If you’re looking for some solid facts about what makes the Access4Lofts franchise such a great opportunity, there’s no shortage of them out there. You can easily find plenty of info on how it’s a proven business model with fantastic support, how it can help you be your own boss and make a great living.

All very important, but what does that actually look like in real life?

Grant Coles is the proud owner of 3 territories in the south-west of England, spanning Devon and Cornwall, who is about to enter his 5th year with Access4Lofts, and is celebrating being one of our top earning franchisees, here’s his story…

After 14 years climbing the corporate ladder, Grant Coles took the leap into franchise ownership with Access4Lofts and built a 5-van business in just 4 years.

Everyone has a different reason for going into business for themselves. Some reach a point where they’ve had enough of working for someone else, and decide it is time to build something of their own. Others realise it’s the natural next step once they have a certain amount of experience under their belt, or simply want and need a change.

For Grant Coles owning a business was a lifelong ambition - he was just waiting for the right time, and the right opportunity.

Before joining the Access4Lofts franchise, Grant worked at the famous St. Austell brewery in Cornwall, rising through the ranks to a senior management position. While starting his own business was always the end goal, he wanted to gain real-world experience first, and raise enough capital on his own terms.

“I never intended to stay for 14 years, but it was a great job and I learned so much about how businesses operate at every level.” Grant says. “However, by the start of 2021, I felt like the time was right to make my move. So, I decided to pull the trigger and make it happen!”

Grant looked at a lot of different ways to make this happen, but was particularly drawn to van-based franchises which would allow him to use his more practical and hands-on skills but still give him the chance to tap into a proven business model. After much research, he narrowed his options down to two choices: Access4Lofts and another big, national franchise.

“Both were great opportunities, but it was the potential to scale up the business which really sold Access4Lofts to me. I could see it working as a one-man-van operation but also a business which could grow into something much bigger. At least bigger enough where I could have the flexibility I wanted to one day become a manager driving my own team, which is what I’ve always wanted.”

And that’s exactly what he’s achieved! In fact, he won an award in his first year as our top performing new comer, and was the second highest performing franchisee right across the network in 2025, turning over more than £400k. However, he remembers being somewhat cautious and nervous about the future when he first started. This is totally understandable, and very common – after all, even a franchise which can demonstrate success across dozens of locations like Access4Lofts, making the move from a salaried job to self-employment is a huge leap of faith.

For Grant, that choice was to prove pivotal in changing his life for the better.

“I’m a big believer in the idea that you make your own luck, so, to make sure I would succeed early on, I actually went and got a part-time temp job to start the same time I launched Access4Lofts. It wasn’t that I didn’t believe it would work, I was just worried about how long it would take to earn any money and wanted to make sure I was covered in the meantime.

“Within 2 days I had to sack it off because I was already so busy! Enquiries were pouring in and, in the first 3 months alone, I did more than £22k’s worth of work! In less than a year, I decided I needed to take on a 2nd van and an extra employee.”

We don’t leave anything to chance when it comes to helping our franchisees get the best possible start in their new business. After all, that’s what franchising is all about - your success is our success -and with more than 100 territories in the UK, we know exactly what it takes to get word out in your local area about what you can do. The whole process starts long before you even finish training, with a comprehensive marketing campaign in your area that typically generates plenty of leads for you to follow up on in your first week. Many new franchisees leave our training centre on a Friday with a full list of phone calls to make by Monday morning.

From the solid foundations we were able to give him, Grant has built something truly remarkable. Now operating a whopping 5 vans across 3 territories, he’s spending less and less time on actual installations and instead handing the day-to-day delivering of services to a well-trained team headed up by a General Manager. This frees him up to focus on quotes, marketing, and strategic decisions -exactly the position he envisioned when he first joined.

“My family put a great deal of faith in my decision, though I had to work hard to convince them at the beginning. Now, both my wife and mother work in the business! I haven’t just created something really successful for myself, but for my family, too, and that’s a huge deal. I might even think about adding a 6th van sometime in the next couple of years… the possibilities are endless!”

While Grant now has everything he needs to keep enjoying a thriving business for many years to come, he's never alone. Everyone at Access4Lofts is available to support him whenever needed. Through their mobile app, they share manuals and videos directly with franchisees and encourage them to help each other with problem-solving and advice. After so many years of success, there's very little Grant doesn't already know - in fact, he's already one of the go-to experts on the app for newer franchisees seeking guidance - but he knows there's always a huge support structure there whenever he needs it.

Which is the whole point, of course: Grant's journey from brewery manager to multi-territory franchise owner didn't happen by accident. It happened because he found the right opportunity with the right support at the right time. So, if you've been dreaming of running your own business but want the security of a proven model and ongoing support, Access4Lofts could be the opportunity you've been waiting for.