The Creation of Stealth
As a young entrepreneur, I had experience in many trades growing up. I primarily worked in the HVAC, property management, automotive repair/customization, and architectural salvage industry. I enjoyed working hard throughout the day and going to bed tired, mainly to fund my addiction to buying and modifying vehicles. Most of my work involved long-distance traveling in my diesel van or pickup. Having my daily drivers work correctly to get the job done was crucial to making a living. This was always a challenge as I was constantly pushing the limits. My body and equipment were wearing out fast.
In 2015 I heard the best news of my life when my wife told me she was pregnant. Having kids was always a goal of mine, and this changed everything. I needed to make a significant lifestyle change if there was going to be a child dependent on me there. I desperately wanted to be the best father I could be. This started my hunt for a future that would enable me and my wife to spend time with our child while providing what was necessary for a stable future.
This motivated me to contact friends and family to catapult me into some passive income like real estate. That quickly eliminated itself as an option as it would require significant capital to get started.
I had less than a year to figure it out, and the clock was ticking. In the meantime, my wife and I busted our asses working and saving as much as possible. This did not kill my passion for automotive performance, though. I took a risk and bought a Chevy 4500 Kodiak, added a service body and 490" super single tires. It was a beast!
Our friend posted that she was moving to PA from VT, and I excitedly offered to move her stuff with my new truck towing my enclosed trailer. We were home safe after one successful trip and a little detour with my wife to drive it on the beach at Assateague Island. That is when I saw another post about needing to make a second trip. I scrambled to help again, offering a discounted rate even to help accommodate her situation. My wife had the gut instinct that it wouldn't turn out well, but I took off on the adventure solo anyway.
Halfway through the trip, my truck was in limp mode. I reached the destination at a snail's pace, but the truck refused to start. I was stranded. After working on it for a few days, I was forced to abandon it and return home. I geared up with a mechanic friend and went down to swap the injection pump on the side of the road in the snow. That didn't fix it. We returned home empty-handed.
That is when I started searching for injectors. Come to find out, injectors from Chevy were $3,300 and remanufactured. It was not an option after dealing with remanufactured power steering pumps on my last truck. I kept searching in hopes there were new injectors available out there.
Somehow after going down the rabbit hole on the internet, I came across Doc Sadler. Doc claimed to be a diesel performance specialist and spoke in details that were way over my head. In my skepticism and questioning, he told me to go F myself and buy someone else's injectors. His confidence and knowledge intrigued me. We stayed on the phone for an hour talking about all types of things. Eventually, he mentioned he could use someone like me for another business he was working on. I responded, "I am not afraid to come to visit." A couple of weeks go by playing phone tag, attempting to arrange a time, then I get a call saying, "Get out here." I remember climbing down a ladder, dropping my plumbing tools on the ground, and booking the next available flight. I drove straight home, packed a backpack, and flew to Spokane, WA.
Getting off the plane there was no one there waiting for me. It was a small airport, and I paced around calling Doc with no answer. Eventually, he answers and says his son is on the way to get me. He shows up in a charger, and the ride from the airport to Doc's house had me fearing for my life as we carved through the mountain passes. Arriving at Doc's ranch was overwhelming. It was late at night, but I could tell it was nothing like I had seen before and at the end of a long dirt road.
We hit it off immediately. My 2-day trip turned into 8 days. I had a new best friend as well as a respected mentor. This is the life I wanted for my kids. This ranch had multiple houses with many cool vehicles and horses running wild in the fields. His son Wyatt and I spent hours racing through the mountain fire road on ATV's. It was heaven and it immediately felt like a home away from home. We spent most of my time collecting old trucks he intended to build into hot rods from MT. This was when I got an authentic taste of what it was like to drive a modern diesel truck up big mountain passes and the importance of having real power to get it done. I was hooked.
After a few trips out there and familiarizing myself with the diesel module business he mentioned needing me for, I decided to take a leap of faith. I knew that I needed to establish my own business to earn my way and have no limiting factors regarding customer service as a priority. The day before my daughters' due date we established Stealth Performance Products at the state offices in NH. About 3 weeks after my daughter was born, we packed up and drove cross country towing my raggedy old park model camper to start a new life.
When we arrived, my wife, daughter, and I lived above their barn as I worked the land to earn an income. The money I earned and our savings were spent on starting the website, social media, ads, and gathering content. It was an extremely slow start, with maybe 3 or 4 sales in the first few months. Eventually, our savings were gone and work was running out. I was running a tab at the local restaurant and borrowing money for fuel. As a last-ditch effort, we managed to get to SEMA as spectators, hoping to find a way to make it work. We left empty-handed aside from some content.
Miraculously on the way home, we see some big TV and social media personalities broken down on the side of the highway in Utah. We loop around, catching up to them at the next gas station, and tell them about our product. They were surprisingly welcoming and appreciated our mission to succeed. After a brief conversation and giving them some Stealth Modules, we continued. Most had stayed the same but we were determined to make it work.
After waiting to hear something for a few weeks, I messaged those guys for their addresses to send some stickers and brochures. Instead of shipping them, I made the 18-hour drive to drop them off in person in hopes of getting an install video with a testimonial. This was literally the last of any money available to us. It was an absolutely make-it-or-break-it moment. We drive down there and sleep in a parking lot with my 6-month-old baby, wife, and dog in my wife's tiny little Hummer H3. We went to their shop after waking up to construction workers slamming stuff in the dumpster and the sun baking down on us.
Surprisingly they welcomed us in and were very accommodating. While we waited for a TV personality to show up, my wife used their shower as I helped assemble a giant carport. When it came time to film, I was very excited but extremely nervous. There were no scripts or fancy recording devices. An impromptu raw video started with "What's up America. I'm here with Stealth Performance. They have a really cool product, and I think you'd love to hear about it."
We left the shop and headed for an excellent spot in the mountains. I was making edits and trying to post the video while driving. The anticipation was overwhelming.'
It was a hit. That weekend we sold $40k worth of modules. The ball was rolling now. Time to prove I am the business owner I claimed to be. Over the next 7 years, my integrity and grit have been tested countless times. We spent 3 years traveling the country full-time in an RV. We invested heavily in development and infrastructure to make the product the best. Unfortunately, my best friend and mentor Doc, passed a few years into our endeavor. The burden fell upon his family and me to pick up where he left off. I am proud to say his family and I are all stronger and more stable than ever. The modules are helping tens of thousands of pickup owners and continue to ship to thousands more regularly.
I now have two children with many priceless memories enabled by this undertaking. Our modules perform better than ever before as we evolve with new drivetrains as they come out, dialing them in for optimal daily driving benefits and efficient performance. You can still reach me by calling any of our phone lines and asking to speak to Eric, the owner.
Thank you for your continued support throughout the years and your recent interest in us now. We look forward to welcoming you into the Stealth Modules community.
In 2015 I heard the best news of my life when my wife told me she was pregnant. Having kids was always a goal of mine, and this changed everything. I needed to make a significant lifestyle change if there was going to be a child dependent on me there. I desperately wanted to be the best father I could be. This started my hunt for a future that would enable me and my wife to spend time with our child while providing what was necessary for a stable future.
This motivated me to contact friends and family to catapult me into some passive income like real estate. That quickly eliminated itself as an option as it would require significant capital to get started.
I had less than a year to figure it out, and the clock was ticking. In the meantime, my wife and I busted our asses working and saving as much as possible. This did not kill my passion for automotive performance, though. I took a risk and bought a Chevy 4500 Kodiak, added a service body and 490" super single tires. It was a beast!
Our friend posted that she was moving to PA from VT, and I excitedly offered to move her stuff with my new truck towing my enclosed trailer. We were home safe after one successful trip and a little detour with my wife to drive it on the beach at Assateague Island. That is when I saw another post about needing to make a second trip. I scrambled to help again, offering a discounted rate even to help accommodate her situation. My wife had the gut instinct that it wouldn't turn out well, but I took off on the adventure solo anyway.
Halfway through the trip, my truck was in limp mode. I reached the destination at a snail's pace, but the truck refused to start. I was stranded. After working on it for a few days, I was forced to abandon it and return home. I geared up with a mechanic friend and went down to swap the injection pump on the side of the road in the snow. That didn't fix it. We returned home empty-handed.
That is when I started searching for injectors. Come to find out, injectors from Chevy were $3,300 and remanufactured. It was not an option after dealing with remanufactured power steering pumps on my last truck. I kept searching in hopes there were new injectors available out there.
Somehow after going down the rabbit hole on the internet, I came across Doc Sadler. Doc claimed to be a diesel performance specialist and spoke in details that were way over my head. In my skepticism and questioning, he told me to go F myself and buy someone else's injectors. His confidence and knowledge intrigued me. We stayed on the phone for an hour talking about all types of things. Eventually, he mentioned he could use someone like me for another business he was working on. I responded, "I am not afraid to come to visit." A couple of weeks go by playing phone tag, attempting to arrange a time, then I get a call saying, "Get out here." I remember climbing down a ladder, dropping my plumbing tools on the ground, and booking the next available flight. I drove straight home, packed a backpack, and flew to Spokane, WA.
Getting off the plane there was no one there waiting for me. It was a small airport, and I paced around calling Doc with no answer. Eventually, he answers and says his son is on the way to get me. He shows up in a charger, and the ride from the airport to Doc's house had me fearing for my life as we carved through the mountain passes. Arriving at Doc's ranch was overwhelming. It was late at night, but I could tell it was nothing like I had seen before and at the end of a long dirt road.
We hit it off immediately. My 2-day trip turned into 8 days. I had a new best friend as well as a respected mentor. This is the life I wanted for my kids. This ranch had multiple houses with many cool vehicles and horses running wild in the fields. His son Wyatt and I spent hours racing through the mountain fire road on ATV's. It was heaven and it immediately felt like a home away from home. We spent most of my time collecting old trucks he intended to build into hot rods from MT. This was when I got an authentic taste of what it was like to drive a modern diesel truck up big mountain passes and the importance of having real power to get it done. I was hooked.
After a few trips out there and familiarizing myself with the diesel module business he mentioned needing me for, I decided to take a leap of faith. I knew that I needed to establish my own business to earn my way and have no limiting factors regarding customer service as a priority. The day before my daughters' due date we established Stealth Performance Products at the state offices in NH. About 3 weeks after my daughter was born, we packed up and drove cross country towing my raggedy old park model camper to start a new life.
When we arrived, my wife, daughter, and I lived above their barn as I worked the land to earn an income. The money I earned and our savings were spent on starting the website, social media, ads, and gathering content. It was an extremely slow start, with maybe 3 or 4 sales in the first few months. Eventually, our savings were gone and work was running out. I was running a tab at the local restaurant and borrowing money for fuel. As a last-ditch effort, we managed to get to SEMA as spectators, hoping to find a way to make it work. We left empty-handed aside from some content.
Miraculously on the way home, we see some big TV and social media personalities broken down on the side of the highway in Utah. We loop around, catching up to them at the next gas station, and tell them about our product. They were surprisingly welcoming and appreciated our mission to succeed. After a brief conversation and giving them some Stealth Modules, we continued. Most had stayed the same but we were determined to make it work.
After waiting to hear something for a few weeks, I messaged those guys for their addresses to send some stickers and brochures. Instead of shipping them, I made the 18-hour drive to drop them off in person in hopes of getting an install video with a testimonial. This was literally the last of any money available to us. It was an absolutely make-it-or-break-it moment. We drive down there and sleep in a parking lot with my 6-month-old baby, wife, and dog in my wife's tiny little Hummer H3. We went to their shop after waking up to construction workers slamming stuff in the dumpster and the sun baking down on us.
Surprisingly they welcomed us in and were very accommodating. While we waited for a TV personality to show up, my wife used their shower as I helped assemble a giant carport. When it came time to film, I was very excited but extremely nervous. There were no scripts or fancy recording devices. An impromptu raw video started with "What's up America. I'm here with Stealth Performance. They have a really cool product, and I think you'd love to hear about it."
We left the shop and headed for an excellent spot in the mountains. I was making edits and trying to post the video while driving. The anticipation was overwhelming.'
It was a hit. That weekend we sold $40k worth of modules. The ball was rolling now. Time to prove I am the business owner I claimed to be. Over the next 7 years, my integrity and grit have been tested countless times. We spent 3 years traveling the country full-time in an RV. We invested heavily in development and infrastructure to make the product the best. Unfortunately, my best friend and mentor Doc, passed a few years into our endeavor. The burden fell upon his family and me to pick up where he left off. I am proud to say his family and I are all stronger and more stable than ever. The modules are helping tens of thousands of pickup owners and continue to ship to thousands more regularly.
I now have two children with many priceless memories enabled by this undertaking. Our modules perform better than ever before as we evolve with new drivetrains as they come out, dialing them in for optimal daily driving benefits and efficient performance. You can still reach me by calling any of our phone lines and asking to speak to Eric, the owner.
Thank you for your continued support throughout the years and your recent interest in us now. We look forward to welcoming you into the Stealth Modules community.