Special Feature Subway
After serving in the army for 22 years as a vehicle mechanic, Phillip Carter decided to take the plunge in 2005 and
become a Subway franchisee.
Why did you choose franchising? I had always been interested in starting my own business and after thoroughly researching the different possibilities I thought franchising would be my best option. One of the major advantages of franchising is that it allows you to start a business that is part of a well-established brand name. As soon as you open you have an established customer base, this reduces many of the risks normally associated with starting your own business.
What appealed to you about running a Subway store? I first became aware of Subway when I was on an exercise with the army in Canada in the early 90s and thought then it would be popular in the UK. As I came to the end of my career in the armed forces, I needed to decide what I was going to do with the rest of my life. This was a big decision and after a lot of thought I took the plunge in 2005 and applied for a franchise on the Subway website.
What skills did you take from your experience in the forces to become a franchisee? There are a lot of useful skills you pick up during your time in the forces, which help when you start your own business. The military runs by following established systems of operation, which make sure that everybody knows what they need to do and how to do it; this is exactly how franchising works. Therefore ex-military personnel are very well suited to franchising.
What challenges have you faced? It’s all been a challenge. I have had to learn everything, from basic accounting, running a payroll and employment law, to baking bread and stock control. I’ve found recruiting the right people has been one of the most challenging things. We are a customer service-focused business and the staff you employ can very quickly impact on the success of your store.
What advice would you give to others who have left the forces and are thinking about buying their first franchise? You need to be sure the franchise you choose is as safe an investment as possible. Check the
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track-record of the company you are thinking of investing your hard earned pension in. The British Franchise Association (bfa) is a good place to look for advice and information about the hundreds of franchise opportunities available.
Domino’s
After 25 years in the navy Colin Tomlin felt a change of direction was in order and decided to become a Domino’s franchisee opening his first store in Chesterfield in 2004.
How has your time in the navy helped you to run a franchise?
I built up a vast range of skills during my time in the navy, which were easily transferable to my business. The management and leadership training I received while in the navy was second to none and has been very useful in running my Domino’s stores. The navy taught me the importance of fun, humour and camaraderie, which I try to maintain among my team. Team-building activities I learnt have also been extremely useful and have helped me to achieve excellent staff retention levels.
Why did you choose Domino’s? I had always wanted to be my own boss and leaving the navy gave me an opportunity to pursue that goal. After attending a franchise exhibition, I drew up a shortlist of the businesses I was most interested in. I then narrowed it down based on each franchise’s figures and feasibility. I chose Domino’s as it offered the greatest potential financial rewards and future opportunities.
What do you like most about franchising? Following the success of my first store, I took on a second in Worksop in 2009 and have not looked back since leaving the navy. Franchising is ideal for people like me, who want a change of career and all the benefits of running your own business. My Domino’s franchise gives me the flexibility to work around family commitments, while running my own successful business, which is something I’d always wanted to do. Owning my business is everything I hoped it would be. I’m working towards a goal of five to seven stores in total – that will be enough for at least one for each of my sons and me.
Pack & Send
Phil Diacon and his wife Katie were both working in the RAF before they decided to go down the franchising route. They now run a successful Pack & Send franchise in Bristol.
Did you always want to go into franchising after leaving the RAF?
When we first started planning for life after the RAF, we were of the opinion that we wanted to do things our way and initially dismissed franchising as someone else’s idea. The more we researched markets and got into the detail of what we wanted, the more we realised how different the environment outside the forces was to the one that we knew well. It was then that we started to realise the value that a franchise scheme offered and switched our focus to deciding which was the best one for us.
How easy was it to set up your franchise? We always knew that there would be real challenges to face in getting off the ground, but they have not all been the ones that we expected. Selecting the right franchise partner was a crucial task as we wanted to work with a business that was mature enough to be ‘proven’ yet still have sufficient potential for growth. Pack & Send not only ticked these boxes, but they were also very confident and open in their approach to presenting the opportunity and in assessing us as candidates. The biggest surprise was how difficult it was to find suitable premises for our launch. Bristol is a buoyant market so there is very little empty property and we knew exactly what we wanted so we were quite picky.
What advice would you give to others leaving the forces and thinking about franchising?
Be very open-minded about what you are prepared to take on and be ready to do something completely different. Look at the opportunity as a whole rather than just what they do. The chances are that your franchise business is going to be a part of your life for many years, so think about what the personal requirements are going to be such as working hours. Most importantly, make sure that your family understand what is involved and are fully supportive. n
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