Franchise Focus SMART Car
Jason Gee has a reason to get up in the mornings with his Car Medic franchise
INVESTMENT LEVEL: £16,500
to build a successful and sustainable business. At the end of the day, the business belongs to the individual franchisee and it’s his responsibility to run it, not ours. Providing our franchisees operate to the well-proven Car Medic format, we won’t interfere – unless, of course, we’re specifically approached by a franchisee in need of help.” According to Jason, his franchisor is
ready to provide support as and when he needs it – for example, when the new environmentally-friendly water-based paint system was recently introduced, Jason received two days of intensive training on a one-to-one basis from a Car Medic trainer. For newer franchisees, an evaluation and refresher course is offered automatically three months after launch, to ensure any new problems or lingering concerns are fully addressed and ironed out.
“I have a strong reputation, my work is appreciated and have no cashflow issues”
This is Jason’s fifth year in operation as Jason Gee B
efore joining leading paintwork repair franchise Car Medic, Jason Gee spent 24 years in the double glazing industry as a works manager. He’d
always dreamed of working for himself and so when he sold a rented property for £25,000, he decided to invest the money in setting up his own business and building a new life for himself. Jason’s father had been a mechanic
all his life, so Jason had grown up with car repairs and had inherited his dad’s interest in working with vehicles. It was unsurprising, therefore, that he decided to look around for a potential business opportunity in the automotive services sector. “I looked at various franchises, but Car
Medic really attracted my attention,” he says. “It offered just as much, if not more, than some of the other SMART repair companies, but the price was significantly less, the ongoing management fees
were lower and I wasn’t expected to sign up to an agreement that gave what I considered to be too much control to the franchisor. Car Medic don’t want to look over your shoulder all the time and they don’t expect to take a high percentage of your profits.” Managing director David Cartwright
confirms that this is something he hears time and again from Car Medic recruits. “Our franchise is much less prescriptive than others in our industry,” he comments. “Car Medic appeals to people who want to operate a straightforward ‘man-and-a-van’ business. We’re not in the business of trying to push our franchises to achieve multi-vehicle management franchisees unless they actually want to go down that route. Our philosophy is simple: we will provide franchisees with a strong, established brand, an excellent repair system and a wide range of repair opportunities; we offer comprehensive professional training and the ongoing support they need
a Car Medic franchisee, and although he advertises his services regularly, 95 per cent of his work now comes from word- of-mouth recommendation and repeat business from satisfied customers. “That’s the great advantage of
being your own boss,” Jason points out. “Previously I had no contact with customers, while now I deal directly with all my customers, I personally complete every job and I make sure it’s absolutely right. As a result, I have a strong reputation, my work is appreciated and I have no cashflow issues – my customers are always delighted with the job and with my service and are happy to pay on the nail.” He concludes: “I really enjoy what
I do. I work the hours that suit me, nobody can tell me what to do and I actually really look forward to going to work in the morning – which is the best feeling in the world!” n
CAR MEDIC
WEBSITE:
www.carmedic.co.uk EMAIL:
franchise@carmedic.co.uk PHONE: 01525 375 375 CLASSIFICATION: Automotive services
September 2013 |
Businessfranchise.com | 77
Investment: £10k-£20k
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