When Richard Stevens left Hambro Assistance in the late nineties, he and three of his former colleagues – Linda Baker, Edward Wright and Christine Malkin – decided to set up their own business. Call Assist, the Colchester-based vehicle-rescue firm, was born. “We started off with a blank piece of paper,” recalls Stevens. “We knew there was a market for classic car and motorbike recovery, so we began with that and added new services one by one.” Today, the £15.3m-turnover business covers everything from horseboxes and cars to boats and commercial vehicles, working for intermediaries and insurers such as Kwik-Fit and Admiral Insurance. Although sales have jumped an average 36.8 per cent each year since 2005, 57-year-old Stevens remains modest: “Complacency is the road to ruin,” he says. “There’s a lot of price pressure out there. Our clients are squeezing their budgets and you never know what’s around the corner.” Stevens says he’s not bothered about making piles of money – he just wants to build “a really worthwhile business”. He adds: “Consultants always say you need to have an exit strategy in place but we don’t. Our focus is on launching new services, developing our computer system and offering a great training programme for our 120 employees.” www.callassist.net
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.