Exploring Life & Business with Jeff Ewing of Learn to Drive, LLC

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jeff Ewing.

Alright, thank you for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us how you got started?
After working with a top driving school in Phoenix for several years, owner Jeff founded Learn to Drive in 2020. His experience as a driving instructor showed him that driving with a student for hours at a time presented a great opportunity to positively impact their first experience driving beyond just learning the rules of the road. Jeff’s many years coaching youth sports has also given him great insight into leading and teaching; it’s one of his biggest passions. Today Jeff works alongside his wife, Ashley, who manages the day-to-day operations. But our entire family has been a part of our business, from our nephew-in-law, Mason, building our website to another nephew, Kenric, creating our logo. Not to mention countless family members referring all of their friends has been a significant help. We are truly a family-owned/operated business, and our goal is to teach people to drive and cultivate relationships in the community.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Since we are a driving school, the road is not always “smooth.” It was easy to start the business; Jeff saw a need for a personal touch that was missing in this industry, so he filled it. It’s been great to see the business grow and revenue increase from last year. But if a car breaks down, you have to replace it immediately. As gas prices skyrocketed, we had to adjust our prices. Lastly, the workforce challenges many companies face hit us, too, as finding and training instructors has become a greater necessity as the business grows.

We’ve been impressed with Learn to Drive, LLC, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
We are a driving school certified by the Arizona Department of Transportation, which serves all of Maricopa county. Our most popular service is our 10-Hour Driving Program. Providing 4 separate lessons in which an instructor will come to a student’s location in one of our vehicles, and the student learns hands-on all of the fundamentals of driving, including everything on the Arizona MVD’s road test. During the last lesson with the student, the instructor will evaluate them, and if they pass, they do not have to take the road exam at the MVD. They can proceed to get their license. As you can imagine, this takes a lot of stress off the new driver and their parents, offering them peace of mind that they are well equipped for the road.

Additionally, we work with adult drivers who may have experienced trauma in a vehicle at some point and never learned to drive. We help these students overcome their fears to get their license and drive the roads safely and confidently. Lastly, we all offer written test prep to help people prepare for the written portion of the driver’s exam or instructional permit. What sets us apart from other schools and a large part of why Jeff started to Learn to Drive is our approach to learning. Many of the larger schools are not necessarily into relationship building with students, and the interaction can be very impersonal, being treated more like just another number. As a result, students may complete courses but lack the confidence to hit the road fully. We have gotten a lot of calls from students who went to other schools but still don’t feel fully equipped and want more classes. With Learn to Drive, we work with a student individually one-on-one where they are in their learning, tailoring the lesson to their specific needs. That way, areas where they are weaker, get addressed, and they can feel more confident in their abilities. The result is a greater sense of comfortability and ease behind the wheel, leading to fewer mistakes and hopefully less chance of an accident, which helps everyone on the road. Many of our clients are referrals from previous clients that had a great experience learning with us. We want our readers to know that being a family-owned business with kids ourselves, we are family-oriented with a vested interest in our community. We care about our students and their family’s experience with us and take their trust in us seriously. We are more into relationship building than filling our calendars and getting students in and out the door.

Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc.?
Jeff and I regularly listen to Christian podcasts like Elevation with Steven Furtick and Joel Osteen. Jeff is very much into self and financial improvement, following money experts like Lynn Richardson and Dave Ramsey, as well as a hall of fame sports figures like Deion Sanders, who posts a lot of motivational quotes and advice.

Pricing:

• Written test prep $199
• Single, 2-hour driving, in-vehicle driving lesson, $299
• 10-Hour Driving Program with Road Test Waiver, $799

Contact Info:

• Website: www.learntodriveaz.com
• Instagram: learntodrivellc
• Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/LearntoDriveLLC
• Yelp: https://yelp.to/t60Gsh5JCsb