6 Months as a Fleet Alliance Appointed Representative

Six months on from gaining my FCA authorisation to act as an Appointed Representative of Fleet Alliance, it feels right to pause and look back—at the highs and lows, the achievements and the many learning moments.

Fleet Alliance has given me an outstanding platform, and my peer group of ARs has been incredibly supportive. Even so, the reality of starting out—especially after years of in-office routines—can be lonely. Those early days with no clients (not even prospects!) were a test of resolve.

What got me through? People. From small gestures of encouragement, to practical help incorporating, opening a bank account and getting the business off the ground, to bigger things like introductions, new doors opened and entrusted business—I’ve been blown away by the generosity of others. I’ve also drunk more coffee than I care to admit!

What I’ve learned

• Find your rooms. You have to kiss a few frogs to discover the networking groups that suit you. I’m still exploring, and every group I’ve attended has been welcoming—that’s part of the journey.

• Own your mistakes. If a client says 25k miles per annum and you run a quote at 10k, the rental will be out—literally miles out. Admitting the error and putting it right is always best. I’m human—and thankfully I still got the order.

• Perspective matters. I recently lost a close friend and mentor to cancer, taken far too soon. Enjoy what you do, live in the moment and take nothing for granted. Tomorrow isn’t guaranteed.

Highlights by month

• January: My LinkedIn launch post, followed by BVRLA and lender-specific training.

• February: FCA authorisation confirmed.

• March: First networking events.

• April: First customer order, and I signed Business Wales’ Green Growth Pledge.

• May: Presented to my peers about my strategy and journey; launched my Test Drive Blog with the Jaecoo 7—over 6.5k impressions, and I’m still taking orders from it.

• June: Went live with my first Salary Sacrifice client.

• July: Second Salary Sacrifice client and my first repeat customer; more Test Drives with the Audi Q4 eTron and Kia EV3 (and more queued up to write!).

• August: First multiple order and a new personal best—six orders in one day. Records are there to be broken, but it’s great to see hard work starting to pay off.

Best of all, I’ve received client testimonials. I’ll share those in a future post, but I’m proud of the personal, tailored service I’ve delivered and the feedback it’s earned.

Stepping away from the comfort of paid employment was always going to be a challenge. It’s been tough and rewarding in equal measure—and I still jump out of bed eager to make a difference.

To everyone who has supported me in any way and helped me build the self-belief to get here—even when I wasn’t sure myself—thank you. It’s been an incredible start, and I’m excited to see what the next six months bring.