I wanted my own business, but also the support

Can you tell us a bit about yourself and what you were doing prior to buying your Greensleeves franchise?

Before purchasing the Tyne and Wear franchise I was working for a company that specialised in commercial vehicle accessories. I had also worked for the previous franchise owner. I’m a very motivated hands-on type of person which I feel really suits the role of franchise owner.

Why did you go down the franchise route?

I chose franchising because I wanted my own business, but also the support of a group of individuals all striving for the same thing. It takes a lot of pressure off knowing that you have a group of support staff at head office, from marketing through to HR as well as the head office support team who are wizards with the direct debit and admin system side of things.

How did you raise the finance?

We got a loan that covered 70% of the cost of the business and raised the other 30% through our savings.

What training and support did you receive initially and ongoing?

Initially we had a discovery day at head office which was really nice to make sure we were the right fit for the business and vice versa. Then we had a week’s franchise training at head office.

How would you describe your day-to-day role as a franchisee

My day-to-day role can be anything from visiting customers on seasonal treatments, quoting, machine work, right through to admin and emails. It’s full on but the days fly by and it’s really rewarding knowing you are offering a service that the customers really appreciate.

Provide information on challenges overcome as well as your key successes to date.

We’ve had quite a few challenges, we took over a business with 1100 customers so we were thrown straight into the deep end. I think this actually benefited us because we had to learn a lot very quickly just to keep up. We are 2 months away from our first full year and we are set to surpass our turnover target and hit a 25% growth in turnover from the previous year.

How do you retain your best staff and keep morale high and productive?

I have set up bonus schemes for taking on new customers and for operatives booking in additional treatments. I’ve said to my employees that I’d like them to be open and honest with me and I’ll be exactly the same with them. We have a weekly get together for them to raise any concerns they may have etc.

What is the most invaluable piece of advice you could give someone looking to buy their first franchise?

Follow the model that’s set out in front of you, and you can’t really go wrong. Lean on your peers for advice.

In your opinion, what makes a successful franchisee? 

A successful franchisee needs to be able to follow a proven model, be motivated to grow their business, be an empathetic employer.

What are your plans for the future?

Growth, growth and more growth.

If you had to do it all again, what would you do differently?

I would get advice from existing franchisees much sooner than I did. I’d also make sure all machinery and equipment passed over from an old franchise was in good working order.