Taylor Brothers
Julian and wife Jackie took a risk to set up the business three years ago
TAYLOR-MADE ON A TIGHT BUDGET Is it still possible in this day and age – an era of mega-bucks Glass Palace showrooms – to launch a business and establish oneself in the motorcycle trade with only £10k capital? Suzanne Potts investigates
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acing the higher end of his forties, it was “now or never” time for Julian Taylor when considering his future. Having followed his father Jim and uncle John of Taylor Motorcycles, Stoke-on-Trent, into the bike trade, Julian had honed his skills, man and boy, for more than 30 years, working on the tools. So late in 2015 the decision was made. There was no mid-life-crisis new bike or other lifechanging distraction for Julian; setting up in business was to be the life changer (although more recently he has treated himself to a Kawasaki Z900RS). First things first, premises were needed and after looking at many sites (some of which ruled themselves out as they didn’t want a bike business) an ex-used car site in the village of Haughton, just outside Stafford, was found. It benefited from a main road location (A518 Stafford to Telford), shop front and small forecourt, workshop and showroom. So with a budget of under £10k (a good proportion of which went on the first quarter’s rent) the business was launched in 2016. To get the premises ready to trade, friends and family chipped in over Christmas to clear, clean and paint the place. A major set-up expense was purchasing all the equipment and consumables needed up front in order to function. Whilst Julian already had a lot of his own tools, the larger equipment still needed to be bought; tyre fitting machine, wheel balancer, ramps, workbenches etc and then there was the shelving and display racks to ensure the showroom looked clean, bright and inviting.
D-Day was 4 January, 2016, and as Taylor Brothers opened its doors for the first time, the first bike appeared for service and they were up and running! After that came a series of difficult decisions. “With money tight, it was and still is a difficult balance between whether to buy a secondhand bike or clothing and helmets,” says Julian. JUMPING THROUGH HOOPS Five months after the business was launched Taylor Brothers became a DVSA accredited MOT test centre. Julian said: “We applied to be an MOT centre just before we opened and we had to jump through a lot of hoops. It took six months but it was worth it as it has ensured a good flow of work through the workshop all year round.” An AJS franchise followed and the business was starting to take shape, but it has been “tough going”. In October 2016 Julian’s wife Jackie gave up her day job to work full time in the business, not an
“To get the premises ready to trade, friends and family chipped in to clear, clean and paint the place” easy decision to make, and “looking back”, says Jackie, “it was a risk to give up a salary, pension etc but it had to be done”. Jackie looks after the showroom, clothing and accessories, the booking in and out of repairs and MOTs, ordering of spares, tyres etc and also handles the invoicing and finances. She finds that the clothing and helmets side of the business is tough on a budget: “It ties up a lot of cash and it is difficult to carry enough sizes, styles and colour options for every customer.” The business took on the Wheels to Work contract to maintain the Staffordshire County Council-owned fleet and also forged a tie-in
TAYLOR BROTHERS TIMELINE Jan 2016 Taylor Brothers Motorcycles opens for business May 2016 Becomes DVSA accredited MOT test centre Oct 2016 Wife Jackie joins the business Mar 2017 Takes on the Wheels to Work contract Jun 2017 First open day in aid of Staffordshire Blood Bikes Jan 2019 Three-year anniversary
with BikeWise rider training [with branches in Stoke, Stafford, Stone and Shrewsbury] to help overcome seasonal fluctuations in the workshop. GREAT SUPPORT The business has added more power to its elbow in 2019 by becoming a Dynojet Power Commander centre. Having reached the three-year milestone earlier this year, Julian says that personal service and going the extra mile for customers has helped build a returning customer base. Offering a collection and delivery service, taking a trade stand at Biker Breakfasts organised by Staffordshire Safer Roads Partnership [setup in 2001 to reduce road casualties in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent and involving emergency services, local authorities and Highways England], holding an annual fundraising open day for Blood Bikes and always ensuring the kettle is on have combined to tie in customers to a quite rare thing in this day and age: a business that values each and every one of its customers and invests everything it has in building on that relationship. “The road ahead will not be an easy one,” reflect Julian and Jackie, “but we’ve had great support from loyal customers, friends and family and we’ll continue to build on the experience we’ve gained in these first three years and hopefully go from strength to strength.” www.taylorbrothersmotorcycles.co.uk
Telephone: 0333 666 0680 Email: sales@modeperformance.co.uk Showroom: 9A Cygnet Drive, Swan Valley Northampton, Northants NN4 9BS www.modeperformance.co.uk
ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT
34 MAY 2019
PERFORMANCE
RACING
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