Van-based franchise provides the ideal work-life balance
Van-based franchise provides the ideal work-life balance
Mike Ison was like many in their late thirties: working hard and earning a good income but missing out on time with his young family. He comments:
“I felt like I was living ‘Groundhog Day’. Every day I faced a big commute, long hours working for someone else, and the reality that I hardly saw my children.”
In search of a way to achieve a better work-life balance, Mike attended The Northern Franchise Exhibition in June 2016. He recalls:
“I was open to any kind of franchise business, but it had to earn me good money and allow for quality time with my family.”
Mike met the dry carpet and upholstery cleaning brand Zerodrytime at the event, where he had in-depth conversations with their managing director, David Muirhead. After crunching the numbers with his wife, Mike attended a discovery day with Zerodrytime in Newcastle-upon-Tyne and by October that year owned the franchise for Worsley & Warrington.
“I’ve had so much training and support from Zerodrytime to make a success of this, from getting set up with the van, tools and products, to finding customers and getting trained on specific aspects of the business. Head office are constantly innovating, finding new products and services to add income streams for the franchisees.
“Being part of a friendly network of other franchisees also provides support – we share advice and refer work to each other. All of this has helped me generate a fantastic income from the off.
“My friends and family can see the fewer hours I need to work to earn what I do, plus the flexibility I have as my own boss, and they can hardly believe it. I can drop my son at school each day and be home again by five in the evening. With the success I’ve had, I plan to get more vans on the road in the very near future.”
Interested in following in Mike’s footsteps? Find out more about upcoming Franchise Exhibitions held in exclusive partnership with the British Franchise Association. Claim free tickets using promo code CAS1.
