Direct Dial: 01604 498890
I started First Point along with my business partner
Julian Chapman in 1998. Our first day of trading was 1st July of that year. I remember the tiny little office we had rented above an Estate Agent; we had a TV to watch the World Cup that was on at the time. It was a great feeling just setting out on the adventure ahead!
After a six month break after leaving school, I was keen to start work. I joined Eagle Star (effectively now Zurich) in August of 1989 and stayed there until 1994. I started right at the bottom of the ladder, but I found a fantastic place to develop my insurance knowledge. Eagle Star allowed me to learn through examinations and also a culture that allowed me to ask questions and get involved in decision making. In April 1994 I moved to a local broker. Moving from an Insurer to a Broker was certainly an eye opener for me. It was the first time I faced the reality of speaking to customers and getting involved in sales. Whilst ultimately I had different ideals to that of my employer at the time, I did learn a great deal, perhaps what not to do, but I did find the confidence to start First Point.
As owner my responsibilities over the years have involved every aspect of the business. Every day offers a different challenge. Ultimately, what I enjoy most and what I am best at is dealing with customers. I think it gives me the best possible opportunity to demonstrate to our customers what First Point is all about and at the same time make sure my team are aware of the standards we set for ourselves.
We don’t really set our targets in terms of numbers. Our aim first and foremost is to run our business as well as we can on a day to day basis. Of course to do this, you have to have a vision and objectives to work towards. We want to continue to invest in our IT and product delivery. Progression of staff is also very important to us. We also want to make our customers more aware of what First Point has to offer – whilst we are in a very specialist market for cars and homes, we have lots more strings to our bow.
In 3 years, I like to think we will have continued our year on year growth. Further strengthened our relationships with clients and trading partners and will be ‘better’ than we are today. Improvement is something I don’t ever think you stop looking for in business.
My perfect three car garage, this is fairly easy. Ferrari 458 Italia, Bugatti Veyron Gransport and Rolls Royce Drophead. I don’t think I need to explain why!
My main interest is travelling. I love to travel as much as possible. As well as the different cultures, lifestyles and scenery, I definitely like to enjoy the food. Owning First Point has meant that I am lucky enough to travel well and I do enjoy good hotels and comfortable travelling!
Closer to home, I enjoy a round of Golf now and then. I have a slot in a weekly pub quiz team, but it’s really just nice to socialise.
