Event Preview What the franchisees say...
Franchisees reveal how they met their perfect business match at The British & International Franchise Exhibition
Mark Edmans Dream Doors
Mark Edmans started his Dream Doors franchise business along with his sister Amanda two years ago, with their showroom based in Chesham. He was prompted to make the move into franchising following a visit to The British & International Franchise Exhibition.
Mark explains: “I worked as an operations manager for an events
fi rm and also had sales and marketing experience. I visited The British & International Franchise Exhibition in London to look for a career change and for some inspiration. After speaking to a couple of franchisors, and for a long time with Dream Doors, I realised I could use my existing skills to work for myself. “Spending time with the personnel at Dream Doors, I was immediately comfortable with them. I could see this was a real business, and that there’s lots of support in all aspects of the business. It’s very much a people business, and one that capitalises on my sales, marketing and management skills.”
Mark comments on how he runs the franchise business along with his sister: “Amanda and I have very defi ned roles in the business, working in a similar way to typical Dream Doors’ husband-and-wife teams. I deal with the sales and invoicing, manage our fi tters and do most of the running around, while Amanda handles the paperwork and looks after the fi nance and day-to-day accounts.
“After speaking to a couple of franchisors, and for a long time with Dream Doors, I realised I could use my existing skills to work for myself”
“It’s great having Amanda in the business with me. As
she’s my sister I trust her implicitly, and I also know that family will put more effort into this business than an employee who, when 5 o’clock on a Friday comes along, will forget about Dream Doors until Monday morning! Looking forward to the months ahead, Mark concludes: “We plan to increase sales, building on the successes we had last year and promoting ourselves in all corners of our franchise territory.”
Liam Gallagher Platinum Property Partners
Liam Gallagher from Warrington wanted out of the corporate world so that he could have more quality time at home with his family. Liam found himself at a crossroads in his career in early 2014 and, interested in becoming his own boss and setting up his own business, Liam decided to explore franchising and attended a Franchise Exhibition.
“I listened to a seminar about PPP and it covered all the concerns I had”
“I had always liked the idea of being in business for myself, but not necessarily excited by the prospect of being by myself. As I had experience of working with licensing businesses, franchising was of obvious interest.”
After visiting many stands, Liam attended a seminar given by
Tony Bennett, a Platinum Property Partner. Liam explains: “I listened to Tony talk about Platinum Property Partners (PPP) for 15 minutes and it covered all of the concerns I had… I returned back home and said to my wife Claire: ‘I think we might have found something here’.” After the exhibition, fi lled with a wealth of franchise knowledge and inspiration from the seminar, Liam attended the company’s Discovery Day. He listened to existing partners’ stories and their backgrounds, which further convinced him that this was the right decision. In March 2014, Liam decided to take the plunge and join PPP. He comments: “The entire process has been straightforward and easy-going. We’ve been under no pressure at any time to make a quick decision and PPP have been willing to provide all the information we have asked for.” At the outset of his PPP journey, Liam expresses his confi dence: “I feel like a real weight has been lifted off my shoulders and that we now have a plan for the long-term future. I am confi dent that we can achieve a suffi cient level of income that will enable us to enjoy a better work-life balance and for me to be able to spend more time at home, which was something that I never achieved in the corporate world.” n
March 2015 |
Businessfranchise.com | 103
TICKET LINE 0844 257 8668 WEBSITE
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