James, with his strong background in customer service and Wai within retail decided they wanted to find the right opportunity to become their own boss.

Here Andy Hemming reveals his 'warts 'n' all' story of his decade with ActionCOACH, overcoming the 2008 recession and how he grew his coaching business to £60,000 income a month on just three days' work a fortnight.

Danayal Zia had been advising clients for more than 17 years with Standard Chartered Bank (SCB). When he found ActionCOACH, the buzz came back and he knew this was the business for him.

Dinusha Ileperuma is an example of someone who wanted to own a business and build a long-term future, but who had yet to pinpoint the right idea or how to deliver it.

From teacher to business woman: How a personal journey to fitness led to gym ownership

With the need to gain financial freedom at the forefront of his mind, Andy Bedwell started to look at opportunities that would allow him to escape the corporate life.

It could be argued that long-time school friends, Torban Cane and Jeremy Rose, are experts at picking franchises.

Searching for a way to escape being chained to her corporate desk, Kay Collier-Jeremy wanted to gain the flexibility and variety she craved while using what she knew was a sound investment platform – property.