Franchising - Case Studies

John Miller

In 1990, after a 10-year career, tactical systems submariner Sub-Lieutenant John Miller left the Navy: ‘To have a lifestyle change, pursue a commercial career and enjoy a better work-life balance; to be in charge of my own destiny.’ He had achieved an exceptional grade in his specialist training as a Leading Seaman and was commissioned shortly afterwards.

Now aged 45, he values an ‘ability to empathise with individuals, to treat everyone with respect irrespective of background, the ability to manage the very best from people, a hard work philosophy working smarter not harder, and the ability to communicate clearly and lead a team. I think a Service career prepares you exceptionally well in terms of your ability to adapt to ever-changing set of circumstances.’

His first job was as branch sales manager for a truck and trailer rental hire company, but he is now the business founder of Atlantic Business resources plc, a cost reduction and cost management company. He has been doing this for just two-and-a-half years and says that ‘it’s not a job – it’s a lifestyle.’

His aim is ‘to lead the company to provide an efficient cost reduction service, with the highest levels of customer service, for companies and organisations using our £5 billion annual purchasing power in 27 areas of indirect costs such as gas, electricity, stationery etc.’ He also intends to ‘create and develop a business which adds real value to a clients business and which empowers our franchisees with a real opportunity to strike a work-life balance with a high standard of living at the same time.’

Published February 08

Michael Manuel

Ex-Corporal Michael Manuel left the Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment in 2003 after a 14-year career in which the reconnaissance specialist completed operational tours in Northern Ireland, the Middle East and Bosnia. A knee injury and a desire to spend more time with his family were the principal reasons for leaving while, as an employer, he now values the discipline and leadership skills that he developed in the Army.

He attended a Career Transition Workshop and a basic paint spraying course with Smart Wise, before taking ‘some driving work to keep some money coming in while I set up my business’. For the last three years, Manuel has been running Paint My Ride – a motorbike and car refinishing business that specialises in standard and custom paintwork, airbrushing, art and repairs, to all makes and models, including helmets.

‘We also teach people by running a course in this field and helping them into the business. I like to see the look on a customer’s face when he sees his custom paint masterpiece for the first time.’ He reports ‘less routine in my current job; every day is different. I need to make my own structure now and I find life more stressful as it’s easy to take the Army for granted on how well they look after you. However, I get more freedom and have the ability to plan ahead. I now earn triple my Army salary, but spend it quicker as there is more to pay out for.’

Published March 08

Gary Mathews

After 24 years, Sergeant Gary Mathews, 41, a vehicle mechanic in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, had served in Germany, the UK, Bosnia, Canada, the Falkland Islands and Oman, plus three tours in Iraq. He had developed ‘communication skills with people of all walks of life, self-confidence, smartness and a sense of humour’, as well as formal qualifications in motor vehicle studies and a recognised apprenticeship.

A Career Transition Workshop was ‘an eye opener into the world of civilian employment’, and he followed this with a business start-up course, which provided ‘direction on how to start up alone’. He also trained in windscreen repair before finding a franchise through Quest magazine.

Mathews bought into a franchise repairing windscreens, with research and training starting some eight months before he left the Army, so he started the process in March 2007. He is still repairing windscreens and hopes ‘to move into replacements sometime this year.

‘The work entails visiting retail sites advertising your services. When people come along you explain the process and persuade them to have the work done on-site. The work takes about 30 minutes to complete, plus filling out an invoice to be sent to the insurance company. I also do home visits and contract work for garages etc.

‘Being self-employed you have the flexibility to do things when you want, and I had nine weeks holiday last year. A big plus is all the money that you earn is yours to keep, so profit margins are high. My work is still loosely based on engineering. Everything else is totally different.

Published August 08

Andy Darby

Ex-Corporal Andy Darby left the Royal Engineers in 2000 after ten years as a combat engineer, painter and finisher, and PT instructor in the UK and Germany. He was 'ready for a change' but believes that his time in the Army prepared him well for his business career. 'You learn to use your initiative, the ethos is to work hard and to a high standard. My role was a skilled hands-on job, requiring me to use specialist tools and techniques - and so does my business. During my time in the Army I acquired City & Guilds qualifications and NVQs.

A 'useful' Career Transition Workshop was followed by computer training and business skills courses, with ongoing CTP support for two to three years. He also took an evening class on book keeping and a course on preparing business plans. 'Advice from my bank and Business Link pointed me to franchising as a less risky route to running my own business. I went to franchise exhibitions, researched business opportunities on the web and in magazines, and visited potential franchisors.

'I visited an Open Day at ChipsAway International to find out more about their franchise. I checked them out with the British Franchise Association and decided this was the right business for me. I went straight from the Army to running my own franchise and I'm still doing it, eight years later.

'Operating from a liveried VW fully equipped mobile workshop, I provide a paintwork repair service, using a specialised system. This restores paintwork with minor damage to showroom condition within a few hours and at a fraction of the price of a body shop.

'I like being my own boss, answerable to nobody. I've always loved messing about with cars, so I thoroughly enjoy what I do. The obvious difference to the Army is the independence. Being your own boss is very different to being part of a large organisation. Nobody tells you what to do; it's up to you to use your time effectively. You have to learn new skills like sales and marketing and book-keeping.

'You can make money from the outset with a franchise, but it takes time to build up a regular customer base. I was very quickly earning the equivalent of being in the Army. Now my income is about three times what I was on when I left and is continuing to increase year on year.'

Published September 08