Steve Thatcher, owner of Revive! Portsmouth since 2004 discovered that joining the leading SMART repair franchise has given him not just the opportunity to grow a business – it has also given him the confidence and support to grow and develop his management skills. He runs a fleet of three vans with two employees and in June celebrated achieving a record monthly turnover of £16,000.
How’s it been?
My key challenge has been myself. For the first five years I wanted to be an expert technically in SMART repairs so I was just a man in a van. I should have been more self-motivated and driven to build a business too. When the business development team at Revive! head office challenged me to look beyond being just a man who paints cars and recognise my inner management potential that was the turning point.
Was there a light-bulb moment for you?
I had been working on a local dealership to give us all of their SMART business for ages, whittling away at them to move away from their existing long term supplier who they were quite happy with. The day I closed that deal I came out of the meeting buzzing and realised that winning business and growing my company was all I wanted to do. I no longer wanted to be the best SMART repairer in the team – that’s what my lads are there for.
Click here to request more information on Revive!As I grew the business I was invited to join the Revive! high performers group where most of the others have much bigger businesses than mine. I realised that I didn’t see anything in my colleagues that I didn’t have myself, and that realisation has really spurred me on.
What’s your ambitions for Revive! Portsmouth?
In two to three year from now I want to have five vans and five employees. It’s great that I have the skills needed to hop into a van and cover for one of my technicians if they are ill or on holiday, but I want to be more focused on managing and growing the business instead of just working in it.