Antonio Grahm and Daniel Cline are the co-founders of Krystal Luxury Transportation, in Austin, Texas. Check out episode 443 of the “Cool Things Entrepreneurs Do” podcast to hear their story of entrepreneurship.
Krystal is a family and friends owned and operated chauffeur company founded in 2013. When the two young entrepreneurs arrived in Austin, Antonio and Daniel noticed one big issue with the Austin chauffeured industry – The service sucked. They witnessed chauffeurs were often under dressed, unclean vehicles were the norm, and drivers regularly arrived late.
Building a Better Company
In founding a new company, Daniel and Antonio wanted to fix the fundamental issues of the industry. In their first year the co-founders of Krystal focused on mastering the basics. After they got the service right, they were able to focus on other systems.
The duo worked hard to make sure their company was committed to ease of booking and billing for their clients. They created a system of easy communication with chauffeurs via GPS tracking of vehicle and chauffeur location sent directly to the client’s cell phone.
Krystal is focused on building real relationships with clients, so they understand the personal preferences of everyone; having a newspaper, coffee, or specific water brand in the vehicle upon arrival.
Over the past six years Krystal Luxury Transportation has been able to refine their chauffeur service to provide a remarkable, consistent, transportation experience.
Lifelong Friends
Antonio and Daniel have been friends for over 20 years. Growing up in the city of Tyler, Texas, they moved to Austin in their twenties to start their ground transportation business. Growing a company has presented many challenges. Any company with two hard driven founders, with different temperaments, will face ups and downs. Both these young entrepreneurs have unique talents and understanding each other’s strengths and weaknesses has allowed them to overcome all the challenges of launching a new company.
Krystal cares about the great city of Austin and everyone who visits. They are hands on with the Austin Concierge and Gust Services Association and sit on the board of the Austin Hotel and Lodging Association. These dynamic entrepreneurs believe that from the time a traveler sets foot in Austin to the time they leave they need to experience the great hospitality the city has to offer. Additionally, they work hard to ensure local customers are given the same high level of personal care.
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Thom Singer is a keynote speaker and professional master of ceremonies. He is also the host of the “Cool Things Entrepreneurs Do” podcast and the author of 12 books.