Case Study - Rob Stobbs

“You never really know what to expect when you make such a radical life change, but I would say my first year in business for myself has been better than expected,” he says. “It’s certainly been hard work, but despite the difficult climate, I’ve continued to attract new customers and I’m definitely still enjoying it!”

Rob looked at quite a few franchises before joining Autosheen, but having considered several different options, he felt that the Autosheen franchise offered the best package in terms of training and support, as well as an opportunity to expand. “Like most blokes I like cars and take pride in looking after my own, so a valeting franchise appealed to me. When I spoke to the management team at Autosheen and to some of their franchisees, nobody had a bad word to say about them - then when I saw a full valet demonstrated, I was really impressed.”

Having gained twelve months experience in providing specialist services to his automotive customers, Rob is now focused on developing his skills further.“Once I have completed my full training, I plan to consider putting two or three more vehicles on the road and taking on some employees to help me. For now, though, I am relishing the freedom and independence of just being my own boss!”

Rob was able to tap into Autosheen’s national accounts customer base from the outset, which meant he had work booked in from day one. However, he’s at pains to emphasise that whilst national account work provides a welcome extra income stream and a great starting point, ultimately investing in a franchise means building your own business and developing your own local customer base. He has already taken forward bookings for every month of this year from regular customers and says that with his newly acquired skills he’s hoping to secure a substantial contract with a local caravan park which has 150 caravans in need of his services.

Rob concludes, “Autosheen will support you all the way, but in the end you have to use their business tools to develop new contacts and demonstrate your services. I’ve made great strides with my business over the last year and am looking forward to seizing the opportunity to grow onwards and upwards in year two!”