EXECUTIVE REPORT continued
Go Hire is based in a former college building.
The clientele comprises predominantly contractors working in construction, but it also includes some industrial customers and a thriving offshore business. In 2018, Sally set up an innovative satellite operation at Humberside Airport, serving offshore contractors.
“We have built really good relationships with the hotels on the airport site,” she said. “This means that we can supply tools and equipment from survival suits to grinding discs directly to the hotel room where the contractor is staying before they go offshore. We can even deliver our kit directly to the helicopter terminal or the docks if they are taking a ship out of Immingham or Grimsby.”
No lack of opportunities
Sally was recently accepted onto a Goldman Sachs programme aimed at helping companies to grow. “One thing I have realised is that small businesses don’t generally suffer from a lack of opportunities to grow. It is more that they have too many options. The key is to figure out the most profitable opportunities to go for and focus on them.”
During 2019, the business will add a second depot in the east end of Hull, extending its reach into the East Riding and part of Lincolnshire. The new premises will also give Go Hire the room it needs to invest in a small fleet of excavators.
“We bend over backwards to make sure our customers get what they need, when they need it. One of our company values is that our computer does not say no. As an independent we are autonomous and make decisions very quickly.”
Go Hire has built strong relationships with some of its peers. Sally inherited a relatively small fleet, ranging from Stihl cut-off saws and Altrad Belle mixers, to hydraulic breakers and pressure washers. However, she has transformed the business into a full-service provider by re-hiring from a select group of partners.
“Customers trust us to solve their problems”
Rob Thompson expands on this theme. “These days, you don’t have to have everything under one roof. Customers trust us to solve their problems - and that is what this business is about at the end of the
31 The business can make purchasing decisions for new equipment quickly.
From left, Go Hire’s Paul Upton, Kylie Uttley, Rob Thompson and Sally Wray.
day. We have regular clients now who hire diggers and dumpers, access platforms and, even, site cabins from us. If you offer a fair service at a good price, people will always do business with you.”
Sally adds that, “If a customer wants a compaction plate for one day, but needs it on-site the day before and can’t get it back to us until the day after, we still only charge them for one day’s hire. This type of service is how our customers have become our advocates. We treat them with respect.”
Sally took on the business shortly after giving birth to her third daughter. Her girls are now aged 13, 11, and five. “I am blessed with a really supportive husband and two sets of grandparents, who are really hands-on when it comes to childcare. Of course, you feel a tinge of guilt at missing the odd school play or sports day when you are working all hours to establish a business. However, it is also extremely important to me to be a role model for my girls.”
Go Hire supplied the children’s primary school with air conditioning units to cool the hall for its summer show. “The units had our branding on them and this generated a palpable sense of pride in my daughters. They were able to point at the machines and tell their friends, ‘that is our Mum’s company’.”
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www.gohireuk.com
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