WHEN FORMER ROYAL Navy detective Mark Smith founded the Car Finance Company from the spare bedroom of his Portsmouth home in 2007, he had more than a hunch he was onto something big. His instinct turned out to be correct. The second-fastest growth business in The Sunday Times Fast Track 100 last year, the company, which offers hire purchase deals to people with poor credit records who are struggling to get loans from their banks, generated revenues of £45m in 2014 — more than the previous year. More expansion is in the pipeline. The firm, which opened its first international office in Vancouver in January last year, aims to more than treble its annual lending to £500m over the next three years. Staff believe that they can make a valuable contribution to the success of the organisation (an 87% positive score, ranking the company seventh nationally on this measure). There is excitement about the future of the business, which is new to our list this year (82%, a top-20 result). War-pensioned after 14 years of service in the Royal Navy as a result of injuries, Smith, the managing director, subsequently spent 10 years working in speciality consumer finance. He encourages a collegiate atmosphere. “There is a bit of leading by example, a lot of positive encouragement to do things the right way,” says the inspirational leader (78%) in whom people have a great deal of faith (84%, another top-20 ranking). The firm, which has an overall target rather than individual ones, funds quarterly team-building activities, ranging from ball-pit and trampolining sessions to racing boats at Cowes Week. Smith is a big fan of teamwork.“Everybody has to work as a team on a boat,” he says. The 284 staff, who operate from a range of locations­ — head office, home or in the field from dealerships — all come together for the annual conference and the Christmas party, which last year was held on board the historic warship HMS Warrior. People love working for the Car Finance Company (77%) and go out of their way to help each other (80%). This camaraderie is no doubt helped by the fact that the firm employs many individuals who are friends or family of existing staff members. Some departments could work better together, say staff, giving just a 42% positive, but that doesn't seem to affect their wellbeing. Employees report that they don't feel under too much pressure (68%) and their health is not suffering because of their professional duties (77%). Perks at the firm, which is a sponsor of the League Two football club Portsmouth and the Royal Navy and Royal Marines boxing team, include free private healthcare, a quarterly discretionary bonus based on company performance and a share options scheme. Staff are also given share options based on the time they have served, seniority and their job role, and they own 5% of the business. www.thecarfinancecompany.co.uk