The right business support puts Daniel in the fast lane

Any business which is expanding needs to either attract skilled recruits or upskill their existing workforce

With a well-documented skills shortage affecting UK businesses, that can be a big problem. But help and advice is at hand from Warwickshire County Council and the Coventry & Warwickshire Growth Hub - as Daniel Tranter can testify.

Last year, Daniel founded Atherstone-based DT Performance Cars, stocking all sorts of specialist cars priced from £15,000 to £120,000. And the business has soon hit the fast lane for growth. Daniel initially employed people close to him, those whom he knew and trusted, but now needs to look a little further afield.

That's where the skill support led by the county council's business skills advisor Fay Winterburn and growth hub account manager Gary Thyeson is proving invaluable.

"Fay and Gary have been really helpful and given some great advice," said Daniel. "I decided the time was right to take the plunge and start the business in February 2016 and it's gone really well so now we need to expand.

"I employ my mum and dad, father-in-law and uncle because I would rather employ people I can trust, even if they have little specialist knowledge to start with, and train them up. Training them up is where the business support has come in.

"Fay is helping us to explore apprenticeship opportunities and what might work for us and we are also considering courses within the Skills Support to upskill some of our existing staff.

"Gary is helping us to explore funding opportunities to support the development of the site, including a new meet-and-greet area and more economical lighting."

Nuneaton-born Daniel has his sights set on further growth from an ideal base in north Warwickshire.

"The premises in Atherstone came up and they are perfect with the space we need but very discreet," he said. "It is perfectly located bedside the A5 and close to Birmingham Airport which is great because we do a lot of international trade and have a lot of customers from Aberdeen."

Fay Winterburn is delighted to be helping the business to grow.

"DT performance is a great example of taking a passion and turning it into a great business model," she said. "Daniel has made remarkable progress in developing and growing the business ahead of his original projected year-on-year plans and now the timing is just right to explore various routes of support, having come this far independently.

"Ourselves at the county council and Gary Thyeson from the Coventry & Warwickshire Growth Hub are keen to work with Dan and the team to offer our support in building a skills and business strategy to take the business to the next level "