Today we’d like to introduce you to Joel Swisher.
Hi Joel, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers?
The Coolest Gun Store in Michigan I have never wanted to answer to anyone. For as long as I can remember, I have known that I wanted to be my own boss and control my own fate. Almost immediately after I graduated high school, I moved over 100 miles from the small town of Vicksburg, MI to the larger city of Livonia. My brother Jason and I started All In One Service Group, Inc, a property management company specializing in large commercial snow removal accounts.
We had nearly 100 customers before we owned even a pick-up truck, let alone any other equipment. Jason and I took an impressive customer list to friends and family securing the financing we needed to get the company off the ground. While the road may have been bumpy at times, we managed to grow All In One into a multi-million dollar company. As the company grew and our management skills increased, we found ways for the company to self-sustain so that we could pursue other goals and dreams.
Jason founded and built a Crossfit Gym in Novi, Michigan. I applied for a Federal Firearms License and began doing special orders and internet transfers of firearms right in the office of our industrial building. My passion for firearms and the freedoms that come along with them quickly caused a spark in the local community. My list of loyal customers was growing fast and word of mouth was the only advertising I used for the first year of business. I bought some small display cases and began stocking what little product I could afford. I had limited knowledge of the industry so by listening to my customers I only brought in firearms and accessories that I believed I could move quickly.
Eventually, I began taking more chances with my inventory. My goal was to become the coolest gun store in Michigan and I knew the only way to do that was to actually stock the firearms and products that the other stores did not want to invest in. I specialized in rare and expensive firearms. I felt that once customers visited and held handguns or rifles they had never seen before they would have no choice but to tell their friends and family about my store. During this period, I met and quickly hired my current business partner Kenny Dang. Kenny possessed skills with numbers, computers, and technology to propel our marketing and security to the next level.
Two years after starting Uncoiled Firearms and Transfers, LLC a customer came into our small store with a rumor. We were told that a business owner in Livonia, MI was contemplating selling their gun range. I immediately contacted the owner and set up a meeting. Within the day we negotiated and shook hands on a deal. My wife Casey had my back and we made a large investment into a complete overhaul of the retail area and gun range at our newly acquired location.
Our goal was to create a store like no one had ever seen. We designed and built a new way to show off our firearms. We backed our display cases with steel and used strong magnets to hang up the product. The idea was to get away from the slat-wall and outdated cases that required a customer to lean down or even kneel to view inventory. All of our firearms are easily viewed and displayed at eye level.
Next, we started improving the range. We began using filters that were triple the cost of what was previously used. The outdated steel trap was removed and replaced with a crushed rubber bullet trap system. The rubber system is quieter than steel and traps the bullets lead dust in a safer manner. Recently, we have added a cooling system giving us one of the only fully air-conditioned gun ranges in the area.
Kenny and I began working directly with the ATF and other industry leaders to streamline the background check system for purchasing firearms. Our goal was to create an easier way to complete and store background checks and records. With the help of the ATF and our point of sale system AXIS, we were one of the first companies in the United States to offer digital background checks and storage. Our customers can now type their info into a secure cloud-based system and we no longer have to take up hundreds of square feet storing bins of paperwork.
On-site we have a kiosk that takes digital fingerprints and helps with the paperwork to purchase a suppressor or short-barreled rifle. This machine changed what used to be a lengthy and overwhelming task into a quick and easy process. With our impressive stock of suppressors on-site and by implementing our kiosk, Uncoiled has quickly grown into one of the top-selling silencer stores in the state.
Last, we follow one motto that sets us apart from many other gun stores and ranges.
“Don’t be a jerk!”
Our employees and I were all enthusiasts first. We have all visited and purchased firearms at other locations and dealt with the old-school attitudes behind the sales counter. Our sales staff are trained to listen to the customer’s needs and present them with products that fill those needs. We never pretend to know everything and are not too ashamed to admit it when we don’t. If we cannot answer a question with confidence, we will gladly get back to the customer once we can. Whenever I am asked about the secret to our success, I refer to our motto, and people are constantly amazed by how far we have come just by being nice.
Owning and running a gun store and range is not always easy, but it is very rewarding. We are constantly surrounded by like-minded individuals that love and support the Second Amendment community. Our days are filled with discussions and hands-on experiences with a sport that we have built our lives around. By combining our passion for the industry, a new approach to customer service, and old-fashioned hard work I do believe we have built and run the coolest gun store in Michigan.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Owning and operating a business is rarely easy. To build anything that is successful, an enormous amount of work and dedication must go into the project. The firearms industry comes with a greater need for the accuracy of records than most. It also carries a fair amount of stress due to constantly changing rules and regulations.
One item that stands out is the newly legalized use of Marijuana in Michigan. It took many months of educating customers on the difference between state and federal law and how they impact firearm purchases. Another challenge was Covid. Uncoiled has government contracts and we are an essential business. During the initial outbreak, we were challenged with keeping the store open to the public while navigating ever-changing shutdown orders and rulings.
In the middle of this pandemic, we created and unprecedented drive-through service. We approached customers in the safety of their own vehicles and brought the product to them. This was an unheard-of approach to a never-before-seen issue.
As you know, we’re big fans of Uncoiled Firearms and Gun Range, LLC. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Uncoiled specializes in suppressors and hard to get firearms. Our pleasant attitudes and a large selection of products separate us from our competition. We are the number one dealer in Michigan of many high-end products such as Staccato Pistols and Microtech Knives. uncoiled is also the fasting growing suppressor dealer in Michigan.
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
Being my own boss and having control over my own future is the epidemy of happiness to me. I also enjoy seeing how the results of my decisions help create careers and a higher standard of living for my employees and their families.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: www.uncoiledfirearms.com
- Instagram: uncoiledfirearms
