Five Minutes With Screen Rescue Cambridge franchisee, Ethan Elliston-Hart

Five minutes with… Screen Rescue Cambridge franchisee, Ethan Elliston-Hart! Franchisor, co-founder and director of Screen Rescue, Amanda Hilario recently caught up with their youngest franchisee, Ethan Elliston-Hart, who at age 20 had already founded his first business. Amanda said, “We are proud to introduce our seriously driven, serial entrepreneur, Ethan Elliston-Hart. Q: You owned a successful Amazon business, so what turned your head with a Screen Rescue franchise? A: At 20 years old, I co-founded my first start-up business and won an exclusive deal awarded by Amazon's own brand. We grew the business to a T/O of £60k in its trial period. Owning this start-up helped me learn how a business operates; the time and effort required and the ups and downs that come with running any company. In 2024, when the business was sustainable, I sold my share to buy a Screen Rescue franchise. I could see the franchise opportunity was hugely scalable, with no limits and from the start my aim has been to scale up my franchise business then purchase another franchise territory and then hire a technician. To read the full interview with Ethan, continue below: Q: What did you do before? A: I completed my Carpentry Apprenticeship with a local building company and then worked with them full-time. Then, at 20 years old, I co-founded my first start-up business. We won an exclusive deal awarded by Amazon's own brand and grew the business to annual T/O of £60k in its trial period. In 2024, I sold my share to buy a Screen Rescue franchise. Q: You were already successful, what made you decide to buy your own franchise? A: I decided to buy my own franchise business because I've never liked the idea of working '9 to 5' and I still wanted a business I could grow and build even further. Having your own franchise business means the sky is the limit. It's extremely exciting knowing you can scale up your franchise as big as you want. Q: Franchisor, Amanda helped create your 3-year projections as part of pulling together your business plan. How did this help you? A: Building my P&L, Cash Flow and Balance Sheet based on several previous, proven results helped me a lot because it made me understand where I would be at each month. It also set you a target that you wanted to hit but also exceed and push for more. Q: How did you find the funding assistance and set-up process? A: Working with franchisor, Amanda, I found the funding process and set up really good. It was straight forward and stress free and was a lot easier and more reassuring than I thought it was going to be. Being funded for a business sounds daunting at first, but the process from start to draw down put my mind completely at ease. Q: Franchisor, Amanda helped you pull together your business plan - how did you find this process? A: The business plan process is very good. It was very interesting learning about the business and franchise in general and in terms of what I was setting up. The whole process gave a clear insight into how franchises operate and succeed. It made me feel very optimistic. Q: HO Accounts process your invoices, collects in, chases and reconciles all of your payments. How helpful is this to you in your business? A: Not having to chase payments allows you to focus on growing your business. There are no worries about if you've remembered to send an invoice or chase in a payment. Your focus is strictly on doing the best repairs possible and keeping your valued clients satisfied and stress free. Q: You've been trading over 18 months now. How has being your own boss given A: you a better work/ life balance? I love being my own boss for so many reasons. On one side you can push yourself as there's no limit on the hours you can work and you can look after as many clients as possible, which allows you to do more repairs and earn more money. On the flip side you can take a break, for example a holiday, as you are in control of your own diary. You can arrange jobs around your time off and make sure clients are always the priority. Q: You launched 18 months ago. What are your ambitions for your franchise and what do the next 12 months hold in store for you? A: My burning ambition has always been to grow this franchise as big as I can. I want to scale up and grow as many areas of the business as I can. I'd love to be able to look back and know I've built a great franchise business that is now capable of running itself with the right people in place. However, within the next 12 months my aim is to purchase another territory and hire a technician. Q: What advice would you give to others looking to invest in a Screen Rescue franchise? A: The advice I would share is to be prepared to work hard but also know; you're waking up every day doing a job you love with the excitement of building your own business into something self-sustaining for your own future. This role requires commitment and a good work ethic but if you have those values and like to feel like you're achieving something every day, you would be a perfect fit for Screen Rescue. END