Being that south Florida has insane money, it’s quite common to see exotics left and right. But what happens if you come in for the day on business and need a rental more visually appealing than a Dodge Charger? Having recently relocating to south Florida, we couldn’t help but notice cars sporting Lou La Vie plates around South Beach. We got in touch with Lou La Vie founder, John Temerian, who we’ve had the privilege of renting from but also saw opportunity for business which lead to Lou La Vie joining the Secret Entourage network as the premiere exotic car rental company we support in all of Florida. With that said, we talk to John about Lou La Vie and why he’s the best in the business.
How did Lou La Vie come about?
In 2009 I started working on a business plan. The concept was to create a luxury brand that would service a culmination of contacts, knowledge and clients through years of experience in the exotic car world. This concept became Lou La Vie Exotic Car Rental Miami. The goal was to create a company that would satisfy the market for individuals who wanted a variety of super, exotic and luxury automobiles on demand. With the knowledge, direction, support and expertise of some great colleagues, we created Lou La Vie. French slang for “Rent the Life.”
Our first office opened in January in Miami. Miami is an international destination that attracts thousands of visitors, companies, celebrities, professional athletes and socialites. Our goal is to offer only the most unique and stunning Lamborghini, Ferrari, Rolls Royce, Mercedes, Porsche, Bentley, Mclaren and Aston Martin vehicles for rental by day, weekend or month.
What experience did you have within the exotic car industry?
In December 2005 I launched Palm Beach Supercar Weekend. The original goal was to create the ultimate gathering of supercars. A culmination of visionaries, designers, owners, engineers. A celebration of art, speed and design.
With about $500 and a big dream,the event became a premier destination for supercar enthusiasts and owners. I worked extremely long hours and was determined to become successful. Between 2005 and 2008 Supercar Weekend and myself were everywhere. Cover of magazines, newspapers, Polo, you can even find a few YouTube clips from some local news affiliates.
A few other individuals have taken over the original Palm Beach concept and done a horrible job. They are not enthusiasts and have turned the event into a display of Mercedes, BMW and Jaguar dealership floor plans. While a Jaguar XJ maybe a nice car… it’s not a supercar.
You were young when this all happened, any life lessons learned?
I let all of this go to my head. I was young and I made some very bad choices based solely on my ego. I surrounded myself with people who told me what I wanted to hear, not what I should hear. In 2008, I was arrested for writing a bad check. The press ate it up, the town ate it up, my friends ate it up. It was the beginning of the end.
I watched a few years of poor financial decisions, social mistakes and my ego slowly culminate into a fiasco. I watched everything crumble around me. This lead to a period where I was literally saving changes and buying McDonalds 39 cent cheeseburgers on Sundays and 29 cent Hamburgers on Wednesdays…
God had definitely humbled me but I had faith. I had faith that I could overcome, I had friends. Friends, clients and colleagues who always supported me. People that believed in my work ethic and my original dreams.
I intend to have kids one day and realized that eventually I wanted to set the best example for them. Your word is all you have. Stick to your word.
How has the response been since you’ve launched?
We are very blessed to have sustained a consistent growth over our first year in business. The amount of love, support, and hard work from friends, colleague, affiliates, and staff has been amazing. I cannot even thank everyone enough. The future is very promising.
I recently read a quote from, rapper turned entrepreneur, Ludacris: “Profit in business comes from repeat customers, customers that boast about your project or service, & that bring friends with them.”
We cannot control everything, especially all of the outside externalities of renting a luxury or exotic. What we can control is the level of customer service. We want everyone single customer to walk away and say “Wow, that was a great experience.”
The past year has been very demanding and the amount of work involved with operating a “high touch” luxury service business is huge. Our goal is to make sure every client walks away having truly experienced the BEST parts of driving a luxury or exotic car. This is not an easy thing to do… Thankfully we have an amazing staff that has excelled beyond my expectations.
Who are the other individuals behind Lou La Vie?
I’m very lucky to have amazing business partners and friends like Jan Otto and DJ Irie.
Jan has amazing wealth of knowledge for the luxury world, specifically VIP track events. As the owner of Supercar Life, Jan created a national brand that put over 600 clients behind the wheel of 12 supercars with professional drivers on the most demanding race tracks in the country. He has been essential to creating the fundamental structure behind Lou La Vie. The guy knows his stuff…
Irie is an inspiration. He is one of the hardest working people I know. He is not only the official DJ for the Miami Heat but he is also a brand representative for Grey Goose, New Era, Verizon Wireless, Heineken and Redbull. He is a philanthropist (Irie Weekend and Irie Foundation,) and probably one of the most sincere people I know. I think he might actually be the mayor of Miami….
Do you guys offer more than exotic car rentals?
I am “car nerd.” We try to stick to what we know. So while we do not officially offer any services we are able to make sure our clients meet the right people and make the right contacts. We have some amazing partnerships within South Florida and offer our rental clients access to rolodex.
What can we expect from Lou La Vie in 2012?
We are currently in the process of procuring new cars (Ferrari 458 Italia, Lamborghini Aventador, AMG SLS) and expanding into satellite offices. Our goal is to make Lou La Vie a national luxury brand.
We also just partnered with a very interesting development/consulting firm LAR Consulting. Stay tuned of that…
Lou La Vie is the result of the creative input of a lot of people. We are thrilled to watch that grow.
What special offers can you pass onto Secret members?
10% off
We’re very excited to partner with Lou La Vie for 2012. Lou La Vie’s fleet continues to expand month after month and with rates as low as $349/day plus an additional 10% off, it’s a no brainer to rent your dream car for the day whether its for vacation, for fun, or for business. Tell John Secret Entourage sent you and he will take care of you well.
1-877-595-4329
