The misfortune of being made redundant twice might have left most people reeling, but Mr Whitlock, 52, says he is made of sterner stuff.

He explains. “I was fed up with the financial services game and wanted a change. I was reasonably open minded about the kind of franchise business I was looking for, but it had to be well established, with a good reputation and track record, and with plenty of successful franchisees making good money.”

He attended an open day at automotive paintwork repair specialists ChipsAway, which left both him and his wife Ruth suitably impressed.

He said: “There were no unrealistic promises or guarantees, just that if you follow the system, it will work for you, and there was plenty of evidence to back that up.”

Within two days of launching his new business last September he had written estimates worth £18,595 and booked £4,335 of repairs into his diary, and his business has continued to flourish ever since.

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