Ray Oliver spent 15 years working as a Production Manager for Jiffy, but says he wanted something more from life than working in a factory. He loves cars and has always taken pride in keeping his own cars in pristine condition, so a mobile valeting business had clear appeal for him. Once he found the Autosheen franchise opportunity, Ray knew he'd found exactly the business he'd been looking for.

"Autosheen has national accounts and, therefore, could offer me existing contracts to service and an opportunity for regular guaranteed income from the start," Ray recalls. "Leaving a steady job after 15 years takes a leap of faith, but the reassurance of having existing contracts already lined up for me gave me great confidence and was certainly one of the reasons that convinced me to take that leap!"

Ray confirms that he earns considerably more than he did previously and acknowledges that he is also a good deal happier. "The satisfaction you gain from running your own business and doing a good job for your customers is fantastic," he says. "You quickly build up strong relationships with your regular customers and your services are definitely appreciated. I'm so pleased that I was brave enough to make the move from employment to having the independence of being my own boss and I'm looking forward to building up my business further over the coming five years."

Autosheen is one of the UK's longest established valeting franchises, with an impressive national accounts customer base that offers franchisees access to over 1.2 million contracted vehicles nationwide. It is this regular income stream for franchisees from day one that sets Autosheen apart from competitors, together with its premium product range and superb franchisee support structure. Autosheen national account customers include a range of government departments and agencies, Royal Mail, BSkyB, Virgin Media and six of the 10 largest leasing companies in the UK. The franchise is enjoying continued strong growth and is currently looking to attract new franchisees across the UK to service new and existing contracts.