Having grown up on coaches, Julian Phillips is taking his return to the family business in his stride. He tells us about taking on Phillips Travel ahead of his parents’ retirement
Q: Can you tell me about your background in the industry?
A: I’ve worked in it now for just under two years. The family business has been around longer than I’ve been alive, so I grew up on coaches when I was a lad. I was taken everywhere in the country and around Europe. I’ve done other jobs in-between, and when I became a father myself I started to look at things a bit differently. I thought there was a business, and if I don’t take it on it will probably close as my parents are retiring in the next few years. So I joined the family business in 2015, as a Director. There are three of us who are Directors, and we’re just going through the process of signing me over to be Transport Manager.
Q: How are you finding taking on the role of Director?
A: It’s certainly challenging. There are a lot of legal responsibilities to adhere to, not just in terms of managing the vehicle but as an employer as well. We’re only a small company, so its fair to say that it would be more overwhelming if I was taking on a fleet of 40 vehicles. It’s enjoyable, and I’m enjoying having control of my own destiny. It’s the family name on the side of the vehicle and the two very much link together – what the family does is what the business does and vice versa.
Q: How do you hope to shape the company and make it your own?
A: There are no massive overhauls that I want to make, because the company has worked very well over certainly the last 20 years – what we do works. We’re doing more computer-based things, particular with social media. Everywhere we go, we put up a picture on Facebook, and it’s slowly working. The majority of users of coach holidays are predominantly of retirement age, and many of them don’t use computers or social media. However, someone who is 65 now is a lot younger than someone who was 65 20 years ago, so people who have retired in the past few years are computer literate. I think that is quite an important thing now – to have that status on Facebook.
Q: Is there a sense of pressure to fill the shoes left by your parents when running the family business?
A: Yes, but it’s good pressure. I don’t want to change anything dramatically, and I’ve taken on board a lot of guidance from my father and mother. It’s not just pressure to continue their good work, its pressure to make sure it lasts another 37 years so that my children can take it on. So there is pressure, but it’s a good thing. It’s not something that keeps me awake at night.
Q: What are the highlights of working in the industry?
A: There’s three things. Firstly, I’m always working in the daylight. In the previous job that I did, I would get to work at 0800hrs and it would be dark, and I’d finish work at 1700hrs and it would be dark. I wouldn’t see daylight in winter. The second is all the places that I get to visit and revisit, and doing that as my job is fantastic – I get to see these places and get paid to do it. And the final thing is that occasionally my children and partner come along. They are passengers, and they’re treated like everyone else, but when we’re at the destination the time is our own.
Q: What challenges have you faced so far?
A: To be honest, there aren’t many challenges that I feel overwhelmed by. When planning journeys, it’s finding the balance between drivers’ hours and the passengers being comfortable. Obviously we have the correct breaks, but it’s planning the journey so we can stop at a nice destination so that its part of the day out. It’s making sure that the journey is as enjoyable as the destination. The other challenge is ensuring that the vehicle is in tip-top condition. And it’s also ensuring that we make enough money to keep going, that’s the most important thing – that we delivery the quality service that we do and get enough people on board.
