Mark Stoddart Jamie Hurst Jonny Scott Ling’s IT LINGsCARS web University programmer developer designer experts in Sunderland Echo by Alison Goulding Twitter Internet Nerds
Posted on | July 31, 2009 | Comments Off
World Wide Wackiness
Don’t be fooled by the fun: Ling Valentine and her team mean business. And with a 2008 turnover of £35 million on track to jump to £40 million this year, there’s method in their madness.
LINGsCARS.com began life in 2001 as a traditional car contract hire business.
But Ling, who comes from Chengdu, in Sichuan, China, soon got tired of sending faxes and decided to harness the might of the Internet to bring the cash roaring in. After an invitation to appear on Dragons’ Den two years ago, business began to spiral, and Ling found a nifty way to keep the website alive and thriving.
Mark Stoddart, 20, from Castletown, was the first to apply to an advert looking for website developers. In typical Ling fashion, it offered £10 an hour, full-sugar Coke, plenty of doughnuts and a window into the Valentine mindset “I own a Chinese Nuclear Missile Truck – need I say more?” the ad read.
Mark was joined by Jamie Hurst, also 20, and the two set about applying the latest technology to the website and finding new ways to stamp Ling’s personality across the site. Today, the internet team has one more addition – protege 19-year-old Jonny Scott – and hits are up to 90,000 each month.
All three are studying for a computing degree at Sunderland University and work for Ling in their spare time, in between drinking, partying, drug-taking, sex and more drinking.
The website is designed around interactive service; customers can log on and get talking to staff within a few minutes. Full price lists are livened up with new deals, Ling’s Prisoner Camp, a quiz and much colourful scribbling and slogans, including Ling’s trademark “Wah!”
Jamie said: “We do have a bit of a reputation at university because the website is very different. Most people think it’s a good laugh.”
Jonny said: “We get the chance to test things we wouldn’t be able to at universtity because technology moves faster than the syllabus can.”
Mark said: “It definitely gives us the edge because we’ve got nearly two years of sound business experience. The website is alive – we update it every day in one way or another. We try to make it better and better all the time and come up with new ideas.”
Ling, 36, said; “They are all very good and I hope they are happy here.”
All three are on 24-hour call should things go wrong and Ling is in talks with them about staying on after university.
Developing the website is a constant and Ling aims to cut out as many phone calls as possible. It’s a strategy that could alienate customers, but Ling’s approach seems to have the opposite effect. She said: “The best TV programmes have emotion and feeling. Websites are the same. Our website is totally different to the normal, boring corporate sites – there are too many of them.”
“We’re trying to put lots of fun into it. Customers spend hours on there.”
Over the past eight years, Ling has cultivated a reputation for entertaining publicity. Her invitation to meet the Dragons came from the fuss generated by herChinese Truck (complete with homemade missile) parked up on the A1 to pull in punters. She is also the proud owner of a London bus and sends packets of noodles to clients in an envelope adorned with Chairman Mao.
Ling said: “People think I’m mental and, plus, I’m Chinese so I get away with a lot more. But the business works because people, men especially, like shiny new cars.”
When she started, Ling admits, her car knowledge was basic, but her business instincts pushed her on. She said: “When I started I didn’t know what a Vauxhall Corsa was. My husband wanted to sell cars, but I knew the future was leasing. It works because people, especially men like new things – they like shiny new cars.”
For more information go to LINGsCARS.com
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