. And when they try to negotiate, and I know I'm hopping all around, that's my squirrel mentality. But you know, it's so funny when they I have very few people that will try to negotiate price, but when they do, I come back with, let me tell you a little bit about helderberg. It takes over 3300 man hours to make this vehicle. It's all hand made. There's many parts on this defender on a helderberg that you can't get anywhere because we're fabricating them. If you were to spend 3300 hours on something, how would you feel about it? And then they pretty much shut up?

Jeff Sterns  17:01  
Well, you do the math. I mean, they couldn't go out and build their own even at a cheap $100 an hour shop for that.

Unknown Speaker  17:09  
So I mean, but it's just, it's really cool. And I mean, and you know, when I talk to people, and that's what you know, I'll get people that will email me and want to do everything over email. And I'm like, No, we have to have a conversation. Because I have to make sure it's right for them. Because I mean, really, you know, in every defender that we build has a name. And I have people that you know, I've had numerous people say, Well, how do you come up with the names and I quite honestly, I tell them, I go out, I drive it. And it speaks to me. And then that's how I come up with the name. So anyway, that's a branding trick, by the way, because the way I came up with the name is where was it originally manufactured? Or who owned it? Or what story can I gather about it?

Jeff Sterns  17:49  
For the listener? I'm looking at helderberg COMM And I'm in the defender available now section and I don't know what will be available by the time you listen to this. But I see you have names like Herod Enzo Elizabeth Maxim, super Bosco. That almost sounds like a condom, man. Not mine, sir. Winston. So the blue one behind you. We were talking about it earlier on the phone. And what triggered me was you said when someone wants to negotiate, you bring up Look, I got 33 I'm sorry, not 30 303,300 hours in the craftsmanship, let alone the platform donor that you had to start with or you know, body that you had to start with? Just the hours alone are phenomenal value and the quality and workmanship. But you're a little bit I mean, what you're putting into this brand, I don't want to say Soup Nazi. But that fella wanted a black one. The one with the blue. What's the name of this color blue?

Unknown Speaker  18:54  
Well, the truck His name is verbose Gus. So it's a custom color. So I call it verbose. Go Blue.

Jeff Sterns  19:00  
Because of the island, because of the island. Yes. Okay. So tell us about verbose ska. Yep. And the colors in the defender. Yep, honouring that place.

Unknown Speaker  19:15  
So it is it is true that I have people that will call me and they'll say I'm kind of scared to tell you what I want. Because I'm afraid you'll tell me No. And I'm like, Well, tell me what you want? And I'll tell you if I'll tell you no, because what I'm wanting to do is I'm wanting people to stretch their imagination to do something different and not do what they always do. So this client calls me and he says, I want to D 90 and I'm like, Okay, great. We'll cover the What color are you thinking, you know, and all that and I because I just want to get some visuals and he goes black. And I said, Well, I'm not going to do any more blacks. So let's talk about you. And he was taken back and he's like, what do you mean you're going to joining me more blacks and I was like, I'm not going to do any more blacks. I've already done too. I'm done doing black. I said So let's talk about you. Granted, I probably would have done black, but I would have gotten to do something completely different. But come to find out, he lives on an island, and he really loves boating. And, you know, he told me about the island. So I'm pulling up pictures. And I'm asking them, you know, how do you normally dress? And what's some of your favorite colors and all that. So I found out black was his safety colors, what it really was in Black doesn't make sense if you're on an island. So that's where I said, You know, I came back to him and I said, let's do something that takes in the colors of the sky, and the sand. And he said, Well, what do you mean by that, and I said, Well, that the color of the truck, the body of the truck will be it will represent the sky. And then the interior in the top will represent the sand. I said, so in this will be named verbose, ska, and I said, you're in the boating, I said. So I want to do a galvanized a galvanized bumper and a galvanized grill. And what I want to do is, I want the headlights to look like jewelry, and then in the back, you know, in the cargo area, to complement that very almost white interior that I will do in a basket weave. And the reason that I do a basket weave is because it will represent the sand and the seats, the interiors, a basket weave, and it does, it looks like ripples of the sand. And then I submit in the very back of the cargo area, that's where we're going to put mahogany. And we're gonna, you know, strip the mahogany with caulk, just like they would do on a boat. And we're gonna bring that to a very bright and luster, then the same thing with the back door. And I said, so it will be a very nautical theme, but it will pull in the place where you live and the hobbies that you love. He's like, why I don't know. And he kept on fight me on it and fight me on it. And he's like, I don't know, I don't know. And then, you know, all the way to the point that he was, you know, back and forth, back and forth. But I would tease him with pictures. And he's like, Man, I'm really loving this. And then he came to visit to see it here before, you know, because it's almost done now. And he was It was amazing. I mean, when he came in, and he actually teared up when he seen it. And he's like, Oh my gosh, I had no idea was gonna look like this. And that's what's really cool about what I'm doing with these. And it was a week later, I had another couple that came in. And the wife came in and she seen she was like, Oh my god, it reminds me of a vehicle when I was in high school that I had a little VW. And she was tearing up and everything. So anyway, we're building another one that's similar to it. But it's not going to be a soft top because I don't like to do the same one twice. So it's going to be a hard top, this is a D 90, which is a two door, I'm going to do a five door. And it's going to have the very top is going to be tan, but it's kind of the same thing. They also live in an island. She loves the color. And it reminds her of when she was in high school. So I guess, quite honestly, part of it's me being selfish, because I do do it for me too. It's fun, it's enjoyable. And it's just creating something that you know that we've built a number of them now and no one has sold it. they've kept them

Jeff Sterns  23:13  
none have changed hands to your knowledge. None.

Unknown Speaker  23:16  
And I know because I stay in contact with everybody.

Jeff Sterns  23:20  
How do you stay in contact with them? Are you calling them once in a while

Unknown Speaker  23:23  
or I send emails, I send emails, but I also we built a platform because I still have that agency and coders and developers. But I have a platform, you know that when I'm doing the design, I do a build sheet that outlines everything I mean, the color the mirrors, the mirror arms, the door handles the color of the leather, and it gives them all of these pictures and the wheels and the tires. And that's when we very first do the process. That's what they go into to see what the build is going to be like what it's going to cost them how they pay online for it. Because we require a 50% deposit to give them a build slot and also give them a truck. But then we have a portal that they go in and it reminds them hey, it's time to do your oil change. It's time for this. Here's some products to use to actually you know, wash whatever Winston or Bosco whatever the you know, whatever the defender is, and so it's it's a it's like a membership site and the price of membership is a helderberg bespoke defender. And that's how we stay in contact and we also through text messages and stuff and I encouraged them to share pictures and a number of them they do socially though, Instagram or Facebook or whatever and I reshare their pictures as they're sharing them.

Jeff Sterns  24:43  
So it's truly lifestyle. You're not of course not just selling cars here.

Unknown Speaker  24:47  
Selling Cars, it's just it really is lifestyle and I do attract people that you know love dogs dogs is a big part of my brand. All this stuff the wax coats hiking. Yeah, it really truly is a lifestyle and somebody comes to the farm to preview and stuff. You know, we go out in the defender and we drive through the, through the woods and the trails. And if they're in sporting clays, I have a sporting clay course here on the farm. And yeah, it really is we take our time we slow down and you know, I want to make sure it's something that they understand what it is when they're getting it. But yeah, it's lifestyle.

Jeff Sterns  25:26  
Paul, do you do any off road? Do you have any off road setups on the farm to show approach angle departure angle with the four wheel drives capable ever do not get into the

Unknown Speaker  25:38  
know, definitely. I mean, I'm a very my farm is very hilly and stuff. But instead of doing like Land Rover did back in the day, you know, where they have a little cheesy looking course with a few rocks, and they would show you that and get out and they move up here. Instead, we just get in it. And we drive through the farm and through the trails and across the creeks and all that. And that's what we do. And that's where they get so excited. But we also have our event to where I had an event in October. And people came to the farm and camped out and we went and drove a lot of the minimum maintenance trails and snowmobile trails and all that and shot videos and, and all that. But I mean, you know, how many people are really going to take 150 to $200,000 defender off road? I do.

Jeff Sterns  26:26  
You live just about off road. But yeah, I do. Probably not many. Yeah.

Unknown Speaker  26:32  
So that's their chance to come here. And do that. And it's really cool. Because when they, you know, when their defender is done, and it arrives at what we do is i'm like Alright, come on, let's go, you're gonna drive and they're like, Oh, my gosh, I'm gonna go through and I'm like, Yeah, you're gonna go through this. Let's go.

Jeff Sterns  26:50  
So looking at your site, almost all of these I think all but one are diesel spec. So these are all European spec. Vehicles.

Unknown Speaker  26:58  
Yeah, we get them in Italy, we get them in Poland, we get them in France, their original left hand drives, the one that's a gasoline on there. And I've had a number of those. That's my competitor. So I've had a handful of trade ins. That's another company that's in England, called arconic. They've been around for probably 1214 years. And I have people trading their trucks in on mine.

Jeff Sterns  27:23  
Got it. So any issue with importing the United States? No, not at all. Is that because of the has to be 25 years old? That's because of the age? Yeah,

Unknown Speaker  27:34  
because of the age. But it has to be the original configuration. And I do get people that will call me Hey, will you do the quarterback conversion? You know, because a lot of times, I don't mind a lot of times, but there's some companies that do the put Corvette motors and I'm like, No, I won't, the other company will. Because that's not what I do. And, and I learnt learn that in, you know, my advertising agency years that I would pretty much do anything that anyone asked when it came to marketing. And that creates a lot of stress for your team. Because if they're not really good at it, and so when I started with helderberg, I said, I'm gonna do what we're really good at. And that's all I'm going to do. I almost slipped, went down the slippery slope and did an electric defender. And I was like, oh, there I go again. But I learned this lesson many years ago. So all I do is turbo diesel's

Jeff Sterns  28:24  
well, and I mean, that's a fabulous power train. Especially with the head upgrade. I'm sure that you're doing I haven't driven one but with your head on. But I know that motor it's a nice motor.

Unknown Speaker  28:40  
Well, the truck really is a brand new truck. I mean, the only thing that stays original on our trucks is part of the body, the frame and the engine blocks. So we keep all the numbers matching. You know, the whole idea really, with helderberg was Land Rovers are part of it, but it's much more about the lifestyle. So if it wasn't for COVID I mean, we were before when COVID just started, we just fine finalize the deal, where we were going to do a pheasant hunt. It was going to be an all inclusive pheasant hunt where we were genotyped 15 people, and we were going to go do a drive. That's what it's called an England, but we were going to go do a drive at high clear castle. And also Winston Churchill's castle, which Highclere castle is, was it? Downton Abbey? The series? That's Highclere castle. So we had that lined up and then COVID happened. So again, lifestyle is what it's really all about. So we did set up one where we have a pheasant hunt that's going to be in South Dakota, that's next year. So that's where really the you know, the brand as I am, quite honestly in the semi retirement now. I see this as a way to surround myself with people that are like minded, that have the same interest in the same hobby. And that's really what I do on my social media profiles is I, I show what I'm interested in, you know, the defenders and the design and the motorcycles and the shotguns and the dogs and the hiking and the campaign and, and that just attracts other like minded people.

Jeff Sterns  30:16  
So that's you're getting friends out of the deal?

Unknown Speaker  30:19  
Yeah, well, that's exactly what it is. The people that come and visit are just fabulous. And I mean, and I've made a lot of really cool friends. I mean, it's just, it's been interesting. I'm sure of it.

Jeff Sterns  30:33  
What could be more fun. So, Paul, something that we'd be surprised to know about you.

Unknown Speaker  30:42  
I think I said that in the beginning that, you know, a lot of people seem surprised when I tell them that, you know that growing up, I wanted to be a fashion designer. And I had my own sewing machine. And I was, you know, my wife, what she was my girlfriend at that time. And I was making her skirts and making her blouses and, and stuff like that, using different rules and tweeds, and all that stuff. So I think, you know, a lot of times people are surprised, like, you had a sewing machine and you were actually making stuff and like, Oh, yeah, I definitely was like, I can definitely put a dress together.

Jeff Sterns  31:16  
I think that's surprising. And especially that you were dating a female? Yeah, exactly. So yeah. So I mean, she had it, she has to be the only only girl she knew that had a boyfriend or fiance making clothes for. Yep, that is very interesting. I understand the building of the business part, I'm just talking about the romance part, the Facebook Lives on schedule, catering to your clientele, who are hitting you from different time zones in different times, making sure you're on time turning your wife into a little bit of a defender widow, I understand that. But if this wasn't very profitable, or let's say you didn't even think about it as a business, they said, Hey, Paul, you're done working, you got enough money, you're completely fine doing something you're interested in, if you're interested, I want you to drive around landrovers and mess with them a little bit, once in a while, decide what colors go on them. sporting clays, pheasant hunting, traveling with some friends, entertaining, some people, some dogs, some wax coats,

Unknown Speaker  32:16  
I think you'd be excited about that. Now, it wouldn't be enough because I have to have some type of a challenge. My challenge right now is how do I build a better product than my main competitor with, you know, being arconic? And how do I get people to say, Oh, my God, your builds are so much better than any of the other builders. Because I am I'm a very competitive person. So I I couldn't just go, you know, free wheeling around and in feel like any satisfaction whatsoever. And that's the thing, you know, that I, I kind of see what my competitors are doing. And I'm, you know, talking to my partner, and we've hired a couple people away from them. And I see them coming to my website. And then I see a place that they're advertising like Hemmings calm. So I call him Ian's. And I'm like, what's it going to take? How much do I have to pay you for you not to take their advertising? And let me have all that advertising space?

Jeff Sterns  33:15  
Can you get that done? Does that happen? It happened? Yes. Did you accomplish that with me? I did accomplish that? Yes. That's something I'm so glad you brought that up. I find that intriguing. So you come from the ad space, the advertising space. So you understand that is I never knew that a competitor? Is that common? Or did you have to really have a conversation with someone

Unknown Speaker  33:40  
up? Well, I mean, it just really comes down, they only have so much inventory. So if somebody comes in and buys up the inventory, what do they mean, they had the other company, you know, they had a contract? And I said, well, as soon as they don't read again, what they were doing is they were only renewing their contract monthly. So they would and I'm like, I'll write a contract with you for the year. I'll buy all your inventory for the year.

Jeff Sterns  34:04  
Okay, that makes perfect sense. So they weren't under contract. There's only so when you say inventory, that's ad space, there's only so much ad space. And you're like I'll take it all. So that's not necessarily saying I need you to not sell to this one person. It wouldn't matter who it is. You took all the space. Right, exactly.

Unknown Speaker  34:24  
And you know, they were saying, Oh, we need to keep some there for them. Like, why they're doing it every month. I'll do it for the year.

Jeff Sterns  34:30  
Have you already showed up in Hemmings. Oh, yeah, I'm all over him. Ames. Any hill? Obviously any of the ads came out yet. Do you get action from that? Yeah, I

Unknown Speaker  34:39  
get some I get some I don't get as much as I would have hoped. For I get enough that. You know, I'll write it out. It's definitely brought some new interest in some new clients. I do need to get in there and put some more in some more ads in there. But I have aspirational ads. So when you go to Hemmings Then you go under like Land Rover, Land Rover, defender d 90, d 110. All that my ad show up in my ads on nice photography. I'm standing beside a one. A 130 got my Stetson on my wax code, of course. And then I got an orange circle. It looks like it was just, you know, handwritten on there. And it said this could be you. It's perfect. I'm also advertising under the Broncos to

Jeff Sterns  35:25  
that makes sense.

Unknown Speaker  35:26  
Yeah. So it's, it's bringing, it's bringing some people in, but, you know, it's okay. I mean, it's a few $1,000 a month, but if I make one sale off of it.

Jeff Sterns  35:37  
Sure. Speaking of, but if I only make one sale out of it, you're currently scheduled on your builds through all of 23 or how far into 23. I have four slots left for 2023. Means said that kinda argues for backing off on the advertising doesn't know. I mean, I think you're gonna be out for years. Either way. Yeah,

Unknown Speaker  36:03  
no, it doesn't. Because when I was started selling the trucks, like for example, I was looking at my numbers this morning. My first defender I sold was a DEA 110. And I sold it for 83,000 or 84,080 $4,114, is what I sold it for. didn't really make any money on that deal. Now that same defender sells for 165.

Jeff Sterns  36:32  
Beautiful. You did it the way Lexus did. Yeah. So it just they came out cheap for what they were and got their part of the market.

Unknown Speaker  36:41  
Yeah, and that's what I'm doing. I'm working to get my part of the market and, you know, make anybody that's knows defenders are searching for a defender that I'm just there. And they're like, Who is this guy, but I've made it very personable to where I'm doing the lives and you know, it's me and I'm telling stories and all that versus any of my competitors. They just don't get it when it comes to marketing and building a brand.

Jeff Sterns  37:08  
Well, I mean, we got an advertising man that gets into the lifestyle and luxury good business. We got to give your competitor a break. They probably were more about the machine and not the advertising wheelhouse like you have.

Unknown Speaker  37:24  
Yeah, well, I mean, they they they're doing extremely well. I can't take that away from them. They've been around for a long time. You know, all of them because I have a lot of competition. I mean, there's over 80 builders that I know of.

Jeff Sterns  37:39  
What's the next thing that will get the helderberg logo on brand. Can you talk about that?

Unknown Speaker  37:46  
I don't know I did have a store for a bit and I was selling stuff in the store you know like gun cases gun sleeves, that type of stuff. But the next thing I'm thinking about doing Norton motorcycles I think that's a perfect fit. The only thing is a lot of the guys that are buying the defenders you know whenever I they see the motorcycles ah man I love motorcycles, but they don't own motorcycles because their wife won't let them

Jeff Sterns  38:13  
well but they still like having them in the garage in the living room.

Unknown Speaker  38:16  
Yeah, they think they're cool and everything else and I mean and that's part of you know what I do in my marketing that you know you see you know some of the stuff you see the shotguns and the side by sides even though I get a little bit of grief some people and I'm like well you just need to go away apparently we're not going to get along but you know and the you know the rangefinder the Leica cameras be just you know the wax barber coats the and then of course the motorcycle so just kind of fits in and that's it. Really I mean to be selfish it's about me.

Jeff Sterns  38:47  
It's all like completely fits you know, in my area I would never ride I used to ride it's just too crazy. Or we are if I was upstate um, I probably would. But you know, these guys love quality goods. So for example, there's many timepieces they have in their automatic winders in their closet that they're not wearing get a matching Norton. Oh, my, especially if it's matching. Yeah. I mean, could you imagine a Norton in the same color spec? Is that blue defender behind you? Yeah. With the same accents and oh, and the stitching and I mean, the basket weave? Fabulous. Yeah, it'd be really cool. Please do it.

Unknown Speaker  39:28  
Oh, thing is, whenever you do it, you got to make sure that you're going to make money off of it. You can't be just doing it for the love of it and exchanging dollars.

Jeff Sterns  39:36  
Well, I don't obviously you're not afraid to ask money.

Unknown Speaker  39:39  
So I'll dabble in it and everything. But I have a new Norton that's almost done. That should be here in a few weeks. So we'll we'll see. And then that it's orange. And we did a defender in orange that it should be done. So but of course the defenders sold I don't build any defense. Unless I have a deposit so all you know anytime we build it's, it's already sold I already have deposit on.

Jeff Sterns  40:06  
So what am I looking at on your website then is this not available inventory? The one Hey rod, is that some one of my personal trucks? I see. So forgive me. I see available now. And then I see custom build estimate custom build estimate. I missed that I'm sorry. Other than the arconic trade. Yeah, that was a trade and that was a guy that traded today and he wanted one. They wanted to helderberg

Unknown Speaker  40:36  
he seen one of ours. We're going on tour with Orvis here pretty soon. Well, September.

Jeff Sterns  40:41  
What's tour mean?

Unknown Speaker  40:42  
Are you going to go to some we're going to be outdoors shooting ground. So we're going to we're going to be at the Orvis in New York and then we're going to be into Orbison, Pennsylvania then the Orvis and Alabama and so helderberg will be on display at the three different shooting grounds

Jeff Sterns  40:57  
so we What about space that any Concordia elegance?

Unknown Speaker  41:01  
I've thought about it I just haven't done it yet done anything with it yet. I've had Barrett Jackson, Collin, Collin Collin saying, oh, let's put a put a truck on display. You know on auction. I'm like, yeah, let's not

Jeff Sterns  41:14  
so Paul with all of your Facebook Lives and designing vehicles and deal dealing with people, time zones ahead of your time zones behind you working with your facility in England, your ad agency. You made time for our show today and I really appreciate it. Thanks, man. Appreciate it. And congratulations on the new baby. Thank you very much. What I'm hoping for is to make it to her graduation.