Special Feature
What are your goals for the future? I want to continue to grow the business and develop my team, but in a controlled and sustainable way and not at the expense of quality. Quality is always our main objective.
Describe your typical day. I am in the office every working day from 9am till 5.30pm. I manage my own financial accounts and discuss any day-to-day issues with my registered care manager and business development manager. Once a month we meet formally and review the business and plan for the future. I see my role as setting the culture of the business, strategic planning, financial control and supporting the key members of my team to do their jobs effectively.
Cartridge World
opportunity, and Cartridge World was one of these alternatives.
Why did you choose Cartridge World? If I’m honest I had never really considered becoming a franchisee before I learnt more about the Cartridge World offering. I had previously worked near a local Cartridge World store and I got to know the owner, so I already had an insight into the business, albeit from a customer’s perspective, and I could see that the skills required matched my own.
Did you have any reservations at first? If so, how did you overcome them? The only reservation I had was about becoming a franchisee. I suppose I thought about it in black and white terms – you either work for a company or you own one. Franchising is the grey area; you work under a respected and recognised brand but you’re your own boss. Any reservations I had completely disappeared when I spoke with Cartridge World though.
Daniel Fensom, 44, is a Cartridge World franchisee in the Croydon area. He is also a husband and father of two. He became a Cartridge World franchisee in 2009 following a 10-year stint as an internal auditor and owner of a telesales agency. In the same year that Daniel opened his first store, he was awarded the title of Cartridge World’s New Franchisee of the Year. Four years on, Daniel has grown his business with two further high-street stores and concession outlets. He was also presented with a Special Recognition Award at the brand’s annual UK conference. Daniel will feature in the next TV series of How To Invest In The Right Franchise with the bfa, which is due to be broadcast in October 2013.
What did you do before becoming a franchisee? Before becoming a Cartridge World franchisee, I worked as an internal auditor for Halfords for 10 years. Following this, I set up a successful telesales agency working for a blindness charity, which I operated for eight years before selling to join a management team to buy a transport company. Unfortunately, this deal stalled so I decided to look for an alternative investment
What support or training did you receive from the franchisor? Cartridge World has a robust training programme in place for new franchisees. Franchisees have an intensive two-week technical training course, followed by a week of business training to hone their commercial knowledge. Cartridge World also provides a week gaining hands-on experience in an accredited training store so franchisees can experience first-hand a day in the life of a franchisee. During this week, franchisees shadow the owner and also get the opportunity to learn best practice.
What ongoing support do they offer you and your business? Support starts from the day you become a Cartridge World franchisee and continues throughout with marketing, business development and technical support. Cartridge World also encourages its network of franchisees to share best practice. What’s refreshing is that Cartridge World wants my business to succeed as much as I do, so they offer all the support I need to achieve this.
What part of the job do you enjoy the most?
The most important part of my job is serving my customers. This is also the part I enjoy the most. I’m very hands-on. I feel, as an owner, I am the face of the business so it’s important not only that I know my customers, but that they know me too. I was once told that people buy from people they like and I agree with this. While a brand’s
reputation is important, it’s the contact and service they get from me and my staff that I feel ensures a customer will return time after time.
What are your plans for the future? I started with one Cartridge World store in Croydon over four years ago. Now I have three and I’ve just installed a concession outlet in a local printing shop. The concessions option that Cartridge World has introduced to the business model is a fantastic way for a business to grow, so I see this as a key area for future expansion in my franchise territory.
What’s a typical day like for a Cartridge World franchisee?
My day usually starts at 8am when I visit my central Croydon store to check in with the manager and discuss the previous day, our expectations for what’s ahead and to also exchange stock. From there, I travel to my south Croydon store and make sure everything is ready before we open at 9am. I spend the rest of the day serving customers and calling my managers in central Croydon and Crawley to make sure everything is running smoothly. After the store closes I do all my administration – I don’t want to do this in business hours because I want to spend this time with my customers and staff.
Pack & Send
Zayad Ali is a Pack & Send franchisee who lives in North London with his wife and children. He has been trading for two years. Before starting his Pack & Send franchise, he had already run several businesses as well as a McDonald’s franchise.
What did you do before this business? I had several business interests including a property management company and a McDonald’s restaurant.
Why did you choose this sector? The growth of online selling and the general
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