Pros
If your in a heavily populated territory, potential to make money is there. Flexible schedule for family life. Love the relationships made with customers.
Cons
Tool fair tells you what you want to hear but poor follow through. District Managers will push inventory on new/inexperienced distributors and their stuck with it at their expense. When I started they were concerned about your business health but now are concerned about moving dead inventory at overpriced costs. 60 day meetings used to be about business health and best practices as a distributor but now have become a order taking session while pushing sub par product. It is no longer about the distributor rather about Stanley's numbers and how much can the DM make. New Distributors are set up for failure with expensive new trucks, starter inventory thats outdated or replaced by something superior. Overpriced starter computer equipment and expensive business loan interest loans. Mac tools toolbox finance program has changed carriers several times and the customer and distributor get caught in the middle and have to dig themselves out. Snap on and Matcos finance program for toolboxes dominates Mac. Toolbox design hasn't changed other than plaquards and color options in years but costs have skyrocketed. Most hardline products sockets,wrenches are no longer made in the US and built in China. Poor company at marketing. Snap on dominates them. Always have.