Technician turns boss at Revive! Birmingham North

It was an opportunity on our doorstep we just couldn’t miss out on, Paul Morris says

When technician Paul Morris turned up eight years ago to repair a customer’s car bumper, little did they both know how lifechanging the visit would turn out to be. It was love at first sight.

Now the couple has two sons and is planning a wedding in summer 2022. They have also gone into business together, becoming the new owners of Revive!.

Birmingham North following its resale. Paul is managing the business day-to-day and Leanne, with her background in financial services, is managing the finances and marketing.

Having worked as a Revive! technician, Paul knew how successful owning a Revive! franchise could be. He trained to be an automotive refinisher at college and then worked at several body shops before joining Revive! in 2014.

Ambitious move

But he didn’t want to be a technician for the rest of his life. With a growing family to support and an ambition to be his own boss, when the opportunity to buy Revive! Birmingham North came up Paul and Leanne jumped at the chance. Both grew up within the territory, so know the area well.

Paul explains: “As I was already working as a Revive! technician, I had a good understanding of how the business works.

“It’s an industry I’ve always been in. Revive! is a renowned brand, so it was an opportunity on our doorstep we just couldn’t miss out on.”

Commenting on the completion of the resale, Cathryn Hayes, Revive! franchise director, says: “Paul had already been identified as one of our top technicians, so to have a new owner with such experience and long-serving commitment to the Revive! vision and values couldn’t be better.

“Paul and Leanne impressed us right from the beginning of this process with their complementary business skills and shared desire to grow Revive! Birmingham North into a much bigger business. We welcome them to the Revive! network and wish them every success.”

Power of technology

The resale of Birmingham North straddled the outbreak of the pandemic and subsequent lockdown, but this didn’t hold up the process.

“The power of technology enabled us to complete the process with no issues,” Paul says. “Having interviews with the directors over Zoom was great, as it meant we were still able to ‘meet’ the team and go through the process smoothly.”

Training too was all ‘virtual’, but as Paul had already completed the full training as a Revive! technician this was not an issue.

“The sessions have always been at a time to suit all parties and everyone has been great,” he says. “Each person we spoke with is so knowledgeable and extremely helpful - they went out of their way to make sure we had the information required to be a success.”

The couple currently has three vans on the road, with plans to add a fourth as soon as they have recruited another technician. Their aim is to add a van to the fleet each year for the next two years to extend their service across their large territory.

Leanne says: “We want to expand the service to reach every corner of our territory. The business has so much potential for growth, our aim is to get our name and reputation known across the area.”

At a glance Revive! Auto Innovations (UK)

Established:

2004

Number of franchised outlets:

60

Location of units:

nationwide

Investment range:

£32,000

Minimum required capital:

£15,000

Contact:

franchising@revive-uk.com revivefranchise.com