In powersports, most careers are built on a passion for motorcycles or off-road vehicles. That’s why Maggie’s journey from IT project management to dealership consultant stands out.
Maggie entered the powersports industry “backwards” when she and her husband Ben decided to buy a dealership. “He had apprenticed in a motorcycle shop when he was younger, and he wanted to open up a shop. And within three months of him opening up the shop, I ended up leaving my IT job to go work with him. So my first job was owner, and I knew nothing. I had never ridden before, I had never wrenched on anything before,” said Maggie.
Thrown into the proverbial fire, Maggie learned everything by hands-on experience and came to love the industry. Her first ride was on the back of her husband’s Harley-Davidson, where she felt an overwhelming sense of calm: “There were no distractions, no interruptions–just space to breathe.”
Over the next five years, Maggie grew the dealership from a service-only shop to a full dealership that offered used motorcycles, where, for several years, they were the biggest independent dealer in the country. Eventually, they had hit the ceiling of what the market could perform. Maggie says, “We didn’t have franchise money and didn’t have a rich uncle that was somewhere in wings. So we decided to close the shop.” Soon after, Maggie was recruited as Parts Manager by a dealership that wanted help building their business.
“The first year I was there, I got them to $230,000 in revenue with me and one other employee. The year I left, I got them to 1.1 million in 11 months with me and a team of three.” Maggie’s success as Parts Manager propelled her into her current career as a consultant, where she helps dealers build systems that make their Fixed Ops departments profitable.
Now an avid powersports enthusiast, Maggie uses her side-by-side daily as she runs her 9-acre farm. This year, she’s focused on adding long-term consulting clients, strengthening existing brand partnerships, and improving her skillset by applying business optimization innovations to her home and farm. Powersports ownership has increased Maggie’s sense of capability and independence.
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