Liz Cooper, Franchisee, Stoke on Trent

Today, 'enthusiasm and zest for life' is Liz Cooper's mantra. But for many years she worked in a high-flying job, often clocking up 12-hour days, six days a week. Because she had little time to spend with her five-year-old son, frustration and feelings of guilt became part of her routine. Something had to give and, after discussions with her husband Dom, Liz decided to quit her lucrative position as a recruitment consultant to find a more flexible alternative.

"Before I invested in my own greeting card franchise, I was working flat out all of the time. I've got two children in their twenties who are able to look after themselves, but I also have my younger son Torin - now seven - to look after. What became difficult for me was that I wasn't getting to see Torin because of the long hours I was doing. Eventually, I decided that the situation wasn't fair on my son, my husband Dom, or myself. Dom and I decided that we both needed a change of direction and so we began looking at various franchise opportunities together.

At first we investigated the fast food sector, but the hours can be long and unsociable, and that was exactly what I wanted to avoid. Then we came across OPC at a franchise exhibition. We loved the cards and business idea straightaway, so when we found out the Stoke franchise was up for sale, we decided to buy it.

At first we were going to run the franchise together, but because we couldn't afford to lose two salaries straightaway we decided that I would get the franchise going, and then Dom would join me further down the line. The problem was that the Stoke franchise ended up becoming my pet project, and because I'd found my own way of running things, I was happy to continue working on my own.

Then, as luck would have it, OPC's Manchester territory came up for sale, so Dom put in an offer and secured the territory for himself - now we've got two OPC territories! The biggest advantage in this situation was that, because I'd learnt so much about running my greeting card business, I was able to pass my knowledge onto Dom.

Dom and I have worked extremely hard in our separate territories, and are starting now to reap the rewards. I've gone from selling 2000 cards a month to selling more than 7,200 a month in less than three years. Dom is now shifting around 4,000 cards a month, so we're both drawing a good income from the two franchises.

However, we are both still building our own territories with plenty of opportunity for more growth. It has taken time and effort to build up my area, and as an OPC franchisee you need to be self-motivated, but I've managed to develop a solid routine, and I now have customers who are really happy to see me when I go in to replenish their stock or show them new card ranges.

When you buy a franchise, you really don't know what to expect, but everyone at the OPC Support Office has been open and honest with us from the outset. Basically, the business has worked out almost exactly as they said it would. There have been no hidden extras, and there's been help at hand, every step of the way, from both the Support Office and our Business Development Manager.

Another good thing about OPC is the wide range of greeting card products on offer. If you compare the quality and diversity of our cards to other suppliers, ours really stand out on the shop floor. OPC produces literally hundreds of cards with eye-catching designs, including my favourite, the animal-themed range, which sells really well.

From my point of view, the best thing about running an OPC franchise is that I've finally found the flexibility I craved. Now I can drop the little one off at school, go out to work selling for a few hours, and pop home to do some admin before picking my son up at the end of the school day. I now pick and choose the hours I want to work, although I do make sure that I put in a full working week in total."