Posted:18-October-2024
Work-Life Balance at Revive! Southport
Running Revive! Southport for the past year has delivered the most precious benefit for owner Andrew Hood. It’s enabled him to see more of his parents and sibling, and given him the added bonus of gaining a new family, the Revive! ‘family.’
Said Andrew, who is looking forward to attending an Everton football match with his father for the first time in almost two decades, “one of the biggest highlights for me since launching my Revive! business is getting my life back. For the past 17 years I was in car sales, working every weekend which meant I missed out on a lot of family time. Now I’m able to see a lot more of my Mum and Dad, attend my nephew’s birthday party and enjoy my sister’s curries again! I have built a far better connection with my father which just puts the biggest smile on my face.”
But the valuable experience gained through having a career in car sales does have its advantages. Before launching Revive! Southport, Andrew worked his way up through several large dealerships in the North West. He knows exactly what’s required and how to negotiate those all-important contracts with general managers. “I’ve got my plan and it’s working. I was that salesman who used to go out to the Revive! tech and say, ‘I need to get this done.’ I speak their language and understand what the dealerships are after. They’re looking for speed, they’re looking for price, they’re looking for somebody to just take the vehicle off and get it sorted.”
Industry knowledge has also helped him when it comes to responding to quote requests. He’s one of the top Revive! franchisees when it comes to converting an enquiry into business.
Now one year on, Andrew is celebrating achieving a bigger turnover than predicted, only held back from growing even further by the need to recruit another technician. For Andrew ensuring that technicians are the right fit for his business is paramount. “Staff have to have the right mindset, hunger and career drive and want to be part of our team.”
Andrew had been thinking about buying a franchise for several years and having seen the quality of work delivered by Revive! technicians firsthand, he’d identified the Revive! opportunity as his first choice. He explained: “Knowing that Revive! was the right move for me, one day when I had worked yet another weekend, I thought, now's the time, time to press the button. It was as if I was standing on top of a mountain and realised that if I didn't jump now, I probably never would.
“ I chose to become a Revive franchisee, because it was about managing a team and developing myself. The support and training I have received from everyone at Revive! from the directors to the team at head office and other franchisees has been absolutely fantastic. It’s great to have that security knowing that if you feel like you’re falling there’s always someone there to pick you up.”
The Revive! conference is held each year to give everyone involved in the business the opportunity to hear directors’ plans for the coming twelve months, meet fellow franchisees and key suppliers. Attending the 2024 event was one of Andrew’s first year highlights. “The Revive! value of unity is important to all of us – something that was particularly evident at the conference. It made me realised just how big the company is. I enjoyed feeling part of the community and meeting so many new colleagues from my new ‘family’. ”
Looking to the future, Andrew’s immediate plan is to recruit another tech to meet the increasing demand for Revive! Southport’s services. The diary is currently booked out two months ahead and as word-of-mouth spreads there’s going to be even more work coming in.
Longer term he would like to expand the business to become a five-van operation and then look to pass it on to a family member and enjoy an early retirement in 20 or 25 years’ time.
So what has Andrew learned about himself during his Revive! journey so far? “I’ve become less arrogant. I’ve grown as a person. I used to think that I knew everything. So coming into running my own business has been a bit of a slap in the face of reality. I’ve become more understanding about people’s personal lives and learned a lot about mental health.”
And his advice to others considering taking on a Revive! franchise? “Just do it! Standing on top of that mountain, if you don't jump, make the decision, you'll always look back your life and regret it. So just have a go.”
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