Driverseat

We're building the largest passenger transportation franchise in the world. Driverseat provides incredible opportunities for aspiring business owners to build a super scalable business that is designed to work in every community, rural or urban. 

My vision for the future is to build a company founded on transparency, authenticity and prosperity. Our renewed mission statement is "To create incredible opportunities and epic lives." 
We're refocusing and renewing our foundation to reflect what we've learned over the years as well as where we want to be in the future. 

Leveraging the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS), we'll evolve from a founder led company to a systems led company. Processes will be simplified at every opportunity, technology will be leveraged to its greatest extent, data will drive our decisions and we'll solve business challenges with ease. Our team is and will continue to be the best in the industry, working toward a common vision.

Driverseat is North America's fastest growing transportation franchise. We offer shuttle services direct to consumer, to other businesses and to government agencies. Specializing in small group charters, Driverseat is your household name for all things transportation including airport ground transportation, wine and beer tours, wedding shuttles, corporate employee commuter shuttles, and microtransit solutions.

President & Co-Founder

Gregor Homes

Strategic Planning, Operations, Marketing - Migrating the business through a changing home building / renovation market.

Vice President & General Manager

JMP Engineering

Managing two Branch offices with a focus on resource and project management.  Includes developing business plans, career plans, fiscal budgets, and facilitating 7 Habits Training.

Branch Manager

Husky Injection Molding Systems

Leading a team of 17 electrical Engineers and Technologists in Production and Development Engineering capacities.

Engineering Team Leader

Developing global purchasing strategies for electrical components, including risk mitigation plans, eliminating single source suppliers, pricing negotiations, and spend analysis.

Global Commodity Manager

Electrical Designer

Driverseat is a passenger transportation franchise, which means that we move people for a living. 

But I'm not in the transportation business. I'm in the people business. Our mission is to create incredible opportunities and epic lives. Franchising gives you the opportunity to work autonomously with a proven system for making money, using a recipe that was developed by some smart people (namely… me in this case…)

Every day, I have the responsibility and privilege to direct the vision of our company, setting the course for years to come. I embrace servant leadership and believe that if people are going to spend more time in their work than they do with their family, they had better enjoy it. 

I love learning about people, and having the deeper conversations. I reject rhetoric and posturing. There are only so many hours in the day, and I want them to be filled with richness and realness. 

I guess I should add a bit about myself…

I have three young daughters, and I’m a very involved Dad. I have high expectations and want them to grow up to be strong, resilient and independent women who feel they can do whatever the heck they want with their lives. 

I love working with my hands - In 2019 I began a major overhaul on my house and have completely renovated it down to the wall studs… every room…

I’m extremely passionate about coaching others, which makes my role as franchisor a perfect fit for me. Every day, I work with entrepreneurs to help them grow their business. 

I love music and play the guitar. I’ve been dabbling with piano a bit and think it might be my next project. 

I’m great at sales, because I’ve never felt like I was selling anything. I present opportunities to people who need what I have, and partner with those who will fully invest in themselves and the brand.

Luke Bazely

FamilyBiz Navigator

Sustainable success through the generations requires a REORIENTATION!  

Primary areas of focus: 
1. Continuity Planning and Implementation using the best practices in positive psychology

2. Identifying strengths and opportunities of your people 

3. Strategic planning

Owner

BDO Canada

Manager, Family Enterprise Solutions

Your Strategy Navigator

Areas of focus:
1. Family business strategy / succession planning and execution
2. Implementing financial management best practices 
3. Improving corporate governance & decision-making

Centre for Family Business - KW

A Peer-supported association in Waterloo Region providing business families with the tools they need to build healthy families and stronger businesses.  

Supporting, Educating and Energizing family businesses for over 22 years!

Executive Director - Part-Time Contract

RWDI

RWDI is a global engineering firm with offices in Canada, US, UK, China and India.  They are among the Top 50 Best Managed Companies in Canada.

Responsible for coaching and mentoring a highly skilled financial and project accounting team.

Accounting Manager

Smitty's Furniture

Responsible for sales, marketing, finance and operations of a small furniture retailer with stores in Hanover and Cambridge. 

Key successes were:
- Led a rebranding effort to bring company 'back to its roots' in selling better quality, Canadian-made furniture 

- Led the company through a process that revised the mission and values and actively engaged the employees 

- Experienced high staff engagement levels despite facing       numerous challenges in the industry and within the company

- Reduced B/E levels by 25% in less than three months

- Maintained strong relationships with all stakeholders of the company by practising transparency in all communications and accuracy in all financial and business planning presentations

President / General Manager

Responsible for all financial and operational functions of a small furniture retailer

Key successes included:

-Identified key metrics of store performance and created accountability and improvement processes 

- Created strong weekly and daily cash management processes

- Selected a new financing partner and maintained the relationship

- Created new business and strategic planning processes 

- Reduced month end reporting time by 60%

- Led company through a system conversion. Key outcomes from this new system were: 
  * Reduced dependency on labour             
  * Improved customer service levels
  * Improved accountability with the sales team 
  *Greater accuracy in the day-to-day information gathered 

- Improved communication across company and with key stakeholders by using the values of honesty, integrity and transparency

Director of Finance and Operations

Businesses become family businesses informally as the kids (Rising Gen) join casually, and gradually over time.  Life happens fast, and here you are - in your 50's and early 60's and there is no formal succession plan.  You intend on working for a while longer, yet you feel you should be doing more to prepare the Rising Gen. You hesitate to begin this process as you see them not ready for the complex responsibilities that you have.  

Will they every be ready?  Where is the initiative and resilience to demonstrate they are ready to take on more?  

Meanwhile, successors may feel confident, but lack critical skills, creating a gap that can jeopardize the business's stability and family harmony.  Identifying and closing these gaps require open discussions on readiness, and intentional skills and capabilities development.   

Having these conversations informally never seems to happen, or go well.  Your intentions are there, but something always interferes.  There is GOT to be a better way! 

Sustainable success through the generations requires a REORIENTATION!  A generational transfer of a business or any amount of wealth can be the most rewarding and thrilling adventure.  

With my 25 + years serving family enterprises in diverse businesses, I've discovered that there is a better path forward.  One that works with the client's family and advisors collaboratively to understand and build upon their greatest strengths and intentionally identify and address the skills gaps.  

Visit my website to learn more about me and reach out to setup a discovery chat. 
www.familybiznavigator.ca

I do not issue a glossy report that sits on a shelf!  I walk alongside your team to implement the selected strategies and tactics so hopes and dreams are realized. 

Being intentional with your family business = Greater choice, opportunity and less risk.

taplio

The Battle

Luke Bazely

Bryan Huck, FEA

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