About this episode
Nicholas Simich left a 10 year corporate finance career, impulse bought a used wheelchair van from his phone while on vacation in Florida, and turned it into ReliaWheels, a 13 van Cleveland, Ohio operation running almost entirely wheelchair trips. First rides came in mid February 2024 from a one man NEMT company around the corner, and a broker contract with Provider Ride signed the same month still supplies most of the volume. He added roughly a van a month, four in his biggest month, and recruits drivers by handing cards to the delivery and rideshare drivers who come to his door.
Key takeaways
- Easier to be bigger than smaller: on two vans he deadheaded half an hour between trips, and at 13 he is within roughly 20 minutes of any call in Cuyahoga County.
- Each van runs eight to 15 trips a day depending on trip length. The fleet went from two vans before 2024 to nine by December and 13 by the following spring.
- Simich treats delivery apps as a hiring pipeline. A pizza driver who knocked on his door got a business card and a job, and he interviews every rideshare driver he books.
- He pays top of market and handed out $1,500 year end bonuses, which pulls in drivers with 10 years of experience who were being paid $5 less at their old company.
- Spare keys have cost about $15,000. One driver ran a fob through the wash, and the manufacturer caps how many keys can be programmed per vehicle, so he stockpiles them.
Chapters
- 0:00 <Untitled Chapter 1>
- 0:59 The Inspiration Behind ReliaWheels: Discover the personal story that fueled Nick's passion for serving the community through reliable medical transportation.
- 3:54 Taking the Leap: Learn how Nick went from a career in finance to impulsively buying his first wheelchair van and launching his business.
- 7:26 Rapid Growth Strategies: Uncover the key decisions and partnerships that allowed ReliaWheels to scale to 13 vans in just 10 months.
- 16:19 The Art of Hiring: Nick reveals his unconventional and highly effective methods for recruiting and retaining top-tier drivers.
- 21:40 Overcoming Challenges: Hear firsthand about the hurdles Nick faced and the lessons he learned in staffing, maintenance, and standardizing procedures.
- 33:42 The Power of Technology: Find out how the right software has been instrumental in managing a large and efficient fleet.
