I joined ChipsAway just over four years ago after attending one of their Open Days. As a former Service Manager for a major car dealership I'd spent 19 years in the automotive services industry and knew the company by reputation as professional and well regarded in the marketplace. At the Open Day I also found them to be friendly and approachable.
Although I already had a lot of experience in dealing with customers and their cars, I was really nervous about my launch. My ChipsAway Business Developer was excellent. He was really calm and kept me on track all day. Between us, we generated about £10,000 worth of enquiries just over that first weekend - despite the cold November weather!
In my first month, I turned over £4,500 and I've been busy ever since. These days I don't need to do much in the way of promotion, other than an advertisement in Yellow Pages, because I'm constantly busy with work generated by word of mouth recommendation from happy customers. I'm always booked well ahead, but I do keep slots available for those emergency calls where people are in real distress and need their repairs doing as a matter of urgency.
Four years down the line, I feel in control of my life and spend lots of time with the family. We recently spent the weekend in Paris, had our last summer holiday in Greece and we're planning a winter skiing trip in January. I also have more time for my golf these days - in the summer months I finish work at 4pm on a Thursday and head straight for the Golf Course!
I'm also a Business Developer. The support I've had from ChipsAway has been fantastic and I was keen to put something back into the network. I had to wait until I'd been a franchisee for at least a year because, as you would expect, it's important to prove yourself to the management team as someone who has built and run a successful business, as well as being able to cope with supporting someone else. So, now I enjoy the added satisfaction of helping others achieve what I have achieved!