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John and Elaine Ryan spotted the kitchen facelift company Dream Doors’ stand while having a cup of coffee at the International Franchise Exhibition at Olympia. They ended up with a new kitchen and a new business.

Mr Ryan had been in the printing industry for 27 years. “I was fed up with the unsocial hours and tremendous pressure, but was nervous about starting on my own, so franchising, with a proven system and support, appealed to me.”

He looked at the British Franchise Association’s website, and researched the options, as well as talking to other people who had franchises. He decided that he didn’t want to take on a franchise where he did the manual work, but would concentrate on managing other people and finding new business.

“But when we went round the franchise exhibition the businesses on offer all seemed very similar – involving cars or signmaking or printing. Then we saw the Dream Doors’ exhibit, and my wife said ‘I’d definitely have those in my kitchen.’ It seemed like a proper business, rather than a tradesman’s job.”