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Franchise Focus The right fit?


Ecocleen’s Sean Taylor offers the insider’s view on franchising and asks – “Are you cut out for it?”


INVESTMENT LEVEL: FROM £14,599


invested significantly in learning new stuff so that we can share the knowledge with our franchisees; how it applies to our business and how they can reap the rewards quickly.


“We wanted to do something for ourselves and we have never looked back!”


Learning new stuff means that I now have to do things outside of my comfort zone and do things that I previously would not. I have learnt very simply that the most successful business people are the ones prepared to do things that they don’t particularly like. Everyone has a tendency to do the things they do like, the things that come easy – but in business it’s essential to also do the things you relish doing the least. Only by pushing yourself to do the right things in the right way, with absolute focus, are you likely to achieve success.


So – are you cut out for it? • Are you prepared to work hard? Will you go the extra mile to set yourself apart from others?


“R


unning a franchise, no matter what brand you choose, is going to be hard work. And when I say hard, I mean


hard plus another 50 per cent. So if you are serious about joining a franchise, make sure you really understand what it is all about.


Franchising is statistically proven to be the best way to start your own business. Did you know that, according to a recent NatWest study, 90 per cent of new franchisees succeed whereas 90 per cent of non-franchised new businesses fail – staggering, isn’t it? For the right person, franchising is a great way to achieve super success. However, even with the business success statistics in favour of franchising, it does not take away the fact that success is not guaranteed. The first hurdle is being prepared to do


the hard work. There are many people that are really hard-working, it is naturally in their make-up. They are also fed up of working ridiculously hard for someone else. I was in exactly the same position three years ago when I purchased the


70 | Businessfranchise.com | February 2014


Ecocleen franchise with my good friend Paul Smith. We wanted to do something for ourselves and although we took an immediate cut in pay – for no fewer hours, however – we have never looked back! Here’s a personal confession. When I first invested my savings in Ecocleen, I thought life was going to be much easier; I would be a great boss, have great staff and fantastic customers and success would come naturally. This was a somewhat misguided belief and I soon realised that running a business was never going to be simple – I needed direction and a plan to make sure all my efforts were put into the right things in order to drive my business forward. With this in mind, all franchisees joining Ecocleen must complete a business plan model prior to joining. We then regularly work with them to make sure they are on track to achieve what they ultimately want. I also realised that I needed to keep a very open mind. I have come, over the last three years, to understand that the ideas that had become ingrained during my 20 years of corporate life needed to be challenged and a new outlook honed for the business world of today. We have


• Are you prepared to spend time on the right stuff – the stuff that adds value to you?


• Are you prepared to leave your comfort zone?


• And, ultimately, do you have the attitude to carry on when things get tough?


As franchisors, we examine all potential franchisees to make sure they are as prepared as possible to run their own business. Our training is comprehensive but also flexible enough to meet the requirements of the new franchisee, recognising that each person is different and will need support in different areas. As you can see, there is plenty to think about when considering starting a franchise, and there is plenty of great stuff to look forward to and get excited about – we know because we have been there ourselves.” n


ECOCLEEN


WEBSITE: www.ecocleen.com EMAIL: thefranchiseteam@ecocleen.co.uk PHONE: 0845 874 0284 CLASSIFICATION: Cleaning services


Investment: £10k-£20k


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