Michal Lepiarz and his partner Irmina Kowalska opened Revive! Basingstoke in 2013. When he left Poland in 2006 to put his car painting skills to good use, he had no idea that in just a few short years he would be reunited with his childhood sweetheart and owning their own profitable business.
He explained: “I was surprised to learn that Irmina had also moved to the UK through a Polish social media website. The romance was rekindled and we realised that our goals and ambitions were very similar. We both wanted to make a success of our careers and after being together for a year or so we decided to set up in business together. Being so young, we had very little experience of how to run a business. Painting cars is my passion and all that I knew so we researched the options and Revive! stood out a mile.
We went down the franchise route as we were both under 30 with very little business experience it made sense to buy into a proven business modeI. In our first month, our sales set a new record for Revive! that has yet to be beaten. Our turnover has trebled since we first started.’’
Revive! Basingstoke has a workshop in Knight Park Road and they also run a mobile repair service from its specialist vans. Irmina manages the administrative and sales side whereas Michal looks after the operational aspects and their two employees.
Continued Michal: “Whilst being my own boss wasn’t something I ever considered in the early days, I have always had a drive to be the best at everything I do.’’
The couple’s aim is to build a bigger business. Their five-year plan shows Revive! Basingstoke having a total of three to four vans on the road and opening another workshop in Fleet to expand its services within that area.
