Top Dealer Award Reflections

It's been a couple of weeks now, and lots of people have stopped by the shop, called, or e-mailed their congratulations for Ducati Omaha being honored by Ducati North America as the Best Exclusive Ducati Dealer in North America for 2009.  I think it's finally sinking in how far we've come from being a rag-tag trio of track riders and racers back in 2005 who started a business with nothing but a passion for Ducati and a rough sketch of how to make it all work.  I certainly wouldn't say that Ducati Omaha is a model business by any means, but it does go to show that passion for a pursuit and dedication to customers (along with a lot of hard work) can still go a long way in the business world.  We've learned so much along the way, and made so many new friends, that it's an experience we wouldn't trade for anything.  If it all ends tomorrow, it will still have been worth it.  The motorcycle business is a tough one to stick with, and I honestly don't know how some people can even stomach it when they're looking at it as a business only and not a personal passion, as the return on investment for the effort is miniscule compared to other business pursuits.  At the end of the day, you need to have something to look forward to the next day, and if you're a Ducati enthusiast the brand can be that shining star to focus on.  We've built an entire business around that concept and it's managed to survive over 4 years now of ups and downs in a very volatile industry.  Many people new to our store ask "How can you even stay in business only selling Ducati?"  It's always a strange question to hear, because our perpective is "How could you even do this if you weren't passionate about the brand you sell?"  The bottom line is that we see our business as an extension of oursleves and a function of our relationship with our customers who we share the common passion for Ducati with, and nothing more.  We think that's the key to our success, and we hope you all enjoy this as much as we do!  Without you, we would still be back in 2005 as three guys riding our Ducatis at the track with other riders coming by our pit area saying "Wow, is that a Ducati?!?!  I've never saw one of those before!".