Dennis<\/a> is a Miami native who played football in college and professionally, before getting his early start in sales selling Cutco knives. \u201cThat actually helped a lot with my mindset going into the corporate world,\u201d he says. \u201cEverything was based on commission, and I kind of fell in love with that because you only eat the food you make.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n He then spent some years working in staffing, and he also draws on that experience as he launches his own ventures. \u201cBeing in the corporate world has prepared me for entrepreneurship. I know how to navigate building relationships, and I\u2019m not scared to reach out or go after it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dennis started out with car sharing in 2019; he had quit his day job and didn\u2019t want to get rid of his new Chevy Camaro, which he was still making payments on. After doing some research on Turo, he listed the Camaro and was amazed at its performance. \u201cMy first month I got so many bookings I could hardly drive my car. I saw the profit I was making and thought, \u2018Imagine if I had three or four cars.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fast forward to late 2020. With over 30 trips and All-Star Host status under his belt (five-star reviews across the board!), Dennis was still averaging a sizable profit each month with his Camaro. He discovered the Turo Seed Initiative and applied immediately. \u201cI thought it was a pretty cool idea, because I knew it was a way for me to expand my portfolio. But honestly I just applied and didn\u2019t think much more about it,\u201d he laughs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once his application got approved and after consulting with a Turo Account Executive as part of the program, the opportunity afforded by his $15,000 loan became real, and Dennis\u2019 game plan quickly came together: he\u2019d use his first business loan to expand with multiple economy cars to keep his return high. But he thought if he had one vehicle more on the premium side, that would help drive his business\u2019 visibility. So he sold his Camaro and bought a 2019 Mustang convertible, right as he completed crowdfunding his loan on Kiva. \u201cIt all kind of came together at once, and as soon as I sold my Camaro I knew I was really in this.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Mustang is understandably popular with guests visiting the sunny shores of South Florida, and Dennis knew it was a good bet for turning a profit. He used part of his loan to buy his second car, a 2019 Chevy Sonic, which he says will be listed soon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In his past corporate career speaking with client companies and brokering deals, Dennis says he noticed all those companies had multiple streams of income and multiple channels for marketing. \u201cAnd that always stuck in my mind. With my hosting business, my method to not have a one-lane business is to start by building relationships in my community.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n As a local, Dennis knows many under-the-radar hot spots and has connections with some of those businesses. Sharing a muscle car in Miami<\/a>, Dennis sees many out-of-town visitors. \u201cMy guests want to know what\u2019s going on in Miami, so I tell them the best spots to eat and where to party \u2014 Miami is a nightlife city.\u201d Using his insider knowledge and connections, Dennis has built a growing network of fellow business people who help lift each other up and support each other\u2019s enterprises. \u201cI can see this getting really big and I hope to add a lot more cars. But it\u2019s not all about making money for myself, it\u2019s also about becoming a big driver of business in my community.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n When asked about expanding his small business during the pandemic, Dennis<\/a> had a clear and positive outlook. \u201cCOVID really taught us how to scale things down and become more efficient in life,\u201d he says. Dennis has seen success with running ads online to help market his cars. \u201cSo the money from the loan is not only for cars, it\u2019s also for marketing and photos and things like that,\u201d he says. \u201cNow that I\u2019ve got the funding and I know the marketing works, my goal is to have three to five cars pretty soon. Once I get to that point, there\u2019s no telling what I can do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blog.turo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/DSC_1634-copy-1024x673.jpg\")
<\/a>Expanding & leveraging local connections<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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