In late 2024, when Kath Cordey-Hanson (pictured, above) founded a company after leaving the teaching profession, her initial idea was to set up a legal entity for a tutoring business. Instead, just 15 months later, she runs her own multi-million-pound ground transportation business, Proximity Coach Travel, and employs five people.
Here Mrs Cordey-Hanson – who works with her husband Matt Hanson at Proximity Coach Travel – describes how the business came about.
Q: What made you set up Proximity Coach Travel?
A: I think it is well known that my husband Matt is an expert in the coach industry. He was in a great job, but we both decided to start something new together. What began as an idea to establish a tutoring business changed to us forming Proximity, and we commenced trading in February 2025.
Q: Why Proximity? What was the inspiration behind the name?
A: We laugh all the time about it, because something clicked with the name Proximity and it just works.
We struggled for weeks to find a name – we wanted something that gave us the platform to let people know that we are ‘local’ to them. We provide solutions to the whole of the UK and Ireland, and even Europe, so wherever people are, we are close by. When we eventually came up with Proximity, it was the perfect fit.
In true Matt style, he developed a hashtag, #CloserThanYouThink, and we are. He would have made a great marketing executive three decades ago. He can come up with some cheesy lines that actually work.
We are a serious business, with a serious message, but that does not stop us from having some fun in the process. I think some organisations can be too corporate, but for us, it is about staying in our lane and doing what we do best.
Q: What is the biggest difference between school life and running a business?
A: While poles apart, it is very familiar in some ways, as Matt can be like a naughty schoolchild. The agreement was that he goes and does his stuff with customers and suppliers, while I manage the business. Touch wood, it has worked.
As we have grown and become employers, I have brought my experience from the educational sector to provide a duty of care to our staff. We fully support all our employees and allow them to flourish in their role. Proximity is a great place to work, and a lot of the skills applied in the classroom can be transferred to the workplace.
Q: If Matt is away doing what he does, what are you doing behind the scenes?
A: Everything else. I oversee the finances, the risk assessments, onboarding, customer services, reservations, and the various policies and processes that we have implemented, including our sustainability policy.
Q: Why is Proximity such a popular choice?
A: We are very good at what we do. We place equal emphasis on our customers and our suppliers and treat them with the utmost respect. If we do not work with the right supply chain partner, we do not deliver the service we have assured our customers. We are very good at matching the right supplier with the right job. We also pay our suppliers upfront, which goes a long way.
In addition, people like and admire that we are a husband-and-wife business. When you combine that with our progress in the education sector, it is easy to see that given our respective backgrounds, the market likes working with us.
People also like personal touches, One of our suppliers recently had a baby and we sent his partner a bunch of flowers. We also send cards to couples getting married and often flowers or a gift – not only to wish them all the best, but to also say thank you. Small things mean a lot to people, and we recognise that and put our personal stamp on every job we do.
Q: What has been the biggest change since you created Proximity?
A: That is an easy one – the holidays. When former colleagues are getting time off and planning brunches, I am hard at it. I believe the work-life balance is important, so I ensure that I have time for myself, but the six-week holidays last year were very different.
Instead of putting my feet up for the summer, I was putting my foot on the accelerator planning for 2026 with Proximity. We carefully plan our breaks, but I do make Matt take time out as it is so easy to get burnout, and that is ultimately our biggest risk.
It is 24/7 and it is non-stop. The summer months are extremely demanding – particularly with the last-minute work, and he just cannot say no.
Q: We see Women in Bus and Coach making great strides. How do you feel being a female entrepreneur?
A: I do not feel like I am an entrepreneur. It has almost been accidental how we have fallen into building the business and how we are taking it forward. It has been organic, and we have scaled a lot faster than we envisaged, but we will certainly take that and build upon it.
Seeing everyone supporting the women in the industry is fantastic. I like the way that women are being acknowledged across every pillar. I have been able to draw huge inspiration from prominent women in the industry who salute the fantastic contribution that we make every single day.
Q: How is 2026 looking for Proximity?
A: I have to say it looks very good. While it was a slow start fulfilment wise, our future sales have been ahead of forecasts. We have created a project for the year (the name of which will give away our targets) and are really confident that we will achieve it, which will see us grow by a further 33%.
With increased growth come increased costs, so we are always trying to walk before we can run. I am always mindful of our people and the demands we put on them, and inevitably, we will need to ensure that we are resourced to cope with the additional demands.
Q: What is next, and what are your future plans?
A: We have already agreed that this is an initial, three-year project. We are one year in, and I will hold Matt to that promise, as the demands on him personally are not sustainable.
My dad has successfully run his own business for many years, and the world has changed dramatically since he founded his firm. Having a business 20 years ago was almost like a status image that people wanted to portray.
I think nowadays, you set up a business with someone in mind to buy it or invest in it. You need a vision and a plan, and we are no different.
It is a case of whether we can execute that plan. If we cannot, we will have a cracking business that we can streamline with a focus on our retained clients. Either way, there is an overarching strategy, and we are both pragmatic about it.
Q: Finally, what is your message to your fellow women on International Women’s Day?
A: My message is very simple. Be yourself. If that means you inspire people, that is fantastic, but being happy and feeling valued is more important to me.
There will always be trailblazers who lead the way, and massive kudos to them, but every woman is a trailblazer in her own right. Be yourself, enjoy your life both at work and at home, and you will not go far wrong.
