Real-World Enterprise in Action: Autosmart Inspires Young People at the Genuine Futures Hub
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Genuine Futures was proud to welcome Rob from Autosmart to our Youth Enterprise Hub at The Scrappers in Bolton. Rob arrived with the Autosmart mobile shop, creating a powerful, hands-on learning experience for young people involved in our youth employability, enterprise, and NEET support programmes, including We Shine Any Car.
Rob represents Hope and Brown, the local Autosmart franchisee covering the Bolton and Blackburn area. From the moment the mobile shop arrived on site, it sparked curiosity, confidence, and meaningful conversation—bringing real-world enterprise learning to life.
About Autosmart
Autosmart is a UK-based manufacturer and distributor of professional vehicle cleaning, valeting, and hygiene products, supplying businesses across the automotive, transport, and commercial sectors. Operating through a national franchise network, Autosmart supports local business owners to deliver professional-grade products and services directly to customers via mobile shops.
What makes Autosmart particularly relevant to young people learning about enterprise is its end-to-end business model—covering product development, manufacturing, logistics, sales, customer service, and franchising. It provides a strong real-world example of how a brand can scale nationally while still being delivered locally by independent business owners.
Enterprise learning brought to life
The Autosmart mobile shop is a fully operational business on wheels. Rob walked the young people through how the model works in practice, covering stock control, customer service, product selection, and professional standards. Seeing a real local business operating day to day helped demystify enterprise and showed young people what self-employment and franchising can look like in the real world.
Rob also shared his own journey into business, explaining the support available through the Autosmart franchise model and the realities of running a professional service business. This aligned closely with Genuine Futures’ approach to early intervention—giving young people practical, relatable insight rather than theory alone.
An eye-opening look at professional systems
One of the most impactful parts of the visit was Rob demonstrating the onboard chemical dispensing system built into the mobile shop. He showed how products are stored safely, accurately measured, and dispensed directly from the van—ensuring consistency, efficiency, cost control, and reduced waste.
For many of the young people, this was a real eye-opener. It highlighted the importance of systems, precision, and health and safety in professional environments, and showed how investing in the right infrastructure supports quality and profitability.
Luis said:
“I didn’t realise how much thought goes into the systems behind the scenes. Seeing how the chemicals are measured and dispensed properly made it feel like a real professional operation, not just cleaning cars.”
Curiosity about how products are made
Keir was particularly keen to learn more about how Autosmart develops such a wide range of specialist cleaning products. He asked thoughtful questions about how the chemicals are made, how different formulas are designed for specific tasks, and how Autosmart maintains consistent quality across such a large product range.
Rob explained how products are professionally developed, tested, and refined to meet industry standards, opening up a wider discussion about product development, innovation, and scaling a business. This helped the young people understand that enterprise doesn’t start at the point of sale—it begins much earlier with research, design, and quality control.
Keir said:
“I was interested in how they can have so many different products and still keep the quality high. It made me realise there’s a lot more behind a business than just what the customer sees.”
Great questions and growing confidence
The session generated excellent questions from across the group, covering pricing, margins, product safety, customer expectations, and business growth. Rob welcomed every question and took time to explain each answer clearly, reinforcing that curiosity and confidence are essential enterprise skills.
Jay reflected:
“Seeing how Autosmart works made me think bigger. It’s not just about washing cars—it’s about doing it right and delivering a professional service.”
Cameron added:
“The dispensing system really surprised me. It showed how businesses save time and money by being efficient, and why customers trust professional companies.”
Paula shared:
“What I liked was how professional everything looked and how clearly Rob explained it. It made business feel accessible and showed that organisation and attention to detail really matter.”
Reinforcing entrepreneurial and employability skills
A key part of Rob’s talk focused on how Autosmart franchisees buy in products, add value through expertise and service, and resell them to customers. This directly reinforced the entrepreneurial principles taught across Genuine Futures’ programmes.
By breaking down costs, pricing, margins, and customer value, Rob helped young people see that enterprise is practical decision-making, not abstract theory. Core lessons included:
- Buying smart and managing stock
- Adding value through professionalism and knowledge
- Pricing services correctly and understanding profit
- Using systems to ensure quality, consistency, and trust
For many young people, this validated what they are already learning through We Shine Any Car and showed how those skills transfer into employment, self-employment, and future enterprise opportunities.
Linking learning to We Shine Any Car
For young people delivering services through We Shine Any Car, the visit was particularly relevant. Learning about professional-grade products, correct dispensing methods, and industry standards reinforced the importance of quality, safety, and pride in work—key employability traits valued by customers and employers alike.
Learning in a real working environment
The visit took place at The Scrappers, home to the Genuine Futures Youth Enterprise Hub. The live working environment is central to our approach—young people are not role-playing employability; they are experiencing it in real settings with real businesses.
Why this matters for young people in Bolton
At Genuine Futures, we believe early exposure to real businesses, local entrepreneurs, and practical enterprise models builds confidence, aspiration, and belief—especially for young people at risk of becoming NEET.
Rob’s visit showed that enterprise is achievable, structured, and rooted in everyday skills such as organisation, communication, and professionalism.
Looking ahead
We are grateful to Autosmart and Hope and Brown for investing time, insight, and expertise into Bolton’s young people. This visit reflects our wider commitment to working with responsible local businesses to create meaningful employability pathways, enterprise opportunities, and positive futures.
Thank you to Rob, Autosmart and Hope and Brown for bringing the mobile shop to the hub and helping young people see what’s possible through practical enterprise learning.