Revive!

Both began as a ‘man in a van’ looking to be their own boss and taking control of their own destiny. Now over two decades on, as Revive! itself has transformed from a network of owner-operators to become a management franchise, both men have grown their business to a size they would never have believed possible when they first set off on their Revive! journey.

Said Russell: “I look back at what we’ve done and I don’t think I ever thought we’d achieve what we have achieved. I jumped on that journey to see where we’d get, but I never had any aspirations of a million-pound business.” For Jon, tired of managing somebody else’s business he wanted to turn his love of cars into learning a skill and earning a good living. “Basically I just wanted to watch paint dry!,” he joked, “at the time, I was probably just looking at being one man in a van and was happy with that.”

Russell left a senior role in corporate hospitality to launch Revive! West Lincs. He wanted to spend more time with his growing family and pursue his passion for hovercraft racing. “I had been working an excessive number of hours for a long time and as my wife Lorna was also in a high-powered job, we both knew what hard work was. When we started our family, we both wanted a lifestyle change, and I fancied the challenge of being my own boss and making sure my hard work benefitted my family not my employer.”

Having made the decision to become self-employed, Russell explored franchise opportunities, recognising that the support of a strong franchisor could help him achieve success more quickly.

In Russell’s first full year, Revive! West Lincs turned over almost £80,000 and expanded to two vans. It has now grown into a substantial operation, employing 10 people and running seven vans, with a workshop equipped for larger-scale wheel refurbishment. Russell’s turnover exceeds £1m and he’s aiming to double that by 2030.

Jon spent all of his career in retail management working for and with high-end brands including Harrods and managing the installation of the state-of-the-art audio-visual equipment onboard the world’s largest luxury sailing yacht, the Millennium Falcon. Looking for a career change he applied for a senior position at the then soon to be created Highways Agency and found himself on a short list of two for the position of regional director. Being shortlisted for the job gave him a huge confidence boost. He explained: “I nearly got to be the first ever regional manager for the Highways Agency. I would have to set it up. I would have to employ the people and buy everything needed to establish the office. To get that close made me realise if the government thinks I can run that, then surely I can run my own business.”

Although an experienced manager, Jon recognised he lacked expertise in certain areas and chose franchising as his route into business ownership.

For Jon, business growth was more gradual. He was content with being a sole trader until fate stepped in to make him realise that he would have to make drastic changes to his business model.

Crossing a road to catch a train, he tripped and smashed his kneecap in seven places on a sharp bollard. “I couldn’t work for six months, so I just put the business in hibernation. Luckily thanks to Revive! I had built up my savings so we could survive through that difficult period and although I wasn’t earning any money, Revive! head office covered my area for me to keep up brand awareness until I was able to return to work almost a year later.”

After the accident he decided it was time to hang up his tools and manage the business rather than work in it. He registered as a limited company and took on his first member of staff. Today Revive! Bromley has three employees with two vans and a specialist diamond cut wheel van on the road and Jon has recently celebrated three successive months of best ever sales.

Of course, for both men there have been challenges along the way, but they share a steely determination to find solutions, and if necessary, re-build.

Neither man believes they could have achieved the same level of success entirely on their own. Both point to the consistency of support from the Revive! head office team, whose experience and guidance have helped them navigate everything from day-to-day operational challenges to long-term strategic decisions.

Said Jon: “The key people at head office have been there a long time and do a really good job. They understand the problems and the business, and it's really helpful just to not have to explain things fully.”

For Russell, a pep talk from the Revive! business development director helped him refocus after serious staffing issues held back the business. “I had become perhaps too involved in the day-to-day minutia of this place and had taken my eye off the ball a bit”, he explained. “Since Ricky’s been involved it’s more about looking at profitability and right sizing your business rather than just adding vans.”

Centrally run marketing campaigns by Revive!’s HQ marketing team deliver results for franchisees across the network. For Jon especially, the recent Donut Day event enabled him to gain the business of a large local dealership which has significantly boosted the turnover of Revive! Bromley.

Looking back at the hopes they had two decades ago, has reality lived up to the dream? Jon and Russell have both been able to buy bigger houses, spend more time with their families and pursue sporting passions. Said Russell: “When it comes to hovercraft racing, I take a bit more of a back seat these days as my sons have taken it up as well – my youngest son is the current UK champion in his class and number two in the world!” In Jon’s case he’s been able to indulge his love of track racing: “ I’ve owned a Caterham since 2003, taking it to the South of France, the Highlands of Scotland, and it goes around Brands Hatch on a regular basis and recently I bought a Toyota GR Yaris.”

Twenty-one years after taking a leap of faith, both men are still moving forward. For Russell, that means pursuing the next stage of growth. For Jon, it means building a business that can thrive beyond his eventual retirement. Different destinations perhaps, but both proof of what can happen when a franchise journey is measured in decades rather than years.