Determination is the key to success!

Starting a new company isn’t easy at the best of times, but what are you supposed to do if you’ve started a vehicle recovery company and the truck you’ve just purchased mysteriously disappears only two weeks after you open for business? This was exactly what happened to Anthony and Becky Sparrow, when they started RRS Recovery Services, back in January 2007. Fortunately Recovery World posted details of the truck on the ‘Stolen Vehicles’ section of the Forum on their website, asking fellow operators and drivers to keep their eyes open. Amazingly it paid off and only 3 days later it was discovered on local traveller site. The insurance company wanted to write it off, but as it was a new Merc they had just purchased with a fully demountable body, they really wanted to keep it. Eventually, and after a lot of hassle with the insurance company, his perseverance paid off. Repairs took nearly 3 months, but at least he had his truck back and was ready to go. Despite this set back, Anthony and Becky were determined to succeed, so they promoted the business around the clubs and associations in the York area. Work started to come in, slowly at first, but they quickly gained a reputation for reliability and good service, so much so that after only six months, they needed a second vehicle. Two and a half years down the line, and after a lot of hard work, RRS Recovery Services is a very successful operation in spite of the recession. Anthony and Becky now employ 12 people and run 12 vehicles from their brand new 11,000 ft2 site on a high class industrial estate in York. So what have they learned from the experience? “We were determined to succeed so we did things properly from the start” said Anthony. “Establishing a good reputation was important so we have never cut any corners. We set the business up to cope for success, and to be honest, we were probably more conscientious than we needed to be. It was only Becky and me when we started so it meant long days for us both, but it was worth it. Of course we still work long days when we need to, but we now have the successful business we wanted. The premises are immaculate, the trucks are kept pristine and fully maintained. We provide a service that meets the highest standards and we’re fully accredited to PAS 43 and ISO 9001. It’s been hard work, but it proved we could do it because we’re still here and we’re still growing.”