Market Focus Select Appointments Eddie Finnigan
After living in Dubai for six years Eddie returned to the UK in 2014 to open a Select Appointments franchise. This followed a 17-year HR career working for blue-chip organisations such as BAE Systems, Emirates Airline, Schlumberger and Zurich
Why did you go down the franchise route? And why did you choose Select Appointments? I chose the franchise route because it provided me with an opportunity to tap into an existing infrastructure and expertise within a proven business model. In addition, it ensures that we can punch above our weight when growing the business.
How has running your franchise influenced your personal life? We have just entered our third year of trading and during that time you live and breathe the business. There is so much to learn for a new business owner that every spare minute is precious. You have to become proficient in every business function while developing and growing your business. Growing the business takes enormous time and energy, but the rewards can be significant. My motto is short-term pain for long-term gain.
What training and support did you receive initially and ongoing? The training and support from Select continues to be first class. We have regular
business reviews with the UK managing director, in which we can discuss strategic and tactical approaches to building the business. We also have a franchise operations manager with significant industry experience that is always available to advise, coach and mentor.
What marketing tools do you use to grow your franchise? We pay a small fee each month, which provides access to marketing professionals with social media and graphic design expertise. This enables us to collaborate and create brochures and other materials that are highly professional and which are designed to achieve maximum impact throughout the year. For example, we will receive a variety of materials and ideas to coincide with seasonal events such as Christmas, Valentine’s, Easter and summer holidays.
What are your plans for the future? My aim is to expand the business by opening in other territories in the UK.
How has running a management franchise influenced your personal life? We have so far received very positive responses regarding our stores. Customers are quite ecstatic with the store and are always commenting what a great decision I have made. We had our grand opening in March with local press and governing bodies representatives, which was also very good.
If you were starting again (without the operational knowledge you have now) would you buy the same franchise again? Absolutely. Our aim is not to stay with a single store but to grow to multiple sites. We are currently finalising more sites and locations to expand our franchise business.
Simit Sarayı Eddie and Nina Ertan
After trading for many years in licensed restaurants (in various different cuisines) Eddie and Nina came across Simit Sarayı’s Oxford Street store in mid-2016
What training and support did you receive initially and ongoing? One of the main points that stood out to me in the franchisee concept of Simit Sarayı was its training and support. Over the years in the restaurant business, I had quite a few problems with core employees, ie chefs. However, for Simit Sarayı, both my partner and myself received full training.
This allows us to control our product quality consistency while also allowing us to not depend on chefs or bakers. The support is ongoing.
What is a typical day for you as a franchisee?
My wife and I start our day with a simit and Turkish tea or coffee in our store. While preparing for the day ahead, we go over our targets for the day with our staff. Of course, we look forward to meeting new customers and catching up with our regulars.
Have you faced any challenges in running your franchise? Probably facing the overwhelming attention from our customers. We expected a good turnout but we were amazed with how many different nationalities knew the brand and its product.
June 2017 |
BusinessFranchise.com | 31
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