Anniversary
Today marks 13 years since Silverstone Leasing first began, and looking back at where it all started brings back a flood of memories.
This picture takes me right back to those early days. At the time, my wife, Sophie Norville (then my girlfriend), was working for another company. Jason had briefly joined me, and Ben, a family member, was doing a week of work experience. I somehow convinced them all to jump in for a photo, which ended up in Business Times Northampton. We had only been trading for two months.
Back then, we weren’t even called Silverstone Leasing, we started as Silverstone Fleet Management. Why? Because, let’s be honest, “fleet management” made us sound much bigger than we were!
Humble Beginnings
None of this would have been possible without my sister, Stacy Trewin, and my father. They gave us our starting point—if we could help manage a few of their fleet cars, we had a small office to work from. That was all we needed to get going.
My strategy in those early days was pretty straightforward: I found a list of companies online, picked up the phone, and started making call after call. My biggest motivation? Being told it would never work. (But that’s a story for another day!)
Aby Mason joined a few months later, and she’s been with me ever since.
The Journey
Running a business isn’t easy. I could go on forever about the challenges, serving customers, growing a team (I hate the word “staff”), managing competition, cash flow, P&L, and the stress of year-end. But let’s be honest, that’s the reality of running any company.
One of my favourite memories from those early days is convincing a local dealer to lend us a car, getting it signed, and then parking it on roundabouts to promote the brand. Aby named it Smarty Pants, and that little car did a lot of work for us!
But not everything worked out. Along the way, we’ve had our share of failures, like Silverstone Approved Cars, our attempt at a used car operation that didn’t quite go to plan. But every misstep has been a learning curve that’s helped us grow.
What People Don’t See
People often see the success, but they don’t always see what happens behind the scenes, the late nights, the risks, the sacrifices, the times when things didn’t go to plan, and the relentless drive to keep pushing forward, even when the odds weren’t in our favour.
Running a business isn’t just about celebrating the wins; it’s about showing up on the hard days, too.
More Than Just Leasing
One of the things I’m most proud of is what we’ve done beyond leasing. Over the years, we’ve raised thousands for charities that mean a lot to us, supported local communities, and made a real difference where we can. Whether sponsoring events, taking on fundraising challenges, or donating time and resources, giving back has become part of who we are.
Looking Ahead
In many ways, it feels like we’re just getting started with a little more grey hair!
Running a business is a constant balancing act, keeping every plate spinning. Would I change anything? Not a chance.
Here’s to many more years of serving our amazing customers, making an impact in the leasing industry, winning a few awards along the way, and continuing to build a fun and determined company culture.
Thank you to everyone who has been part of this journey, plenty more to come! - Scott Norville, Managing Director.