Entrepreneur launches Shetland’s first limousine company
A recently-launched business venture allows clients to, quite literally, take a back seat.
Entrepreneur Colin Manson has established Shetland’s first limousine company.
The 46 year-old car enthusiast decided to set up his business after being encouraged by a friend in Aberdeen.
And he was inspired after seeing some of his favourite footballers turn up at matches in the plushest of German-engineered limos.
So now Mr Manson has one of his own, one which is available for private tours, airport or ferry transfers, weddings, or even birthday parties.
“I’ve always been a car guy, so I was always interested in cars,” said Mr Manson, who also runs Applecart, a venture that re-purposes old mobile phones.
“Working for myself, working from home with the Applecart, it’s enough to provide a living, but there are some days where I might only have two people.
“I thought, ‘what can I do that will compliment me running my own diary; running my own company?”
Mr Manson began training as a driving instructor, but “knocked that on the head”.
It was only when he talked to a friend on the mainland that wheels were set in motion.
“One of my friends ran a chauffeur company in Aberdeen for a while.
“Every time I went to Aberdeen, I got him to pick me up in his car. He’s always saying he was getting customers coming from Shetland saying, ‘why’s there no chauffeur business in Shetland?”
Another piece of the jigsaw was added when Mr Manson watched professional football matches on television.
“You can’t just buy a Mercedes S-Class, because it’s not different enough,” he said “But I’m also a big Liverpool fan, and watching players arrive and players leaving , and some players were arriving in V-Class Mercedes.
“I’d see the pictures inside and think, ‘yun’s what we need for Shetland’. So I started looking at viable options. There is a definite need for it.
Since then, Mr Manson has bought his own V-Class, a spacious and luxuriously-appointed multi-purpose vehicle, which has already been finding fans among Mr Manson’s clientele.
The highly-appointed machine cost over £92,000 second-hand. It was already fitted with customised interior worth £48,000 on its own.
Much of the day-to-day business involves taking clients from the airport to various venues for meetings. But sometimes, the V-Class serves as a venue in its own right. With wi-fi, comfortable chairs, plenty of room, and even a fridge.
The car has even been hired out for children’s birthday parties, and took one couple from their house to the ferry to kick off their holiday in fine style.