From a very young age I developed a keen interest in running my own business and was always fascinated by the mechanics and design of all types of cars. At the age of 16 I had an opportunity to work in a local garage and discovered very quickly that my body didn’t react well to the cold temperatures as well as I had hoped.
Faced with a life choice, I decided higher education would offer me more opportunities long term to run my own business successfully. Off to Dublin Institute of Technology I went, to pursue a degree in Transport Management. I was at a bit of a loose end trying to find a placement opportunity. So when a friend of mine, who was working with Enterprise, recommended that I apply, I did. I interviewed and was lucky enough to earn myself a placement.
My manager was eager to train and develop me to ensure I understood all aspects of running the branch. Even in the early stages of my placement, while I was still trying to figure out the best places to have lunch, I was being exposed to various different sides of the business. Needless to say I was impressed!
As part of my placement goals I was asked to identify areas of opportunities within the branch and was delighted that some of my ideas were implemented into the day-to-day running of the branch. The autonomy I experienced as an intern was fabulous and I was convinced there was no reason I couldn’t make it to the top at Enterprise. So I was delighted when I secured a full-time management trainee position with Enterprise in their Stateside operations in Houston, Texas upon graduation.
Off to America I went to start my full-time career in Houston. Through hard work and determination I managed to get promoted from management trainee to management assistant to assistant manager within six months. I then moved up the assistant manager ranks to manage the flagship branch in Houston where my team and I achieved a record-breaking year.
My performance in Texas earned me a promotion and the opportunity to return to Ireland to become Branch manager of Dublin Airport. The Airport market was a very new one to Enterprise in their Irish operations so I was given a lot of power to develop it. Between trial and error my team developed Dublin airport to be one of the leading airport branches within Europe. We achieved this through continued employment development, exceptional customer service and the delivery of the ‘Yes’ mentality.
My hard work at Dublin Airport resulted in my next promotion to Area Manager in 2011 where I managed four local branches and Dublin airport. We achieved really strong performance numbers in all areas of the business and this resulted in two new airport locations opening on the back of those successes. This fantastic growth created promotional opportunities within the Ireland group and a second area manager position opened up to manage our airport operations separately. I took on this position and we had a really strong year, improving in all areas of the business year on year and excited for 2015.
I would say the key to my success is largely due to my desire to succeed. I believe in myself and lead by example to ensure my team believes in what we are trying to achieve. I work hard and have certainly been rewarded for my hard work. Great customer service has always been my way of life so Enterprise’s founding values are a great match for me. I’m looking forward to continued success in my current role and I’m ready for the next step in my career.
Enterprise offers a fast-paced environment that is target driven, if you have a dream of running your own business, find out how we can take you there and read more about our graduate management trainee scheme and other job opportunities.