Sunday, June 14, 2009

4x4 Training

I'm pooped. I have just finished a marathon training session with a humanitarian peace keeping organization. 72 people doing 4x4 & Vehicle recovery.
Anytime you have so much training in a relatively short time it takes it out of you. I gotta say my staff of Rory, Lawrence, Moses worked extremely hard to get through it and they deserve BIG kudos for a job well done.
I am happy to see the school business growing and it looks as if we are in for the best year yet in GEPDS history.
We are now looking forward to the next half of the year. Thanks for the support.

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Developing Glen Edmunds Performance Driving School

Where to now?

As you can see from the last blog the famous Glen Edmunds Performance Auto Services is now sold and is called 4x4 Services by the new owners Colin & Terry Davidson. So what's the next chapter for Glen?

I am developing other areas of business and you’ll soon see a whole new look and feel to our current courses. Without giving too much away just yet, we are doing some exciting stuff in the development department and that will make not only the existing courses even better, but you will also see us launch some new products in the near future.

I will be in the USA in July and updating my own training, as well as following through on new business opportunities within our realm.

The staff at Glen Edmunds Peformance Driving School, (offices at Lengai house, Wilson airport) probably wish I was still in the workshop as they have had more work to do since my retirement from the workshop!

Well as I said before, we are going to be doing a lot this year, so watch this space....

The Workshop - The Final Farewell

So my mate Mick has been telling me for ages to get rid of the workshop and concentrate on the driving school. But I guess my ego has been standing in the way.

With the onset of the global recession creeping steadily towards Africa, and Glen Edmunds Performance Driving School's growing success, I decided that I should either sell the workshop or close it down. So I gathered up my courage and "bit the bullet" so to speak. Fortunately I managed to find a buyer and kicked my ego into touch and sold it.

It’s was a bit of a shock, but now that it's done and dusted, I’m sleeping better, have more energy, have more time on my hands to develop other revenue streams, and in general - much happier. It’s an amazing thing. All in all I know now I did the right thing.

The workshop is in good hands, and going well. Having a new management has breathed new life in to the “old dog”. When I look back on it, I guess I was holding onto it in the hope that Safari Rally would one day miraculously come back to Kenya. However, the realization that the Safari is never coming back, and that Kenya has fallen from favor with the IRC is quite sobering. So with Safari gone there was no need to have such an expensive or extensive work shop.

So I have said "goodbye" to all my staff and will try to remember only the positive memories (and to be honest there were more negative than positives recently trying to juggle two business).

My talents will be better spent doing what I love right now which is developing the Glen Edmunds Performance Driving School.
So in the words of the immortal Bob Hope – “Thanks for the memories” and "asta lavista baby"