Life after redundancy with gas-elec franchise
David McVicker
Being made redundant doesn’t have to mean being on the scrapheap. A compulsory change can be the key to a whole new life, as some of gas-elec’s 126 franchisees have proved. For 12 years this national safety inspection company has provided statutory combined gas and electrical safety inspections to the residential lettings and homeowner markets and business is booming – up 9% year on year in the first quarter of 2009.
No job, no redundancy!
Engineer David McVicker has just signed up for his third five-year stint with gas-elec. A former manager for ICI, his job disappeared after he’d been redeployed to Ipswich and he found himself without a job and with no redundancy package either. He discovered gas-elec in the press and at a franchise exhibition, downsized his house and joined the business. ‘I really did do the right thing,’ he says. ‘I am glad I stepped out of mainstream industry into something like this. The pressure I was under was immense. I had tried self-employment before but I spent so much time chasing contracts and money that it was hard to make a living, whereas with gas-elec 100% of my working time is actually on the job.’
35 years in the motor industry
Richard Curl is gas-elec’s regional manager in the south, who came into the franchise after 35 years in the premium motor trade. ‘When I was made redundant I hadn’t got enough to retire on, I was too young to retire, and I knew I was the only person to get me out of the situation. I saw gas-elec and the rest is history!’ Four years later, he feels he made the right decision. He’s extended his territory, added more safety inspection franchisees to his team and his business is growing. ‘If I had my time over again, the only thing I would have done differently would be to have come into the business earlier and joined gas-elec from Day One.’ Richard’s tip for success? ‘Make sure your life partner is behind you; my wife works with me in the business and having someone to discuss things with is vital.’
Getting out of insurance
Sheffield-based David Swift came to gas-elec after taking early retirement as an assessor with Eagle Star insurance. An engineer, 62 year old David joined the franchise in 2002 because it appealed to him and he was not ready to retire. It’s been a great success. ‘Being able to control my own workload is a big thing. When I was an assessor I was working until 9-10 at night and I didn’t want to work all hours. Also, I enjoyed going back on the tools. I do my inspections and some remedial work and that’s it. I am so pleased I took early retirement; I still keep in touch with the people I used to work with and I would have finished anyway within 2-3 years so at least it was of my own choosing when I went. I have no regrets at all about leaving the insurance industry and joining gas-elec.’
Leaving manufacturing
Douglas Bell has been gas-elec’s manager in Scotland for seven years. At 47 he took voluntary redundancy from the semi-conductor industry because he felt manufacturing was ‘dying on its feet’ and he wanted something different and challenging, but which would not take him away from the area where his family was well settled. ‘I have to say, franchising and gas-elec was a good choice. It’s taken a while to build up the business but I’m happy and my family is happy. gas-elec has done what I hoped it would do for me, financially and personally.’ Doug wants more engineers in Scotland, especially to handle booming business in Glasgow, and hopes more people will join him in the franchise. His former employer has now closed down the semi-conductor factory and gas-elec is sending franchise information packs to them in an effort to encourage some of Doug’s former colleagues to join him.
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