These husband and wife teams have achieved their dreams

Revive! provides the perfect opportunity to invest in a proven franchise with your partner

Running your own business with your partner is something many couples dream of, but few ever achieve.

For Mike and Liz Haselden, Revive!, a brand that provides mobile repairs to minor vehicle damage, has provided the opportunity to do just that.

Thinking big

Mike bought Revive! Chester in 2005. He’d heard about the franchise’s potential from a friend and was looking for an opportunity to become his own boss and take control of his family’s future. In the early days, Liz worked part-time in a marketing role helping Mike out with admin.

Very quickly Mike’s SMART repair service was in great demand from car dealerships and the general public. Buoyed by his success, Mike realised that the way to go was to get more vans on the road and start employing technicians. That was when Liz stepped up her involvement.

She explains: “My role had been in a minor admin capacity, until Mike started to grow the company and think big.

“Although the admin role is still required of me, there are now more demands from an accounting point of view as well as purchasing, specifically where budget planning and strategic thinking is required.”

Award winners

The couple have won the Revive! Franchisee of the Year Award two years running. Today, they employ six technicians, have a fleet of six vans and are looking to expand their business even further by taking on a neighbouring territory and employing two more technicians.

As a team, Mike and Liz share the task of making big financial decisions and setting goals.

Mike says: “We find that discussing important things like the three-year plan and staffing requirements makes the task more manageable and meaningful. We work well together and there’s a huge sense of satisfaction looking back on how far we’ve come.”

Ambitious plans

Franchisee Irmina Kowalska of Revive! Basingstoke is not phased by being one of a handful of women operating in the sector.

In 2013, she and her partner Michal decided to postpone buying a house and instead put their savings into starting their own Revive! franchise. The automotive repair sector was a new world for Irmina, but she threw herself into it, taking up the training opportunities offered by Revive!

She deals with a wide range of customers, from local and national car dealerships to the general public, and has been instrumental in driving sales growth for Revive! Basingstoke.

Last year, Irmina and Michal’s dream of owning their own home was realised thanks to the success of their franchise and now the focus is firmly on growing the business further, with ambitious growth plans over the next few years.

Irmina says: “Like many people starting a business, we wanted to be in more control of our future. Being part of a network really helps - we have other franchisees around us who will help if we need it, as well as the support from head office.

“One of the best moments was winning an award for business growth at the last Revive! conference, something I’m very proud of.”

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