Today, the Toolbox helps shops across North America book hundreds of jobs a day and keep thousands of customers in the loop while their vehicles are in the bay. It was built — and continues to be run — while Tony lives as a digital nomad around the world, making it a truly remote-first product.

From the bay to the software

Tony founded Driven Audio, a specialist car audio retail and installation center in British Columbia, Canada, in 2010, and grew it into an industry-recognized, award-winning shop. In 2017 he sold the business to another BC shop owner and began looking at software that could help other owners in the 12-volt industry.

The product's name came straight from that focus: 12v.Biz — 12 Volt Business. In the car audio world, "12v" is common shorthand for the whole industry.

Three years on the retail sales floor, ten years as a manufacturer's sales rep across Canada for major car audio brands, and seven years owning a shop gave Tony a solid foundation to build the Toolbox — the flagship 12v.Biz product.

Privately owned, remote-first

The Toolbox is 100% privately owned and operated as a remote-first product. No outside investors setting the roadmap — just software built around what real shops actually need, at a price a shop can justify. And remote-first doesn't mean far away — questions get answered the same business day, usually faster.

The software I wish I'd had in the bay

I built the Toolbox because our industry deserved better than paper scratch pads and "he said, she said" damage disputes. It’s exactly what I wanted running my own bay — nothing you don’t need, at a price that makes sense.

It helps car audio, tint, and 12-volt shops across North America book jobs, protect their shops, and keep customers in the loop — and I get to keep building it from wherever I am in the world.

— Tony Dehnke, Founder, 12v.Biz

Built by a shop owner, for shop owners

From the bay to the software

Privately owned, remote-first

The software I wish I'd had in the bay

See what a shop owner built