Jason Kaplan: Steering Success

Jason Kaplan is not an advocate of driving blindly, yet when he looks back at when he launched his chauffeured transportation business, The Driver Provider, he attributes some of his success to his naiveté. He came up with concept in 1995 and, in 1997, sold his car to lease his first company vehicle — which he drove himself, working odd hours to gain clients — and then purchased a second car, slowly building his business from there. “I took many risks in those initial years with minimal business experience, but I had a strong belief that if my company could provide exceptional customer service, the business would grow,” Kaplan says, adding, “Had I more business experience, I would have otherwise pursued a more conservative path. That was one of the biggest blessings in my initial growth spurt.”

Now nearing its 15th anniversary, The Driver Provider offers worldwide chauffeured transportation for corporate and personal travel, road shows, groups and events. The company employs approximately 100 full-time and seasonal employees in Phoenix, Scottsdale and Tucson in Arizona and Jackson Hole in Wyoming, and provides access to an international fleet that ranges from sedans and SUVs to limousines and motor coaches. Kaplan’s firm is part of an international affiliate network with the same service standards, and employees can make one phone call and reserve chauffeured service in multiple cities worldwide.

Kaplan estimates revenues have grown 700 percent since he launched his business, and admits he made some mistakes along the way. “In retrospect, I wish I would have solidified business mentor relationships earlier in my business growth,” he says.

Growth is good, but Kaplan says he learned an important lesson when The Driver Provider began to expand. “I quickly learned by trial and error how to augment staff and infrastructure at the right pace,” he says. Looking back, he can see the need to understand the ratio of the team members needed to fulfill growth plans, and to have that plan in place when the dream starts coming true.

Kaplan advises exercising discretion when taking on new accounts in the start-up years of a new venture, observing, “When you are working hard to build your business, it is important to be disciplined to accept clients that fit into your growth plan.” The importance of remaining focused is a lesson he learned by experience. “I accepted a long-term assignment at a discounted price,” he shares. “At the time, we had a small fleet, [so this] prevented me from accepting other full-paying transportation requests. While we obviously honored the contract, it was a difficult lesson to learn as in this instance it wasn’t done by strategic design.”

When the Great Recession hit, the chauffeured transportation industry had to make adjustments to remain competitive. Corporate travel accounted for a large percentage of The Driver Provider’s business, and it slowed dramatically. “We learned to operate more efficiently and effectively during the economic downturn. While slowed, we’re pleased that we continue to see annual growth,” he says, observing that corporate and personal travel continues to improve gradually.

Increasing fuel prices have also affected Kaplan’s business. Summertime is always more expensive because of the additional cost to make summer-grade fuel and the increased demand as more people travel in the summer months. “Fuel is a huge cost of our daily business and we try to be as strategic as we can with the scheduling of our fleet and optimizing routes,” he says.

Clients can access chauffeured services through The Diver Provider 24 hours a day and 365 days a year, regardless of the time zone. When Kaplan reflects upon the days when he was driving solo, he is grateful for the lessons he learned along the way. And he is also glad he trusted his instincts. “One of the best things I did was to trust my intuition, and of course, [I had] a little luck,” he says.

The Driver Provider Road to Success

• Jason Kaplan came up with the concept of The Driver Provider in 1995 and, in 1997, sold his car to lease his first company vehicle — which he drove himself, working odd hours to gain clients.
• Now nearing its 15th anniversary, The Driver Provider’s revenues have grown an estimated 700 percent since Kaplan launched his business.
• The Driver Provider offers worldwide chauffeured transportation for corporate and personal travel, road shows, groups and events.
• The Driver Provider employs approximately 100 full-time and seasonal employees in Phoenix, Scottsdale and Tucson in Arizona and Jackson Hole in Wyoming, and access to an international fleet that ranges from sedans and SUVs to limousines and motor coaches.
• The firm is part of an international affiliate network with the same service standards, and employees can make one phone call and reserve chauffeured service in multiple cities worldwide.
• Clients can access chauffeured services through The Diver Provider 24 hours a day and 365 days a year, regardless of the time zone.