I caught up with Paul our guest, owner of Lords Travel, who has become a huge success in Cambridge providing a variety of work in the bus and coach industry sector.
Paul’s father was a transport manager for a local company. So during his younger years, Paul would spend weekends and holidays helping and cleaning the buses and coaches. Since then he’s always been involved within the industry and had dreamed of owning his own company one day.
Forward to 2013, Paul passed his managers CPC and from here took out a bank loan which helped him to buy his first, second hand Mercedes Benz Sprinter from Cruiser’s in Redhill. Over the years the business has gradually grown, and they now operate 10 vehicles. Paul tells me ‘It’s certainly been extremely challenging to get to where we are now, but it is definitely worth the hard work’.
Prior to buying his first EVM minibus in 2015, he was well aware of EVM for a number of years from the bus and coach magazines, ‘EVM was a standout choice for me and a vehicle I always wanted to own’. Ever since being a child Paul explains he’s always been a big Mercedes Benz fan, from Mika Hakinen’s Formula One car right through to road cars and vans. He’d always thought ‘EVM added an AMG vibe with sporty styling kits, dark tinted windows topped off with luxury interior spec and innovative ideas such as glass roofs’. The luxury specification ‘helps me to create the image I want my business to have’.
Talking through the vehicles Lords Travel has taken delivery of over the years. He explains there is no favourite feature on the vehicle. It’s ‘the customer service you provide which is fantastic’ and whether that be an issue. ‘I can just ring Ian and he’ll either explain how to fix it or he will order the part which usually turns up the next day’. This ensures that the vehicle is kept off the road for a small amount of time and doesn’t affect anything drastically. Paul explains it’s one thing that’s kept him coming back because the customer service is ‘certainly the best customer service I’ve dealt within the industry’.
He goes on to tell me ‘Matt, Dave and Guy are great guys too. You can have a laugh with them but they also get the job done too’ which helps by having a close relationship with the EVM team and you know who you are dealing with.
Starting the day with fresh ground coffee, black with 1 sugar and poached eggs on toast, there is never a dull day for Paul and this team. There is always something different happening and everyone gets stuck in. To unwind from work life, Paul spends time with family, listens to Spotify, in particular he’s recently been listening to a band called The Dead South, as well as reading 12 Rules of life which he started in 2019 and has so far managed 2 chapters. We think you may have to get a move on Paul!
Learning over the years and growing his company, Paul has built business to business relationships. Two in particular have been very beneficial. He tells me Richard from Greys of Ely ‘is a good role model for me. He certainly pushes the boundaries, and their company is something I always look to for inspiration’. They like to help each other out a lot which is nice to see in such a close knit industry. Another close friend is Daniel Trent from Dans Coach Hire in Suffolk. Paul tells me ‘He is a really nice guy who started just after me in larger vehicles. Daniel has some ‘great ideas and goes above and beyond for their customers’. Paul praised them both highly for their brand, image, dedication, and success.
And then of course Paul’s father Russell has helped him massively. ‘If it wasn’t for him, I would be doing something completely different. He is always there for guidance and to just talk to someone through different ideas I have’. Being around his father has taught him a lot along the way.
So what has Paul learnt since 2013?
You only get one chance to make a good first impression. ‘It’s something which we really believe in!’ and you can definitely gauge this when talking to Paul. He’s professional, friendly and down to earth. When he was racing karts as a young teenager, he was taught a valuable lesson which has stuck by him since. He was driving a 1990’s Skoda which weren’t very desirable and did not sell as well as the branded karts. Paul tells me ‘one day whilst talking to the team owner I remember him saying that in business, image is key and you need to have a brand in order to be successful’. That was 20 years ago but a lesson which is completely relevant within Pauls business today. When asked what he’d tell his younger self now he says ‘The bigger the company the easier it gets, which it what I was told but it’s the complete opposite. Stick to it and you’ll soon overcome any challenges’. By enjoying what you do Paul tells me it’s really important to find that buzz and keep being creative. His hard work has certainly paid off as they recently won a contract for Suffolk.
Their latest addition to their fleet is an EVM Trend finished in Mercedes Benz selenit grey, which acts as a school minibus on a new long term school contract for Lords. The contract itself covers quite a lot of miles each day so Paul explains he wants something lighter than a 5 tonne Sprinter which would contribute to the fuel economy. His first obvious choice was a new Ford Transit but the sliding door, luggage space and blue badge wasn’t to his liking even with the cheap price tag. After viewing the Trend he explains ‘it’s a good quality build and good value for money. Being a 4 tonne chassis it’s more economical than it’s bigger brothers. For us it’s the perfect contract vehicle which can still be adapted for private hire’.
We are thrilled to watch Lords Travel keep growing and look forward in supporting him in the near future. Thank you for being our guest of the month!
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