Career pivots don’t always happen on impulse or as the result of a 180º turn. More often than not, change occurs slowly until the protagonist finds themself in different but not unfamiliar territory. That’s the story with Steve Bailey, president of Bailey Safety. He parlayed a successful career in his family’s distribution business into a lucrative safety consulting and training venture. Jason caught up with Steven to discover what it’s like to transition from a traditional distributorship to a safety specialist focused on the construction industry and how he plans to innovate in that space.
“My grandfather started the company (Bailey Tools & Safety) in 1937 but not as a distributor. He was a machinist,” says Steven. Granddad landed a coveted Porter-Cable rep job during WWII and started selling the brand out of the shop. “I always asked him why he got out of the machine shop and into distribution. He told me there’s only so much I can make in one day, but there’s no limit to what I can sell in a day,” Steven laughs.
Granddad’s entrepreneurial spirit extended down the family line. Steven’s father and brother also worked for the company. Business was good. “Then 2008 hit and the world ended,” he laughs. Bailey Tool weathered that financial storm, adding safety equipment to their inventory roster just as the vertical started taking off. The company’s expansion into safety equipment prompted the addition of a safety training division, someone who could keep up with OSHA regulations, compliance programming, and training. Steven’s wife took on the role, spinning off the division as Bailey Safety in 2012.
Steven sold Bailey Tool in 2017, just as his wife began exploring new career opportunities. The timing was perfect. Steven slotted himself into Bailey Safety with an eye on growth. “We’re a small company,” he admits. “I hired my son-in-law for sales and I’m running the operational piece.” While there are a lot of safety consultants in the business, few focus exclusively on the construction industry. “There’s no one like us,” Steven says, adding,” It’s been a good transition so far. It’s a challenge for sure. I’ve got a lot to learn. Managing labor is much different than managing inventory, but It’s been fun.”
QUOTES
“We wanna be in front of the customer. There’s just so much to say about the one-on-one interaction. I mean, virtual is great and we can get a lot of stuff done virtually, but you lose a lot of that interaction.”
“To get people to consider anything above compliance, you have to go out and really show it, put it in their hands and show ’em why a harness may cost two or three times more as a compliance harness.”
“You don’t sell to the guy in the tool crib. You sell to the safety director. You sell to the principals of the business because you’re selling a higher end product.”
“ Our business is to make sure our customer’s employees go home every day.”
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Distribution Talk is produced by The Distribution Team, a consulting services firm dedicated to helping wholesale distribution clients remove barriers to profitability, generate wealth, and achieve personal goals.
This episode was edited by The Creative Impostor Studios
Special thanks to our sponsors for this episode: Profit2, helping distributors charge the right price; and INxSQL Distribution Software, an integrated distribution ERP software designed for the wholesale and distribution industry.
