We had the good fortune of connecting with Eric Bussey and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Eric, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
My thought process behind Extra Mile Tools was to find a way to help DIYer’s and contractors spend less money on their tools, so they have more money for other things, like ballet lessons for their daughters or family vacations.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I own a store called Extra Mile Tools. We have two locations – Dawsonville, Ga and Charlotte. We focus on providing our customers with great deals on new and used tool and home goods. We also sell flooring, tile, furniture, and tool boxes.

I am most proud of our name. It’s more than a cliche thing to say. It’s how we operate. When you come into our stores, expect the best customer service. We really do care about helping people find what they need. We try our very best to treat people as they should be treated.

Our store is the result of very hard work in 2013. We started this business with $600 on a credit card and have built it up from there. There has been several different business models and strategies before finding the one we liked best but I am grateful for all of it, even the tough times.

The main lesson that I have learned is as long as you are helping people, you will get to where you want to go. One of my mentors always says “money is a consequence of serving,” and I try to live by that everyday. I see too many people want to to just make money. Making money isn’t bad but it feels hollow if you’re not truly making others people’s lives better in the process.

Our employees are fun, personable, and hard working and we have worked very hard to build that culture. I LOVE coming into the store everyday.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
We would go hiking in the Georgia Mountains, specifically Blood Mountain. I would take the to Sock’s BBQ in Cumming and of course our store – Extra Mile Tools.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Jim Cockrum is a mentor of mine who constantly speakers about topics that I believe myself.

He speaks about the importance of service, whether that’s personally or professionally.

My favorite quote from his is “money is the consequence of serving well.”

I love this because it puts service first, not money.

Website: www.extramiletools.com

Instagram: Extra Mile Tools

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/extramiletools

Other: Charlotte Location Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/extramiletoolsclt

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