Get Your Motor Runnin'

Coliant Corporation is a favorite client of the SBTDC if not for the amazing success it has experienced since John Swiatek first contacted our offices seven years ago than definitely for the very cool products that Swiatek invents and sells. 

When Swiatek first approached the Macomb SBTDC for assistance in 2001, he had just left a career in electrical engineering with one of the “Big Three” with an itch to try his hand at entrepreneurship.  After three exploratory conversations with a certified business consultant, he casually mentioned that he was a bit of a “tinkerer” and that he had invented something unique that might just revolutionize the comfort and convenience of riding a motorcycle. 

An enthusiast himself, Swiatek developed a gadget that enabled him to plug into the bike’s electrical system without having to disassemble it to get to the battery.  After hearing that Swiatek’s working prototype was nonexistent in the marketplace, a SBTDC Consultant encouraged him to take his product to market.  Says Swiatek, “As an engineer, I wanted to develop product.  SBTDC helped me to realize that I needed to stop inventing and start selling what I had.”

Before long, he was learning how to start his own business, developing pricing strategies and creating a market identity through a logo upon which a Web site could be built and product packaging could be developed.

The end result is the Powerlet  – an after-market product that provides integrated access to the bike’s power sources.  The mounted plug – similar to a car cigarette lighter – makes it possible to hook up a cell phone charger, radar detector, GPS system and other electrical goodies like a heated vest Swiatek invented to help keep his wife toasty on long rides in less than ideal temperatures.

Still passionate about tinkering with new product ideas, Swiatek ran into a couple of buddies from Sterling Heights Stevenson High School who were very interested in learning about his success and more importantly, what his plans were for taking the business to the next level.  Before long, school pals Adam Bonislawski and Dave Meerhaeghe were brought into the business to share the burden of responsibility.  With Bonislawski heading up sales and marketing and Meerhaeghe managing information technology and finance, Swiatek can now devote more of his energy to expand the product. 

Launched as an online business, the company moved just under 700 orders in its first year.  At the time, his products were being assembled and shipped out of his house with the help of a skeletal crew of part-time employees.  By 2003, sales had more than tripled and Coliant was named Michigan’s Small Business of the Year.  In 2006, orders topped 5,000 as the company began to target its focus on selling to potential resellers of his product line, especially motorcycle dealers. 

By now, the company had outgrown the garage and was beginning to take over the entire house.  Ready to expand, Swiatek fell in love with a property in Warren on Chicago Road that in 1927 had been the first Chevrolet dealership in the region.  After a bevy of environmental testing and remediation, the building was opened and houses ten full-time employees who move some 35,000 products annually. 

Swiatek again approached the SBTDC for help in 2007 when he set a goal to grow the business five times its present volume in three years.  A business consultant assisted in completing an analysis of the business model with special attention to corporate mission, product and service offerings, management and organizational structure, marketing, operations and finances.  Together, they crafted a 54-page business plan that describes in detail how the aggressive growth goal could be accomplished. 

Today, Coliant is continuing to increase its base of distributors and dealers.  Without really trying, international sales are at approximately 12 percent of total volume.  To capture a great worldwide presence, Coliant is developing a new Web site and system for managing inventory controls and shipping systems.  A brand new line of exciting products and heated clothing will be launched that diversify into other non-automobile modes of transportation including boats, ATV's and snowmobiles. 

Swiatek gladly shares credit for his success with the SBTDC for being a local source of valuable information and service.  “Working with the Macomb office helped to prepare me to run the marathon of business ownership.”