The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Putting dreams in top gear
Jedidiah Benaviharuchot of JB Roadcraft in Alyth, Perthshire, offers driver training on both car and motorcycles.
Q. How and why did you start your business?
A. I didn’t enjoy my work in retail furniture and clothing management, so decided in the summer of 2017 to pursue my long-held desire of being my own boss. I thoroughly enjoy driving and had already had a brief taste of self-employment as a water sports instructor. I completed the training to become a self-employed Dvsa-approved driving instructor.
I started instructing in February 2018 and fully qualified as an Advanced Driving Instructor in February 2019.
Q. How did you get to where you are today? A.
I wholeheartedly committed to my goal and fully embraced the training, changing whatever needed changing and doing whatever needed done. Whether hundreds of miles travelling or long hours of studying, I made myself enjoy the adventure.
Q.
Who has helped you along the way?
A. The national franchise offered by RED driving school provided support from the beginning and I knew that my success meant success for them, so their support was real and of a very high standard.
I’ve also had terrific business support from Growbiz on areas such as marketing, social media and goal setting, which they’ve delivered by email, telephone and interactive webinars.
Q. What was your biggest mistake?
A. Fear of failing and the consequent small-thinking was my biggest mistake and although I have had to repeat some things to ensure success, I’ve fully achieved what I set out to so far.
Q. What is your greatest achievement to date? A. There have been several great achievements and one is that my businesses has been able to employ another person part-time for administration help. This is truly an achievement for me, as I have been in business for a relatively short time.
It’s also hugely satisfying when I start with customers who are extremely nervous and anxious (many are) and then seeing their grinning face with their pass certificate in their hand after delivering a confident drive.
Q. How has coronavirus had an impact on your business?
A. Coronavirus means we have been in total business lockdown and need to wait until restrictions are lifted. A positive side to this is that there is a huge demand now built up for businesses throughout Perthshire and Tayside and will be for several months to come.
Q.
What do you hope to achieve in the future?
A. I hope and intend to recruit and train potential instructors for car and motorbike and to establish a “training centre of excellence” in the Perth area by the end of the year, running the driving and riding business from there.
Q. Do you want to recruit in the future?
A. I definitely want to recruit staff in the future – administration, social media, car and motorcycle instructors and I am working on advertising for this at the moment.
Q.
What is the hardest thing about running your own business?
A. For me, the hardest thing is being the only instructor at the moment, as I must offer training sessions to generate income concurrent with plans of growth and development, so further instructors are necessary as soon as lockdown is lifted and to have “another pair of hands”.