Testimonial – Joffreny Classic Car Tours

Testimonial from Cara Samways of Joffreny Classic Car Tours, February 2006

Joffreny Classic Car Tours is a new venture based in west central France, and offers classic sports cars for hire.  Whilst setting up our business, not only did we have to deal with the usual challenges that arise during such a process, but we also had to contend with setting up a viable operation overseas.  Setting up the structure of the business went fairly smoothly, but we spent months trying to find a company that would offer suitable and affordable, fully comprehensive insurance for our cherished cars.

During the latter part of 2005, I became aware of a course being run by the Historic and Classic car Hirers Guild on ‘How to Set up and Run a Classic or Sports Car Hire Business’.  I registered straightaway for the next course which was being held in January 2006 at the Coventry Transport Museum.   I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect from the course, or whether in fact anyone could possibly help us to source insurance, but I went along with an open mind.

The venue was an excellent choice and a very suitable place for such a course.  It was presented by Tony Merrygold, who is a partner in The Open Road and runs a sales and marketing consultancy company, Consult™ Ltd, with input from other relevant specialists.  The course covered a multitude of issues and was delivered in a very clear and concise way.  Tony’s personable style encouraged discussion and promoted interaction amongst the attendees.  It was clear that almost everyone on the course had similar concerns to my own, and it was encouraging to hear from Tony that there was potentially light at the end of the tunnel.  The course touched on all aspects of the classic/sports car hire business, and the ultimate aim of the course was to allow the attendees to go away and decide whether or not they wanted to proceed in the classic/sports car marketplace.  A lot of useful information, and what seemed to be ‘trade secrets’, was made available to us, and by the end of the day I felt I had reached saturation point, but my head was buzzing with new ideas and possible solutions to our current challenges.  Over the next few days I was able to consolidate my findings, such that I could discuss my views with my business partners.

We decided to have one last stab at trying to obtain appropriate insurance, and in the ensuing days I set about making contact with the companies that had been put forward during the course.  I was utterly amazed – almost the first company I called, reacted positively and gave me a quote!  It felt like I’d hit the jackpot!  I then set about making contact with the other companies until I had obtained what I felt was a reasonable price to enable us to move forward with a viable business.  During this process I contacted Tony on a number of occasions and he always responded promptly and continued to offer helpful advice and ideas.   Tony has subsequently put me in touch with a number of other useful contacts and he has also put some business our way for the summer of 2006.

In summary, the return on investment from the course was immediate and I can only offer positive comments about the whole experience.  Following the help and advice given by Tony, we are now going full steam ahead with our new venture for the coming season.  I would strongly recommend any business, large or small, to utilise Tony’s wealth of skills and experience as they will not be disappointed.

Cara J. Samways

Partner

Joffreny Classic Car Tours

06.02.2006

www.joffrenytours.com