Most successful businesses don’t start with certainty.
They start with skepticism.
When Kyle Therriault and his father Steve began pitching their idea, selling auto parts online, they heard the same thing over and over:
“No one will ever buy that on the internet.”
They built it anyway.
The Risk That Started It All
Steve Therriault took the leap in his mid-50s, after losing his job following a private equity shakeup.
He had decades of experience in the automotive aftermarket. But entrepreneurship? That was new.
And risky.
He had a family. Bills. Kids in school.
Still, he chose to build.
The first version of the business was simple: buy overstock auto parts and sell them on eBay.
It wasn’t glamorous. But it worked.
And it laid the foundation for what would become Auto Accessories Garage.
The Early Edge: Being First (and Right)
As they built their own website, Kyle leaned into something most businesses didn’t yet understand: SEO.
He studied it obsessively.
At the time, ranking on page one of Google meant everything. Traffic was abundant and mostly free.
That early advantage changed the trajectory of the business.
“We just had to be on page one and we’d get eyeballs.”
With few competitors and low advertising costs, growth accelerated quickly.
When Growth Breaks Things
As traffic surged, cracks started to show.
The website couldn’t handle the load. Systems failed. Customer demand outpaced infrastructure.
They responded the only way they knew how…by investing.
- Hiring developers
- Building better systems
- Expanding customer service
- Upgrading operations
Every dollar went back into the business.
Even as it scaled, Kyle and his father paid themselves less than key employees.
Because they believed in what they were building.
The Wake-Up Call: Google Panda
Then came the moment every founder fears.
Overnight, their traffic dropped by 50%.
A Google algorithm update (“Panda”) reshaped search rankings.
It didn’t matter that they weren’t doing anything wrong. The impact was immediate and painful.
They had to lay off employees.
They had to regroup.
And most importantly, they had to adapt.
That meant:
- Diversifying marketing beyond Google
- Investing in email and customer retention
- Improving pricing and margins
It was a setback—but also a turning point.
Strategic Thinking Wins
Years later, an unexpected opportunity emerged.
A competitor sold. Investment bankers came calling.
At first, Kyle and his father weren’t interested.
But the timing was right.
They explored the market and ultimately partnered with Genuine Parts Company (NAPA), first through a minority investment.
That partnership proved something critical:
Their business wasn’t just profitable, it was strategic.
It gave NAPA access to:
- E-commerce capabilities
- Digital marketing expertise
- A new product category
Three and a half years later, NAPA acquired the business.
The COVID Acceleration
Just before the exit, another unexpected event reshaped everything.
COVID.
Initially, sales dropped.
Then they surged.
Consumers shifted online. Automotive DIY demand spiked. E-commerce exploded.
What looked like a threat became a catalyst.
And it helped solidify the value of the business at exactly the right time.
The Bigger Lesson
This isn’t just a story about building and selling a company.
It’s a story about:
- Taking risks when it’s uncomfortable
- Ignoring consensus when you see something others don’t
- Reinventing when things break
- Playing the long game
And perhaps most importantly:
Understanding when to scale alone—and when to partner.
What’s Next: The Future of Commerce
Kyle believes the next shift is already here.
Search-based shopping is disappearing.
Instead, AI-driven “agentic commerce” will handle purchases for us—automatically selecting, ordering, and delivering what we need.
No browsing. No comparing. No friction.
Just outcomes.
If you’re building, scaling, or thinking about an exit, this episode is packed with real-world lessons.
Listen to the full conversation on Journeys to the Summit and learn what it actually takes to win over the long term.