Revive! have been in the franchising world for 20 years now and have proven their ability to not only build businesses but change lives. Every business has to start from somewhere, Revive! began with just three original franchisees back in 2004, when the SMART repair industry was new to the UK. Revive! were very careful in their selection process of their first franchisees, determined to find owners who were not only driven, but were going to be in it for the long haul. Despite all the ups and downs of those 20 years all three original franchisees are still with Revive! to this day, proving the managing director’s selection process was right all those years ago. Despite numerous economic pressures, the credit crunch, austerity, Brexit, Covid and everything in between, the original three Revive! franchises have not only survived but thrived.
Revive! Highlands
The first ever Revive! franchisee is a hardy Scotsman by the name of Zander MacDiarmid who signed his agreement on 26/04/04. Based all the way up in the wilds of Scotland, Zander runs the Revive! Highlands franchise and has battled the harsh elements of the area for decades. Despite all the odds of wind, rain and bugs, Zander has kept Revive! Highlands running, and whilst he has eyes on retirement, Revive! cannot thank him enough for the continued high-quality customer services and dedication to the Revive! way.
Revive! Portsmouth
Steve Thatcher was Revive!’s second franchisee and signed his agreement for Revive! Portsmouth on 01/05/04. Steve has steadily grown his operation to become one of Revive!’s most successful outfits, with seven technicians along with additional support staff, he has found his role has evolved over the years as his business has grown.
Starting out as a technician, he was on the roads painting cars but as the business grew, he realised his time would be better spent in a managerial role organising his technicians, managing the administration side of the business while also reaching out to new trade opportunities to sell his businesses services. After 12 years on the road this was a significant transition, but would change again in 2020 when the pandemic really took a hold of the UK. With dealerships closed he found a shift to retail services included much more telesales and interacting with customers online answering their questions and queries. This allowed them to build up their retail operations and once lockdowns eased Steve found an abundance of dealership work now available as well.
Since hiring admin staff to take on the day-to-day business operations, Steve now drives the business forward as well as continuing to foster relationships with trade customers and developing them into more business for Revive! Portsmouth.
Revive! would like to thank Steve for his continued support and congratulate him on the success of Revive! Portsmouth, he holds a special place in Revive!’s history and deserves the respect and mark of honour that comes with it.
Revive! Manchester
The original husband and wife team, Revive! Manchester franchisees David and Celia Baxendale were the final signees for Revive!’s first year, signing their agreement on 01/08/04. With a keen background in cars the couple initially ran the business alongside their other business, an IT consultancy. Hiring paint technicians straight from the off allowed them to focus on the administration and sales side of the business which helped them grow quickly and significantly in the Manchester territory.
Since Celia has joined the management team the Manchester franchise has been going from strength to strength with the employment of additional technicians.
Something Dan and Celia have both noticed is that Revive! always pay attention to the unique challenges each franchisee is facing and tailors a specialist training and support plan for them. They also ensure they identify any gaps in their training regime to better support franchisees where they need it, for example Revive! recently introduced increased retail training, marketing and social media training and support, along with increased attention on dealership sales training.
Revive! would like to thank both Dan and Celia for their ongoing support of Revive!, their enthusiasm and confidence in the Revive! brand is a testament to the Revive! way and the growth of the network.
At Revive! we are incredibly proud of our history and as our 20th anniversary year is coming to a close we thought it apt to highlight our earliest supporters and thank them for their hard work over the past 20 years. Big or small, their dedication to representing Revive! and delivering outstanding customer service is an example for the rest of the network to follow. Here’s to another 20 years!
Keep an eye on the latest news from Revive! on our socials here: facebook.com/ReviveUKltd
For more information about franchise opportunities in your area please get in touch with our team here: revivefranchise.com/contact-us/
