1994 – 1999: RepairWare Inc.
RepairWare Inc. – The venture that transformed an Intrapreneur into and Entrepreneur
The development and release of the Netscape web browser, was the technology at the time that provided a simple and easy to use graphical user interface that enabled the general public to become a user of the Internet. The development and distribution of information via the Internet was at its formative stage and it was plain to see that this was going to be the newest business opportunity frontier. As an early adopter and user of the Internet, it was evident that the Internet would provide new business opportunities, which were yet to be defined. Like many people at the time, a friend and I challenged ourselves to define and develop future business applications that could use the Internet as a standalone or an extension to an existing business.
Together in the fall of 1994, we established “RepairWare Inc.” as the vehicle to harness our joint efforts in research, strategy development, concept development and product execution. Between 1995 and 1999, RepairWare Inc. had developed and executed strategies for the development and distribution of electronically created and distributed automotive specific repair information, developed an online bookstore dedicated to the sale and shipments of printed automotive service and repair manuals, developed the first generation for an online vehicle identification number decoding program and an email based “Professional Advisor” dedicated to automotive do-it yourselfers where they could ask questions and get answers back on issues that they were encountering.
To afford-ably undertake the wide range of potential business strategies that were in development and tested using the Internet by Repairware Inc., it necessitated the need to develop relationships for services we could not perform ourselves. Partnerships were developed with several publishers that developed and printed automotive repair manuals, a software programmer for coding unique concepts (i.e. VIN decoding) and a video retailer that had developed an online business for the distribution, sale and payment collections for online sales.
In 1998, a company specializing in the manufacture and sales of wiper blades hired Repairware Inc. to develop a web based program for their website. The program required needed to accurately provide the proper identification and installation of wiper blades to a vehicle. Wiper blades is a product that is application driven, that is a wiper blade is vehicle specific Year, Manufacturer, Make, and Model are attributes required to identify the correct wiper blade and mounting hardware.
Successfully delivering this application to t
he customer and the successful development and execution of an Internet based automotive vehicle identification number decoder provided RepairWare Inc. with the recognition it needed to confidently pursue larger projects. The VIN decoder was found by an automotive supplier of products for the service and maintenance of vehicles and they identified the VIN decoder program as a feature that would differentiate them and enhance the services they provided. While working with this new client it was identified that RepairWare Inc. had a unique value proposition in its VIN decoder program and that there was the potential for expanded usage in the automotive industry. In 1998 a new business plan was developed and networked to raise the necessary capital to transform RepairWare Inc. into a full time business venture.
RepairWare Inc. successfully raised the $1.5 million it needed in the fall of 1998 and in January 1999 it established cybrrparts.com as the company to begin the transformation of delivering independent sources of printed and CD based automotive parts, service and maintenance information into an easy-to-use globally accessible internet based information management system.