Rachel Rice (1 March 2017)

Rachel Rice is the managing director of Veho Solutions, established in 2005 as an event logistics business. Rachel gave an unorthodox speech and was the first of the speakers to be without a PowerPoint. She used pre-prepared flash cards and brought a previous BBE student (also her son) along for assistance where necessary.

Rachel started the talk by giving a brief overview of the industry her business currently operates within. She described it as a driving agency providing chauffeurs to some of the most famous names in sport; including Rafael Nadal at the ATP World Tour Finals in London as well as some of the world’s top golfers at events such as the Ryder Cup 2014.

The advice she gave the students revolved mainly around her experiences as an entrepreneur and the lessons that she has learned over the 12 years she has run her business. Following family difficulties, she was forced to make a difficult decision and start her own business whilst simultaneously working a demanding job in the front-line services as an ambulance technician. Hardly risk averse you might say. Rachel “stumbled into event driving work” and quickly recognised that brands like Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz have fleets of cars that they want to use to build brand recognition. To do so requires brand association with well-known faces across the globe, which is where her business comes in; they need drivers.

What was especially useful for the students to listen to was the way in which the business has evolved over time and the measures they have put in place as they have progressed. In a highly competitive industry, the business must function as efficiently as possible and this has meant that more recently they have made the transition online. This has included: uploading YouTube tutorials for their drivers; adopting a more effective online file system and online profiles for drivers. They are following in the footsteps of most businesses in the modern market, and hope this will give them the competitive advantage they need to secure and maintain their place in a fast-moving market.

Based on a report by Jack Tyers