Revive! Franchisee of the Year Mike Hasleden has enjoyed 40 per cent growth in 12 months

Revive! is looking for ambitious, dynamic candidates with a track record of success to join its franchise network

Revive! has always been determined to provide its franchisees with the tools and training they need to build and grow successful businesses.

The company has a clear profile in mind for new recruits - it’s looking for ambitious, dynamic candidates with a track record of success and the determination to grow multi-van businesses across the large territories on offer.

Light bulb moment

Revive! Franchisee of the Year Mike Hasleden has enjoyed 40 per cent growth in 12 months.

He says: “A light bulb moment came for me in running the business when I realised I could achieve even more by taking on more people and expanding the business.”

And as his business grew, Mike was invited to join the Revive! High Achievers Group, a mentoring and training initiative to help franchisees grow and develop their businesses.

Mike adds: “This has been great for me, as you get to see how the larger franchisees are running their businesses and learn how they got there, as well as giving you the extra push to keep moving forward.”

Sales per franchisee in the high performers group have increased by nearly 100 per cent since 2012, with profits up over 62 per cent in that period. Even for smaller operators, profits have more than doubled, with a 43 per cent increase in sales.

Award winning support

The support Revive! gives franchisees and the work it’s done to help them increase sales and profitability has been recognised with a major national award.

In June this year the company was crowned winner of the British Franchise Association/HSBC Award for Franchise Support.

Support does not stop after launch however, as Revive! helps with each stage of the business, working with franchisees as they move from trainee to rookie and beyond through the Revive! franchisee journey.

The company runs regular peer to peer meetings with franchisees at a similar stage of their journey, regional meetings, dedicated high performers’ events (including external speakers) for the larger franchisees and an annual conference.

The outstanding support for franchisees also includes: An extensive national account programme. This work provides franchisees with business that is available immediately, with automatic invoicing through the Revive! app ensuring speedy payment.

In-house IT support that has been boosted by the addition of an app developer and web developer to accelerate further developments for the Revive! app, which was built in-house and has streamlined and automated the whole workflow process.

Benchmarking reports that give franchisees up to date business data and performance statistics, helping them to understand and improve their metrics and profits.

A national marketing fund, which includes sponsorship of British Touring Car Championship driver Andrew Jordan. BTCC events attract ITV television audiences in excess of 20 million people, who see the Revive! branding at every race.

A marketing team that provides guidance on local marketing campaigns, plus support with Facebook, PPC and SEO work and brand guidelines.

Credit control assistance, helping to ensure prompt payment from local dealership customers, as well as national account clients.

The Revive! communications platform, which is available on tablet, phone or desktop and provides access to a wide range of supporting manuals, including product information, human resources documentation, supplier information and offers and training modules.

Business planning and growth support as part of the Revive! franchisee journey.

A customer service team that deals with national account queries and triaging the workflow.

Wide ranging technical support covering all aspects of the work, from paint matching and alloy wheel techniques to new product testing.

A range of technical and business courses to support franchisees’ needs at different stages of their journey.

Multiple vans

Over half of Revive! franchisees run multiple vans, so have moved away from being ‘a man in a van’.

Steve Thatcher of Revive! Portsmouth says: “The business development team at Revive! head office challenged me to look beyond being just a man who paints cars and recognise my inner management potential.

“My light bulb moment came after I closed a deal with a local dealership. I came out of the meeting buzzing and realised that winning business and growing my company was all I wanted to do. I no longer wanted to be the best SMART repairer in the team - that’s what my lads are there for.”

Accelerated business plan course

The Revive! accelerated business plan course is open to its group of high performers and offers a guided ‘planning for growth’ programme with mentor support. Last year, eight franchisees joined the programme, which culminated in a trip to France to present their plans for 2018 to their fellow franchisees and the mentor panel, as well as spending some time relaxing with their peers.

The number meeting the criteria to join the high performer group grows every year. Revive! aims to keep stepping up the pace of growth to take advantage of its wide ranging customer base and the demand for its services.

The company’s most successful franchisee is Nathan Holmes, who has grown his business from the one-van operation he started in Cambridge 10 years ago at the age of 24 to a £1 million-plus turnover business spanning five territories with 18 staff, a static site and 10 vans.

He brought in two business partners, Adam Holmes and Andy Blackhurst, which has enabled growth to be controlled, while avoiding the problems encountered if the span of control gets too large for a single individual to effectively manage.

Their success was recognised by the British Franchise Association, which awarded Revive! East Anglia Franchisee of the Year in 2016, beating major household name brands like McDonald’s and O2.

The trio aren’t resting on their laurels, however. They’re planning to grow to £2 million turnover and beyond.