Meet Brett Beveridge of T-ROC in Coral Gables
Today we’d like to introduce you to Brett Beveridge.
Brett, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
During my senior year at the University of Miami in 1989, my friend and I started selling cell phones out of the back of a van. We would literally drive around and station ourselves in parking lots and businesses to sell cell phones, which were just becoming popular. In less than a year, we opened a retail store that became the largest independent mobile wireless retailer in the country at that time. Within seven years, my partners and I took that company public and sold it to Nextel. Start-ups felt natural to me, and I decided to keep going. During my time in the retail industry, I recognized many problems, particularly at big-box retailers where consultative sales people aren’t equipped to help customers understand and choose the latest in technology such as cell phones and rate plans. That sparked the idea to start The Revenue Optimization Companies (T-ROC), a parent company that houses four, stand-alone companies that each focus on a specific retail solution. I’ve now founded ten award-winning companies, and we assist the world’s most reputable companies and brands such as Apple, Walmart, T-Mobile, Comcast and many more.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I think any entrepreneur will tell you that the road to success is never easy — you’re always going to have struggles and that’s how you learn, evolve and become better. I made the risky decision from the very beginning to stay independent and use my own money to start companies, even personally guaranteeing heavy bank loans because I believed in what we were doing. My first project came in 2007 — one year before the recession hit — so it was a grueling balancing act of gaining customers, losing customers and working very hard to find new customers. During that time, I didn’t take a paycheck, kept the company lean, and worked hard for new sales opportunities. I learned to speak “recession” language and landed clients by saving them money, while offering them more efficient ways to operate.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about The Revenue Optimization Companies – what should we know?
The Revenue Optimization Companies (T-ROC) houses four, stand-alone companies that each focus on a specific retail solution. We spend every waking hour finding ways to dramatically grow your revenue and reduce your costs through a unique combination of people and innovative technology. We’re best known for selling complicated stuff that we make easy for consumers to understand. I think of it like a doctor prescribing the best medicine for a patient: We prescribe solutions, which are the best technologies for your personal needs.
When it comes to what sets us apart, unlike other competitors, we own and operate our stores, which keeps us sharp and on top of what’s happening in our space. This allows us to help other companies run their stores more efficiently too.
One of my proudest accomplishments is that four companies that I’ve founded have now been recognized on the Inc. 500/5000 annual list of the fastest growing private companies a total of six times, including two companies in 2016. South Florida Business Journal has also recognized T-ROC as one of the best places to work three times, and I’m honored that our people love working with us. We’ve promoted more than a 110 people this year, with more to come!
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Businesses like mine can be started anywhere because we are servicing national clients on a national basis. If you’re starting a company here, my advice is to make sure you can attract the right talent at the leadership level. While Miami does not have an overage of large businesses like New York, Los Angeles or Atlanta, our city does have a lot of support and ingredients for startups and entrepreneurs. The UM Life Science & Technology Park has incubators in it and there are community centers where inspiring entrepreneurs or startups can exchange ideas, network and create partnerships. Miami is a vibrant breeding ground for different talents, cultures and points of view, which leads to entrepreneurship.