Bread And Butter

Few people know it but DrivenByQ isn’t my only venture in to chauffeuring. My first attempt was over ten years ago with a pure Internet business. It was aimed at passengers outside the local area planning travel to ‘Wrexham Industrial Estate’.

After dabbling in ‘search engine optimisation’, I managed to gain a top three place in Google for a specific search phrase. Overnight, the web site became a success. It attracted work with celebrities, VIPs and all sorts of specialists travelling on business.

There was little competition online, so I adjusted the rates and creamed in the earnings. Unfortunately though, search engines frequently change the algorithm they use to rank web pages and in hours you can tumble down the listings.

The moral of the story is, earning cream is nice but it is foolish to base your business model on a short term strategy and consider it sustainable. It is a bit like trying to live on chocolate cake.

These days I value the repeat work we carry out for our long-term customers. Ok, it’s not a get rich quick scheme but just like bread and butter, you can live on it and stay healthy. In principle, it is a vital lesson for any chauffeur who is in it for the long term.