Swift success: Mike and Mtthew Yates beat the recession with metro rod and now run a thriving business.(Franchise Focus)

With an expanding workforce, healthy profits, and valuable contracts with household names like Pizza Express, BUPA and JD Wetherspoon, it's hard to believe that 12 months ago Mike and Matthew Yates' business prospects were looking very different.

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Both experienced managers and used to hard work. In just four years, they had seen their Bolton-based removals and haulage company grow from a man-and-a-van operation to a 12-strong fleet of vehicles. But the slump in the housing market and rising fuel prices hit the firm hard, as Mike recalls: "We had to get out. We had to find a new business."

After careful research, they chose to buy an …