Meet Trailblazer Steve Thornton, CEO At Forces Cars Direct

They say that your early experiences in life prepare and shape you for later on, never has that been more true than with Steve Thornton, Co-Founder & CEO of Forces Cars Direct.

From an impoverished childhood to an enlightening stint in the military, Steve set up Forces Cars Direct in 2001 and has become an established player in the car sales and leasing sector. Trailblazer sat down with Steve to unearth more about his rise to success and what’s on the horizon for him.

Tell us about your early years…

Born in Barnet, North London, I moved up to Newcastle at the age of 4 with my parents and brother. Both my parents had careers in the military, which has evidently become a constant thread throughout my life. My childhood was a mixed bag, I was rich with great pals but poor from a financial perspective. I can recall many occasions when the power in the house was suddenly cut off.

We lived on a council estate and our communal ‘playground’ was an abandoned coal mine, which resulted in an early brush with the law! I was arrested at the tender age of 10 for criminal damage and endured community service as punishment. Naturally at such a young age I was terrified and felt that I’d really let my parents down, but it served as an invaluable early lesson and insight into the road I could’ve easily gone down. A blessing in disguise sums it up best.

I wasn’t a fan of school, and I don't think school was a fan of me. I did everything to avoid it, wagging school as we’d say, so I left at the earliest opportunity at 16 to embark on my first proper job at a printing factory. Not the most glamorous work (I can still recall the pungent smell of ink all these years later) but the experience of hard work in a team environment stimulated me immensely.

My parents divorced, my father was a violent alcoholic and my brother had his own troubles with the law, so my path could have been very different. I left home at 16, quickly became self-sufficient and by the age of 20 was after my next challenge. I’d always wanted to join the military but decided to wait until I was a little older and had some life experience behind me. My objective was simple, to travel the world via the military however possible and the Army Air Corps gave me this opportunity.

I joined the Army in 1990, after passing out I was posted overseas to Germany with 4 Regt, 669 Sqn, Army Air Corps. My time in the military included postings across mainland Europe and Canada as well as an operational tour, Operation Granby during the first Gulf War in 1990-1991.

My time in the military will always hold a special place in my heart. From experiences like gliding, skiing and white water rafting to learning invaluable lessons such as teamwork and strategy, it really was an incredible time. In 1994 my service came to an end and despite the great time I had, I left a 25 year old broke and divorced young man living off £15 a month.

Steve Thornton military — Steve aged 21 onboard a tank, 1990.

What made you get into the car market?

After the military I stayed in Germany for a short period, during which I met a guy whilst playing golf who kindly offered me a job selling new and second-hand cars on a military base to help make ends meet. I was hesitant at first, largely due to my own experience of being badly ripped off when purchasing my own car, but beggars can't be choosers so I dived right in.

After selling a car on my first day I quickly went on to become their top sales agent for 3 consecutive years! The commission from that first sale alone netted me 20 months worth of living expenses. I felt like I’d been given the keys (pun intended) to exactly what I'd wanted, the ability to control my own destiny.

In 2001 I returned to the UK and founded Forces Cars Direct with my former boss, now business partner. It sounds so simple when I say it like that, it’s easy to forget the sleepless nights but we persevered because we knew we had a good proposition.

I worked directly with manufacturers and local networks who shared my desire to support the armed forces and we were able to pioneer a much stronger, more beneficial programme, not just for those stationed overseas with tax free sales but serving and retired Armed Forces personnel in the UK, and later on Emergency Services and Teachers too with Motor Source Group.

What aspects from your background have you carried over into business?

My earliest perception of ‘success’ was pretty simple - a striped suit and a striped lawn - I’m not sure why stripes are such a big feature there! But yes, I didn’t originally have aspirations of running my own business, I just knew that I didn't want to struggle financially. I had friends that were better off and always craved a foundation that granted me security and freedom. As I matured the realisation that money doesn't bring happiness and isn’t always equal to success was very evident amongst many I encountered.

I have always been pretty logical and able to evaluate situations fully before leaping in, something which my military career heightened. My time in the military also trained me for group situations and being able to work with and rely on a team around you, which I think is invaluable in leadership situations and of course in business now.

I have a great team around me, particularly with our management team who I can listen to and lean on for their input.

Forces Cars direct charity — Some of the Forces Cars Direct team raising awareness of Lives, a local charity.

Biggest challenges faced so far?

Like every business owner, we’ve had our fair share of tough times over the years due to various external factors. The office break-ins were particularly awful days. At first it was computers being thrown around and smashed, but then 3 weeks later our building was broken into again, this time the vandals got particularly nasty, smashing the toilets, throwing crisps and peanut packets around and worst of all, excrement. It’s difficult to take this kind of thing on the chin, but our team pulled together and with the help of my wife we were able to get back up and running fairly quickly.

Before the 08 crash we were on an upward curve then the mood in the market changed and there was a lot more reluctance to spend, and therefore less enquiries and sales. We had just expanded our office and regrettably we had to let good people go and make some tough decisions.

Most recently of course the pandemic posed a new set of challenges for all, something we are still facing as a business with global supply issues, but as always, we assess and adapt, keeping our business going and supporting our staff and customers in the best ways possible.

I have never been one to give up. I knew that we have a great, worthy business that meant our customers reaped rewards for their commitment to our country. For the most part, the biggest challenges we’ve faced have been beyond our control, which meant we’ve been able to weather the storm, wait for market recovery and adapt to continue our successful offering.

THERE'S ALWAYS A WAY forward from any challenge, personal or business, if you sit down and take time to evaluate, it can make you sharpen your focus and you can take lessons forward.

In situations like this I will sometimes sit down with a clean sheet of paper to work through that particular issue. Importantly I’ll then consult the team for their thoughts and power through. You can’t think of everything yourself, different perspectives help hugely, especially from people you value the most.

There are of course times when something doesn't go quite as planned, that’s normal. When it does, I think it’s important to let that frustration out, speak about it, but then, then move on, learn from it and use it as power for future decisions. But it is important to evaluate and take those lessons rather than just box it up and leave it - I believe that's a good trait of any successful person.

Plans over the next 5 years?

As a business, naturally we want to grow, including additional options and services that our customers are searching for, and also to support our local communities and environment all the more. Of course I’d love for our own brand to become more nationally recognised, but just knowing we can help more and more deserving people that already give so much to our country is a great feeling.

We work with many support organisations such as SSAFA (Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association) and Heroprenuers to share experience and expertise with fellow military personnel, but also the wider public of future entrepreneurs. It gives me a buzz when we make a difference to someone, and by sharing this, who knows where it may lead them on their own path to success.

Steve Thornton veteran military — Steve Thornton celebrates Forces Cars Direct winning Veterans Business of the Year.

Who or what inspires or motivates you when you're looking for inspiration?

I like to think I am pretty self-motivated, I grew up with very little and whilst I don’t begrudge any of that life experience, that’s something I certainly didn't want to happen again. Over time though it’s so much more than financial motivation, it’s making a difference and doing something that I believe in.

Inspiration though is a different animal. I love reading stories about business success, big or small – local businesses, charities, football clubs, big corporations, they all inspire me. To name just a few Alan Barratt, Steven Bartlett, Marcus Lemonis, Alan Sugar, Richard Branson all inspire me - its pure admiration.

In my opinion, business is a travelator not an escalator… Business is ever evolving and constantly needs nurturing. Success isn’t something you reach and then that’s it. You cannot be arrogant enough to think you’ve reached the pinnacle of success and that it’ll carry you through, you need to continually invest time, money, strategies, ideas and effort into your people, your business, in order to keep moving forward.

Steve Thornton Forces Cars Direct — Steve Thornton - CEO at Forces Cars Direct