Franchise Focus Good advice
A nudge in the right direction from his last boss meant Chris Poole found his ideal franchise in gas-elec
INVESTMENT LEVEL: £14,500
of his work will be safety inspections, as well as boiler repairs and basic electrical remedial work for agents, homeowners and private landlords – jobs that he doesn’t have to fi nd himself; in this two-tier franchise, the company’s regional management franchisees are responsible for procuring work. For Chris this is a huge plus-point: “Although I’m excited by the prospect of self-employment, I wouldn’t like to be doing it entirely on my own. Five or six years ago, that might have been an option – but it seems very hard out there now,” he says. He continues: “Some of my friends
have struck out on their own, and they all seem to be working very long hours just to make a crust. One mate who used to run the plumbing section of my old company pumped lots of money into a new business. But he has admitted defeat and just got himself a full-time job in a steel factory – on the cranes, which is pretty dangerous work. He still does gas jobs on the weekend, but it means he works a seven-day week. His experience has been a warning for me.” Chris’s family would also rather see
Chris Poole
Chris has just joined gas-elec. The 27-year-old worked as a gas fi tter for
C
a small West Midlands-based subcontractor for four years. But towards the end of the last year, the company failed to secure a crucial fi ve-year contract and closed its doors for business – at which point Chris’s old employer suggested he contact gas-elec, the UK’s leading gas and electrical safety inspection company. “He said gas-elec had a superb reputation
in the industry and that if I became a franchisee with them I should soon be able to easily match – and in a few years’ time exceed – the salary he was paying me,” says Chris. The salary in question was £34,000
and, as Chris soon discovered when he investigated the local job market, this was almost £10,000 more than he would earn in a comparable job. “He was paying me above the odds, so
the guy obviously had my best interests at heart – I’d have been silly not to listen to his advice about the next stage in my career,” says Chris.
hris Poole always knew his former boss was a decent guy, but in the past few months he has come to appreciate him even more – his old employer is the reason
him working gas-elec’s friendly hours of, typically, 8am to 4pm. This is why they have lent him some of the £16,500 franchise fee to set up his new business. Investment also includes £1,500 for training and £3,750 for equipment (all fi gures plus VAT). “I could have borrowed the money from
“I had some savings which I’ve invested – I wouldn’t be doing that if I wasn’t feeling very confi dent about the future”
That new stage began this week. Chris
has just completed his eight-day training period with gas-elec at the company’s head offi ce in Heathrow during which the fully qualifi ed gas engineer has received some basic electrical training (to 17th edition); been trained on gas-elec’s IT and customer services systems; and been given a thorough update on recent gas legislation and technical bulletins by the company’s two technical directors. He also spent a couple of days shadowing gas- elec engineers in some of London’s more privileged postcodes. “It was fun doing safety inspection visits in Kensington and Chelsea – and certainly a change from the West Midlands where I’ll be working hereon in!“ That said, Chris can’t wait to get back
home to the West Midlands and start the next chapter of his working life. The bulk
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Businessfranchise.com | July/August 2012
the bank – gas-elec’s franchise director set me up an appointment at my local HSBC and the whole application process was surprisingly smooth – but in the end, my family offered to help. They said that if the bank was prepared to lend me money, then it must be a safe bet. I also had some savings which I’ve invested – and I wouldn’t be doing that if I wasn’t feeling very confi dent about the future,” he says. Part of that confi dence has been inspired
by gas-elec’s bespoke bureau facility GBS which produces and sends out invoices on behalf of all franchisees, generates safety certifi cates and collects clients’ payments. And most importantly for Chris and his fellow franchisees the facility automatically transfers payment to their bank accounts twice a month. “To be honest, I wouldn’t know how to
do things like produce an online certifi cate and even if I were to learn how, it’s time out of my day. All in all, the gas-elec business model seems pretty much foolproof to me.”
GAS-ELEC
WEBSITE:
www.gas-elec.co.uk EMAIL:
info@gas-elec.co.uk PHONE: 01895 422 999 CLASSIFICATION: Safety inspection services
Investment: £10k-£20k
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