Enterprenuer
Municibid is owned by Greg Berry, the founder and CEO of the online marketplace for government auctions.
Greg Berry was a councilman in the Borough of Pottstown and noticed a significant problem.
His borough and nearly all 86,000 US local government agencies were selling surplus at dirt cheap because very few people knew they were available for purchase.
It was not competitive for agencies to accept bids through the sealed-bid process.
To address these problems, Greg created Municibid in 2006.
Today, Municibid has become a top platform for states, localities, authorities, schools, and other government agencies across the US and Canada.
It allows them to sell surplus vehicles, equipment, and other items to the public 24 hours a day. Greg is a business leader and teaches entrepreneurs how to launch a successful online business.
What is the story of Municibid?
Municibid is an online marketplace that allows over 4,000 states and localities to sell items they no longer need, forfeitures (seized objects), and lost and found items to the general public.
We were founded in 2006 and have helped many municipalities to take advantage of the internet marketplace to make 50-200% more on their items than with traditional sealed bids or newspaper advertisements.
Municibid is accessible to municipalities. 100% of the profits they receive go back to the community.
Municibid makes it easy for cities to sell the surplus.
Pick the items they wish to sell, take some photos and fill out a description.
We handle all the marketing, bidding, and sales reporting.
It’s also easy for buyers to place bids on items and pick them up.
Municibid’s story began in 2005 when I was at a council meeting.
We sold a Chevy truck to a buyer for $500. It was worth at most $5,000.
We then argued about spending $1,000 on a community project, which took about 30 minutes.
I was 25; it was 2005. In the Borough of Pottstown in Pennsylvania, there was an open seat on the town council.
Pottstown was an industrial town primarily abandoned in the 1970s and 1980s.
I was born in Pottstown. I wanted to revitalize the city that shaped me, so I built an annex at the college and worked on economic development.
I ran for the seat and was elected. It happened over and over again.
We sold equipment and vehicles for pennies per dollar through a sealed bidding process.
When people submit a sealed bid, they must put it in an envelope and drop it off at a post office or mail it in.
The government will open all requests and award the item to the highest bidder on a specified date.
These items weren’t advertised, so it wasn’t easy to find out if they were available for purchase.
A Ford Crown Victoria valued at $3,000 would often be offered for sale in sealed bidding at $300.
Because no one knew what the other bidders were bidding, there was no competition.
This archaic process cost the Borough of Pottstown tens of thousands of pounds that they could have been investing back into their community.
What about other towns in the state or across the country? Did they do the same thing? Why didn’t we sell our items online? Why didn’t we use eBay? Although local governments in Pennsylvania were legally permitted to sell online in 2006, very few were.
Several municipalities used Craigslist, while others tried eBay.
Both Craigslist and eBay weren’t set up to fulfill the requirements of governments for selling surplus.
Moreover, neither eBay nor Craigslist had the customer service or guidance needed to navigate this territory.
After graduating high school, my first IT company was founded.
I grew it for 12 years and sold it in 2010. Municibid’s first version was built using my technology background.
It cost me about $2,000. Although it wasn’t fancy, it was enough to be able to host an online auction.
Municibid was offered to a few municipalities.
Municibid’s first listing was a riding mower from the Borough of Pennsburg in Pennsylvania.
They wanted to sell it for $100. It was sold for $500.
Another town listed a Ford Crown Victoria with an engine problem in a Ford Crown Victoria.
They wanted to sell it and possibly get a few hundred bucks.
It was sold for $2800. It was unbelievable to them.
They believed something was wrong, and, to be fair, so did I, until the man showed up with a $2800 check and a flatbed.
They were, of course, thrilled. I spent every hour trying to spread the word about Municibid and the items up for auction.
I placed small ads in the newspaper’s classified section and in convenience store magazines that are penny pinchers.
I created those flyers with tear-off tabs on community bulletin boards.
They were then posted at The Home Depot and Lowes and grocery stores.
These results, along with the testimonials of the governments, were my road map. The rest, as they say, is history.
How do you stay productive?
Since the pandemic began, my days became more “typical,” and I stopped traveling.
It’s been a pleasure to have a little more structure in my day. Here’s my daily schedule.
– Get up between 6:30 am, and 7 am.
– Make your bed.
Calm for 10 minutes with guided meditation
– At least three pages should be written in my journal.
– 8 a.m. I check my email and look through the news.
– Check out what has been published on Municibid.
– Get in touch with the team.
You can get solid work time from 9 am until 11:30 am.
Leave for my daily HIIT class at 11:30 am
– 1 pm. I usually make lunch and eat at my desk while watching instructional Youtube videos. This is what I call my “Lunch and Learn.”
Depending on what is going on, I will wrap up some days around 4 pm and work until the early morning hours.
How do you bring ideas to life?
“I have many ideas!” They will be shared with my team to get their thoughts.
We’ll usually test them to determine if they are worth further exploration.
My team is encouraged to share their ideas. Some ideas are more complex, require more testing, and involve complicated factors.
Others are simple ideas that can be used to improve an existing product.
What’s your favorite trend?
“I love automating things. I enjoy using Zapier to connect different apps to solve problems.
In the 1990s, I enjoyed developing software in high school but realized that it wasn’t for me.
All the No Code apps popping up in my area feed my inner-nerd.
What habits make you productive?
It’s a set of habits that help me focus better, which allows me to be more productive.
First, I make sure to get to bed on my first morning.
This helps me keep the momentum going. To reset my mind and calm my emotions, I do a 10-minute meditation every morning.
Every morning I write at least three pages in my journal.
It’s a wandering journal that covers a variety of topics.
These include random thoughts, things I want to do in the future, or ideas that just came to me.
I exercise at least five days per week for my mental health and physical fitness.
What’s your advice for the Noob?
“Travel around the globe as quickly as possible. Do not worry. Live abroad.
What is one thing we can all agree on?
“Governments at all levels will be affected by major disruptions over the next 25-years.”
What do you recommend as an entrepreneur?
“Show up and be trustworthy.”
What’s your rich strategy?
“Being consistent. “Being consistent. We didn’t set out to achieve hockey-stick growth.
Our goal was to grow consistently year over year, something that we have been able to do every year since our inception.
There are no shortcuts or tricks. It is all about being consistent in your sales efforts and delivering what you promised.
All the rest will fall into place. Customers will be happy.
How do you overcome Failure?
“As an entrepreneur, I have had many failures. But I don’t dwell on them or look back.
I spend too much time imagining what I might do differently.
I learn from them and keep moving forward.
I wouldn’t change anything, and I believe that the company and I are exactly where we should be.
Can you share a business idea?
“Building paid communities that allow niche-specific professionals to share stories, advice, and share best practices that are more engaging than traditional industry associations.”
What’s your recent best buy?
“AAA insurance for RVs! In RVs, tire and battery problems are widespread.
AAA can quickly and free of charge resolve any issues that arise in RVs. This saves you a lot, both time and money.
What are your favorite Softwares or Apps?
“Slack” – Slack is more than just a place to chat with one another.
Slack has many integrations and automation that allow us to be more productive and efficient and keep us up-to-date with what’s happening with our customers.
We are automatically notified when a new sales agency joins and when they list their first item.
This allows us to know when to reach out and thank them.
Which book would you recommend?
Ekhard Tolle recommends A New Earth. Although it is not a business book, I recommend it to all my fellow entrepreneurs.
This book will help you understand your ego and stay present.
It will also teach you to trust your instincts and be more confident in what you create and do.
What’s your favorite quote?
“My favorite inspirational quote is:
“Whether you believe you can or not, you are right.”
Henry Ford
This was one of the first business/life quotes I ever read.
Its simplicity is what I love, and I think about it often when I contemplate trying something new.
TL;DR by Greg Berry
There are no shortcuts or slick tricks; it is all about being consistent in your sales efforts.
Be reliable and show up.
All you create and do is ultimately from within.
As soon as possible, travel the world. Live abroad. Do not worry.
