A Simple Idea that Really is Effective HAVING spent much of his life working for himself, John Levenger became a franchisee almost by chance. After running his own hotel and owning a cleaning business, John was hoping for an early retirement when he started helping a friend run his Snack-in-the- Box (SITB) franchise. When the opportunity arose for John to buy the franchise in 2002, he jumped at the chance. “Working for someone else is not something that comes naturally to me,” he admits. Although nothing like he had done before, SITB has similarities to his previous work. “The end product may be different but it’s all about dealing with people and providing a great service,” he explains. “Working for myself while getting out and about and meeting people really appealed to me.” Since the launch, John has seen steady growth and development of the customer base the business inherited, although he admits: “Growing the business in the countryside is more difficult than it would be in a city but it’s all about putting that little extra effort in.” John considers the help and support that SITB provides to be “professional and very good, but of course it is often down to using your own initiative, which is something I enjoy”. Being a cash only business based on trust, John claims: “The beauty of SITB is that it’s a very simple idea but it really is effective. The business is a volume game - the more effort you put in, the bigger the financial reward.” Halfway through his five-year franchise agreement, John has recently enjoyed his most successful week yet. “I always enjoy a challenge,” he concludes, “and am looking forward to seeing how the business will progress.” | 
