Junction 21 Chauffeurs – John Byrne CEO
A bit of background into one of our valued CDS users, Junction 21 Chauffeurs. Based in Rochdale, servicing the Greater Manchester and Northwest of England area and beyond.
Junction 21 prides itself on its outstanding reputation. One of their proudest moments was being the first chauffeuring company to win the Business of the Year award in the 2015 Rochdale Business awards, and John went on to become runner-up in the 2017 Business Person of the Year.
The company supplies transport for business and pleasure, and they enhance their already exacting standards of service by using the latest technology to ensure every journey is planned and executed to satisfy their client’s expectations. The customer base ranges from large corporate clients to celebrities, sports personalities, and private clients who value the safety and luxury accorded to every step of the journey. A founding principle for the company is to ensure the maximum safety and security of the client, in fact, 17% of clients are from the medical profession. The fleet includes a range of up-to-date Mercedes vehicles, and the drivers are professionally trained by John, he is so thorough, on average only 5% of applicants make the grade necessary to join the team.
I recently contacted John and asked him some questions, to get an idea of how he plans to build on such strong business foundations, going into the future.
- When and how did you get into chauffeuring? I was the only Taxi driver in our area that wore a suit & drove a Mercedes, a client suggested starting my own Executive company & he would be my first client. That was in 2008 & I have never looked back.
- What has been the evolution of your business, are you growing and how did you grow in size, what are your tips? We have enjoyed year-on-year growth (Apart from 2020) I would put the success down to always putting the drivers first (Rather than the customers) Give drivers fair rewards for services provided and in return they are the ones that put the customers 1st
- What has the pandemic done to your business, how have you adapted, diversified, and invested in the future of the business, or has the pandemic caused the business harm? The Pandemic, with all the spare time it has afforded me, has helped me refocus on my role within the business. I have built a new website from scratch and learned how to make the running of the business more automated through our dispatch providers – Chauffeur Drive Systems.
- What do you see the future to be for you, how have your plans changed? The next couple of years will be challenging for sure, that said, no matter what circumstances are beyond my control, I will adapt and prosper.
- What are you using to enhance your business, what tips would you pass on to others? My aim over the next 2 years is to concentrate on private clients, currently only 6% of the business, and increase this more profitable sector to around 20%.
- How do you see your business and industry developing and changing in the short and long term? In the short term, my business will make a loss, as will most other companies in the industry. Going forward I think a lot of Chauffeur companies will go out of business as the market tightens, and cheaper fares start to come in. I believe this will lead to more independent companies becoming more profitable and making the move to be more aligned with others.
John has been inspirational in the approach that he has adopted when faced with the shock of the recent pandemic on his business. Enthusiastically throwing himself into adapting and investing his time and effort into improving his business will definitely help get his business back to growth and future success. Assessing his business position to determine a clear strategy moving forward was essential, then using his innovative approach in applying changes to his business. This coupled with sheer tenacity and hard work will give him the advantage he needs looking forwards to a bright future. If you want to know more about Junction 21 Chauffeurs, visit his website https://www.junction21chauffeurs.co.uk
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