When ex-teacher and active charity trustee, Lesley Wallace, opened her Dream Doors showroom in Berkshire, she’d never sold anything for a living before. So, what made Lesley ditch her stable career in education to plough some savings into a retail venture, and in a new industry to boot?
"I wanted a different challenge after spending years working with schools and charities. And while my job was rewarding in lots of ways, it was also very restrictive.
I believed in this business from the outset, though. A kitchen transformation is such a fantastic idea that anyone who takes pride in their home would be interested in it. And being part of Dream Doors gave us instant credibility with our customers."
That career change paid off for Lesley as she finished her first year's trading with sales of more than half-a-million pounds. She added to that the following year, bringing husband Adrian on board as well, before increasing turnover to more than £700,000-a-year.
"Everything has panned out exactly as we were told it would. The team at Dream Doors were honest from the start, painting a realistic picture with real figures. I'm really enjoying being a business owner and have absolutely no regrets at all."
Ex-Royal Mail manager, Mark Holmes, shares the same sentiment as Lesley. Joining Dream Doors three years ago, he and his wife Rachael took a step into the unknown, but it was a decision they say they would make again, without hesitation.
"The rewards in this business are tangible, not just financially but emotionally as well. It feels great providing a high-quality service to such incredible people – local homeowners like ourselves. This is the perfect role for us and we love the fact that the business is truly ours. We have never felt more at home whilst working and would happily do it all over again, no questions asked!"
As the UK’s largest kitchen facelift retailer, Dream Doors has opened more than 75 locally-owned showrooms nationwide. Providing time and money saving kitchen makeovers, the company has transformed more that 62,000 homes to date. Its franchisees come from all walks of life but, importantly, they don’t need any kitchen industry experience.
Franchisee Neil Fisher followed in the footsteps of a childhood friend to launch his own Dream Doors trading territory.
Simon Herbert took the leap into running his own business two years ago and opened Dream Doors Gloucester.
Ramin Razaq relocated from Belarus to open a profitable kitchen makeover showroom in the UK with his wife Wida.
After more than a decade of trading, Dream Doors franchisees Mike and Elaine Hurley are still enjoying their work and making great money.
Chris Nowell joined Dream Doors in early 2019 and is now running a kitchen showroom in Telford.
Almost five years after joining Dream Doors, Mark Holmes continues to see his take home profits rise.
Vishal Amin has found a way to balance spending time with his growing family and earning a great take home salary with Dream Doors.
Ex-service engineer Mick Appleton is indulging his love of interior design by opening a kitchen showroom.
It took Wilson Craig just 31 days to formally open his kitchen showroom in his hometown of Prestwick.
Colin Lynch was looking for a change of career and knew franchising for the UK’s #1 kitchen makeover company was the way forward.
Changing his career direction has given Wilson Craig the chance to work alongside his family.
Selling up the family business allowed the Bachelor family to start a lucrative Dream Doors kitchen makeover franchise.
David Parr was looking for a career change that offered greater earning potential.
David Ward OBE has swapped conflict zones in Europe and the Middle East for a Dream Doors kitchen showroom in the West Country.
Gary and Hayley Ashe relocated to Britain to tap into its ‘mature’ franchising market.
Former sales manager Manbir Takhar was looking for a new work opportunity when he joined Dream Doors in 2015.
Sean and Katie Hebdon have built a successful, family-run business that delivers the lifestyle they had always craved.
Focusing on top notch customer service has allowed husband and wife, Martin and Alex Smith, to build a highly profitable business.
Dream Doors franchisee Lynn Fletcher found the working flexibility she needed by joining the UK’s #1 kitchen makeover company.
Taking on a Dream Doors franchise allowed ex-teacher Matt Jones to move back to his favourite part of the country.
The James family has worked together to generate over £1million in annual sales from their Dream Doors showroom in Stoke-on-Trent.
Ex-banker Jerry Innesbeer took back control of his working life by taking on a Dream Doors franchise after being made redundant.
Samiul Islam and Abdul Muktadir have surpassed their income targets in their first 18 months of running a Dream Doors franchise.
Mark and Janet Warr approached Dream Doors to seek the opportunity and method they needed to grow their business.
Dream Doors franchisees Richard Marshall and Jamie-Louise Brewer generated over £94,000 in their first month of trade.
Joining Dream Doors has been a 'whirlwind' for David and Kate Howle of Worcester.
Craig Allen was a disgruntled employee that chose franchising to find freedom, profit and security with Dream Doors.
Mark and Rachael say that they have never felt more at home whilst working as Dream Doors Franchisees.
Lavine decided to open his own Dream Doors franchise and tells us what first attracted him to the proposition.
Matt Jones, the new owner of Dream Doors Truro, worked as a design technology teacher for 12 years before taking on a franchise.
The training and support has been fantastic and has really reinforced the fact that we made the right decision. The initial training was really helpful and there have been plenty of visits from the Franchise Support Manager to keep us on the right path.Helen Mahon
Everything about the franchise works as it is written in the manual and, in your early days, this is important while you learn the business.Paul Reeder
If you want to work for yourself and have more flexibility, I would recommend a Dream Doors franchise. Also it’s good to know that you can run your own business, but still have the back up of a national company.Matt Jones
13-week induction programme – covering all aspects of running a successful business
Help to find the perfect kitchen installation team
Dream Doors is part of Neighbourly, the world’s largest parent company of home services and property-related franchises