Driverseat franchise founders Brian and Luke Bazely go above and beyond with care
By Suzanne Bowness
Ask brothers Brian and Luke Bazely, co-founders of Driverseat Inc, what they did during the COVID-19 pandemic, and you certainly won’t hear, “sat on the couch.” Their actions during a time of uncertainty not only reveal their willingness to pivot, but a deeper determination to always be thinking about new ways to grow their operation.
A few examples illustrate this outlook. First, there’s their initial leadership when pandemic restrictions caused demand for shuttle and chauffeur services to slow in March 2020. They rallied their franchisees to make the most of their time, with a renewed focus on marketing and content creation. The brothers also took care of their own by providing tips and support on staying physically and mentally well during a growing crisis. Then, they turned to investigate how their transportation business could help in their communities. When airports shut down, Driverseat took people to locations across the province and the country. They expanded their commuter transportation business so essential workers could ride in more spacious vehicles to jobs at food production plants. They launched a “shop and drop” service aimed at keeping customers out of stores by picking up their groceries.
Later in the pandemic as vaccines were rolling out, Driverseat set up a driving program to help personal support workers provide in-home vaccinations, modifying its vans to accommodate refrigerators. As international students were allowed back into Canada, franchisees not only resumed airport shuttle service, but chauffeurs went the extra distance to get the newcomers much-needed supplies like groceries and mobile chargers. Today, the Bazelys say they’re looking into how to provide mobile health clinics, with chauffeurs included.
Not only did these efforts help keep the business afloat during a challenging time, they added up to the business’s best fiscal year yet, by far. Both founders attribute this success to the fact that while others were hunkering down, they continued to be active.
“We kept our doors open in a big way, our online presence, our branding—we made people aware of the fact that we were wide open for business,” says Luke. “Governments started calling and saying ‘we’re seeing you guys everywhere right now. And it looks like you’re willing and able to do some additional services.’ So we did some unique stuff.” In the case of the shop and drop, the brothers actually started it as a volunteer service, until clients informed them of their willingness to pay for the privilege of staying at home. Some even offered to pay it forward for those who couldn’t afford the service.
Business with heart
So where did this initiative come from? Luke and Brian say it’s baked into their brand philosophy. From the start, the pair was intent on creating a purpose-driven business, and they consider their “Care plus” model a major differentiator.
“Honestly, it’s not super complicated for someone to put a van on the road and go around picking up people. But the fact that we do it with more care helps build a solid base,” says Brian.
In fact, the brothers settled on the idea of going into business together with a franchise way before they decided on a sector. Luke came with experience as an engineer taking on complex projects, and Brian’s background is in the corporate world and as a franchisee and franchise developer for Anytime Fitness. With 20 to 30 criteria in mind, they made a giant list of possible businesses that would fit their basic goals: something that worked as a franchise, would be purpose-driven, and wouldn’t cost too much for franchisees to buy in. By 2011, they settled on their sector; by September 2012 they had their first location; and by January 2013 they had sold their first franchise.
After launch, Driverseat grew quickly, up to 60 locations in Ontario, Alberta, and the U.S. by 2020. The pandemic saw some franchisees exit the business, and the brand went down to 40 units. But with their pandemic hustle paying off, the franchise is now back in position to launch 60 new locations in 2021.
Besides its pandemic pivot, the franchise has also changed with the market, again a testament to the founders’ flexibility. Driverseat started as a chauffeur brand, with the Bazelys projecting that their major clientele would come from the chauffeuring service they offered to clients with unique transportation needs—from students with special needs to adults with dementia. Instead, today the majority of business comes from shuttle services for weddings, wine tours, commuting, and airport runs. Yet what hasn’t changed is the people-first philosophy, says Luke. “We’ve pivoted our business model probably five times in the nine years, and the reason is because we’ve learned and realized there are bigger and better opportunities. We’ve listened to our franchise partners in terms of what they want to do with the company.”
Partnered for success
Finding the right people is another big preoccupation for both founders, who say that the top qualities they look for in the ideal franchisee are a love of business development, customers, and people generally. “They’re really there to engage with customers all day long, to continue posting information about drivers, getting their communities to share information about the services they’re offering,” says Brian, noting that this isn’t the sort of franchise for someone who wants to be driving the car, but rather for someone who wants to manage a fleet of drivers. “If you’re customer-focused and a good communicator, the rest becomes secondary.” Sold based on territory by population, today the brand is not only adding new franchisees but also growing as existing franchisees become multi-unit owners.
The brothers say that building trust and demanding it from franchisees is a top requirement for any franchisor, as is being fixated on top line growth. They run Driverseat as an open book, and turn away franchisees they don’t think they can trust.
Growth and strategy is Brian’s area of expertise as the partner in charge of franchise development, while Luke handles operations. But they both have each other’s backs for every task in the business. “We’ve become very, very good at dividing and conquering. But we’re also very good at collaborating and making decisions quickly,” says Luke.
Of course, they also have a healthy leadership and support team—they’re eager to point out that three out of five members of their leadership team are female, and equally proud to be recognized with the Canadian Franchise Association’s 2021 Recognition Award for Diversity and Inclusion.
Poised for further growth, the Bazely brothers emphasize that it’s never going to be at the expense of community. “Our excitement isn’t based on the difference between a 3.7 litre versus 2.2 litre engine or whatever—our passion is people,” says Brian. Other excitement surely comes from the freedom of owning one’s own business, something Luke encourages other potential franchisors to embrace. “Be brave and audacious and make sure that you adapt. Address the changes in the environment and the economy—always with a vision of making sure that your franchisees are going to be successful and profitable.”
