Episode 946 – Interview Anja MyTop.us

Anja’s love of Jeeps started with her yellow YJ in the 90’s, being one of a very limited number of Jeep owners in Germany at the time. Later she switched to a TJ, again yellow but the complicated handling of the traditional soft top but a bit of a damper on her Jeeping enthusiasm over time. Fast forward to 2017, by then living in Atlanta GA with her family, when her husband Chris suggested buying a JK two door for their oldest daughter 16th birthday. The memory of getting stranded in the rain and pinched fingers from the OE soft top, was still very present, so they decided to look for a more convenient top alternative. That’s when they discovered myTop. They loved the idea of the product, and saw it’s potential but had ideas for improvement of the engineering as well as the positioning in the aftermarket Jeep scene. Chris had been working in automotive manufacturing the past 20 years and Anja’s background had been in Sales & Marketing.

Anya from Mytop talks about her passion for jeeps

>> Tony Jeep Talk Show: Audio. Boys and girls, it’s time for another jeep talk show interview. We’re going to be talking with Anya from my tops. You can actually go over there right now. Mytop. Uh, us. Anya’s love of jeep started with her yellow yj. That’s almost red, Anya, so I can give you a star on that one. Uh, in the 90s, being one of the very limited number of jeep owners in Germany at the time. Later, she switched to a TJ. Uh, we have pjs here at the house. Love them. Uh, again, yellow. But the complicated, uh, handling of the traditional soft top, uh, put a bit of a damper on her jeep enthusiasm over time. Yeah, I mean, you want to take the top off, and if it’s hard, it sucks. Uh, so fast forward to 2017. By then, living in Atlanta, Georgia, with her family when her husband Chris suggested buying a JK two door for their oldest daughter’s 16th birthday, the memory of getting stranded in the rain and pinched fingers from the oe soft top was still, uh, very present. So they decided to look around for a more convenient top alternative. That’s when they discovered my top. Uh, so you guys actually found my top before you became owners of my top? This is an interesting part of the story. This has never happened before with any of our guests that I know of. Uh, it says, uh, they love the idea of the product and saw its potential. It had ideas for improvement of the engineering. You just can’t leave it well enough alone. Which can be good. As well as positioning in the aftermarket jeep scene. Uh, Chris had been working in automotive manufacturing for the past 20 years, and Anya’s, uh, background had been in sales and marketing. Man, this sounds like a match made in heaven.

>> Anja MyTop: Well, next time on the show, you can ask my husband about that.

You bought the NX trek top for your jeep before buying the company

>> Tony Jeep Talk Show: Okay. All right, so, uh, this is really interesting. We were doing a little conversation before we started recording, and, uh, we mentioned the, uh, men’s hair club. Not only am I a member, I’m also the president. So you guys kind of like. You really like this top? And you go, this is great. So did you buy one for the JK before you bought the company? Or was it the other way around? Yes.

>> Anja MyTop: No, we first bought one and we put it on, um, and our daughter, my husband, was pushing for a jeep. She wasn’t even asking for anything car related. She didn’t even have her license yet. So I was actually the one driving around, driving her to school in her car. And I was on my way home. I was stopping, getting groceries, and very enthusiastically opening and closing the top. And people came up to me and said, how did you just do that?

>> Tony Jeep Talk Show: Right?

>> Anja MyTop: How can you open it like that? We very quickly saw that we were onto something and that it is a great opportunity. Um, uh, so my husband, who’s very entrepreneurial, called, uh, my top, and found, uh, out that it was basically my top consisted of a lawyer who was a jeep lover and his budy the mechanic. And they just, uh, one day said, okay, there has to be something better. And then they came up with this and we had a very nice cooperation going on for a while, but I think, uh, um, they were also ready to move on to their regular, uh, work, uh, jobs back. So after about half a year, we parted ways and yeah, we’ve been, uh, uh, owning my job ever since.

>> Tony Jeep Talk Show: So how did you guys find out about it? I mean, this isn’t something that I’ve seen before. So how did you guys run across it? Was it Google search?

>> Anja MyTop: Actually, uh, literally, my husband said, let’s buy lily a jeep. And I literally said, not that damn top again. So seven years later, after my TJ, I still said, not that damn top again. And my husband said, oh, I’m sure they have something else now. And he went to the dealership. Sure enough, they did not have something else. And then, um, we asked around a couple car enthusiasts that we know, and somebody said it was like a very undercover, secret thing. I think there is this company and they’re called my top, and they barely had a website. There were not no reviews. You could not look at the product anywhere.

>> Tony Jeep Talk Show: This is a lawyer and a mechanic for you.

>> Anja MyTop: Uh, uh. And we just took a leap of faith, ordered the top. It came, of course, there were like no installation instructions. There was not a dealer network. So we just went to our friend, a mechanic here, and had it installed. Uh, and like I said, it wasn’t perfect, but it was a pretty great improvement.

>> Tony Jeep Talk Show: Oh, yeah. I mean, if you’re used to pulling, uh, zippers, was the factory top that you had on your jeep or was it an aftermarket, like a desktop?

>> Anja MyTop: No, it was the factory top.

>> Tony Jeep Talk Show: Yeah. So, uh, uh, when I got my, uh, wife’s, uh, 2003, uh, TJ, it came with a hard top. She was always complaining about my Cherokee XJ being really loud, so I think she was going to like a soft top too much. So we got a hard. But she did definitely want to go topless. And we did take the hard top off, but that’s a two person job, at least TJ. And, uh, I know there’s guys out there going, I could do it by myself. Yeah. But I didn’t want to damage the top trying to do it by myself and screw. Anyway, so we went with the best top. Uh, the NX trek top, I believe, which is a multi piece system, might be a little easier to deal with, but it is still a lot more complicated. And you mentioned in your intro that you got wet, which happens because you never know, it might rain. Uh, you can’t be a weather person just to be topless. And this trek top, I’m sorry, this, uh, my top actually allows you to press a button and get the top back over on top of you when it rains. Right?

>> Anja MyTop: Yeah. You know what, the nice thing also about working at my top or selling a my top, it’s basically when we go to a jeep event or online, it’s the same thing that you’re doing. You as a jeep owner, you know, the hardship. So you have people, you know, because I get. Florida has lots of spontaneous rains, then I don’t get in the rain. Caught in the rain, I said. Exactly. Oh, and then my wife can also go meet with, go to lunch with her friends without me having to work first. Yeah, exactly. So it’s very funny because there is really, I don’t think we’re great salespeople or have to be, because everybody who owns a jeep understands it. And there might be some jeep owners that going topless is not their main priority of owning a jeep. And that’s totally fine. And they love their hard tops and they go offroading, but for a lot of people, and that’s me, too. I love going topless.

>> Tony Jeep Talk Show: I think that’s one of the freedoms, uh, one of the special things you can do about a jeep. I mean, they do make convertible cars, but a car is not the same thing as a jeep. You’re up higher, it’s more aggressive, or can be more aggressive. And to have that ability to have a convertible, I mean, oh, my gosh, it’s a bunch of things in one.

>> Anja MyTop: Yeah, exactly.

>> Tony Jeep Talk Show: Uh, now people are going to be listening to this. Maybe they haven’t gone to the site, mytop us. Uh, and they’re going to say, oh, well, they just got them for the jls, or they just got them for the new stuff. That’s not true. You got them for several models, don’t you?

>> Anja MyTop: Yeah, we go at the moment, we start with the JK model. So in 2007, and, uh, we have the two door and the four door for the JK, and then we have the JLS, the two door and the four door. And we have also come up with a very complicated, uh, or in development, complicated top for the JT. So for, um, of. At the moment, we’re just installing it here in Atlanta. Not through our dealers yet, because we’re still in a sort of better testing phase. Um, but we are not at the TJ yet. And I know a lot of people are disappointed because of that.

>> Tony Jeep Talk Show: Let’s just say it.

Development takes time and money, especially whenever you’re making something different

They’re bitching, aren’t?

>> Anja MyTop: Well, I think. I think every group of jeep owners, they just take it very personal. Well, what do you have against the TJ owners? Of course, nothing, but, um, have to. We’re a small company. Development takes time and money.

>> Tony Jeep Talk Show: Yeah, absolutely. Costs money, especially whenever you’re making something that’s different. I got to throw this in. Mean, I’m not anti Bronco. I’m not a Bronco fan, but they exist. And I do know, I think this is true, that the broncos have an issue with their soft tops. There is a known issue with them. But you guys have a top for the Bronco that is just like this.

>> Anja MyTop: Press a button, we’re coming out with it. It’s also an electric my top. So it’s, in principle, um, is very similar to the jeep, my top. Uh, and I think that’s why it also frustrates some of our people, uh, who are waiting urgently for the bronco because they think, come on, you have it for the jeep. How hard can it be to do for the bronco?

>> Tony Jeep Talk Show: But it could be a half inch difference, and that causes a nightmare as far as making the thing.

>> Anja MyTop: Yeah, absolutely. You start the kinematics. You start. Every single pivot point starts from scratch. So you have the idea how it’s going to look when it’s completely. You start from scratch.

>> Tony Jeep Talk Show: Too many people are used to photoshopping stuff. Yeah. You can do this in Photoshop in an instant. Why can’t I do it?

>> Anja MyTop: Yeah.

You guys are really complicated with multiple colors on your jeeps

>> Tony Jeep Talk Show: So, looking at the JT gladiator, uh, 2020 through present, um. Uh, you have a red top on there. Is that just for the picture, or do you actually. Guys actually have red tops?

>> Anja MyTop: Of course we have red tops. We have burgundy tops. So I think a red.

>> Tony Jeep Talk Show: Oh, my God. You guys are really complicated. Multiple colors.

>> Anja MyTop: Uh, I figured you was, like, seven colors.

>> Tony Jeep Talk Show: Oh, my goodness. That’s great. I mean, people love being able to specialize and make their jeep look their own, but that’s difficult to keep up with all that.

What material are you guys using? I know bestop uses some great tops

What material are you guys using? I know bestop uses some really great, uh, tops.

>> Anja MyTop: What are you guys using, uh, we don’t make a secret out of it, I hope. I’m not talking about desktop secrets, but we all use the same fabric.

>> Tony Jeep Talk Show: There we go. That’s what I wanted to hear.

>> Anja MyTop: Yeah. There is an american, um, manufacturer for fabrics. Um, they’re called hearts. And they basically, I don’t know, have cornered the market of like 85% or 90% of all soft up convertibles. So the fabric that is on, and I’m talking about the twill premium fabric, that, best of all, good stuff that’s on a. My top, it’s the same. That’s on a porsche. It’s the same. That’s on a mercedes. So that’s why also we are very confident we don’t have to worry about fading of the canvas because there are just thousands of cars out there that use the same fabric, and it just works perfectly.

>> Tony Jeep Talk Show: Now, some of our listeners are going to go, hearts. I’ve heard of that before on the jeep talk show. Just, uh, looked it up. Episode 765. We spoke Phil.

>> Anja MyTop: Oh, Phil. Yes, I know Phil.

>> Tony Jeep Talk Show: And we talked a lot about, uh, all, uh, that exactly thing you’re talking about. Actually, if I remember right, bestop actually uses some of heart’s stuff or their high end tops. The really good ones.

>> Anja MyTop: Yeah.

>> Tony Jeep Talk Show: And something else I don’t think Phil was actually saying, but something that wasn’t, uh, hearts, but hearts. Definitely. Very good. I remember talking to those folks I love best top. And this is critical because now our listeners know that that’s the same stuff you use, which is important because that makes it a quality top.

>> Anja MyTop: Yeah. So if I may just add something on the quality. Sure. I think we are the only ones that not only use the higher material, we don’t use the regular vinyl. And then we add three layers of inner lining. So, um, it looks a little bit better from the outside because of all the. Whenever you go over a curve, it looks a little bit more softened, but it also helps, uh, with insulation in terms of sound, in terms of temperature. So it’s all around a higher quality approach because of the lining. And if you sit in your car and you look up in other manufacturers top, you see the metal parts, the crossbars and everything. You don’t do that with us. You sit in the jeep and you look at an inner liner that is almost like in a normal car where you don’t see the structural parts.

>> Tony Jeep Talk Show: Right.

What changes have you made from the original design to what you have now

Um, let me ask you, what’s changed from whenever you guys got the top for the JK to what you have now? What changes have you made from the original design?

>> Anja MyTop: Um. Um, actually, um, a lot. So we have still some uh, of the old mytop owners, they call us, and which is also nice to know that they are still around. So sometimes they’ll call us and say, oh, well, can I get a replacement for this? And we have literally changed everything. The only thing that I always tell them is we still use the same up and down button everything and we use the same material. So the canvas material itself is the same, but we’ve changed the pattern. It folds down further. We believe it’s a little bit more sleeker look and more of an finished oe look. Um, but the idea was great. And honestly, I think if we would have not owned it and also seen the reaction that other jeep owners had, I don’t think we would have ever come up to start a company like that. But once we realized what an opportunity is, we just decided to go for it.

>> Tony Jeep Talk Show: Well, I mean, I don’t want to put words in your mouth, uh, but this is why you bought it, I would assume. Did you actually talk to the original owner and say, hey, why don’t you do this? Why don’t you do this? Yeah, I don’t know. Just screw it. Let’s just buy it and we’ll take care the way we want it. We’ll buy it and fix it. Is that kind of the way it worked out?

>> Anja MyTop: Well, not fully, because since he was a lawyer and not a manufacturing, he had licensed it to somebody. So there was like very little influence that he actually had on the production of his product.

>> Tony Jeep Talk Show: Oh, that’s horrible.

>> Anja MyTop: Yeah. So that was stopped immediately when we started. So we then went and built our own production plant, hired our own engineering team, um, sewing, all of that. So it’s been quite a journey. But uh, I bet you it’s been.

>> Tony Jeep Talk Show: A lot of work. But having the control so you can have the quality that you want, uh, is very important to you guys.

>> Anja MyTop: Yeah, it absolutely is. And even today, uh, we’re sitting here, we’re getting ready for SeMA. It’s Friday night, 730. There’s still guys in the office. They’re test driving certain things. And even still then they say, okay, anya, can you quickly jump in the car and do a drive with me and see, is this now good? Is this how it should be from the sound level? Um, so it’s still very much.

Can you install this top on your own or does it have to be professionally installed

>> Tony Jeep Talk Show: Are they installing tops or are they testing?

>> Anja MyTop: So at the moment they have been installing all week.

>> Tony Jeep Talk Show: For customers or for uh, this particular.

>> Anja MyTop: Week it’s been for SEMA but normally it is for customers.

>> Tony Jeep Talk Show: So you guys do installs there as well?

>> Anja MyTop: Yeah.

>> Tony Jeep Talk Show: Okay. That’s really nice because there’s some people out there that are not uh, either. They’re not handy for doing installations. Well let me ask you, can you install this top on your own or does it have to be installed for you?

>> Anja MyTop: Uh, it’s difficult to answer that directly because I don’t know how handy you are. Right. So we have customers who install it themselves. We try to convince everybody that it’s not a good idea. But there are some people who install it successfully.

>> Tony Jeep Talk Show: Sure.

>> Anja MyTop: And there are also some people who break things when they install it. So we try to send people to our dealer networks. Those guys are trained, they have experience. It’s not a super easy, uh, product to install, but like I said, we have people who install it themselves. Typically if it’s um. So my money is always on the um, patient, maybe a little bit older guy who says, I’m going to take this weekend, I’m going to start and then I’ll read the instructions from front to end. Then I’ll give my top a call and ask about this and that. Then I’ll start working for 2 hours, then I’ll have a coffee inside and I’ll finish on Sunday.

>> Tony Jeep Talk Show: But you guys don’t mandate that uh, it’s professionally installed. You sell the product and you might direct them to get it to an installed, but you don’t mandate if you buy this, we’re not going to warranty it or you don’t do any of those games.

>> Anja MyTop: So what we do is we ask them to sign a self installation waiver just to make them aware. We’re not saying this is an easy product. You just throw on. And in terms of the installation and the warranty, so of course the top is covered by warranty. We have a two year warranty. And let’s, God forbid you receive your top and your um, motors don’t work. Of course that is covered by warranty. But let’s assume you install the top and you get really excited and you hook up the motors, but it’s not fully bolted down. And you press open and all of a sudden the linkage does weird movements and there’s a large tear in the canvas.

>> Tony Jeep Talk Show: Right.

>> Anja MyTop: That’s not covered.

>> Tony Jeep Talk Show: If the motor comes back with hammer dings in it, it might be subject. The question I have for you, when you’re installing this, will you be using a hammer? Okay. No, we’re not selling this to you. No. I mean it’s a concern, especially as a manufacturer and a seller, that you don’t know what the, uh. I mean, you’ve probably installed one, so you know what it’s like, and you know what the complicated nature of it is. It comes to mind. Now, I can’t help but think this wouldn’t do anything but enhance the reselling of a jeep with your top on there. But can it be removed and you can go back to what the factory original was with no damage. I wouldn’t say damage. No things that were cut or anything that, uh, you have to fix.

>> Anja MyTop: So the only thing that we. If you install it based on the instructions, the only thing that is sort of permanent is that plastic, uh, panel underneath the steering wheel. That’s where we do two little holes for the two open and closed buttons. That’s a panel that is fully removable. And let’s say the car is leased and you want to return it after three years. You can reorder this panel from Mopar for, I don’t know, $40 and put, uh, this on. And then everything else is completely invisible.

>> Tony Jeep Talk Show: Right. Um, of course, I think we’ve already covered this, but every top is unique to the model, so, uh, a JK won’t fit on a JL. Like, for example, you leased a JK, and now you want to take the top off and put it on the Jl. No, m sorry, ain’t going to work.

>> Anja MyTop: Yeah, exactly. But within the. A lot of times, people ask us also, well, but I will be having a 2023 Jl, and my previous one was an 18. That doesn’t matter to us. And it also doesn’t matter what type of, uh, term package it is. So if it’s a rubicon or a sport or a Sahara, that all doesn’t matter because it doesn’t change the body. We only need to know when you change the body.

>> Tony Jeep Talk Show: Right. Um, now, I’ve heard that, uh, the 2024, uh, JL and JLU, there’s, uh, some slight differences in the back of the Jl. Have you guys already fitted one of these to a 24?

>> Anja MyTop: We have not, but we have seen it, and we are confident that it will also still fit our tops.

>> Tony Jeep Talk Show: So if people are buying a 24, uh, jljlu, they can get a top from you guys? Yeah.

>> Anja MyTop: Good.

>> Tony Jeep Talk Show: I mean, if you’re going to spend a bunch of money, you might as well spend a bunch more, right?

>> Anja MyTop: I already mentioned that jeep owners immediately understand the convenience, uh, factor. I think one thing that, um, they underestimate is because we’re so trained as jeep owners. Okay, well, in the summer, okay, I might take my hard top off and I’ll wait until there’s a period for a couple of weeks will be nice. Or you don’t think about the weather as a jeep owner, normally you think about the weather a lot, now you don’t because even winter has beautiful days. So I loved driving, uh, in winter, putting the top down, driving, and maybe just for ten minutes to lunch. And then somebody on the backseat says, oh, it’s getting cold until the icicles.

>> Tony Jeep Talk Show: Start forming and then the top goes back up.

>> Anja MyTop: Yeah, not that cold in Atlanta, but you know what I mean. I mean, there are nice days in winter. The jeep heater is great. So you put on a cap, put on a scarf and put the heater on. You can still go topless. You wouldn’t do that with a regular soft top. You would not spend ten minutes to take it down for a ten minute drive.

>> Tony Jeep Talk Show: Yeah, 30 minutes minimum taking it off and then you put it someplace and you don’t have any of that with this. Now, uh, this will work with doors on or doors off. Right. But of course if it’s raining, you’re going to have that opening where the doors are gone.

>> Anja MyTop: Yeah, we can’t do anything about the doors.

>> Tony Jeep Talk Show: Yeah, I think people will understand that, but you never know.

This enables apartment owners to have a convertible top all the time

So I thought I’d mention it. Now, you do have customers, uh, up in the north, right, where they get, uh, snow and all that. You can put one of these tops on and it’s not just for summertime, spring or fall. You can use it during the snow. So it can handle snow on top and all that, right?

>> Anja MyTop: Absolutely.

>> Tony Jeep Talk Show: Once you’ve installed it, you don’t have to take it off any longer.

>> Anja MyTop: Yeah, of course you can if you really want to, but we have a lot of customers. So I think still our number one area is the New York tri state area. Um, and a lot of people there live in apartments. They don’t have a garage to store a soft.

>> Tony Jeep Talk Show: Well, that’s a great.

>> Anja MyTop: This enables apartment, uh, jeep owners to have a convertible top all the time.

>> Tony Jeep Talk Show: Right. Well, I mean, they would have to take the top off. My God, what if they were on the third floor? They’d be lugging up that top. Up three floors.

>> Anja MyTop: Worse than moving a cab, storage and things.

>> Tony Jeep Talk Show: But it just cost money to do that. So this is really a big convenience thing and people love paying for convenience. Okay, so you got the convenience thing. Uh, the top can stay on. You install it, it can stay on forever. You don’t need to take it off and put a hard top on, or your old soft top, unless you’re going to resell it and you don’t want to resell the top. And then the other thing is that, uh, it’s fine in the snow and in the rain, and it’s very high quality top. I mean, it’s so nice that you don’t even see, like, um, gee, uh, I think the best top, uh, in my wife’s TJ, you can actually see the material where it’s sewn, and you don’t have any of that in your top. It’s a nice, luxuriously fancy, uh, top. So, I mean, this kind of checks off all the boxes. How long have you guys been messing with this thing?

>> Anja MyTop: Well, since 2017. We started with, um, the original, my top, and then we realized that, uh, the whole thing was licensed to. So it took us to a year to start our own, build our own factory, hire sewing people. There are not a huge amount of people sewing convertible tops. Uh, in terms of employees and talent, we’re originally german, so we still, uh, have a lot of, um, contacts. And, uh, we came across an engineer who is, um, at that time, he was in n his entire career, he had only worked on the kinematic design of convertible tops. So he did tops for Bentley and Mercedes and BMW, pretty much for every car, uh, manufacturer. So we have a little bit of an engineering team around him in Germany. We’ve now also started to shift some production over there because we like the german quality. And then we’ve also built, um, a mexican plant, and that is also.

>> Tony Jeep Talk Show: Wow.

>> Anja MyTop: Yeah. And we have. The sewing team is in Mexico, and they are also, by now, very experienced. And, uh, it’s a niche market. So it’s not like, just because you’re a seamstress and you can do alteration doesn’t. Not necessarily. You can learn, I’m sure, but it’s not the same thing as sewing a convertible top.

>> Tony Jeep Talk Show: I bet you even have to have specialized sewing machines to handle the thickness, especially with multiple layers.

>> Anja MyTop: Yeah. Um.

Jeep coming out with what they call the sky one touch

>> Tony Jeep Talk Show: Uh, now we’ve mentioned you got it for the jl. You got it for the jK. And I was going to ask you, because I don’t know specifically on this, but just looking at these convertible tops where you can easily push a button and it goes back, it seemed to me that jeep had something like this. But you were telling me this is different than what jeep.

>> Anja MyTop: So jeep came out, I think, in maybe 2019 or so, they came out with what they call the sky one touch which is for sure a great step, uh, forward. Um, and we’re actually kind of happy that they didn’t go all the way. It looks like from the side you might not recognize it as a convertible because it looks more like a hard top and only the center panel. So immediately above the passenger’s heads is a sliding fabric panel. So, um, it’s a push button. It’s electric, but nothing folds down, so you don’t have the true wind in your hair off. Ah, totally topless adventure. I think as a jeep owner, I would consider this a big, uh, improvement. But for me, it would not go all the way far enough. But everybody’s different. Uh, some people like wind and others.

>> Tony Jeep Talk Show: Like, yeah, I think you’re dead on here because whenever you take the top off a jeep, it’s wide open. I mean, you got a roll bar and a windshield about it. And uh, that’s a good point. It’s this one touch, it’s more of like a sunroof without the glass part. It goes all the way back and you have that open air, but.

>> Anja MyTop: It’S.

>> Tony Jeep Talk Show: Not the same as being seen in a totally open environment.

>> Anja MyTop: Yeah, it’s something different. And we’ve had a couple of people who called us and asked us and also bought my tops from us, and they took their sky one touches off.

>> Tony Jeep Talk Show: Really? That’s interesting. Uh, I wouldn’t have expected that. That’s interesting. That had to make you proud a little. So, uh, anyway, we got the JL. Uh, I think you were telling me earlier, uh, that the one touch isn’t available for the two doors.

>> Anja MyTop: Yeah, they have it for limited model. I guess they put it in or offer it for their more expensive model.

>> Tony Jeep Talk Show: Yeah, you can’t get it on all the models either, which obviously your top goes on anything as long as it’s, uh, uh, one of the jeeps. You support the models that you support. So you do the JL, the JLU, the JKU, and uh, you’re working on the gladiator. And any idea when that one’s going to be available?

>> Anja MyTop: Um, if you drive to Atlanta, we can schedule that for. So it’s more complex. The installation is at the moment our technicians here, when they do an install, they started out at three days. Now we’re down to two days, but we have to get it down to, um, not more than 8 hours install. Otherwise it just gets difficult to handle for our dealers. So that’s a little bit the issue that we’re trying and then the shipping, because the question is how far do we have to assemble it to make installation easy. But does that mean we sent a fully assembled top, which is going to be basically the side of your gladiator? Um, that’s also going to be a difficult proposition. So we’re a little bit caught in figuring out those logistics. Right. We’re doing Atlanta installs.

>> Tony Jeep Talk Show: Yeah, the devil’s on the details. And for the Bronco, uh, do you have an anticipated date on that being available?

>> Anja MyTop: So I think Q one, 2024.

>> Tony Jeep Talk Show: Oh, that’s not too far off now.

>> Anja MyTop: No, it isn’t.

>> Tony Jeep Talk Show: That’s really cool.

>> Anja MyTop: There are a lot of people on that Bronco interest list since before we even talked about it. So, uh, to them, it seems.

>> Tony Jeep Talk Show: And if you don’t have enough going on.

How big is the TJ market, and how many people will buy it

So, any idea about, uh, TJ and is there any plans for a YJ?

>> Anja MyTop: Um, so I think we would probably go back in time and probably do the mean the. And I don’t want to sound know, uh, business like, but development is expensive, and also the price of a TJ top or a YJ is not going to be any different than the price for a JL top, because it’s pretty much the same components, it’s the same mechanics. Probably you sell probably less because there are obviously. So financially, it’s going to be the same price. And then I’m just cautiously about the. If you have a YJ, and I know, I don’t want to say, don’t take the word TJ, don’t take it personally, but how many people are going to invest? Four and a half, because it costs.

>> Tony Jeep Talk Show: You x amount of dollars to r and d it, and, uh, design it and all the rest r and d it. And now you’re going to sell three. It’s a loss. So it has to be profitable. And so what you TJ, uh, owners need to do is if you want one of these things, you need to let them know. And as a business owner, and I think you already know this, you figure about 5% of all those people that, uh, contact you will actually buy it. Everybody wants it until it comes time to pay for it.

>> Anja MyTop: Yeah, that’s true. Actually, for a while we had something on social media. We said, hey, TJ owners, this is your chance. Uh, if you would purchase a my top, send us a note. And we have a couple of people who signed up for it, and we know that there is interest there. The question is just how much, right?

>> Tony Jeep Talk Show: Yeah, it’s like the joke I always make about, uh, I’m an XJ owner. I have an XJ bought one brand new 98 XJ. Uh, no. And I’m not going to ask you when you’re coming out for one on the XJ because I’m not going to fall ball to my top. But uh, there’s people out there still making XJ stuff. They haven’t made an XJ since 2001. That used to be that you could find an XJ, used XJ for $1,000. So why in the world would somebody put a $3,000 axle on a $1,000 XJ? I mean, people, but they’re not likely to. So the same thing here. If you have a TJ that maybe you got uh, for 8000, $10,000, uh, really go invest on that. Some people will, because they want that same convenience they have, that same issue that you were talking about.

>> Anja MyTop: Yeah, for sure there will be some people, but how big is that market? Right. And at the moment we still have so many other things that we’re working on, so we can just push that decision down the road a little bit.

How much room does this top take up? I mean, you got motor

>> Tony Jeep Talk Show: Yeah. So let me ask you this. Um, you know how, uh, there’s not a lot of space left, uh, in any of uh, the wranglers? Uh, a little more in the gladiator, but still it’s tight. How much room does this top take up? I mean, you got a motor that works this stuff, right? Does the motor itself take up space inside your wrangler?

>> Anja MyTop: No. So, um, on the wranglers we have two motors, Bosch motors. They are one on each side, but they’re positioned above the wheel housing, so in the trunk, but above the wheel. So that’s not really usable space. So a lot of people ask that, of course they say, oh, I have two dogs, we also have two dogs, but they don’t sit on the wheelhousing, they sit in the trunk space. You can still fit and you can operate everything. You can have your cooler there. Uh, sometimes we run into a situation that people have like uh, crazy stereo system hanging down from the roll bars and then have to look at how much does it clear our top. But it doesn’t interfere with any regular, uh, things that you would do with your truck.

>> Tony Jeep Talk Show: Mhm. No, I mean, if you’ve made modifications, you already know that this might be an issue. Uh, maybe uh, there was some measurements or something they could give you. You guys could say, well, this won’t work because this is in the way, or you may have to modify that. So questions? They could contact you before they.

>> Anja MyTop: Absolutely. Yeah. And a lot of people do that. A lot of times, even if we just receive a picture, we can already see, uh, a lot of lockboxes are popular. So, uh, we had at some point, actually, the manufacturer of the lockbox company reach out to us and say, he gets so many questions. Does it fit with a my tongue? So at some jeep event, he came up to us and said, can I install one in your truck? Just to see if it does? And it cleared it perfectly. Uh, a lot of these things are good if you can test them or even if we just see a picture, it works well.

>> Tony Jeep Talk Show: Yeah, I mean, that’s great to hear. Whenever, uh, other vendors are getting irritated for questions about your product that isn’t theirs. That’s wonderful.

>> Anja MyTop: Uh, yeah.

What kind of clearance do you need to be able to open this top up

>> Tony Jeep Talk Show: Uh, let me ask you this, and this is a bit weird, but I bet you guys have thought about it already. What kind of clearance do you need to be able to open this top up?

>> Anja MyTop: Okay, can I ask a question that.

>> Tony Jeep Talk Show: That’S never been asked? That’s great.

>> Anja MyTop: You know what, I have the question. How much does it add? Because people want to make sure they drive into the garage. Honestly, I don’t think I have ever had that question.

>> Tony Jeep Talk Show: But I mean, you can open and close this while you’re underway, right? You don’t have to come to a stop.

>> Anja MyTop: No, you have to come to a stop.

>> Tony Jeep Talk Show: That’s better. Because, let’s see, I’m thinking you’re driving in and you’re pressing the button and it’s going to catch on something while you’re driving out.

>> Anja MyTop: We’ve had people experience this. Um, but, uh, if you install it, according to our installation guidelines, um, the power is wired into the brake light. So if you don’t step on the brake, there’s no power. It cuts the power. Um, you just don’t trust people, do you? Well, I’m just worried about a teenager driving down the highway and thinking it’s not just teenagers. But if you look at the video, at a certain point, it sticks straight up in the air.

>> Tony Jeep Talk Show: That’s why I was asking, because it’s up there. If you got lifted jeep, it’s really up there.

>> Anja MyTop: Yeah. Um, and we have some people who are just a little sneaky and then find a guy that wires it differently, but then that’s on them. Right. Then we can’t control that. And to be honest, for our own cars. So if we go to jeep events and sometimes it’s easier, you don’t have to jump in there and press the brake, but you have to be conscious of the fact that you can’t open it while driving?

>> Tony Jeep Talk Show: Mhm. Well, I would think that probably it’s more likely for this to happen, uh, while you’re pulling into the garage. Yeah, uh, this is a good question. You mentioned the clearance. How much does it add to the top? The height of the jeep?

>> Anja MyTop: It is a little bit higher. I would say maybe like two inches higher than the oe soft top. And that’s basically due to our layers of padding and lining and everything. So, um, if people have very tight fit in getting into their garage, we would have to take exact measurements. And a lot of people have very lifted cars, uh, and big tires. So then it could get kind of tight there.

>> Tony Jeep Talk Show: Now with the top folded back, do you lose that two inches? Or, uh, is there anything like if you’re pulling into a garage and maybe you’re tight, but it’s in a garage, it’s enclosed. I’m not going to mention spiders because I don’t want to trigger anybody. But you put the top down and then you can pull into the garage. Do you gain that two inches back?

>> Anja MyTop: Well, then when you drive in and you have the top down, you just have to make sure that you clear the roll cage. Right. I mean, then you’re not worried about the top.

>> Tony Jeep Talk Show: Right. But I mean, with it down, there shouldn’t be anything sticking out. That problem with the garage, not the garage door coming down and behind it, assuming you pulled in forward, uh, top would have that additional clearance.

>> Anja MyTop: Yeah. Then that’s not an issue at all. Okay. But the other thing is also, and this is really, if you’ve not had a convertible top, you’re always thinking, okay, oh, I can park it in the garage open, but you can also just close it before you drive in. It takes 10 seconds, 12 seconds, depending on the model. Close it and you don’t need to think about spiders.

>> Tony Jeep Talk Show: Right. But if you’re an inch away from the garage door, when you pull in without this top, and you still want this top and you want to park it in the garage, then you can park it with the top down. You see where I’m going on this? Of course. And again, I’m not going to mention Spiders. We want to mention any critters that get in there and camp out and, uh, they surprise you. And I don’t know why they pop out right in front of you, but they do. Um, okay, good.

>> Anja MyTop: It is a point that you close it more. I mean, I drive to the park, to the supermarket, and even without any valuables in the car, I just close it immediately. Then I don’t need. Yeah. Or even just like birds or somebody going through my, you know, Atlanta. So I just close it and then it takes me a couple.

>> Tony Jeep Talk Show: Just, it just dawned on me. Okay, so it’s so cool, it’s so convenient. You press the button, you back out, you open the top, you’re out of the garage, you open the top, uh, you come to a complete stop. Of course, you open the top, you’re on the way to the store, maybe five minutes. Um, how long does it take for the top to get fully retracted before you can take off? What kind of, ah, time or delay?

>> Anja MyTop: 12 seconds, 15 seconds? Depends a little bit on the motor, the model, but it’s seconds and that.

>> Tony Jeep Talk Show: Would be the same.

>> Anja MyTop: You can do it at a stop sign. So usually I’m in a hurry, always. So I don’t take the time driving out of the garage. But I have a stop sign right in our street I need to stop anyway.

>> Tony Jeep Talk Show: So that’s when I do multitasking. Yeah. So once you get to the store, you press that button and are we talking about another 15 seconds?

>> Anja MyTop: Mhm.

>> Tony Jeep Talk Show: Is there anything you have to latch when it comes down?

>> Anja MyTop: Yes, you still have to latch. So the latches are, they’re specific to my top. They come with the top, but they’re similar to what you are used to as a soft.

>> Tony Jeep Talk Show: Yeah, not the freedom tops, the soft top. So the little clamp thing. Okay.

TJ says the top is very easy to open and close

Very cool. So, uh, it’s very quick to open, very quick to close. The clamps that you have to put back in place are right there. It’s nothing where you have to get out and move around. It’s just right there above you.

>> Anja MyTop: Yeah. And sometimes we get the questions when I open it, do I need to buckle anything down? No, you do everything from the driver’s seat. The framework of the top as well as the whole package is very heavy. And since we have the motors, they also work as a brake. So to work, everything sits tightly in place. We’re talking about driving on a highway, maybe 80 miles an hour. It’s fine. You don’t need to worry about your top flying off. And more than 80 miles an hour in a jeep on a highway is also not so much fun anymore.

>> Tony Jeep Talk Show: Uh, how is the sound? Because I know you mentioned earlier that it’s quieter because the multiple layers, but I know traveling quickly in a jeep with a soft top, you can kind of get a drum action going with the wind, depending on what the wind is doing. Uh, do you get anything like that?

>> Anja MyTop: There is nothing like that. I mean, you just have the regular wind noise, but it’s not like what you’re just like a drum, boom, boom. Nothing at all? Um, no. Um, obviously when you drive 80, it’s louder than when you drive 40, but, uh, it’s fine. So my favorite part where I really like to drive long distances off road, for some reason it’s been like sort of a habit, is after the smoky mountain jeep invasion. Uh, it’s a beautiful drive. So then the three, 4 hours to Atlanta after that event, that’s. I drive topless the whole way, and it’s just know, fresh air, nice scenery. It’s great. So I drive long distances with the top down too.

>> Tony Jeep Talk Show: I can see that smile in your face. You’re thinking about that drive. This must be really nice. This is a product that, uh, you really enjoy. And I get the feeling you really enjoy making other people smile because of this product, really.

>> Anja MyTop: And this is amazing. Uh, of course, if you own a business, it’s not always, not every day. It’s like fantastic. There are hard things, also long days, but in general, it’s really rewarding because we have a lot of customers. We have a lot of customers that first, like you guys as a family. She drives a JK, he gets a Jl. Or we have families that have multiple my tops. Uh, or they sell one car and they buy a new jeep and they order a my top again. So it’s really nice to see that and to get feedback from customers that just love it. A lot of our customers. And the other thing that I really love is we have customers from sweet 16 to. We had a lady. She was, I think in her late 70s. She was from the midwest somewhere. She ordered a jeep specifically because she heard about a m my top and that she can finally make her dream come true. She ordered the jeep from an Atlanta dealership because she knew it had to go right to my top. Get the top. She flew in from Chicago, picked up the jeep with the my top here, and drove to Florida. And she was in her late seventy s. And I think that’s amazing.

>> Tony Jeep Talk Show: That sounds like a wonderful road trip. I mean, it’s better than getting the food, that bad food that you don’t normally eat because you’re on a road trip. But band to get a new jeep and have a top that you can put up and put down, especially in your 70s, that’s just really nice.

>> Anja MyTop: And those people would have not driven a jeep. Those are people who just thought, oh, I think I’m too old for that.

>> Tony Jeep Talk Show: Yeah, well, I have a theory about that. I mean, I’ve heard that a number of times. Actually, whenever I was getting the TJ from my wife, she goes, aren’t we too old for this? And I said, well, you might be. I’m not. I’m older than she is. I said, I’m just going to get me a TJ. I always wanted one. And if you want to drive it, you can. It’s not my TJ. I guarantee it’s not my TJ. I’m just the mechanic. Um, but, uh, yeah, so, uh, this is wonderful. You got a really nice product here.

We encourage people to go to dealers. So go over there right now and look for an installer

All right, so let’s get to the point of pain. How much is it?

>> Anja MyTop: It’s 44 95. And, uh, that is not installed. It is shipped, but not installed. Okay.

>> Tony Jeep Talk Show: So there’s no shipping on top of that? That’s shipping included.

>> Anja MyTop: Yeah, but it does come in a very large crate on a pallet. So you also need to think about if you have a condo on the third floor, you might want to reconsider your ship. Or think about your shipping address.

>> Tony Jeep Talk Show: Maybe the shipping, uh, where you work would be a good place for this. Maybe you could get some, uh, people out there to help you install it. Right.

>> Anja MyTop: So as I mentioned before, we encourage people to go to dealers. Uh, the whole shipping is easier, the whole installation. But we do have people who install it themselves.

>> Tony Jeep Talk Show: So what’s the likelihood that a dealer is going to be near where somebody buys or has this shipped to them?

>> Anja MyTop: Um, and if you decide to go and order one, we direct you to a dealer. We say, you know what? Don’t even attempt shipping this to your house. Why don’t you go to him? But we have about 150 dealers in the US, and of course, it’s a big countries, and there are definitely some white spots, uh, um, in the midwest.

>> Tony Jeep Talk Show: Um, they can find this out on your website.

>> Anja MyTop: Yes, we have a dealer locator there. You can enter your zip code there. And, um, there are certain areas, like Florida, we have a lot of dealers. It just really depends on your.

>> Tony Jeep Talk Show: Sure. So now, I know some of you people haven’t listened to me when I’ve told you the website, but after hearing all these great things, you’re going, what’s that website again? Mytop us. So go over there right now and look and see if there’s a place, an installer near you, or where you could drive the jeep to. Uh, how long does the install take?

>> Anja MyTop: Uh, currently, uh, we always go with about 8 hours. And there are some of our very installer.

>> Tony Jeep Talk Show: Installer. Okay. Yeah.

>> Anja MyTop: And some of our very experienced dollers, they might be able to do it in seven and a half or seven. But even when we do the installs here in our technicians, they install a couple of those a week, they still take their six and a half hours. Um, and we don’t really even want to. I always tell them to be done. You want to get it done? Right? Right.

>> Tony Jeep Talk Show: Um, on the installation cost, do you guys tell, uh, the installers how much it’s going to be or does it just depend on the installer?

>> Anja MyTop: It depends on their labor. You know, if you think about mean, if you compare New York City or Miami to someplace, know Belvedere, Illinois, the labor rates are going to be different. So that’s a very difficult thing, too. But the price for the top is the same everywhere. Sure. So that’s where we are making sure, because I myself hate the frustration. If you feel like, I just bought this and now this guy has it on sale. Really? So the price we make everybody make sure that nobody does any increases or any sneaky, there’s also no incentive to buy it on our website, it’s the same price. That’s why we also do that on purpose, because we try to send people to dealers in order to get a good installation experience.

You could actually go to one of the installers and buy from them

>> Tony Jeep Talk Show: That was going to be my next question. So you could actually go to one of the installers, one of the dealers, and buy from them and set up and find out what the installation was going to cost and the time frame, all that you deal with those folks?

>> Anja MyTop: Yeah. And then it is usually honestly the most seamless experience because those are the guys that you can schedule them the install and it’s just more seamless. So we are happy to not make that sale on our website and to send you to our partners.

>> Tony Jeep Talk Show: Well, I mean, this product is all about convenience and, uh, uh, how nice it’s built and making a great experience for the end user. You don’t want to, uh, make that more complicated or not make a good, uh, end user experience by you being the person that is selling it and telling, go over here, just go to one place, they’ll, uh, sell it to you, they’ll install it, and it’s seamless for the end user, which is a great idea.

>> Anja MyTop: Yeah, we think so.

>> Tony Jeep Talk Show: This is really nice. So you can go to, uh, mytop us. Uh, look at all the different prices. Are they all the same? Whether it’s a two door or four.

>> Anja MyTop: Door, we try to make it easy. Wranglers are the same, all the colors, doesn’t matter. Two door, four door. All the colors are the same.

>> Tony Jeep Talk Show: Really quick, what colors do you have? I mean, people can go to the site, but what colors do you have?

>> Anja MyTop: Us, while we’re talking, we have black, of course, which is also still the best seller. But like you mentioned, there are a lot of people who want to personalize their jeep. So we have red, we have a navy, we have a tan, we have a burgundy, so a darker red. And then we have, which looks great on, um, black and grays. And then we have two colors that have, uh, a metallic sheen to it, and that’s a light gray and a sort of medium gray. So, um, those are our seven colors. And we have people who done red, like the firecracker red with our red fabric. It’s a lot of red. But if you like red, I’m sorry.

>> Tony Jeep Talk Show: There is no such thing as a lot of red. My 2021 gladiator is firecracker red. My XJ is red. My wife’s TJ is red. We got a lot of red here. Uh, red is both of our favorite colors.

Wendy: Where can people find you guys on social media

Um, real quick, where do you guys, uh, you mentioned, uh, the smoky, uh, mountain jeep invasion. What other events, if people are, they want to see this firsthand and they want to see maybe you guys at an event, where are you going to be?

>> Anja MyTop: So, I mean, there are so many events, so it’s difficult, right. To. Well, we typically are in our sort of neck of the woods, so we do, um, Jeep beach. Uh, we’ve been also to Panama City. Not every year. Uh, we definitely do smoky Mountain Jeep invasion, which I love. And then we have two events around Atlanta, which is, know, it’s just logistically easy, but it’s also our market and it’s fun because they are so different. So we have the sheriff’s jeep fest in Jasper, Georgia, which is very much mud pits, trail riding, and know all kinds of jeeps, but like, very off road oriented. And then two weeks later, there’s the Atlanta Jeep jam, which is, you have jeeps that are super decked out. I don’t think they’ve seen a lot of mud, honestly. Um, but lots, uh, of amazing stereo systems and great lights and fancy. And that’s really a great thing. It’s the only car that you have that you can personalize so much to your own style. If I look at the jeeps in Jasper and compare them to the ones in Atlanta, totally different.

>> Tony Jeep Talk Show: Uh, it’s so cool seeing those differences, too.

>> Anja MyTop: Yeah.

>> Tony Jeep Talk Show: How about Easter Jeep Safari? Have you guys gone? Are you going to go?

>> Anja MyTop: No, we have not. It’s kind of far for, uh. Yeah. Have you been?

>> Tony Jeep Talk Show: Went, uh, for the first time this year.

>> Anja MyTop: Okay.

>> Tony Jeep Talk Show: It was amazing. Yeah, I, uh, highly recommend it. Uh, it can be, but it’s not like it’s difficult wheeling, but just it looks and all the jeeps that are there. And, uh, yeah, uh, you probably break that button up and down so you could show it off to everybody. I can imagine you get some looks at that stop sign or even at the grocery store, do people come up to you and go, what is that thing? How did you get that jeep doing tops like that now? I mean, I can imagine whole cornucopia.

>> Anja MyTop: Yeah. But you know what? It’s also really great for us that now slowly, now that we go to the jeep events, they’re like, oh, my God, I know you from Facebook. Oh, I’ve seen this on Instagram. And so it’s also nice to see that it’s catching on a little bit. We’re obviously a small brand. It’s a niche market, but it’s getting out there. But it’s still that a lot of people don’t know about us and don’t know that this is even an option or people don’t think it’s real. Like you mentioned, you see it online. You can’t always trust what you see online, but it’s a real thing.

>> Tony Jeep Talk Show: Well, you’re in America, you’re in the south. When I say, what the hell is that thing? You know what I’m talking.

>> Anja MyTop: Yeah.

>> Tony Jeep Talk Show: Well, uh, anya, I really appreciate you being on here. A lot of fun, a lot of good answers. I can tell that you know a lot about the product because you’ve been involved in it, uh, from the beginning. And, uh, this is great. Thanks so much.

>> Anja MyTop: And I use it every day.

>> Tony Jeep Talk Show: And you know how the kids love the social media. Where can they find you guys on social media?

>> Anja MyTop: Oh, of course, on Instagram and Facebook. Well, the kids don’t do Facebook, but mainly Instagram. We also have a little bit on TikTok, but not so much yet, but mainly Instagram.

>> Tony Jeep Talk Show: Let me help you out. Uh, it’s called tic tac. The tic tac. That’s why the kids go. You don’t know what you’re talking about. I saw that on the tic tac. Thank you so much for being with us tonight. We’re going to be looking. Thank you for having me to this. I feel like we’ve only scratched the surface. I have a bunch more questions. We’re just going to have to have you back. So you can answer those questions.

>> Anja MyTop: Yeah, I’ll be happy to come back anytime.

>> Tony Jeep Talk Show: And we’re going to get you on chick chat. Maybe we can ask the questions over there. We’ll let, uh, Julianne, uh, and Wendy do that. Oh, quick question. Uh, you go to a lot of the same events that Julianne does. Do you know Julianne with Wrangle her?

>> Anja MyTop: No, I don’t think so. I don’t think I’ve met her. Listen to the show and I’ve heard her there, but I don’t think I’ve met her.

>> Tony Jeep Talk Show: Yeah, she goes to a lot of the same events you were talking about. She goes to a bunch of. Yeah, uh, we’re going to get you guys together. Uh, she’ll really enjoy. She’s got a jK.

>> Anja MyTop: Okay.

>> Tony Jeep Talk Show: Shame me be bothering you about an automatic top. All right, well, thanks very much and have a great night.

>> Anja MyTop: Thank you. Same to you.

> Tony Jeep Talk Show: You’re my friend. You’re my new friend. Bye.

 

MyTop
https://mytop.us

Bosch Motors
https://www.bosch-motorsport.com

Jeep Beach
https://www.jeepbeach.com/

Smoky Mountain Jeep Invasion
https://www.greatsmokymountainjeepinvasion.com/

Sheriff’s Jeep Fest
https://www.sheriffsjeepfest.com/

Atlanta Jeep Jam
https://www.atlantajeepjam.com/

Easter Jeep Safari
https://www.rr4w.com/event-details.cfm?eventid=1

Wrangler Her
https://wranglerher.com/