Colby Barnes flipped his first vehicle, a ‘97 Dodge diesel truck, when he was 20 years old. “From there I flipped four wheelers, jet skis, boats, anything you can think of,” he said. “I’ve wanted to have my own car lot ever since I was a little kid. I think my parents and siblings could tell you that.”
Now, just 17 years after he graduated from high school, Barnes owns KW Truck Sales in Dublin, providing buyers with both new and used vehicles at an honest price. “Really my passion is to save people as much money on the bottom line as I can,” he said.
After Barnes graduated from Dublin High School in 2006, he moved to Kentucky to study radiology. He soon realized he wanted a job where he could spend more time outside, so in 2009 he started at Tarleton studying business. He left school in 2012, and took a job working at Bayer Motors as a salesman, and stayed there four years. When he left in 2016, he spent a year working for Bruner Motors in Stephenville as the fleet manager.
The connections he made through his job at Bayer led to his next opportunity. “A company I sold cars to at Bayer talked to me and got me to go sell for them,” he said. “I was trying to get us jobs building pads for drilling rigs.”
Barnes stayed with the company, Ross & Lloyd construction, for two years before he decided to venture out on his own as a business consultant. “I started Barnes Business Consulting, LLC, and started consulting for multiple people doing contract work in West Texas,” he said.
He enjoyed the work, although finding customers took a lot of time and effort. “You really have to build a client base on your own,” he said. “Every day I was trying to set up as many meetings as I could with different energy consultants. It took me 20 meetings to get in with XTO, which was one of our biggest customers, and probably 10 meetings to get in with Callon Petroleum.”
While doing his consulting work, Barnes kept flipping cars on the side. In 2018, he earned his license to sell, and in 2019 he rented a lot in Dublin to start his own car business, KW Truck Sales (named for his two children, Kline and Whitten).
With the Dublin lot up and running, Barnes rented a lot in Stephenville and purchased one Eastland. He sells cars he has flipped, and also works withdealersinthesurrounding areas to provide buyers with new cars. “We work with 15 new car dealerships,” he said. “That’s how I started growing. Let’s say you wanted a new car and you came to me; I’ll just find whatever car you need, whether it’s in San Angelo, Granbury, Fort Worth, and deliver it to your door.”
If the buyer is trading in an older car, Barnes can offer to buy it and flip it, and give the buyer a competitive discount. “It’s straightforward, no games,” he said. “You come in, fill out some paperwork, and leave having bought a car.”
Barnes also still runs his consulting company in West Texas, as well as a roll-off dumpster business. He has four employees with his dealership. “I probably spend 30 hours a week at the lot and then I’ll probably make two trips a week to West Texas,” he said. “And then I’m glued to my phone from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.”
Barnes hopes to work out a more hands-off approach as his businesses take off, but for now he enjoys putting in the time.
When he does have some free time, Barnes enjoys hunting. He travels to find the best spots, and recently hunted in Capitan, New Mexico.
Barnes lives in Stephenville with his wife Tatum and their two children Kline, 6 and Whitten, 3. His parents, Donna and Phil Barnes, live in Stephenville as well. The Barnes have recently purchased land outside of Dublin, and plan to build a house there in the future.
Barnes’ advice to Dublin graduates is to work hard for their goals. “Don’t give up,” he said. “Just put your head down and work. There’s days where I know I am sacrificing [time with my wife and kids] for what I do, but the end goal is something everybody will enjoy.
Editor’s Note: This column chronicles what Dublin graduates have done since high school. If you have any suggestions for other grads, email publisher@dublincitizen. com.