Franchise Focus
Move into marketing
Stewart Green has grown his Kall Kwik franchise INVESTMENT LEVEL: £50,000
step off the ladder. But I realised after 23 years in the industry I wanted a new challenge. I had a lifelong ambition to run my own business and I’d always been interested in the printing business. I have a keen interest in photography and I developed a passion for marketing during my career. A well- designed brochure can make a big difference to a business.
Stewart Green S
tewart Green, 52, was born in Cheshire and has lived for the past 17 years in Colchester with his wife Karen and two teenage children. Winner of the Business of the
Year 2012 Award by the British Association for Print and Communication (BAPC), Stewart’s business has grown significantly since launching in September 2003 and now employs seven people.
Stewart attended agricultural college in Bedfordshire before starting his first job selling agricultural supplies. He then moved into international marketing for a plant breeding company and became a director at 36.
How did you come to change career? I had a very successful career working in the agricultural sector so it was difficult to
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Why franchising, and why a Kall Kwik franchise? Franchising offered me the opportunity to run a printing business by providing all the training, support and expertise I would need to succeed. Also, being part of a well-known brand is a door opener. You’re not starting from scratch.
I visited the National Franchising Exhibition in Birmingham and dropped by four print franchises including Kall Kwik – who stood out head and shoulders above the rest.
What kind of training and support did/ do you receive?
I had a business development manager working alongside me for the first week, very useful as it all felt very strange and new. I also attended courses covering everything from the technical side of printing to marketing and administration.
How did you choose your territory? I looked at which territories were available and Bury St Edmunds appealed as there are a large number of SMEs in the town, which means a big target audience. The business was up for resale and I felt it had lots of potential.
How is the business going? We’ve invested in good designers and our philosophy is very marketing focussed. Where possible we advise customers to make sure they have the right solution for their business. We’re not about just providing quotes. During the recession we’ve had three
record years, the result of hard work in the beginning years, building client relationships. We’re not a get-rich-quick enterprise – we’re in it for the long haul. Our sales have grown steadily each year since we took on the business and we have employed four more people with a total staff of seven.
“Franchising offered me the opportunity to run a business by providing all I would need to succeed. Also being part of a well-known brand is a door opener; you’re not starting from scratch”
What have been the high points so far? When I took on the business we leased a property and it had always been a target to own our own premises, which we managed to achieve this year when we moved into a 3,000 square-foot space. The BAPC Award was also very gratifying.
…Any low points? There haven’t been any major low points but there have been some challenging times. Staffing issues call for difficult decisions sometimes. For any business getting the right people in the right roles is crucial to its success. We have to work very hard and that can mean working late to get a job done. When necessary you have to see the bigger picture and put yourself out.
Advice to potential franchise owners? Do your research not just about the franchisor, but also about the market and the local territory you want to operate in. Also look for any opportunities to develop the business into the future. n
KALL KWIK
WEBSITE:
www.kallkwik.co.uk EMAIL:
jmatthews@kallkwik.co.uk PHONE: 01530 513 300 CLASSIFICATION: Print and design
Investment: £20k-£50k
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