Ian Whitlock

55 year old Ian Whitlock finally hit lucky after a rollercoaster experience in the financial services sector. The misfortune of being made redundant twice might have sent a lesser man reaching for the bottle, but Ian is made of sterner stuff. He explains. "I was fed up with the financial services game and wanted a change.

I was reasonably open minded about the kind of business, but I was looking for a strong, well-established franchise, with a good reputation, long track record and plenty of successful franchisees making good money." Having attended an Open Day at ChipsAway, leading automotive paintwork repair specialists, Ian and his wife Ruth were suitably impressed.

"They said the right things and what they said stood up to scrutiny," he recalls. "There were no unrealistic promises or guarantees, just that if you work the system, it will work for you - and there was plenty of evidence to back that up." Ian describes the launch of his new business last September as 'Astounding!' Within two days he had written estimates worth £18,595 and booked £4,335 of repairs into his work diary.

A further £5,160 of bookings continued to flow in over the following couple of weeks, and his business has continued to flourish since. "It's not rocket science or luck," he says. "The secret is to work hard, giving it 100% and above all, choosing the right franchise!"