Smart move

After 30 years in supply-chain management, Renford Marsden felt ready for a complete change of direction. His challenging role brought high rewards, but with it came great pressure, demanding hours and extended trips abroad away from his family. 

Finally, he decided to look for something totally different. "My wife was delighted and fully supported my research into various opportunities," he says. "In a nutshell, I was looking for inspiration. I didn't really know what I wanted to do, other than it had to deliver a complete lifestyle change."

Renford first came across ChipsAway at The National Franchise Exhibition at the NEC. He was impressed by the professionalism of the management team, the enthusiasm of the franchisees and by the superb market potential offered by the ChipsAway system.

ChipsAway is the leading brand in the small to medium area repair technology (SMART) automotive paintwork repair sector, with around 350 franchisees in successful operation across the UK and a network of master franchisors worldwide.

Franchisees operate from professionally liveried vehicles, customised as fully equipped mobile workshops, which means they can provide ‘on-the-spot' repairs in a few hours and at a fraction of the price of a traditional body shop repair. Franchisees are supported in building their customer base by a dedicated 24/7 UK call centre and access to a portfolio of national accounts.

Renford subsequently attended an open day at the company's Midlands-based head office and then arranged to have a ChipsAway repair done on his own car to ‘test' the system. "By then I was truly convinced," he says. "The excellent repair and outstanding service I had as a customer was just another tick in the box as far as I was concerned."

He adds: "Although it was a big decision for me to make at the time, as I was paid well and had job security, in my heart I knew that I was heading in the right direction."
Renford launched his new ChipsAway franchise in January this year and was impressed with the help and support he received from the ChipsAway business developer assigned to him.

Business developers are established ChipsAway franchisees who ‘know the ropes' and understand exactly how it feels to be just starting out. They support new franchisees during their business launch period as well as continuing to provide advice and guidance for as long as they are needed.

Despite exceptionally bad weather, Renford enjoyed an excellent launch and by April had built a sufficiently busy business to warrant taking on an employee, Chris Harrison, a former landscape gardener whose plan is to invest in his own franchise in due course.

"Chris is a perfectionist, with attention to detail that's second to none," Renford says. "That means I can completely trust him to keep my customers happy with top notch repairs, while I take on more of a managerial and marketing role," he explains.

ChipsAway dedicates a lot of time and effort into generating repair leads; in fact, during July alone, the company's call centre distributed 11,000 leads to its nationwide network of around 350 franchisees.

"July's figures are the latest in a strong growth curve since the beginning of this year," confirms ChipsAway Chief Executive Lloyd Evans.

Lloyd correlates the strong interest in ChipsAway repairs to the turbulence in the new car industry. Previously motorists have replaced their cars on average every three years, whilst during the current financial climate it seems many prefer to invest in maintaining their existing vehicles instead.

Lloyd adds that ChipsAway's new TV commercial has also had a tremendous effect on repair leads even though it only aired at the end of June. "As well as being featured across a range of digital channels, it has also been launched on various websites such as YouTube, with an astonishing response. The success of the recently launched national advertising campaign as a whole, and its impact on repair leads to the network, couldn't have come at a more important time."

Renford adds: "Ultimately my goal is to open a ChipsAway CarCare Centre and have a fleet of mobile workshops on the road. In fact, after only a few months I approached ChipsAway to discuss investing in a second territory, but they told me it was too soon. Although I was disappointed at the time, I was also impressed - it proved to me yet again that their interest is in ensuring the long-term success of my business rather than making quick money at my expense. Essentially, they wanted me to learn to walk before I tried to run."

Renford says he has absolutely no regrets in leaving his previous job. He is home every evening at a sensible hour and he keeps his weekends free for family. "I feel healthier in both body and mind than I have for a long time. I'm less stressed and I've even lost weight since I stopped being a ‘desk jockey'!" he jokes.

"More seriously, when I first started looking at franchise opportunities I could see that the economy was changing and I'm so glad that I chose wisely. I was attracted to ChipsAway in the first place because I could see that it would do well whatever the financial climate, as it was so well established and process driven. Everything about the franchise is implemented properly, the training and support are extensive, the systems and manuals are all in place and the business model is well proven. Providing you follow exactly what they prescribe, you can't go wrong!"
ChipsAway is the world's leading SMART repairer.

Established in 1994, ChipsAway now has a worldwide network of more than 500 skilled professionals.

Investment level: £19,995 plus VAT
Website:
www.chipsaway.co.uk
Email:
uk@chipsaway.co.uk
Phone:
0800 731 6914