Matt Silver's Ultimate Class Limousine and Ground Transportation
Owner Name: Matt Silver

Ultimate Class is run by a brash leader named Matt Silver who is ever-present on the regional networking and charity circuit. In fact, I would say that he knows more people in the New York/New Jersey/Connecticut area than any other human being. Silver runs a fleet of cars, buses, vans and limos that deliver prom-goers, professionals and soon-to-be married couples to and from their destinations within a reasonable price point and with professional service. Sounds great, right?

The only problem is that Matt has spent many years working so feverishly to ensure his clients were well taken care of that he has neglected his own peace of mind. In fact, Matt’s stress level was at an all- time high when the Basso on Business team visited his location. Matt answers the phone, jumps in a car himself if a driver does not show up, and even takes reservations. When we arrived at the Ultimate Class facility, we were immediately impressed with the amount of vehicles in his garage but we were astounded by the very small number of staff members working in the office. Then we sat back and observed. 

Matt was a virtual whirlwind. He would do anything and everything that needed to be completed the minute the task came up on his radar, but at a price. Matt confided in us that after over 20 years running his company, the stress was beginning to take its toll.
To prove the point that he was a bit overwhelmed, we saved a voice message he left on my business phone. He was confirming the appointment for my team to come down and tape our show at his office. The only problem was that he was calling a week early, a half hour late -- and headed to the wrong location. He was clearly overloaded and needed to make some changes.

Matt was using an outdated hand-written agenda book for all the appointments he needed to keep. He did carry a Blackberry for email purposes, but for some reason did not use that technology to keep his appointments straight. When we asked him what would happen if he lost his agenda book, it was clear that he would be utterly lost without this item -- which would certainly cause even greater stress.
Matt also had an incredibly exhausting networking schedule that kept him out nearly 6 nights a week. There is only so much of that anyone’s family and business can take. The economy was tough; since Matt had seen several smaller local companies fail, he felt it necessary to put in the extra networking hours in order to keep his business afloat.

We worked through some simple suggestions that Matt has since implemented in his business that have helped reduce his stress levels and have created a more efficient operation. First, we got Matt up to speed on using the Blackberry for all his appointments. Using the Blackberry presented a more practical solution as he carried the unit anyway to use as a phone and email source.

Matt realized he could not jump on the phone every time it rang; instead, he needed to spend his time bringing in new business. To fill this gap in his office, he hired a part time reservationist which helped dramatically in raising productivity and reducing stress. As far as Matt jumping in cars if a driver is out, I would hazard a guess he still does it occasionally. To alleviate that pressure he implemented some infrastructure changes to ensure there is always someone available for backup.

Perhaps most importantly, Matt reduced his networking schedule significantly, and is now more selective about where and when to go to make sure he maximizes his opportunities. As far as adding help in the sales department, it appears Matt thrives on this aspect of his job and enjoys being the rain maker. That’s perfectly fine as long as he realizes that his overall growth could be limited with just him out on the street.

Summary:
• Get organized and use technology to stay on top of your tasks and appointments
• Delegate properly to ensure tasks are handled appropriately and empower your staff to do it
• Pick your battles in the marketplace. You can’t be everywhere, all the time; so be selective in the events you attend
• Realize that reducing stress will increase productivity