Steve Beaumont, aged just 26 when he joined Autosmart as the franchisee for the Derby Dales reflects on his first 3 years.

“Coming from a civil engineering background, I knew that I could put my meticulous planning, focus and hard work into my own business venture, where I could reap the rewards of my own success. This is certainly starting to kick in now with my Autosmart franchise.

“I’ve just passed the three-year mark, I’ve paid off my bank funding and have taken on my brother as a salesman to give me the valuable time I need to get out and prospect for new business.

“The Derby Dales franchise had low starting sales and around 50 existing customers when I took it on. Through being very focussed and determined, I have grown this to just over 250 customers and increased the turnover five-fold. I’m very pleased with what I have achieved in this short space of time, however, I will never rest on my laurels and I am always striving to beat the sales targets that I set for myself.

“Every quarter I analyse my business, looking at how much sales have grown, where business is coming from and what has gone well. I then set a plan and targets for the next quarter. These quarterly plans are building blocks that move me towards my end goal. I break these down to monthly, weekly and daily goals, so every day I know what I need to achieve to meet my target.

“I’d never sold before, so it’s a big learning curve. Running your own business means that you are sales person, financial controller, logistics manager, IT consultant and purchasing manager – all rolled into one!

“At first glance I thought that the majority of the potential would be based nearer to Derby and Nottingham and this is where I started prospecting in the first six months. However, since I started to explore the Dales more closely, it has become apparent that there is heaps of potential in the rural areas. My biggest customers up here are the quarries, farms and engineering firms. I get extra satisfaction from delivering to these customers, as they don’t get many mobile showrooms turning up and they love the service I provide!

“I’m now looking to plan the next phase of my business development and taking on my brother as a salesman is the first step. I plan to grow turnover from £26K per month to £35K/£40K within the next three years. I’m in the process of moving my warehouse to one that has four-times the floor space to store all the stock I need to reach this target.

“The last three years have been incredibly hard work, but very rewarding. I’ve been focussing all my time on growing the business and repaying my bank loan as quickly as possible.

“I definitely plan to take some well deserved time off, as I have a wedding and honeymoon to organise and my fiancé and I are both turning 30, so a long overdue break to Mauritius is now in the diary for next summer.”

We currently have only five franchise re-sales in the UK. They are established and profitable businesses based around High Wycombe, Cwmbran, Bridgend, Grimsby & Huddersfield. Please fill out the contact form for more info.