Smart50 rank: 33
Revenue: $3,353,481
Growth: 53.51%
Founders: Peter & Meredith Simmons, 53, Michael Simmons, 30
Head Office: South Australia
Employees: 29
Industry: Education
Website: www.transporttraining.com.au
In 2003, Peter, Meredith and Michael Simmons started Transport Training Solutions, a driver-training business, as a way to be their own bosses, free from the “corporate bureaucracy”.
The mining boom and a changing economy present opportunities for driver education.
“Road transport workers are in short supply, as the workforce ages and the industry has difficulty attracting new entrants,” Peter Simmons says. In the last eight years, their company business has grown fast, and they have plans to expand significantly in Western Australia in the next few months.
One thing that makes Transport Training Solutions innovative is that its trainers offer on-the-job training to freight and other companies that need qualified drivers. That means they don’t have to pull a driver from work to attend training.
In its early days, Transport Training Solutions grew almost faster than they could handle. They dealt with cashflow and working capital difficulties. Luckily, they’ve learned to keep a much closer eye on their profitability and cashflow.
“It’s too easy to get focused on ideas and future possibilities… you need someone holding the purse strings and reining you in before it’s too late,” Simmons says.
