Portsmouth electrician sparks selfie trend after finding new career following redundancy

AN ELECTRICIAN has been shocked to see business booming after sparking a selfie-hunting trend.
By Evie Coffey
Published 6th Jul 2021, 12:45 BST
Updated 6th Jul 2021, 15:17 BST
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

Graham Rodgers, 47, was made redundant during lockdown but has put a challenging year behind him and founded Current Solutions Electrical and Property Services.

He was a business development manager for HTP Apprenticeship College in Lakeside, where he worked for 15 months until he was made redundant.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Graham, who is married with three children, decided to retrain at Hampshire Training and Assessments in Havant.

Graham Rodgers was made redundant last year due to Covid. He retrained as an electrician and has set up his own business. Pictured: Graham Rodgers and his son, Ollie Rodgers near their home in Cosham. Picture: Habibur RahmanGraham Rodgers was made redundant last year due to Covid. He retrained as an electrician and has set up his own business. Pictured: Graham Rodgers and his son, Ollie Rodgers near their home in Cosham. Picture: Habibur Rahman
Graham Rodgers was made redundant last year due to Covid. He retrained as an electrician and has set up his own business. Pictured: Graham Rodgers and his son, Ollie Rodgers near their home in Cosham. Picture: Habibur Rahman

While there Graham achieved his Domestic Electrical Installer qualification.

This course took six weeks and gave him the skills to start his own business as an electrician.

To kick start Graham’s business, he came up with the advertising idea that you receive a freebie if you spot his work van and send in a selfie.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

He has been partnering with different businesses to offer the free reward.

Graham Rodgers was made redundant last year due to covid. He retrained as an electrician and has set up his own business. Pictured: Graham Rodgers at work near his home in Cosham on 16 June 2021 Picture: Habibur RahmanGraham Rodgers was made redundant last year due to covid. He retrained as an electrician and has set up his own business. Pictured: Graham Rodgers at work near his home in Cosham on 16 June 2021 Picture: Habibur Rahman
Graham Rodgers was made redundant last year due to covid. He retrained as an electrician and has set up his own business. Pictured: Graham Rodgers at work near his home in Cosham on 16 June 2021 Picture: Habibur Rahman
Read More
Portsmouth council chief still worried about easing of coronavirus restrictions ...

He is currently offering free fresh juice or a smoothie made by the new local juicing bar, JK Wellness in Drayton when you take a selfie with the van and share both businesses.

Graham of Hilary Avenue, Cosham, said: ‘To start with, I was paying for local Facebook advertising and handing out leaflets.

‘One evening just after getting my work van’s sign complete, I randomly came up with the idea of getting people to post a selfie or photograph with my van as a way of getting our name out there. I also thought it would be a little bit of fun.’

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

His advertising technique has been a great success. Graham said: ‘People have seen the fun side of it, and I think it’s worked well because people love a freebie.’

Children have loved getting involved and hunting down his work van in the area.

John Razzell, centre manager of Hampshire Training and Assessments, said: ‘Through Covid, we have been very busy, with lots of people enquiring.

‘We had to convert all our theory modules to online with home study over lockdown, with just the practical on sight when we opened back up.’

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

You can subscribe here for unlimited access to our online coverage, including Pompey, with 70 per cent fewer adverts for less than 20p a day.

Related topics:PortsmouthHavant