A switch from the tax office to the motor trade has proved a good move for Yorkshireman Marc Auty.
The Wakefield-born businessman was a tax inspector and later worked for an accountancy firm before changing gear to work in vehicle leasing and sales.
In September, 2012, he set up his own business, Northern Vehicles, based at Lindley’s Heritage Exchange and with a second site in Shrewsbury, to provide vehicle contract hire, leasing and discount purchase for individuals and businesses.
Says Marc: “I have been in the motor trade since 2000 through a mixture or sales and rental.
“It has led me through a variety of businesses all over the country – and back to Yorkshire again!
“We are a traditional leasing and rental company and offer any form of vehicle finance and we can rent out anything from a van or a truck to a combine harvester – or from a Ford Fiesta to an Aston Martin.”
But he says: “We specialise in filling the gap – for those clients who don’t want to commit to a typical two, three or four-year rental contract, but only need vehicles for a few months.
“Perhaps they have people on short-term contracts who need a company car. Mini-lease allows them to do that.
“Someone might want to rent a 4x4 during the winter months then switch to a soft-top for the summer.”
Northern Vehicles also has national coverage. “It doesn’t matter to us if the customer is in Inverness or Cornwall,” says Marc. “Recently, I took a call from someone wanting to hire two vans in Caerphilly. From taking the call at 8am on Monday, I got them on the road by midday the same day.”
Having a host of contacts has helped Marc grow the business. And he recognises the potential for further expansion. “There are 35m cars on the road across the UK and a population of 55m,” he says. “That means more than half of the population will travel in a car at some point most days.
“From an employment point of view, it has been suggested that the company car is the most emotive part of anyone’s remuneration package after salary. It’s the ‘perk’ that everyone wants and the question everyone asks is ‘what car do you drive?’
“But cars attract a lot of snobbery. There are people who wouldn’t be seen dead at the wheel of a Hyundai – despite the fact that they are great cars these days. They only want to drive a BMW or a Mercedes or a Lexus. They would see it as a downturn in their fortunes to wake up on a Sunday morning to see a Hyundai on the drive.”
At the same time, having a flash car can send out the wrong message. “One person I know downgraded from a BMW to a Volkswagen during the recession because he was concerned about the image it projected when his clients were struggling.”
Marc’s first job on leaving school was as a clerical assistant with HM Inspectorate of Taxes – now HM Revenue & Customs. He rose to become a tax inspector, working mainly in the area of employment tax, dealing with issues such as company cars and PAYE. He also worked in the tax office at accountancy firm Ernst & Young in Leeds.
Marc went on to join the motor trade, working in Burton-on-Trent and spent eight years in the Midlands before moving back north. He now lives near Selby with partner Sally.
However, he says: ”My biggest customer is based in Portsmouth, which could hardly be further away. I travel quite a bit – but I do it because no one else does! The vast majority of companies will sort out vehicle leasing over the phone, but corporate customers like to deal face-to-face.
“If a customer has 100-odd vehicles in the fleet, the least you can do is to take the trouble to go and see him once a quarter. It’s about providing the personal touch.”
Marc is a member of a BNI networking group which meets in Brighouse – and cannot recommend it highly enough. Members are required to provide referrals for each other at the early morning get-togethers.
“We pick up a lot of work from BNI,” he says. “We get a lot of referrals. It’s certainly very good at helping start-ups and smaller businesses make connections. It’s like having your own sales team because there are 21 other business people all trying to find you work.”
Marc doesn’t just hit the right note in business.
“I do a lot of singing,” he says. “I used to sing with Huddersfield Choral Society, but I struggled to get to rehearsals because of other commitments.
“I now sing bass with St Austin’s Choir, which is a Catholic choir based at St Austin’s Church in Wakefield. We mainly sing sacred music from the 14h and 15th centuries. In 2012, we sang at St Peter’s in Rome and last month we were singing at Notre Dame in Paris. We put a trip together. With the Vatican, you have to make a formal application. I suppose being a Catholic choir helps!”
Said Marc: “When I was a kid, I thought singing was for girls, but one day I volunteered to help a charity production. I said I’d help shift the scenery and that’s how I got into it. I’ve been singing now for 25 years.
“We sing a lot of music from the Renaissance period. We sing music by English composers like Thomas Tallis and William Byrd, whose music reflects the time of the Tudors and the change from England being a Catholic country to one where Catholics were in hiding.”
Said Marc: “There has been a resurgence in singing with TV shows like The Choir and performers lik Military Wives, which has made singing ‘sexy’ again. Once people start to sing, they start to explore classical music, opera and choral music.
“There are all sorts of studies suggesting that singing is good for you – helping people with respiratory problems, for instasnce.”
And he can’t resist a motoring analogy. “Five years ago, people wouldn’t be seen driving a Skoda. People make jokes about them. Now Skoda is one of the fastest-selling marques. Singing is a bit like that – it’s become ‘sexy’.”
Marc Auty
Role: Director
Age: 42
Family: Partner Sally
Holidays: We will be going to Madeira this year but we like holidaying in the UK and visiting places we haven't been to before
First job: I was a paper boy before working as a clerical assistant at HM Inspectorate of Taxes in Leeds
Best thing about the job: The variety of customer we have
Worst thing about the job: The hours. I have to be accessible whenever my customers want me
Business tip: Just go for it. Some people are stuck in jobs they don't like with the threat of redundancy hanging over their heads. They have skills and expertise in different areas but they are frightened of change. If you put in the effort and have confidence you will succeed
Northern Vehicles
Work: Vehicle contract hire, leasing and discounted purchasing
Site: Heritage Exchange, Lindley
Phone: 01484 485333
Email: info@northernvehicles.co.uk
Web: www.northernvehicles.co.uk
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