Episode Overview
In this episode, Dino Caparco, President of Taylor Rental in Rhode Island, shared how he transformed a struggling rental operation into a business generating more than double its previous revenue and profitability. After leaving a 24-year engineering career to purchase a small, underperforming rental company, Dino uncovered early operational issues and prioritized what to fix first. He explained how upgrading the fleet, repaving the lot, raising quality standards, and hiring for work ethic rather than experience reshaped both the customer experience and the culture. Dino also discussed why refusing to be the cheapest option became a competitive advantage, along with his expansion plans for property acquisition and a second location.
Timestamps:
- 00:00 – Introduction to Dino Caparco and his transition from engineering to rental
- 03:45 – Why he left a 24-year engineering career to buy a rental company
- 09:41 – What he discovered after purchasing a struggling business with an aging fleet
- 12:50 – Implementing stricter processes around pricing and payments and losing legacy customers
- 16:37 – Upgrading the facility and equipment to improve customer perception
- 18:40 – Rebuilding the team and replacing employees who resisted higher standards
- 23:09 – Hiring based on work ethic rather than industry experience
- 27:42 – How equipment condition and appearance shape customer behavior
- 31:49 – The results: growing revenue and profitability two and a half times
- 32:13 – Acquiring adjacent land and reinvesting in expansion for future growth
