THE COLLABORATOR

DAVID HUNTER IS AN AWARD WINNING ENTREPRENEUR WHO HAS BUILT A NATIONAL TAXI FLEET OF MORE THAN 600 CARS. ACQUIRING FIRMS ACROSS THE UK AND DEVELOPING MARKET LEADING APP TECHNOLOGIES SUCH AS TAKE ME AND EAT ME, HERE HE SHARES HIS INSPIRING STORY WITH JOURNALIST EMILY MILLER

Born and bred in a small village in Leicestershire, David Hunter’s steady upbringing was a happy one and his hardworking parents, a financier father and district nurse mother, instilled in him a work ethic led by example over pressure.

“They encouraged me to follow my passions, to achieve but without pressure. It was a happy family home and one that was very supportive of who we are and what we wanted to do. It meant there was room to discover the things that I liked doing in life without fear of failure.”

Watching his father in an office he knew it was the environment for him – “From as early as I can remember I know the feeling of sitting in my dad’s large office and knowing I wanted to be holding pens and making decisions like my dad was – I knew the business world was the environment for me.”

Recalling his early foray into business a creative and artistic David found himself ‘setting up shop’ play at home, designing and creating businesses for play – one of which even going through a re-brand resulting in the company name of Amazon, before the Amazon. “I have always had a creative side and whilst it might not be considered a typical trait of a businessperson, I believe that side of me has influenced my journey in a hugely positive way.”

His parents weren’t especially well off, but “they enjoyed their work and taught me that if I wanted things that were ever so slightly more than the basic in life, I needed to work for it to earn it.”

And so, David ventured out to get work, starting out cleaning cars he soon earnt money to buy the branded trainers, but rather than feeling only the buzz of having something new and nice and slightly more upmarket, David recalls another feeling. “There was a real sense of achievement more than anything, I can see that that was where I got my enjoyment from.”

Not a materialistic man, David shares that sure, he likes nice things, has a nice home and admits to being seduced by fancy cars in the past but that, “I have dreamed of boats – but aside from being in the midlands and not near any sea, possessions just don’t really make me happy. My drive has always been to have comfort with my family, but also to achieve.”

David’s working life continued from car washing to working his way up and through building experience in advertising and the marketing world, including for the Leicester Mercury and then further publications and roles in corporate and management. David worked up a fair few years’ worth of experience before spotting an opportunity which was to kick start the real entrepreneur in him.

“I was working for Euro Disney and noticed the sheer volume of hotels that were empty during the off seasons. I suggested filling them with educational trips at cheap prices for schools and the concept took off. I decided I could do similar on my own and make money from it, so I quit my job, got a small office above a bakery in Market Harborough and started my own adventure school trip package company.

“It was a success and I gathered team members and resources in a short amount of time. Overnight though things changed.”

David’s talking about a fatal school coach trip which changed the way package school trips operated from the inside out with insurance companies putting the responsibility of the student’s safety at their feet. Of course, this changed the regularity and popularity of school trips – it became almost too complicated for schools to do them. David had to adapt and adapt quickly.

“I had to look at the resources we had and change the business overnight. Buying the two mini-buses I got a contract with the local council to do school pickups, from here ADT Taxis was started.”

The skill of being able to make these decisions on his feet is akin to the adaptability many entrepreneurs needed during the height of the pandemic. “It is easier if you have a small business of course to change direction overnight, the larger you get the more shareholders you have and board members that you have to convince to take risks, when it was just me back then I could change quickly with no consequence really other than my own risks and responsibilities.”

Being humble enough to recognise where our strengths and weaknesses lie, working to our strengths and creating a network around the business of people who are better at your weaknesses. That’s the key to success for an entrepreneur according to David. “I don’t see myself as a boss as such, more as someone conducting the orchestra!”

“At the start, you are firing off all cylinders and of course end up doing all the elements of your business, as you grow you can start delegating and building a team who support you in your goal: they support my vision.”

Taking risks, gambles, is easier to do when you are younger with no responsibilities he adds, “As you get older the assumption is that you get more cautious, but I think more than that for me it’s that I don’t need to take as many risks. I am happy with what I have more, the drive isn’t necessarily about financial gambles, it’s about being secure in what I already have.”

Then, the retirement question comes up and from our conversation I can tell the drivers for his entrepresneurship are more to do with giving back, a refreshing way of looking at his career and what it has done. Retirement won’t ever stop him completely. “I might finally find the time to play guitar!” he laughs. “But seriously I feel like I won’t stop, I will slow it all down of course but I would like to give back somehow with community and charity work, I know I would get fulfilment from that, and I certainly know that I won’t get any from sitting still.”

“I bet, with my four children, and hopefully future grandchildren, I will end up being their tax driver!”. We laugh at that, but really, it’s an example of David’s world view, what’s important to him and what’s at the core of his entrepreneurial spirit. It’s a creative one, but also one with a conscience. It’s striking that none of his career goals or aspirations for his life have been at the expense of anything, or through climbing over others ruthlessly.

David’s career so far has meant he’s got where he wants to go with the support of others but also through his support of those around him, recognising his strengths and being humble enough to admit when he needs support too. His aspirations for retirement speak volumes about the kind of man he is a collaborator and an inspiring one at that.