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On Fridays, the Claw is Law at This Downtown Tech Firm
March 12, 2020 Orlando Business Journal
If you prefer to end the work week by sipping on an ice-cold ruby grapefruit White Claw, Wheelzy LLC might be the employer for you.
The Orlando-based firm, which developed an online platform for used car sales, offers employees the popular hard seltzer the last hour of the work day every Friday. This perk is one of the ways Wheelzy encourages a positive work environment, Vice President of Operations Alle Shane said. "Wheelzy truly cares about its employees. This company is full of motivated individuals, which inspires a productive and fun work environment."
White Claws are not the only benefit of working at Wheelzy. Other advantages of working in the company's downtown office include:
- Free 24/7 downtown parking
- Two 60-inch TVs, with a Nintendo Switch and Wii U
- In-office gym
- Endless coffee bar
Wheelzy is among Orlando Business Journal's 2020 Best Places to Work in the medium category, which includes companies with 50-99 employees. The companies will be recognized at a March 27 event at Pointe Orlando's Main Event Orlando, 9101 International Drive.
Here's more from Shane:
Your firm’s standout piece of office décor: The pergolas on our balcony looking over downtown.
Top hangout spot in the office: Racing in Mario Kart on the beanbags and couches is the most popular place to spend time.
Your company’s top perk: Aside from the monthly themed events and weekly happy hours, the true perk is in the advancement opportunities Wheelzy offers. We only promote from within. Over 30% of our current employees have been promoted since they started.
How do you measure ROI on rewards, recognition and other perks? Personal achievement recognition, weekly prize wheel spins, weekly cash bonuses, team dinners at 5-star restaurants, monthly company events, birthday and work anniversary celebrations, and catered lunch every Friday
What does it take for a candidate to stand out and get hired by your firm? Candidates stand out when they show motivation, positivity and team-player attitude, and have a good work ethic.
What’s your office’s go-to offsite team-building activity? Wheelzy’s Field Day is one of the events everyone anticipates the most. Employees, family and friends enjoy a day full of grilling out, team events including dodgeball, bounce houses, kickball, face painting, tug of war and obstacle courses.
Does your local team drink more coffee, tea, Red Bull or beer? Wheelzy’s espresso and coffee machines are never not in use. There’s a reason our employees go to our dedicated coffee bar instead of Starbucks. And yes, we have oat milk too.
Which celebrity would you most want to hire? Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, because he is positive, inspirational and a hard-working individual who matches perfectly with the Wheelzy culture.
Are you hiring now? Wheelzy is hiring for several positions, including marketing associate, inbound sales representative and customer service representative. If you’re interested in joining our team, visit https://Wheelzy.com/Careers.
Our CEO, Iyad Muhanna, Talks with Orlando Business Journal in Hopes of Helping Future Entrepreneurs
March 5, 2020 Orlando Business Journal
Iyad Muhanna isn't new to facing challenges and unique circumstances as an entrepreneur, yet he's good at adapting to them.
His first company, a lead generation firm, was literally a home-grown startup with seven employees based out of his house.
He had multiple employees scattered throughout the rooms of his house on a daily basis. "I’m surprised these people agreed to come work in my house. It was really weird," he told Orlando Business Journal.
While that company ultimately didn’t survive, it never killed his entrepreneurial spirit.
Today, Muhanna is the founder and CEO of Orlando-based Wheelzy LLC, a car resale company that employs about 100 people locally and is growing at a rapid pace. The auto broker firm offers on-demand payment and pickup for used cars through an online platform serving customers in all 50 states.
And business has been so good that he's now looking to relocate into 20,000 square feet of office space in downtown Orlando.
But Wheelzy, founded in 2014, was far from an overnight success. In fact, it took years for the company to take off, and even came close to shuttering on multiple occasions.
Here, Muhanna shares his struggles and triumphs being an entrepreneur, his hobby as an amateur poker player and more:
After your first company didn’t work out, did you get discouraged about entrepreneurship? I really believe 90% of income, if not 99% of it, comes from something like [entrepreneurship]. It can come from business and investment, but mostly self-employment. I always knew I was going to do something, I just didn’t know what. Entrepreneurship is not something I knew I was going to be able to do, but it was something I knew I wanted.
Did you face similar struggles when you started Wheelzy? In the first two years, Wheelzy was going to go out of business at least three different times. There was no money in the bank as [the company] was down to literally $2,000-$5,000 with 10-20 employees. Every single time I thought that was it.
What kept pushing you in those moments? The one time that was the worst, I had almost 20 employees and we had just enough for one more payroll. The company was not going to get back. The employees didn’t even know. I was looking at them thinking, “Oh my God. This is probably the last week I’ll see you guys.” That was the main motivation to go back and redo everything. I changed the entire structure of the business in one week. We didn’t look at it as this one makes more or this one makes less and so on. We now focused the same way on every single car offer that came in — and we started to see an uptick. Nobody even knew we were going to close down or fire everyone.
The company now has grown to 100 workers. What was the most difficult stage of that growth? Getting to 20 employees is hard, but going from 20 to 30 is so much harder. Every time we hired and expanded, all of the sudden you’re not paying attention to the people you already have because you don’t have any structure or management. You are the manager of every single employee, and that’s the problem. It took me over a year to figure that out.
As a founder, how do you handle the weight of firing someone? I think about that every single week. When you fire somebody, that’s a big decision. I have to go home and think, “I made somebody go home without a job. They have to find a new job and a new income. They might not pay the rent or the utility bill. They might not go out that night.” That’s on me.
Why did Wheelzy never seek investment money early on? I never looked for financing because it was about validating the business for the first two or three months. I knew I had something worthwhile once it started generating enough revenue to pay the rent. I never looked to take any investment. We’ve been profitable almost every single month since the start of the business. But now we are thinking about taking some investment to see if that can help us grow further.
You’re an avid poker player. Where do you typically play? There’s some smaller charity leagues in town. And then you have some of the games at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Tampa.
Do you have a favorite place to play? The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. I’ve been to Las Vegas many times, but I don’t really like it.
Wheelzy Announces New Trademark
February 7, 2020 Economy Watch
With the fast-paced world we live in, no one has time to deal with the challenge of selling a car. The odds seem stacked against a seller - from unreliable buyers to depreciating trade-in values. Wheelzy is revolutionizing the game in today's intimidating market, making it easy and convenient for anyone to sell your vehicle.
In January of 2020, Wheelzy officially trademarked the company name. With half a decade of nationwide service, guaranteed offers, and unmatched customer care, Wheelzy makes the nightmare of selling a car into a blissful dream come true. From the first point of contact by its U.S.-based customer service team to the wave goodbye as the tower drives away with the vehicle, Wheelzy puts the customer first.
The car industry is often thought of as competitive and at times unfriendly. Wheelzy is changing this stereotype with its top-rated customer experience and quick, accurate offers for cars of any type. One of Wheelzy’s thousands of satisfied customers states:
“Have done two transactions with this company now. Both times they have gone above and beyond to make sure I received the best deal. They were always prompt in their responses and true to their word. Would definitely recommend this company and work with them again!!” - Debbi Cooper
Whether selling a daily driver or in need of getting rid of a car sitting out in the yard, Wheelzy's happy to help. Just visit Wheelzy.com or call its customer service team to get an instant free quote. Once the offer is accepted, the tower arrives at an agreed-upon time and payment is given on the spot - no gimmicks or questions. Wheelzy even picks up vehicles and takes care of all the paperwork for free. Selling a car with Wheelzy is just that easy.
High-Tech Auto Broker to Add Downtown Jobs and Space
February 13, 2020 Orlando Business Journal
A high-tech Orlando auto broker is seeking new downtown office space to hold its expanding workforce. Wheelzy LLC needs roughly 20,000 square feet of office space to relocate to, founder and CEO Iyad Muhanna told Orlando Business Journal. The car resale company, which employs about 100 people locally, has run out of space at its current downtown location at 109 E. Church St. Muhanna wants Wheelzy to stay downtown because he likes being in the urban core, and it’s a convenient location for his workforce. "I don’t know where else we’d go." The auto broker offers on-demand payment and pickup for used cars through an online platform, and it serves customers in all 50 states. The company’s success is due to its simple transaction process and customer service. The company is developing an artificial intelligence-enable chatbot to help streamline its service further. "We’re reaching more customers every day," said Muhanna. "The demand is going up."
Growth Kicks Into Overdrive
The rapid growth forced Wheelzy to house some employees in downtown co-working space Venture X due to lack of space in its current office. And the firm is still in hiring mode, with two open positions listed on its website. Muhanna said he’s not sure when his company’s growth will slow, or how many more people he will hire before it does. "You want to grow as much as you can as fast as you can, and we’ve been able to do that so far." The company employs a variety of positions, including developers, customer service representatives and marketing employees. Developer and marketing positions pay average annual salaries higher than the Orlando area’s average salary of $44,930, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Downtown on the Mind
Orlando’s central business district submarket has an office occupancy rate of 11.2%, compared to the city’s average of 9.5%, according to Cushman & Wakefield (NYSE: CWK). Class A office rents downtown average $28.55 per square foot, higher than the city average of $26.27 per square foot. There’s 7.2 million square feet of total inventory in the submarket, with 784,000 square feet of vacant space.
Orlando's downtown has come a long way in the last 20 years, becoming an attractive place for tech companies and workers, Lilian Myers, executive director of Orlando-based business accelerator Starter Studio, told OBJ. Myers has been part of the city's startup scene since the 1990s, and she credits city leadership with helping push downtown to host more than entertainment and nightlife.
Tech companies and startups have helped the perception of downtown, she said, since they often carry an image of vibrance. "There’s a strong ongoing belief in what downtown could be."
Say Hello to Wheelzy: The Fastest and Easiest Way to Sell Your Car Nationwide in Minutes
July 31, 2019 PRNewswire.com
Wheelzy is forever changing the dreaded process of selling a car.
Everyone knows how much of a hassle it can be to sell your car. From the amount of time wasted with private buyers and unfair trade-in values that car dealerships give out, selling cars is frustrating. That is, until Wheelzy.
Wheelzy is car buying as it should be — simple, easy and straightforward. No shady buyers. No runarounds. No tire kickers. Anyone can sell a car in just one day, without having to sacrifice the amount of money received for it. The company buys any car quickly, regardless of condition. From cars in great running condition to broken down and damaged junk cars, Wheelzy buys them all.
Quality customer service is hard to come by these days, especially in the car industry. Wheelzy strives to help every customer sell their car for the most money possible and as quickly as each individual needs. This company prides itself on being the friendliest car buyer in the nation. Wheelzy's customer, Shannon Nelson, says, "It was the best experience I could ask for. They answered all of my questions and were available every time I needed something answered. I recommend them to anyone and everyone I can. They’re genuinely nice people willing to help anyone. You don’t come across genuine people like them very often."
Selling a car to Wheelzy is beyond easy. Go to Wheelzy.com and fill out their easy online form or call their U.S.- based customer care team. In about five minutes, they will provide a guaranteed offer for the car or truck. Once the offer is accepted, Wheelzy will pick up the car for free at the most convenient time available. When they arrive to pick up the car, they pay the agreed upon amount on the spot before taking the car away for good. Wheelzy takes care of transferring the ownership of the car, and their service is completely free and reliable.
About Wheelzy
Wheelzy is an online car buyer headquartered in Orlando that purchases thousands of cars a month throughout the United States. After five years of successfully buying cars, Wheelzy is emerging as the best way to sell your car anywhere. This company is known for superior customer service and stands out as the most reliable car buyer around. By using advanced AI technologies to evaluate the value and damage of cars, this company is able to stand out as a trusted way to sell your car.
To learn more about Wheelzy or to get an offer, please visit Wheelzy.com.
We Have Some BIG News!
Brother Treehouse is growing so much that we have re-branded! Visit Wheelzy.com to see our new look
HELLO WHEELZY
Brother Treehouse could not be more delighted to announce that we have officially re-branded to Wheelzy as of July 2019!
Brother Treehouse is now Wheelzy!
After 5 years of rapid growth as Brother Treehouse, we're unveiling our new identity - Wheelzy. As we reflect on all the accomplishments we've achieved, we couldn't be more excited to continue our success with our new brand Wheelzy. Wheelzy represents the company that we are today, a trusted way to help people sell their car online.
We have the same cool downtown office, same smiling faces around and most importantly, the same amount of fun. We're very lucky to have found a way to help people and grow a business at the same time. We can't wait to see all that we will become with Wheelzy!
With how fast we're growing, we want to have a name that represents who we are and what we do. With a fresh new look, we're ready to offer our customers the same amazing service we always have. And no, we still don't sell Treehouses
Visit Wheelzy.com