Case Studies

For Tony Carr, there are times when his business feels far from hard work - he's used his love of making new contacts to great effect and says those people skills are the most important fit for Suit the City franchisees. He says: “I'm networking several times a week and when you enjoy that, it doesn't feel like work at all! I love helping business people and networking, it's a lot of fun. “You're not a tailor. When people ask me if I make the clothes, I say I ran Mothercare for 10 years but I'...

Chris McNaughton Suit the City Northampton I was the managing director of a £55m turnover business for 10 years with private equity owners, which was pretty demanding and stressful. I wanted more of a work/life balance, a business that wasn’t going to be all-consuming. I’ve always liked nice clothes, particularly suits, and I also wanted something that kept me in touch with people. Suit the City ticked all the boxes. Because the clothing is made-to-measure there are plenty of professional...

With the visit of family and friends this holiday season, your kitchen preparations need to be at the top of your list of priorities, according to Warrington’s leading oven valeting franchise firm.The Ovenu Warrington’s team of specialists is reminding homeowners in the town not to neglect their ovens, among the various other jobs around the house ahead of the Christmas period.Too often the focus is solely on making the house presentable, when, in actual fact, the oven plays a key role in the fe...

Meet Danny Bloomfield, a Premier Sport franchisee. For more information on Premier Sport please click here

When Iftikhar Hussain from Edinburgh launched his MagiKats franchise in October 2013, his goals were clear. He wanted to open several centres in Edinburgh and eventually across Scotland – and he is well on his way to achieving that goal! Opening his first centre on Leith Walk was a great start. A permanent space above the Leith Walk shops got the MagiKats treatment and soon the students were coming in for extra maths and English tuition. With purple carpet and a massive, purple wall with the...

Paul Thomas joined Surface Medic in May and was in the first group of trainees. We caught up with him to find out how he’s adjusting to life as a Surface Medic Technician. What did you do before joining Surface Medic Paul?I had worked for a conservatory company as a store man looking after supplies and arranging all the kit and materials that the fitters would need before each job. Occasionally I would also assist the fitters so I was quite used to working with my hands and also with the general...

A Bristol man is hoping that his newly-launched oven valeting firm will ‘blossom’ into a thriving small business, following a successful management career in horticulture.Dave Manning has swapped his 30 year career at a garden centre, where he worked his way up from the age of 18 to become manager, to start out in business as owner of Ovenu Bristol East.By becoming his own boss and venturing into self-employment, Dave, 48, has fulfilled one of his lifelong ambitions.“I had thought about going do...

A father and son team of oven valeters is hoping to clean up in Manchester, after starting out in business.Joe Moran and his two sons, Mike and Steven, have launched Ovenu Manchester Central, which provides an environmentally-friendly oven valeting service to homes and businesses in the city.Joe, 62, has worked as an IT technician for the past 19 years, while Mike and Steven, who are 23 and 25, respectively, have worked in management roles in retail. Joe will continue in his current role, but wi...

You've read about the Go Direct Lettings franchise opportunity. Now hear from the successful franchisees that make up the Go Direct Lettings network.

My name is Fraser Robertson and I have been a Filtafry Plus franchisee since 2011.Previous to this I have a very wide and varied career pathway ranging from a sheet metal worker, to a forester/gardener, then serving with the British Army during the first Gulf War. I then retrained as a Mental Health Nurse achieving the position of a Care Home manager after fourteen years working both in the N.H.S and the private sector. Although these jobs were all rewarding in their own way I always felt I woul...

After over 17 years working with teenagers, Kathryn Mellett was frustrated. She regularly saw students who had not received the support they needed in school, and how this was now affecting their college education. She wanted to find a way in which she could help these students before they reached college – to make sure they had every opportunity to realise their full potential as they worked to gain life skills and good qualifications. So, she chose MagiKats franchise!When asked why MagiKats wa...

Andrew Morton now has two offices and two shops More than a decade after first setting up TaxAssist Accountants in Ludlow to provide specialist tax and accountancy services to the small business community, accountant Andrew Morton has expanded his services to Bridgnorth, opening a fourth office in the Smithfield Centre. Andrew established TaxAssist Accountants in Ludlow in 2003, before opening in Craven Arms in 2006 and Leominster in 2012 and now his team looks after the tax and accountancy ne...