Event Preview What the franchisees say...
Franchisees reveal how they met their perfect business match at The Franchise Exhibitions
Bob and Lisa Gallop Platinum Property Partners Coventry
Bob Gallop trained as an electrical and mechanical engineer in 1987 and worked through the ranks at the same company right up until 2013. From engineer he went into management, followed by a directorship and then a private equity purchaser. In September 2013, he hit a crossroads and decided it was time to leave and move into something new. Bob had been thinking about investing in a franchise and wanted to meet several different franchisors so a bfa-supported event, taking place the following month, seemed like a good place to start. Property was always something he and his wife Lisa were interested in and Platinum Property Partners was an attractive option. “With all the other franchises, it seemed like you were buying a job,” says Bob. “But with PPP there was lots of information and lots of mentoring, then you go out and accumulate your own tenants, your own clients and your own properties. “The other great thing about the nature of property is that once you’ve set a house up and got your tenants in, you can back off. Instead of being an owner/manager, you can just be an owner and choose to go off to an island in the Caribbean if you want to.” At first, Lisa was unsure because she thought it was too good to be true, but Bob spent weeks with spreadsheets going through different product and cashflow models, testing the robustness of the business. After all this analysis, they decided that the business was good and they should go for it. What has impressed Bob most is the calibre of people he is working alongside. Everyone that has decided to take up a PPP franchise has made a lifestyle choice and has a similar way of thinking – PPP franchisees are very supportive of each other. Bob says: “It’s not just the fact that you’ve got the franchisor organisation there, but you’ve got franchise partner teamwork. The network is very strong and very good, and that’s what really sold me into it.”
Lisa is planning to leave her job next year and, within two years, the couple intend to buy five properties and generate somewhere between £70,000 and £100,000 annual income.
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Businessfranchise.com | July/August 2014
Nick and Sarah Neill
EweMove.com York East
Nick Neill wanted a new challenge and had been thinking about a professional service or property franchise for some time before he attended The National Franchise Exhibition at NEC Birmingham. “I was ready for a change,” says Nick. “I wanted to be free of the corporate constraints and politics associated with larger firms. I’d previously worked as sales director for a FTSE 100 firm in London but I wanted to ‘back myself’ and enjoy the fruits of my own labours, as well as work nearer home and spend more time with my family. “Attending The National Franchise Exhibition gave me the perfect opportunity to speak to a number of different franchisors, meet existing franchisees as well as collect lots of useful information. “For me, nothing beats meeting people and speaking with them face to face. The day I spent at the show gave me far more insight and information about different franchises than if I’d only made general enquiries.” He fully expected to go home, review his findings then attend another exhibition, but Nick was so blown away by the
EweMove.com team both on the stand and through follow-up research that there was no need. “I found the franchise for me in one easy experience!
EweMove.com swung it for me based on the eye-catching branding. I could see what a great opportunity it presented.”
Nick enjoys being his own boss, working at his own pace and not having to answer to anyone else. “Having worked for many years managing people, this is a godsend!”
He is now running the business in partnership with his wife, Sarah. Since launching the business at the start of the year, they are already ahead of their targets. “The friendly support that everyone provides to each other at
EweMove.com means that being a franchisee is definitely not a lonely experience. I’ve got no regrets about my decision to invest; I enjoy getting up and going out to work each morning. I’ve not had that feeling in years!”
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