Today we’d like to introduce you to Nika Diazsobhani
Hi Nika, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
History of Atlas Auto Glass
Atlas Auto Glass of Austin was started as a one-woman-show in June of 2019 by Nika DiazSobhani, in her home in Georgetown with one cell phone and $100 dollars. Her cousin Sina, along with family members, who had successfully run an auto glass business with established locations in San Antonio and Dallas, approached Nika to start the business in Austin. A tale as old as time, starting the business with almost no equipment and just one customer or two a week, Atlas Auto Glass of Austin has since quickly become a household name in the local glass industry. In the short 4.5 years of operations, Atlas has had an exponential growth, hired dozens of employees and has been tirelessly serving the community ever since.
Nika, from the outset, wanted her business to stand out from the big brand national chains and other businesses. She wanted to center service to community, honesty, transparency and integrity to be at the forefront of all decisions and operations.She wanted to align herself with the needs of her customers and committed to the people over profit value. With those goals in mind, she started mapping out the path forward for her business, yet she needed to learn the industry first.
Nika didn’t let her lack of experience or knowledge of auto glass stop her from rolling up her sleeves and jumping in. She camped out at glass distributors and approached several seasoned installers to mentor her. A young female, petite in stature, was not a typical candidate for glass installation in these circles, however, she didn’t let that intimidate her. She let her actions do the work – her willingness to do the grunt work in punishing heat, picking up 70 pound equipment and glass, and relentless ambition eventually won her mentors over. She quickly learned the ropes of glass installation from the experts in the field and opened her business. .
At first, she solely relied on the labor of subcontractors to install jobs for her customers. She took the calls in one hand and assisted subcontractors on the job with the other. There were a few jobs a week at first, but Nika was persistent and patient. She eventually hired another customer service representative to answer calls, however, she was still doing the majority of booking and selling of jobs. Soon, she approached young candidates and offered to pay for their training, tools and company vehicle. Less than one year later, she had three full-time customer service representatives, 3 full-time technicians, 4 work trucks, and half a dozen subcontractors. Her business had become a preferred shop within insurance networks and large luxury vehicle dealers. Atlas went from a few jobs to hundreds of jobs a week and over a million dollars in sales. In February 2022, Atlas opened its first physical location in Georgetown, a six-thousand square foot space with state of the art glass technology and equipment. Atlas was one of the first local shops to invest in and start offering ADAS calibration services, a cutting edge technology that ensures added safety to customers and their vehicles. Additionally, Atlas has earned the trust of thousands of customers, as the business continues to earn five-star reviews and their repeated business. Furthermore, Atlas has been a reliable partner to the local police and fire departments, fleet vehicles as it takes care of glass needs of their vehicles.
Nika didn’t let her success keep her from being a major player in the day to day operations of the business. She is still very much involved, from running the schedule to driving out to customers’ homes at night to adjust windshield wipers in the dark.. She has stayed true to her values that originally sparked her desire to start the company and is constantly looking to improve herself and the business. She prides her business in offering fair pricing, same-to-next day scheduling and even offers courtesy valet pick up and drop off of vehicles for customers who are simply too busy or have disabilities. She has been a great leader and employer, ensuring a safe, welcoming, and inclusive work environment to all team members. When mistakes happen, she honestly owns up to them and uses the opportunity as a learning experience and remedies the situation right away.
Atlas Auto Glass of Austin may have started as a small entrepreneurial venture merely a few years ago, but its story doesn’t end here, it has only just begun.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Running an auto glass business presents its own set of hurdles, and I’m still working through a number of challenges, but each one has been a valuable learning experience. One of the challenges has been getting our name out there and standing out in a market where some companies undercut prices at the expense of quality or fair wages. Expanding our reach and building strong relationships with large auto fleet customers remains an ongoing priority. Building a team of talented and caring employees who share our values of providing quality work and genuine customer care took time and effort. I also had to learn installation techniques by shadowing an experienced technician to understand how to work with the wide variety of vehicles we encounter. On the business side, I’ve focused on learning how to market effectively, create a search-optimized website, and understand financials to drive growth. I’ve already established being a preferred vendor for insurance companies and learned how to navigate their systems and negotiate fair payouts.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about ATLAS AUTO GLASS LLC?
We are a family-owned business in Georgetown, offering auto glass repair, glass replacements, and ADAS calibrations. We take pride in delivering high-quality work, exceptional customer service, and reliable products. We’re not a company that sacrifices fair wages, the quality of our work, or our values just for profit. Our workmanship is guaranteed, and we stand behind it with a lifetime warranty against leaks on all our seals. Above all, we’re here to provide a genuine service—one that benefits our customers, not a disservice.
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
To trust my instincts.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.atlasglassrepair.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/atlasglassrepair/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/atlasaustin/
Image Credits
All photos taken by Nika Diazsobhani
