Gareth Bishop was in a bad car accident in 2007. Needing a new career he found that franchising gave him back his confidence and led him to charity work.
Gareth completing a marathon for Tubz chosen charity Starlight
How did you get started?
Tubz: Before you actually decided to invest in a Tubz business, what was it you were looking for and why?
Gareth: Well basically, I was in a bad car accident in 2007 so I couldn’t return to my normal job. So I had to look for something that was within my needs, and my ability, at that time. And the vending machine concept popped into my head.
T: What other options did you look at and why did you pick Tubz?
G: I was attracted to the franchise model because of all the help and support that was there. That was important after losing my confidence and ability in the car accident.
Tubz reassured me at the start and I bought 10 vending machines just to take a punt. And Tubz were true to their word. The stock and the machines arrived within a couple of days and then within a week after that the emails came through for my new sites. They delivered and I did my bit. And the rest is history.
T: So was the help and support the most important thing for you when you were evaluating your options?
G: Yes, definitely the help and support with coming out of a bad car accident. Just needing that support, that safety net, was really what attracted me.
T: Was it just yourself that was involved in the decision making process, or was there anyone else?
G: I had the help, support and guidance of my parents as well but basically I knew my own weaknesses and I knew my own strengths. I knew what I needed and what I didn’t, so ultimately it started with me.
How did you find the set-up process?
T: So you said it took about a week for the machines to get there. How long did it take you to actually get fully up and running?
G:: I was up and running with 10 vending machines in not that long at all. It was maybe eight weeks until I had all the stock and towers delivered and assembled, stickers put on, wrapped up and my sites as well. So they were located quickly.
T: Did the process itself meet your expectations? And everyone that was involved?
G: I was lucky enough to work with Chris and I went from 10 units first and it went smoothly, so I purchased 25 and again that went smoothly. So then I was confident enough to purchase 100 towers after that.
T: How many machines do you currently have?
G: Well at the moment I’ve got about 135. I’ve started to do the Pringles machines as well, so I started to put those alongside the Tubz towers. I’ve got about 35 towers in storage at the moment and I’m just waiting to get more new sites.
T: So have you experienced any other benefits since starting your Tubz business?
G: Well obviously I basically went from a car accident and benefits, to managing my own franchise.
Also Tubz work with the charity Starlight, so I started doing charity work for them, and Tubz made that relationship happen pretty easily. It was only a matter of sending Starlight an email saying that I’m a Tubz franchisee and that opened up the door for me to do charity work as well which is deeply rewarding.
I climbed Kilimanjaro for Starlight so that’s a direct benefit as well. It kind of planted that seed in my mind to do charity work. So that was a huge benefit for me.
