Hire A Hubby!

Michael James did many odd jobs for his grandmother, and after hearing stories of her elderly friends being nervous and wary of workmen due to previous bad experiences, he decided to create Hire-a-Hubby.

Michael wanted to become a respected member of the community who could be trusted to come in and help whenever needed, at affordable prices. He wanted his business to stand out from the crowd so he decided to paint his van bright pink with the sign-writing ‘Hire-A-Hubby’!

Michael has come a long way since starting out and has many aspirations: franchising the company and having a fleet of pink vans; Hire-A-Hubby taxis; and a driving school to name a few.

He would like to set some time aside each month to spend with community projects. He plans to help people ‘go green’ by providing them with boxes to store any glass they use in their home and recycling it for them - as he knows many people are unable to get to recycling points - and he’s also launching a free installation service for energy-saving light bulbs.

If anyone is thinking of starting a business, Michael’s advice is: “Just go for it, the only thing holding you back is yourself. I started with no money and learnt everything as I went along. I never had any previous experiences or did business studies at school. I think if you are confident and truly believe in what you are doing then you can achieve anything, after all we are all the same as the next person, so long as you set yourself targets and stick to them you are bound for success!”

In March 2007 he was given a Bright Sparks Award by the Lowestoft Journal and the Make Your Mark in Lowestoft campaign.