Influencing change through a new business venture

For entrepreneurial couple, Phil and Jo Limb, the passion for sustainable living, led them to a new business venture. With the support of Mr Charger, they’re excited about how they’re supporting change across Exeter and Torbay.

With more of us looking to adopt a greener way of living, this is changing how people work, and the places they want to live. For Jo and Phil Limb, when their two girls were born, they knew they wanted to make some drastic changes to leave the world a better place for them, in the future. “We have actually just sold a franchise we’d bought back in 2015” Jo explains. “Part of our reason for buying it, was because it enabled us to leave behind the intensity of London, and raise our young daughters in a healthier environment, in Devon. We believe in the power of franchising, and had bought a franchise resale, which we grew three-fold, over seven years.”

However, during the pandemic, demand increased exponentially and Phil often found himself up at 3am, and on the road in a bid to help with customer deliveries. “I’d put the girls to bed and they’d ask if I was going to be away driving in the morning,” he says. “They missed having me with them at breakfast, and I missed being with them. It was relentless; the pandemic had a negative impact on how we had to work, in order to meet customer demand at the time. It defeated the purpose of starting our own business, in the first place.”

Once things started to settle, Jo and Phil started looking for a new venture, “We’re both passionate about sustainable living,” Jo explains. “We wanted a green business which would utilise our skills, be a fresh challenge, and bring Phil back to the breakfast table. I’d previously worked in a corporate law firm, and was used to dealing with people. Phil had worked in insurance, and has a keen eye for attention to detail. Neither of us wanted to go back to working for someone else, in the corporate world, and the hours you’re expected to do. We love running a small business, it allows you to build personal relationship with customers, so you can feel like you’re making a difference to their lives.”

Jo started her search on the British Franchise Association website, looking specifically for ‘green franchises’, which is how she discovered Mr Charger. As the couple researched the franchise, they liked the idea of supplying electric vehicle charge points, support people’s switch to greener driving. “Although, we didn’t know anything about electrics, we’ve been looking out for an electric car for a while. We discussed with friends and family our thoughts around a new business investment, which generated conversations about the desire people had to drive electric, but weren’t sure where to find information about the right charger. The more we uncovered about Mr Charger, the more we could see they match our philosophy, and we could dovetail with the brand. These were key elements which played a role in our decision to invest in a Mr Charger franchise.”

As Phil and Jo met with the Mr Charger Head Office team, their belief in the brand was even further solidified. “Mr Charger is a strong brand,” Phil explains. “They’re developing key relationships across the industry, and winning national contracts to which we can connect, on a local level. Through their ethos, the drive to offer exceptional customer service as standard, and the passion to make the customer journey an easy one, we felt a real connection. People want to support their local electrician, so we believe we can be a real influence, here in Exeter and Torbay.”

Due to open in May, Jo and Phil have hired their first electrician, who is currently going through the Mr Charger installation training. “I’m an advocate for working mums,” Jo says, “so I’m really excited our first hire is a female electrician. Kathryn is brilliant! I’m hoping our girls will be inspired, by seeing what Phil and I achieve with this new challenge, and – additionally – by Kathryn as she grows with us in her new role. We had a good training ground with our previous franchise, but now we can put our own mark on Mr Charger as we supply and install EV chargers in Exeter and Torbay.”

To find out about how you can support a greener lifestyle in your locality, contact Mr Charger about what it takes to run one of their franchises. Call: 0800 669 6159, or email: install@mrcharger.co.uk