One of Harrison's grandparents handed Daniel a plate in the hospital car park, wrapped in tin foil. He carried it through the neonatal intensive care unit, heated it in the ward's small kitchen, and ate beside the incubator where his six-week premature son lay connected to monitors and tubes.
Harrison had arrived on 19 December 2021, six weeks early, and went straight into intensive care.
Christmas came six days later, then New Year. Daniel and Harrison's mum finally brought him home in January, a healthy baby who would grow up with no memory of those difficult weeks.
"There's no beating around the bush," Daniel says. "They literally saved his life."
'Batman and Robin' partnership
When Daniel and James launched Ipswich Car Buyers 18 months ago, supporting the neonatal unit was always part of the plan.
The friends from Felixstowe had known each other for 20 years, with Daniel regularly badgering James about doing something together. He could see James had far more potential than being an employed mechanic, no matter how talented.
"He's an absolutely fantastic mechanic but he is dyslexic and when it comes to anything written, keyboards, admin, that's just not his bag," Daniel explains. "But put a spanner in his hand and he's absolutely unbelievable."
Daniel is the opposite. "I'm nowhere near as practical, but in front of a keyboard, customers, meetings, sales, marketing – that's where I kind of thrive in business."
The timing finally aligned when James, now with a young family, realised he could not sustain the punishing hours he was working – employed full-time as a mechanic whilst also fixing customers' cars evenings and weekends for extra income.
"I always thought we'd be quite a good matchup," Daniel says.
As he wrote on their website, they are "the Batman and Robin of the motor trade" – one handles the mechanical expertise, the other handles everything from advertising to accounts.
They started buying and selling cars in their spare time, testing whether they could compete with national chains. The model worked: buy directly from driveways, prepare cars properly in-house, sell them fairly. Within six months, both had quit their day jobs.
Choosing something that mattered
Daniel contacted Ipswich Hospital's charity to confirm donations could be earmarked specifically for the neonatal intensive care unit. They could.
"We didn't want to just do little bits and pieces here and there," Daniel says. "We wanted to save up a decent chunk."
Recently, Daniel met with the hospital charity to organise their first substantial donation. The plan includes taking Harrison back to the unit – this time for something entirely positive.
"It'll be nice to go back for something that's solely positive," Daniel reflects.
The ward puts out little stockings on each incubator at Christmas, filled with donated gifts. Daniel remembers those from Harrison's time there. This year, Ipswich Car Buyers is planning to donate toy cars.
Beyond one-off donations, they are building giving into the business model itself. Customers can choose to visit their local site instead of the usual home visit. When they do, the company makes an immediate extra donation from the money saved on fuel and time. A JustGiving tracker is being set up for the website, and Daniel is considering making donations an annual Christmas tradition.
Going up against We Buy Any Car
The charity commitment works because the business is thriving. Daniel and James own the entire process: they buy the car, James handles mechanical work in their local workshop, they use Suffolk suppliers for bodywork and tyres, then resell through A&H Autos. Owning the whole process means larger margins, which they pass on through better prices.
"We're a lot more honest and transparent with what we think we can offer before we go," Daniel says. "Sometimes that will temporarily lose us a customer because we might say, 'We can offer you £10,000 for your car,' and they might say, 'Well, We Buy Any Car said £11,000.'"
His response is always the same: "By all means, go and see what you can get. If you can get more, fantastic. If you can't, give me a call."
About 99% of the time, a week later, the customer returns. The national chain only offered £9,000 after all.
"Competitors offer a very high price initially, but when people actually go through the process, they end up getting significantly less," Daniel explains.
Start, Build & Grow – Ipswich's free business support programme – provided practical guidance on legal issues, trademarks, and investment strategies. But the real value was networking.
"You don't know who knows who," Daniel reflects. "Even if someone isn't the right person, they might know who is."
They have secured around £400,000 in investment without giving away equity. Currently stocking around 40 cars from their small Wingfield unit, they are taking over a large site on Kesgrave Main Road in November – complete with indoor showroom, larger workshop, and substantially more yard space. Look out for A&H Autos signs on Kesgrave Main Road in the coming weeks.
They plan to bring on two full-time employees within the first year while maintaining quality over volume.
For James, the transition from employed mechanic to business owner has meant adapting to a completely different working style. "Before when I was an employed mechanic, all the work would be fed to me, I'd be handed the next job and know exactly what I was doing," he explains. "Now my days can involve almost anything."
The charity aspect of the business resonates personally with James too. "It feels a lot more impactful being able to give back to something that actually means something to both of us," he says. "As we're friends, I spend a lot of time with Harrison too, so it does mean a lot to me as well."
Running a business with your best mate could easily strain a friendship, but James and Daniel have found a formula that works. "So far it's been great," James says. "We said from the start we would always be upfront and voice any concerns straight away, no matter what they are. It's worked really well as if there ever has been things we haven't agreed on, it's always been nipped in the bud."
Looking ahead five years, the goal is sustainability rather than empire-building. "In an ideal world, we'd like to be working less," James admits. "It's really full on for both of us at the moment and we both put in a lot of hours. However the goal is to start taking on staff and begin to take some of the pressure off us."
A legacy beyond profit
Daniel and James have built Ipswich Car Buyers on transparency and quality, competing with national chains whilst keeping money in the area.
But the business has always been about more than profit.
As they expand into Kesgrave this winter, the NHS unit that saved Harrison will benefit from every car they buy and sell. Some businesses give back because it looks good. This one gives back because it matters.
