Turning the Page: Inside Freedom Outdoor’s Move from Paper to Digital with IDEAL

At Freedom Outdoors Inc., trust, support, and integrity form the foundation of everything they do. Serving the people of Arkansas with trusted brands like LS Tractor, Gravely, and Stihl, the team takes pride in delivering not just quality equipment, but genuine customer care.

In this interview, we sat down with Dana Wilkins, owner of the shop, to talk about their journey from a fully paper-based system to adopting IDEAL dealership management software—and how that shift is helping them gain control over inventory, streamline service operations, and build a stronger, more efficient business for the future.

What were some of the challenges that led you to consider switching to IDEAL, and what are you hoping to accomplish with the system?

Dana: “I think for us, it’s the inventory control and price management files, because it takes us a lot of time to look up prices for every product. This way, they’ll be updated seamlessly without us having to do all that.

And the ease of everybody being able to check somebody out—because we run into problems when we’re busy. Nobody knows what anything costs, nobody knows where anything is, so we’re hoping this will streamline that process to make our life easier without having to hire another employee.”

What was your work order and repair process like before moving to IDEAL?

Dana: “Mainly, we are all paper. We’ve talked to other dealers that use IDEAL, and they have shown us how to go into the system and put the work order in where we can attach the parts to the work order as we pull parts. If we have to order parts, they get attached to the work order so we’re not wondering where that part went, or we don’t miss a part—because we miss a lot of parts.”

Was part loss a frequent issue in your process?

Dana: “That’s one of the things I’ve noticed just in the five years we’ve been there. I think a lot of parts go out the door—not because anybody means for them to go out the door without being paid for, you just forget. You’re sitting there for weeks with a lawnmower or a tractor or a side-by-side, and your part gets put on, but you’re still waiting on something and everybody forgets how many parts you put on.”

Was there anything else that drove your decision?

Dana: “We talked to so many dealers that had it. We’re also a Gravely dealer along with LS, and Gravely really pushes IDEAL as one of their main management software’s. I think that helped drive our decision.

Seeing some of the people that we do business with use it and then talk about how easy it is if you set it up right in the beginning.”

How has your experience been with the IDEAL team during the transition?

Dana: “The team’s been great. Everybody that’s called us has been very helpful in explaining and telling us that we won’t be in it by ourselves and that you’ll be there to help us through the process, which is what we need.”