A passion for good old-fashioned customer service and the desire to use his management skills to build a business, led former Countrywide director Mike Gowland to set up Revive! Stafford.
At the height of his career in property industry he was managing director of Countrywide’s Bridgefords letting and estate agency division serving the North of England, responsible for a team of 350 people.
But after 30 years in estate agency Mike decided it was time for a complete change, and a new challenge. Disillusioned with the faceless culture of the corporate world, he had set up his own consultancy in 2015 but missed being involved in managing people in a growing business and the buzz that goes with it.
Mike didn’t want to start again from scratch, so he began to explore available management franchise opportunities.
He explained: “I’ve always been a bit of a petrol head so a franchise in the automotive sector appealed to me.”
“I don’t have time to spend another thirty years building up knowledge of an entirely different industry, so it made complete sense to go down the franchise route. The franchise model is one I am extremely familiar with, as many estate agencies are run along these lines. By taking on a franchise you benefit from the franchisor’s expertise – I don’t have to make my own mistakes and can leverage the power of a well-known, established brand.”
“I met up with the Revive! team and liked what I saw.”
“What most impressed me was that the people who started the business are still very much involved in it. The founding directors may have built Revive! from a very small business to the size it is today, but the company retains the culture, warmth and personal interaction that is more common in smaller organisations.”
The customer service side of estate agency was the aspect Mike most enjoyed, but with the arrival of the internet and new technology the industry changed out of all recognition. He continued: “Estate agents complain that business is hard, but that’s because they have lost sight of the old ways of doing things and talking to people. It’s customer service that makes you stand out from competitors and the reason why some smaller local independent estate agencies still manage to thrive.”
“Revive! is renowned for its levels of customer service and it’s going to be at the heart of everything we do at Revive! Stafford.”
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For more information about franchise opportunities in your area please get in touch with our team here: revivefranchise.com/contact-us/