by Dr. Iain
Corness
You
have all heard about the man who was so impressed with his shaver that he
bought the company. Rob Scarr was so impressed with a limousine
company’s service when he used it between Pattaya and Bangkok, that he
too bought the company and is now the managing director of Image
Limousines.
Rob was born in Paris, the youngest child of five born
to a Yorkshireman father who worked for the airline PanAm (“in the good
old days,” said Rob) and a half French, half English mother. With his
parentage and their being in the airline business, Rob was used to travel
and before he was of school age he had already moved to Senegal and the
Ivory Coast of Africa. This was the French speaking area and it may
surprise many that the very English accented Rob lists French as his first
language. “We travelled so much there was no place we really called
‘home’ - we grew up nomads.”
However, with the downturn in PanAm’s fortunes the
family returned to the UK, where Rob finished his schooling, but this time
in the English language, rather than French.
The love of travel was still with him when he finished
school, so it was no surprise that he entered the travel industry. I am
sure we have all at some stage played ‘grown up’ games as children,
but for Rob Scarr, when he was a very small child, he even used to set up
a travel office in his bedroom and pretend he was a travel agent. The man
was destined to become one!
After some time as a junior in the industry, Rob was
ready for the world. By the time he had turned 22 he had managed to open
his very own ‘real’ travel agency, which he ran successfully for the
next three years, before the travelling bug took him to Saudi Arabia after
he was offered a good job by Air France, so the agency was sold. He did
not particularly enjoy Saudi Arabia, reading between the lines, but still
did 3 years there working in different parts of the country.
After the sandbox, he returned to the UK working in the
travel industry in all its aspects with tour operators, travel agents and
airlines. Of course, with travel in the blood and being in the industry,
Rob travelled too, and in 1992 while visiting SE Asia discovered Thailand.
“I fell in love with Thailand, Thai food and the Thai people.” (Anyone
who has read previous ‘Successfully Yours’ columns will realise this
is a very common thread in local expat residents’ histories.) For Rob,
Thailand then became a regular travel destination and when his marriage in
the UK ended in divorce he took stock of his situation, and decided he was
sick of England and tired of commuting. This was the turning point. “I
felt I was free again. This was the chance for a new beginning.”
That new beginning was naturally enough planned to be
in Thailand and Rob upped sticks and came to Bangkok. With his connections
in the travel industry in the UK and Europe he was busy soon enough, doing
hotel inspections in SE Asia, taking in Malaysia, Singapore, Laos,
Cambodia and Thailand. I suggested that it must have been a great life
being paid to stay in hotels where the rest of us have to pay to stay in
them, brought an interesting response. “A great life? I was doing ten
inspections a day. You have to be so critical and focus on the little
details. I even had to feel the towels and the sheets to judge how new
they were or otherwise.” (I mentally gave up the thoughts of being a
hotel inspector!)
This kind of lifestyle began to lose its attraction for
him, and when he was in Bangkok, he would travel down to Pattaya every
couple of months for a rest and used the Image Limousine Company for his
transfers. He was impressed with the potential. “I like the company so
much I bought it,” said Rob simply.
This was no cushy life either as Rob started from
scratch to make the business the way he felt it should be. Although he had
never had a similar business before, Rob felt that it was really no
different from the airline industry. “It’s a matter of bums on
seats.” He also decided that with so many 4 and 5 star properties in
Pattaya, that was where he should pitch his business direction. “I felt
there was a niche market in Pattaya for people who were looking for better
quality service.”
The enthusiasm and effort he has put into his business
has had its toll. “I have had no time for any hobbies,” which
previously included a very strong interest in photography, with some of
his photographs having been previously published in airline magazines. He
does, however, go to the gym three times a week. “By keeping the body
fit, it helps keep the mind fit.”
For Rob Scarr, success is being “content” in life
and he claims he is content with his lot. “It comes from keeping myself
active in my work and in my social life.” His ambition is to remain in
Thailand and “devote more time to photography and my hopeless golf!”
For a man who has worked hard on his way through life,
he has some very sage advice for the youngsters who are just setting out
on the great journey (and that wasn’t to go by Image Limousine either).
“The world is a much more competitive place than it ever was. To be
ready for the world is so much harder. Computer skills and Internet
knowledge are vital for any young person today. You have to work hard and
be smarter than the rest.”
Looking at Rob Scarr’s life and his accomplishments, you get the
feeling he has always been prepared to work hard - and has been smarter
than the rest!
