Meet Darah Zeledon

Share This Article

Sed ut perspiciatis unde.

We were lucky to catch up with Darah Zeledon recently and have shared our conversation below.

Darah, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. How did you scale up? What were the strategies, tactics, meaningful moments, twists/turns, obstacles, mistakes along the way? The world needs to hear more realistic, actionable stories about this critical part of the business building journey. Tell us your scaling up story – bring us along so we can understand what it was like making the decisions you had, implementing the strategies/tactics etc.

Indeed, all the behind-the-scenes trial and error, mistakes, recoveries, discoveries and grinding – continuous grinding – is what makes for a solid and growing business.

When we – my husband Joaquin and I – first bought our company last quarter of 2015, it was in decline. Like nosediving. The equipment was old and in disrepair, the service quality was mediocre at best, there was an absence of procedures, and very little attention was paid to details throughout the entire operation. In retrospect, the hidden blessing was that we had much to improve upon.

That following first summer after the company purchase, the slow season, 50% of our volume was down and we thought we were going to die, We thought we made a grave mistake and had used poor judgment in choosing this business and industry.
To stay busy during that agonizing time, I went to work identifying the diamonds in the rough – the virtuous and customer-driven affiliates and partners that could complement our existing business. Being new to the industry, I knew I had to align ourselves with professionals and learn from them.

Additionally, we put a lot of time and energy into defining who was our ideal client, who we wanted it to be, and where we could find them. We raised our prices, improved our processes, replaced most of the drivers, and began re-training the ones we had with our service-driven methods.

Another pivotal moment along the way was investing years in training staff to assist with the customers that upon I and I alone they had come to expect to answer the phone. It was difficult to relinquish control and step away from having to answer every call, query and email. But how else could we scale up if I was the only one dealing with the customers?

After a few years of grinding and establishing and reestablishing solid connections in the event and entertainment industry and we were on our way. We found where BPL belonged – with the creative minds that came together to plan and execute milestone events and parties as well as corporate gatherings.

Through the strategic alignment with the people and companies that mirrored our own company values and priorities, we were able to broaden our scope of services and solve existing problems we came across that previously caused grief and frustration for clients being serviced by our industry.

We improved our technology, communications, dispatch procedures, service delivery, and vehicle maintenance. We make it a point to get together monthly over coffee to discuss best practices and have learned a great deal about managing people.
We have a great time laughing and sharing crazy stories about the road and life of a driver. And although I won’t divulge our
secret sauce, suffice it to say that I always tell my staff to error on the side of over-communication.

Our number one goal is to not only provide a wonderful experience, but moreover, long before the driver even arrives, reduce the anxiety inherent in booking car service. We want our clients to feel safe and coddled, so they know we always have their back.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I never took a business class or was interested in business before BPL. As a matter of fact, buying BPL is a funny story – emblematic of we make plans and God laughs.

We were living in Broward County and zoned for some not-so-good public schools. My eldest of five children was headed to high school and we had to make a decision whether to move to a better school district or stay in our recently-moved-into home.

We chose to sell our home and buy a business in a better school district and rent a home. Having pursued many businesses, to the point of almost purchasing a few in completely unrelated industries, we came across BPL and thought the price was right. We also thought that managing a large household had prepared us to balance logistics with driving and communicating with customers.

We followed the deal through to completion and I told my husband upfront that I had no interest in working it with him. Having moved to Boca, I immediately applied to around 14 positions at the local university thinking I’d work as an advisor of sorts (I love academics!) and get a discounted PhD in Psychology.

Nonetheless, after an initial two weeks of dreading every phone call and sounding ignorant, I began to get to know the clients, explaining over and over to them the answer to the “Where’s Tony?” (previous owner) question. During this time, I was turned down for each of the $13/hour jobs I had applied until there were none left.

“I’ll stay to help until I find my passion,” I told my husband and the rest is history.

I would say that my superpower is ability to relate to people of all kinds. People feel comfortable confiding in me because I truly listen without judgement. Being able to deliver to clients what they most value is a blessing. If you truly listen, people will tell you what they want and how they want it. Being in the service industry is a challenge that I welcome daily. It is humbling, humanizing, and extremely rewarding.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

I have found that good ole-fashioned relationships and networking with the right people has been a great strategy for growing my business. Since we first purchased it in 2015, we have increased the gross revenue by 325%! Much of this is due to taking the time to really get to know our clients; learn how they think, what motivates them, what inspires them, and what they prioritize. As a matter of fact, I spend so much time hypothetically “in their heads,” in trying to better understand them, that I feel I have actually become a BPL client. A BPL client values good service, good quality, and longterm relationships. And speaking of relationships, there is nothing I love more than running into local clients around town, many of whom I get to meet in person for the very first time. Meeting them and understanding their lifestyles, allows me insight into how they think and what makes them tick. When I train my sales staff, this information is priceless as we are able to customize services to best satisfy our clients’ needs.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

During the pandemic, many of our competitors went out of business or devoted themselves to learning a new craft, business, or skill. We were able to stay afloat thanks to our affluent clientele that travels by private jet and to a few new services we devised to allow people to party and yet, remain socially distanced. Hence was born the Party on the Road. We literally took the birthday girl or boy “on tour”: took out a large Mercedes Sprinter, filled up a cooler of ice, bottled waters, sodas and adult beverages – if applicable. We’d throw a bunch of folding chairs and a table in the back and set up a roving party to meet groups of “celebrees” at several, pre-determined “stops.” A driver’s assistant would ride along to set up the roving party each time, and at each stop, a new gathering of people would sing and toast and eat cake. It was fun bringing people out of their homes and be able to celebrate milestone moments with friends and loved ones – social distance style. Albeit financially devastating, the pandemic taught us a lot about ourselves as business owners, as a company with a mission of customer service, and overall, empowered us to continue to evolve and grow.

Contact Info:

Suggest a Story: CanvasRebel is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.

Meet Darah Zeledon

Meet Darah Zeledon

Share This Article

Newsletter

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

Leave a comment Cancel reply