Revive!’s newest franchisee is embarking on his fourth major career change at an age when many people are looking forward to retirement!

Graham Cunningham (64) began his working life as a policeman in Derbyshire before leaving the force to take on the Lada and Proton dealership in Halifax. When the manufacturer pulled out of the UK Graham re-trained to be a naturopath therapist specialising in NLP, Hypnotherapy and reflexology.

But after ten years he missed the buzz of the motor trade and returned to his first love, car sales taking on senior roles at dealerships in Yorkshire.

Looking ahead at retirement and facing a pension shortfall, Graham decided the time was right to set up his own business to secure his longer term financial future. He knew exactly what he wanted to do – go into smart repair – so he began looking into the options.
Graham explained : “In theory I knew enough people in the bodyshop business to go it alone by spending a few months learning how to do smart repairs, buy a van and get on the road myself. But I wouldn’t be getting a proven business model nor the kudos of a well-respected UK – wide brand backed up by award winning head office business support.

“Whilst I was training at the Revive! academy, the Revive! telemarketing team was busy setting up appointments for me with dealerships in my territory, so as soon as I begin trading I can hit the ground running. No way would I have had that if I had decided to go down the diy route.”

Choosing the right franchise was easy too. He continued: “Revive! just stood out head and shoulders above everybody else. I liked the one to one approach and that personalised attention has continued throughout every aspect of my recruitment and training,” he continued. “The training was tailored to suit my own learning styles and whilst I found it challenging and felt pushed at one point, I realised just how much I had learned and how far I had come.”

Graham hopes to add a second van within 14 months. He will be mentored by the Revive! business support team as he transitions from ‘Rookie’ through to ‘Developer Gold’ aiming to finally join the growing group of top performing franchisees in the ‘High Performer’ category.

“Like so many people of my generation I was a victim of the financial services crash of the 1990s when my pension fund failed. I have to keep working to maintain the lifestyle I enjoy and building a successful and profitable Revive! business means that I can build a stable financial future for me and my family beyond retirement. “