Well done George. We’ll miss you Paul. This is exactly what we built this for.
When Paul sat George down for a chat, George thought he was getting let go.
He wasn’t. Paul was offering him a business.
That moment is not something we planned for. We’re quietly proud of it anyway. It happened because the right two people had been in the same place, doing the same work, for two years.
A bit about Paul
Paul Seymour spent 30 years in industrial flooring. He built his own company, worked with Ryvita and Heineken, and eventually sold up. He downsized with his wife, settled into a bungalow, and tried retirement.
He lasted about a year.
“I’ve got to do something. I can’t sit still. I have to do something,” he said.
At 55, he started looking at what came next. He went to a franchise exhibition. Most options wanted qualifications he didn’t have. After three decades of running his own business, he didn’t tick the boxes the world seemed to want. But he could drive. And that’s when he found us.
He came in sceptical. He wanted a couple of days a week, something to keep him busy, and he was honest enough to admit that when Dan talked about smart uniforms and consistent standards, his first thought was: “I can’t really see it. But fine.”
He signed up in February 2024. One of the very first franchisees through the door.
What happened next
Within one month, Poole was doing so well that Paul took on Bournemouth and Christchurch too. By the end of March 2024 he had all three.
He didn’t shout about it. He just got on with it. Every time Dan called to check in, the answer was the same: “I can’t believe how busy we are. We’re back to back.”
His wife stepped in alongside him. George came on board, guaranteed 20 hours a week from day one. The diary filled up. Then kept filling.
Paul qualified as a Transport Manager in his second year. He built a customer base where a quarter of all work comes from repeat bookings and personal recommendations. He gets a tip on virtually every job.
“You don’t give tips for bad service. If you go to a restaurant and get a shoddy meal, you don’t tip. It’s as simple as that.”
By the time he handed over the keys, Paul had gone from one branch, one van, and one person to three branches, two Luton vans running virtually full-time, three full-time team members, and two part-time contractors on call.
He tripled his original investment in just over two years.
The handover
George is 27. He came into Paul’s world when he needed work and was guaranteed 20 hours a week from day one. For two years he worked alongside Paul on every kind of job, learning the standards, the customer care, and the way Paul treats people.
George doesn’t inherit a territory. He inherits a business. The reviews, the reputation, the loyal customer base. All of it passes with him. He didn’t hesitate for a second when Paul told him what was on offer.
And Paul? He’s not disappearing. He’s simply retiring. For the second time.
“It’s nice to know that I look at it and think: do you know what, I built that. And it’s still going.”
This is what YMWAV is all about
We say it a lot, but Paul’s story is the clearest version of it we’ve seen. This franchise works at any stage of life. People join, they graft, they build something they didn’t know they were capable of, and when the time comes, they leave with a real business to sell. Not just a job to walk away from.
Paul came in wanting two days a week. He leaves with three branches, a full team, two vans barely off the road, and a payout three times what he put in. George is 27 and just got handed something it would have taken him years to build on his own.
That’s not a fluke. That’s just what two years of quiet, consistent work looks like when the right support is around you.
Congratulations, George. The Dorset branches are in brilliant hands.
Thank you, Paul. You’ll always be part of this team.
And to anyone reading this who’s wondering whether they’ve got the right background, the right age, or the right experience. Paul’s final word:
“Better to try and fail than to spend the next 20 years wondering what would have happened if you had tried.”
If you’d like to find out more about franchising with Your Man With A Van, visit our franchise page here. We’d love to have a chat.
Your Man With A Van is Britain’s Most Gentlemanly Man With A Van Service, with 65+ branches across the UK, 10,000+ customers served, and 20 industry awards.