HIGHWAY STAR


See the full range at www.exseltoolhire.co.uk and find out about the power sports division at www.exselpowersports.co.uk.


based at our Winchester depot. We go up to nine tonnes with Kobelco excavators these days, although the Kubota U10-3 is probably our most popular model.


“I can’t put an exact figure on it, but we


have grown by over 800% compared to two years ago. It’s a huge jump, but this also takes account of the garden machinery and power sports divisions.”


That’s a lot to keep an eye on, so how do you manage your availability?


“I tend to desk-hop between the divisions a lot, but I’m always available to all my staff and they can call me directly when they need to. This place is taking up all my time at the moment, though – we’ve only just got the keys and it’s 7500sqft, so there’s plenty to focus on.”


And why Salisbury?


Quite simply because I was born in Salisbury and spent 21 years of my life there. It seems that most of my old schoolmates are now builders, electricians, developers or landscape gardeners. We also had a lot of people in the town who were following us on social media and liked our values as a company. We were running equipment to Salisbury all the time, anyway, and it finally got to the stage that I just thought ‘why not?’. This unit became available, it ticked all the boxes and here we are, just four weeks later.”


Max says that he works better under pressure, so he must be getting plenty of that at the moment. So when does the big day come, and how will the new depot be staffed?


‘‘ It finally got to the stage that I just


thought ‘why not?’. This unit became available, it ticked all the boxes and here we are, just four weeks later


The new Salisbury depot will also stock plant machinery. Kubota is always popular. “We are working towards November 14th.


I’ve recruited four staff to begin with – a manager, a driver, a mechanic and a receptionist – then we’ll then grow as the business expands. There’s a lot to do in three weeks (at the time of writing), but we started ordering equipment and re-fitting as soon as we’d picked up the keys.”


Fresh paint was indeed still drying during our meeting, and Max has a clear plan for the layout. Now that you have several businesses to look after, how is your role changing?


“Well, I’m not out on the road any more, making deliveries or collections. However, I’m still very involved in terms of customers.


“I’m not the kind of owner to manage from home, as I’m here five days a week and usually the first to arrive. Then I’m on my laptop sending emails most evenings – basically, it’s never-ending for me.”


It’s often the case that the higher you climb in a business, the more you are removed from the things you enjoyed about it in the first place. Are you finding the same?


’’


“I really don’t want that to happen. I still enjoy the plant and tools, I want to be involved at all levels and I always want to be a hands-on kind of person. My biggest difficulty is being several places at once, and that’s really not doing much to help my stress levels!”


Lastly, the current rate of growth is pretty astounding – two new hire depots, as well as the power sports and Holeshot sidelines in the last couple of years. What ambitions do you have left and what are you planning to do next?


“Six months ago, I was content with what we had and I didn’t think we needed another depot. However, we’d move quickly if the right opportunity came along – I think here will be somewhere soon,” he teases.


“For me, it’s important that we stay true to the values we’ve always had. I don’t think I’d ever want to be too big to care or to deliver our service. We built the business on our reputation, so I don’t ever want to get to the stage where we lose any of that.”


Which is where we leave it. A visit to Holeshot in Max’s dual motor Tesla followed – ‘hold your head back’, he told me, accelerating to 60 in about three seconds. And this seemed to sum him up quite neatly. Fast-moving and most definitely moving in the right direction. n


Holeshot sells around 3,000 bikes a year - this is just a small selection.


Exsel Plant & Tool Hire - Profile


Nov/Dec 2022 - Executive Hire News 39


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44