What the press say

A Wheely Good Idea - Enterprising News

A young serial entrepreneur is taking on the motor industry giants and winning after launching a new online car repairs business.

Having experienced poor quality service from local garages in Edinburgh, Greg Allison (26) decided to take things into his own hands and set up www.garages4you.com, aimed at cutting the cost of car repairs for motorists.

The firm provides an online alternative to the traditional high street national garage chains, enabling customers to book their MOT tests with a local network of service stations online at exclusive discounted prices.

Launched last year with a start-up loan from the Princes Scottish Youth Business (PSYBT), Allisons new business is now the UK’s largest online supplier of MOT and servicing, with more local outlets across Scotland than both Kwik Fit and Nationwide Autocentres.

He said: “Im delighted at how successful the business has been to date – sales have gone up 50% since the turn of the year and we are hoping that by the end of 2009 we will be processing more than 13,000 MOTs online throughout the UK. 

“I was really lucky that I managed to get a meeting with Sir Tom Farmer when I was first setting up the business. After writing to him I was lucky enough to be invited to his offices where he gave me some useful pointers and advice about some of the key things I should consider. Its great that entrepreneurs like him are willing to help young people by giving some of their time and sharing their experiences in how to run successful businesses. Its important to gain as much advice as possible especially in the early stages.”

Mark Strudwick, chief executive of PSYBT, said: "Greg is a great example to others of what can be achieved through applying your knowledge and being brave enough to push your ideas forward. The success of his business to date is testament to his sheer hard work and determination.”

Edinburgh Entrepreneur Helps Cut the Cost of Car Repairs (Source: AllMediaScotland)

After experiencing poor quality service from local garages more than once, former IT worker, Greg Allison from Edinburgh has decided to cut the cost of car repairs for other motorists by creating his own online business, www.garages4you.com

Greg Allison (26) launched the business just over a year ago, as an online alternative to the traditional high street national garage chains, enabling customers to book their MOT tests with a local network of service stations online at exclusive discounted prices. A year on, www.garages4you.com is the UK’s largest online supplier of MOT and servicing, with more local outlets across Scotland than both Kwik Fit and Nationwide Autocentres.

Greg was helped in the initial stages of setting up his company with a start-up loan from the Prince’s Scottish Youth Business (PSYBT) which enabled him to fund the planned expansion of his business across Scotland and England and raise awareness of the website through increased promotion.   PSYBT selected Greg to be a recipient of the BT awards scheme, now in its ninth year, which is focused on encouraging young people to use e-commerce to boost their start-up companies. Via the initiative, BT Scotland is investing a total amount of £55,000 in new Scottish businesses this year.

Greg Allison and his team not only sources and passes on the best deals to their customers, they monitor all work processed through its network of outlets in order to ensure quality of service and to assure customers that high standards will be maintained.

Commenting on his first year in business, Greg said, “I’m delighted at how successful the business has been to date – sales have gone up 50% since the turn of the year and we’re hoping that by the end of 2009 we will be processing more than 13,000 MOT’s online throughout the UK.

“There are obvious pros and cons to running your own business – it is great setting your own targets and achieving your goals and as long as you put the work in you will get the benefits. I get a real buzz each time we expand into a new city or area. On the flip side it can also be very difficult to be your own boss. It is essential to get the right assistance as you can’t do everything yourself and in the very early stages it can be extremely hard to get any form of financial assistance as you have yet to demonstrate what you can do. That’s where getting the backing and support of an organisation like PSYBT can be really helpful.

“I was also really lucky that I managed to get a meeting with Sir Tom Farmer when I was first setting up the business. After writing to him I was lucky enough to be invited to his offices where he gave me some useful pointers and advice about some of the key things I should consider. It’s great that entrepreneurs like him are willing to help young people by giving some of their time and sharing their experiences in how to run successful businesses. It’s important to gain as much advice as possible especially in the early stages.

“Off the back of the success of www.garages4you.com, we’re now planning to launch another related business in the next couple of months so I’m looking forward to that being another big step forward.  

Alan Bonas, head of communications at BT Scotland said, “We have been very impressed by Greg’s ambition and drive. From an initial idea he has applied his IT knowledge and enterprising skill into a great business that is expanding at a rapid rate and we now look forward to hearing more about his new venture.”

Commenting on behalf of PSYBT, chief executive Mark Strudwick said, "Greg is a great example to others of what can be achieved through applying your knowledge and being brave enough to push your ideas forward. The success of his business to date is testament to his sheer hard work and determination.”

Farmers Hair-Raising Advice Ignored (Source The Scotsman)

SIR Tom Farmers words of wisdom have proved invaluable to Greg Allison in setting up his first business.

But in one area of career he has ignored his mentors advice: his appearance.

One of the first things the entrepreneur told him he needed to do to succeed in his new business was to get his hair cut.

He refused, believing his spiky look made him stand out from the crowd.

It is just about the only piece of advice he has ignored as he develops his new online business – www.garages4you.com – with the help of Farmer.

Allison wrote to the founder of the Kwik-Fit chain looking for tips on starting his own business. He was amazed when Farmer wrote back.

Thanks to his advice, the business – which allows customers to book their MOT tests with a network of local service stations at a discounted price – is now going from strength to strength.

Allison, 26, has put much of Farmers advice on starting up into practice.

He dropped plans to include an online payment facility when Farmer pointed out customers would not want to pay up-front and would instead want to make sure the job had been carried out satisfactorily before handing over their cash. Farmer, who is also honorary president of the Entrepreneurial Exchange, which aims to motivate and support growing businesses, told The Scotsman:

“I give them advice because, when I was developing by own businesses, I had the courage to ask people questions and pick people’s brains. I found that a tremendous asset and so Im prepared to help other people.

“People need a mentor when you’re starting out but it’s also a huge compliment to me and gives me that feel-good factor.”

Allison, said: “Someone like Sir Tom, who has done so well, cant help but inspire you.”

http://business.scotsman.com/industry/Farmers-hairraising-advice-is-ignored.4629123.jp

Customers Vouch For Garages Services (Source Connect)

www.inveruriebusiness.com/cms/downloads/connect_issue_20.pdf

Kwik Solution (Source Business7)

Online company Garages4You.com has been benefiting from the wisdom of Sir Tom Farmer.  Greg Allison, founder of the Edinburgh business which offers deals on MOTs, servicing and repairs, wrote to Sir Tom asking for advice when starting the company. The Kwik Fit founder was soon back in touch and arranged a time to meet. However, the first tip Sir Tom gave was quite simple. Allison said: "I recall the first and most important piece of advice Sir Tom gave me was to get a hair cut." He also added: "People always remember me and my business because of it."

http://www.business7.co.uk/business-news/business-gossip/2008/09/26/kwik-solution-97298-20753668/

How to get a better deal on your MOT (Source: The Sunday Post)

For years the car repair industry has repeatedly been accused of ripping off customers. According to one recent survey some mechanics are charging more than £100 an hour for labour. Another said there?s along way to go before Britain?s 25 million drivers can be sure of a fair deal. Watch dogs recently warned the industry to get its house in order or face penalties. But for motorists in Scotland, help could finally be at hand thanks to the launch of a pioneering new website. Garages4You.com will, for the first time allow internet users to compare the price of car servicing deals, repairs and MOTs.

Uncompetitive

The Brainchild of Edinburgh Entrepreneur Greg Allison, the site is expected to shake up what is a notoriously uncompetitive market. Greg (24) insists his venture will leave garages that aren?t giving customers value for money with nowhere to hide. ?Our site gives customers the chance to compare servicing, repair and MOT prices in the same way people can compare the price of say a TV,? Greg Explains. ?The site is free, independent and it searches through hundreds of garages including franchised dealers.? ?It could save car owners up to 50% on their servicing bill. 40% on labour costs and 30% on the price of an MOT.?

Cheapest Deal

Greg Allison is confident his car repair comparison engine meets all the criteria to save people money.?The results are not influenced by any deals and we don?t sell any advertising space? he says. ?We realise it?s not just about price and our site also features customer reviews from people who have actually used the garages.?