Featured
in the Daily Mail - August 13th 2007
"We were in our mid-50s and our private pension arrangements were not up to much - and we all know the state provision isn't great either," says Mel, now 62.
But a business card left on Mel's windscreen changed all that.
"The card asked if I was interested in making extra money. I called up to find out more and recieved an information pack."
It was Kleeneze, the catalogue shopping franchise which sells household cleaning and health and beauty products through a network of independent distributors.
"I'd heard of them but didn't know how they operated," says Mel from Penrith in Cumbria."
After calling up and asking lots more questions he decided to give it a go. Irene was furious. She told me in no uncertain terms that she hadn't married a door-to-door brush salesman.
"I still went ahead and she stopped speaking to me," laughs Mel.
It was 1999 when Mel invested £125 to start up his Kleeneze business - and earned £536 in his first two weeks.
After almost two months of a rather tense atmosphere at home, Irene finally admitted that the business was working and decided to get involved too.
"Now, almost eight years later, we rarely earn less than £5,000 per month and we should make not far short of £100,000 this year.
"We run our own business from home with no boss and we have total freedom to work the hours that suit us, " adds Mel.
Along the way the couple have been on all expenses paid trips to Australia, Budapest and Monte Carlo and last year they were presented with a brand-new BMW as part of Kleeneze's incentives scheme.
"Anyone with a good work ethic and some ambition can succeed at this," says Mel.
Are the couple still worried about their pension now?
"No chance," Mel beams. "I'm glad I stuck to my guns. We can now look forward to a much more comfortable retirement."