David Ward left the Marines as a Lieutenant Colonel after 30 years of service and helped run the Royal Marines charity for years after that. He feels the transferable skills he learnt in the military will now help him as he opens the doors of a new kitchen showroom in Plymouth.
"I joined the marines because of the challenge and because I wanted a physical, outdoor job. It allowed me to serve all over the world – in Afghanistan, Iraq, Kosovo and Northern Ireland among other places.
I wanted a second career after leaving the military, it was just a case of finding the right moment to take that step. I feel happy to move on from the Royal Marines charity and to set up my own business working for the UK’s number one kitchen makeover company in the South West, where I want to be.
I have always wanted my own business and I always wanted that business to be people-centric and related to home development in some fashion.
I think franchising is a great fit for people from military backgrounds. Franchising takes strong project management skills, which you need in the military, and it’s a way to combine the ability to manage people and serve people."
Dream Doors is looking for more talented franchisees like David who want to run their own local business, while also representing an industry-leading national brand.
There are just 19 new franchise territories available nationwide, particularly in the North East, North West, Yorkshire and Scotland.
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.
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.
How people with no prior experience are building half-a-million-pound businesses 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.
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
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
Dream Doors is part of Neighbourly, the world’s largest parent company of home services and property-related franchises
Help to find the perfect kitchen installation team
Potential to achieve MORE THAN £1MILLION in yearly turnover