Trumbull Resident Gives Up Commute to Haggle for Car Deals

Business: HaggleDaddy
Owners: Jeremy Stewart (Founder & CEO), Aaron Walker (Co-founder & President), Serg Chernata (Co-founder & CTO)
Website: HaggleDaddy.com
Address: Trumbull, we use PO Box 561, but my home address is on Garwood Road

How did you come up with the name?
It's easy to remember, the domain (URL) was available (difficult in the auto space), and consumers and dealerships alike thought it was great.

Why choose that location? Why start a business in this town?
Our team all works remotely (but I live in Trumbull). After having an hour-long commute each way for 12 years, I'm ready for a ridiculously short commute. Plus, who wouldn't want to contribute to their local tax base if they had the opportunity?

Briefly, what business are you in?
We save you money on a car purchase or lease by eliminating the brutal price negotiation game.

What's the most difficult moment or challenge you've faced as a business owner?
The most difficult challenge for us is starting and operating a full-time business while working full-time “day jobs.” We all work 70-plus hours per week, dedicating nearly all of our free time to our passion… helping people save money on car purchases and leases. We’re excited to finally have reached the point where we’re ready to grow, so the next year will be very exciting indeed!

Were there any challenges that made you second guess your decision to be an entrepreneur?
No. When I came to realize that I was an entrepreneur, especially when I realized that I’ve been following the wrong career path for the better part of 2 decades, the only path forward for me was to follow my passion. I’m lucky that there’s a market available for me to monetize my hobby. I spent many years working in a big corporate setting with tons of red tape and bureaucracy. Although successful, I haven’t been satisfied for years. It’s time to jump with both feet.

What's been your favorite moment or proudest achievement since opening?
I’m so proud of the team that I built to help execute my dream for a better and easier way to buy new cars. I’m honored and humbled to have such amazing talent that is also so passionate about my vision.

What's the most innovative idea your employees or customers have had that you put into practice?
We created the easiest reverse auction SaaS available to the auto industry. After you’ve made your purchasing decision and configured your next new car, we engage dealers to compete for your business in a “real” real-time reverse auction based on our experience running live “English,” open and ascending auctions, but in reverse. Our technology negotiates pricing down to the lowest that the market will support. It’s based on the premise that any dealership will beat your best offer by $100. So when a dealer has the opportunity to earn your business by beating the other guys by just $100, they agree down to the point where it’s just not profitable anymore. And that’s when you know you’ve reached the end of your negotiating position.

How do you deal with difficult customers?
We are very customer service oriented because we are a “concierge-like” service. We understand how stressful and frustrating car shopping is, so we are here to help however we can. We are expert negotiators… we know where the hidden money is and how to get it. There’s no such thing as a difficult customer to us… only customers that might need a little more customized attention, which is what we are here for.

How does your business give back or get involved in the community?
We’re a young company, so we still have lots of room to grow in this area, but to date, we’ve sponsored a dodgeball team for this years’ Annual Trumbull Rotary Dodgeball Tournament in support of the Bridgeport Rescue Mission and we’re sponsoring this summers' ShakesBeer Festival, which is a benefit for the renovation of the historic American Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford, CT (http://ShakesBeerFestival.com). I help coach my son’s little league team in town, and if I’m being honest, I can’t wait until team HaggleDaddy wins the championship.

This article is part of Patch's series highlighting local businesses in our community. Learn more about the series, and if you're a small business, fill out the form to be included, by checking out this link.