In photos: Motorcycle-parts dealer revs up business online
As online business expands, owner struggles to find managers to handle the day-to-day
Chris Kapsalakis’s business, KapscoMoto, sells motorcycle parts and accessories online. Last year it pulled in between $5-million and $10-million in revenue. KapscoMoto, which is based in Pickering, Ont., ships its products – ranging from motorcycle handlebars to LED lights to key chains – worldwide, with exports making up 80 per cent of sales.Matthew Sherwood/The Globe and Mail
Chris Kapsalakis's wife, Devorah, sells Scott Dennis a motorcycle part at KapscoMoto. The business has grown to 15 employees, and now Mr. Kapsalakis needs more managers. He would like to have more time to focus on the long-term strategies and vision of the company.Matthew Sherwood/The Globe and Mail
The company has grown beyond its 12,000-square-foot storage and retail space and has begun to stock products at a nearby warehouse.Matthew Sherwood/The Globe and Mail
Side mirrors for motorcycles are pictured in KapscoMoto’s showroom.Matthew Sherwood/The Globe and Mail
Employee Ashton Gouin is trained by Gavin Green, who was a 19-year-old working at Pizza Hut when Chris Kapsalakis hired him to help build the company’s website. “He had no experience,” says Mr. Kapsalakis. Today, Mr. Green is his second-in-command, a jack of all trades able to seamlessly shift from training sales representatives to fine-tuning warehouse logistics.Matthew Sherwood/The Globe and Mail
Handlebar grips for motorcycles.Matthew Sherwood/The Globe and Mail
Brendan Doyle packages orders for motorcycle parts.Matthew Sherwood/The Globe and Mail
As his team swells, Mr. Kapsalakis finds himself nostalgic for the days when he had only four or five employees to worry about. “It was more manageable then,” he says. He has been struggling to get on top of day-to-day operations such as listening in on the odd customer interaction or making sure the day’s orders are filled. “We’re at the point where I need another Gavin,” he says.Matthew Sherwood/The Globe and Mail