Having walked away from the stress and politics of corporate life, franchisee Rob Stobbs has just completed his first year as an Autosheen valeting specialist and says he's delighted with the progress he's made in building his new business.

"You never really know what to expect when you make such a radical life change, but I would say my first two years in business for myself have been better than expected," he says. "It's certainly been hard work, but despite the difficult climate, I've continued to attract new customers and I'm definitely still enjoying it!"

Rob looked at quite a few franchises before joining Autosheen, but having considered several different options, he felt that the UK's leading valeting specialist offered the best package in terms of training and support, as well as an opportunity to expand. "Like most blokes I like cars and take pride in looking after my own, so a valeting franchise appealed to me. When I spoke to the management team at Autosheen and to some of their franchisees, nobody had a bad word to say about Autosheen - then when I saw a full valet demonstrated, I was really impressed."

Having gained twelve months experience in providing specialist services to his automotive customers, Rob then focused on developing his marine and leisure valeting skills to enable him to take full advantage of these - and other - new opportunities on offer from Autosheen.

He is able to provide top quality machine polishing and paint rectification services as well as paintwork protection, thanks to the IMI (Institute of Motoring) accredited training he has received. Rob was one of the first franchisees to take part in the new marine valeting course, which is being delivered free of charge from the franchisor.

"The marine and leisure vehicle training has opened up even more business opportunities," Rob confirms. "In due course, I plan to consider putting two or three more vehicles on the road and taking on some employees to help me. For now, though, I am relishing the freedom and independence of just being my own boss!"

Rob was able to tap into Autosheen's lucrative National Accounts customer base from the outset, which meant he had work booked in from day one. However, he's at pains to emphasise that whilst National Account work provides a welcome extra income stream and a great starting point, ultimately investing in a franchise means building your own business and developing your own local customer base.

He has already taken forward bookings for next year from regular customers and says that with his newly acquired skills he's secured a substantial contract with a local caravan park which has 150 caravans in need of his specialist services.

Rob concludes, "Autosheen will support you all the way, but in the end you have to use their business tools to develop new contacts and demonstrate your services -  I've made great strides with my business over the last year and am looking forward to seizing the opportunity to grow onwards and upwards!"