Lisa Bolton & Kevin Bewick, SITB, North East

"As SITB franchise owners, our quality of life has improved dramatically. Our working week is shorter, we have less stress and are able to take holidays on a more regular basis.

"SITB appealed because it is associated with quality snack brand Cadbury. Also, it is a relatively low investment which can be run as a one man in a van operation, so you do not need to worry about employing staff initially. "The initial training course covers everything you need to know to run the business and the support is ongoing. You can call or email head office at any point for help, from book-keeping and VAT to setting up and checking the vending machines.

"Since we took over the North East SITB territory in December 2007, we have built up the business's weekly turnover from £1,400 to £2,650 with 110 vending machines. Long term, our aim is to build up the business to an annual turnover of at least £150,000 and employ a part-time merchandiser to help us with the round."