In April 2025, DrivenByQ will celebrate twenty years in business. As one of the area’s largest airport transfer providers, we’re a mature operation. Getting here wasn’t easy though. When first collaborating with my two business partners Dave and Steve, things were erratic. Each of us had random bookings, dotted about the calendar. It changed when our first ‘account’ customer came onboard. Regular demand and steady payments meant one of us could now focus 100% on DrivenByQ. We could chase new customers, implement systems and grow.
Our first account customer knew Dave. They needed shuttles three days a week to support their (cosmetic surgery) clinic. The work didn’t pay a great deal but, at the time I was single, living with my parents and could afford to live on a tiny income. It was an opportunity to ‘go for it’ so, I setup a business bank account and told people of our intentions. Soon after, I received a call – an associate knew a pharmaceutical company needing airport transfers, it didn’t suit him, so he gave me the lead.
The First Call
Nervous and excited, I rang the company. We set up a meeting and they became our second account customer. It was just the beginning for DrivenByQ, and it was full of excitement. It felt like we were revolutionary! Just to put things in perspective, taxi companies were taking account bookings by fax. In contrast, we embraced new technology and email. I had the latest smart phone too, a Sony Ericsson P800. Despite the slow Internet speed, its functionality was game changing.
Growth in the number of bookings and customers, meant we needed new systems and ways to organise our data. My background in precision engineering was well suited. Setting up Spreadsheets, Invoices and a Database was my just thing. I was well versed on quality systems too. A company where I worked transitioned from BS5750 to ISO9001. I documented it for my (Technician Guide) qualifications. It made perfect sense when arranging our emails, bookings and filing system.
A Big Step
In 2009, we took a big step. A software company migrated our bookings from a home-grown database (running on a PC) to a fully-fledged web server, in the cloud. At the time, it was revolutionary. We could all work collaboratively from mobile devices. It gave customers access to their bookings online too. It was game changing in 2009. Once we migrated though, our rate of technical innovation slowed. It became evolution rather than revolution. Our focus shifted from ‘tech’ and more toward customer service.
As DrivenByQ turns twenty, the focus is back on technology and innovation. In fact, we never really stepped away from innovation – we just couldn’t implement the tech we wanted on our existing platform. So, we had to design a new one and it took time! As competition in our area starts to catch up, it is time for being revolutionary again. As an entrepreneur, I love this business because leapfrogging the competition with ‘cutting-edge’ technology not only leaves them behind. It gives a buzz that feels special.
Climbing A Mountain
For some time, we have been financially constrained by our tech investment. That in turn meant we were slow to show anything obvious happening at DrivenByQ. If I’m honest it has been quite a drag. It is a bit like walking up a mountain with a load on your back. If like me though, you live in (or visit) Wales, you will know the view from the top of a mountain is priceless and spectacular. You will also know it is worth every bit of the energy used in the challenge to get there, especially if it takes twenty years.