What do you think?
How the Rubber Meets the Road: A Blue-Collar Roadmap to Success for Business Owners and Entrepreneurs
Dick Erickson started his business career managing a tire store in Panama City, FL. He opened the first Sun Tire in Orange Park, FL, in 1981, added ten more stores over the next few decades, and sold the business to a large national chain of tire stores in 2018.
How the Rubber Meets the Road documents Dick’s journey from growing up in rural North Dakota, to flying helicopters in the Marine Corps in Vietnam, to his remarkable success in the retail tire business. The book also covers four key business topics.
Customer It’s nearly impossible to have ongoing profitable growth in business without providing excellent customer service. From the friendly greeting a person gets when entering a business to being treated with respect after the sale, every element of customer service plays a part in how the customer feels about a business.
Dick closely observed a very successful chain of tire stores in Oregon. One of the keys to their success was profit-sharing. It motivated employees to cut costs and improve profits. Dick incorporated much of what he saw in that organization in the Sun Tire program.
Dick sought out and received excellent mentoring throughout his career in business. Many people in business have wisdom and are willing to share it. An entrepreneur can learn a great deal simply by asking the right person the right questions.
Profitable Growth is important for any organization, but it has to be at the right pace with the right people to be profitable.
Business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs who are looking for ways to improve their bottom lines and their impact on their communities will benefit from reading How the Rubber Meets the Road.
How the Rubber Meets the Road documents Dick’s journey from growing up in rural North Dakota, to flying helicopters in the Marine Corps in Vietnam, to his remarkable success in the retail tire business. The book also covers four key business topics.
Customer It’s nearly impossible to have ongoing profitable growth in business without providing excellent customer service. From the friendly greeting a person gets when entering a business to being treated with respect after the sale, every element of customer service plays a part in how the customer feels about a business.
Dick closely observed a very successful chain of tire stores in Oregon. One of the keys to their success was profit-sharing. It motivated employees to cut costs and improve profits. Dick incorporated much of what he saw in that organization in the Sun Tire program.
Dick sought out and received excellent mentoring throughout his career in business. Many people in business have wisdom and are willing to share it. An entrepreneur can learn a great deal simply by asking the right person the right questions.
Profitable Growth is important for any organization, but it has to be at the right pace with the right people to be profitable.
Business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs who are looking for ways to improve their bottom lines and their impact on their communities will benefit from reading How the Rubber Meets the Road.
Kindle Edition
Published September 7, 2020
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
March 27, 2026
Great business book that shows the power of a proper incentive plan & customer service
October 10, 2020
Invaluable for future entrepreneurs or existing business owners!
I have only known Dick Erickson for a few years. It was around the time he sold Sun Tire we met. Being knew to the area I was looking for a good shop for routine maintenance on my vehicle. Mutual friends suggested his former store, which I visited and was immediately satisfied I had found the kind of shop I could trust with my vehicles and money. As time went on I got to know Dick better and heard he had been a successful business man.
Being an entrepreneur myself and having two prior businesses of my own with limited success, I was interested to learn more from a successful person. I persisted at having a meeting with Dick not fully appreciating the depth or magnitude of his knowledge. Dick gladly made time to mentor me, I look forward to our next meeting. Of course with new insights gleaned from "How the Rubber Meets the Road" He is everything described here in his book and more! You won't regret your time and will come away a better business person after reading this book.
Thanks again Dick!
I have only known Dick Erickson for a few years. It was around the time he sold Sun Tire we met. Being knew to the area I was looking for a good shop for routine maintenance on my vehicle. Mutual friends suggested his former store, which I visited and was immediately satisfied I had found the kind of shop I could trust with my vehicles and money. As time went on I got to know Dick better and heard he had been a successful business man.
Being an entrepreneur myself and having two prior businesses of my own with limited success, I was interested to learn more from a successful person. I persisted at having a meeting with Dick not fully appreciating the depth or magnitude of his knowledge. Dick gladly made time to mentor me, I look forward to our next meeting. Of course with new insights gleaned from "How the Rubber Meets the Road" He is everything described here in his book and more! You won't regret your time and will come away a better business person after reading this book.
Thanks again Dick!
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews