FOR most people, becoming a franchisee means finding a freedom in your work that you’ve never enjoyed before.

But that doesn’t mean new franchisees can’t benefit from a helping hand every now and again – especially if it’s from the previous business owners. It’s exactly this kind of collaboration that has helped Vishal Amin, director of Dream Doors Surrey and Sussex, get to grips with running a showroom for the UK’s #1 kitchen makeover company.

Vishal has been working alongside former showroom owners Ian and Julie Turnbull, who ran the showroom for the better part of a decade before semi-retiring. Ian and Julie had booked in more than £126,000 worth of work for Vishal to undertake when he came on board and they have worked with him to ease his transition into running the showroom.

Julie said: “That much business is not an unmanageable amount, but it’s quite a lot for a new starter to take on, especially as Vishal is still getting to grips with every other aspect of running the business at the same time. Vishal could certainly have done it on his own, but we helped make it less of a struggle. If we had been handing over £20,000 worth of business – a handful of jobs – that would have been a different story. We have a great working relationship with Vishal and he’s all set to make a real success of his business.”

Vishal says the experience of working alongside the former owners has ‘worked out really well,’ adding: “Ian and Julie have been a great help to me. They had sold a lot of business before I came in and it was a little daunting, especially since I hadn’t met any of these customers. I’m very glad to have worked with Ian and Julie to go through this handover period.”

Dream Doors is looking for more talented franchisees like Vishal who are ready to generate huge profits by representing an industry-leading brand. There are just 19 new franchise territories available nationwide, particularly in the North East, North West, Yorkshire and Scotland.

Interested parties from anywhere in the UK are encouraged to get in touch.

Meet the Dream Doors recruitment team at Franchise Opportunities Scotland at the Radisson Blu, Glasgow on Thursday, September 12. The team will also be at the NEC in Birmingham on Friday, October 4 and Saturday 5.