Investment: £20k-£50k
Franchise Focus Reaching the top
Lee Davies and Martin O’Connor went from assistants to satisfi ed owners of their own Metro Rod franchise
INVESTMENT LEVEL: FROM £25,000 T
wo young businessmen, born and bred in North West London, achieved their lifetime ambition in 2017 by taking control of their local branch of national drain
care and repair business Metro Rod! Lee Davies, 32, from Edgware, and Martin O’Connor, 30, from Hillingdon, have both worked for Metro Rod since their schooldays. Now, having worked their way up from the ground fl oor – starting as assistants before becoming engineers and then part of the senior team – they’ve fulfi lled their dream and are the new and successful owners of this thriving business. Lee says: “It has always been my ambition to own and manage my own business, and to do so in the area where I was born and brought up is extra special.” Lee and Martin have gained technical and commercial experience over the past 14 years, which has enabled them to acquire the business, and, in Martin’s words, “provide a professional, safe and honest service to local businesses and residents day and night”. Never ones to rest on their laurels, Lee and Martin work closely with business development manager Gary Hitchin, who covers the southern territories, helping them grow and expand their businesses. They are currently concentrating on growing their online presence and are making great progress with Gary’s help and expertise. Lee adds: “We really value the backing
we receive from the central support team and that’s one of the biggest benefi ts we feel being a franchisee off ers over going into business alone. That, and the fact that we benefi t from the work we receive as a direct result of the key account team at Macclesfi eld, whose sole purpose is to grow and develop accounts with nationwide companies for us to provide their drainage repairs and maintenance at a local level. This accounts for around 60 to 70 per cent of our work, which is obviously hugely helpful!” Lee and Martin also fi nd it easier to
secure work locally with the backing of the national Metro Rod brand and feel it gives them a real edge over local independents. Lee warns it is not necessarily for those
100 |
BusinessFranchise.com | April 2018
Lee Davies and Martin O’Connor
who want an easy life, however. “The fact that we get out what we put in means we always want to give it our all, and there is a certain level of stress involved due to being our own bosses with seven engineers on the payroll. “A typical day involves a 7am start, making sure the jobs from the night before have all gone well, and sorting out further recommendations where more work is necessary. There will generally be quotes and reports from the various CCTV work we undertake to pull together, not to mention the usual emails and phone calls to get through. “Obviously, drainage repair and maintenance is a 24/7/365 requirement, so we also take it in turns to be on call through the night and at weekends. We divide this between the two of us and our offi ce manager, which makes it a little easier on all involved.”
As well as continuing to unblock, clean
and repair drains, Lee and Martin are also intending to expand a sister business, Metro Plumb, which will provide emergency plumbing works across the area. “We are recruiting and expanding,” says Lee, “and if that means we provide a foot on the ladder for a local person who goes on to emulate our progress and success then that would be fantastic!” Martin echoes Lee’s thoughts in saying: “We have worked hard to reach the position we are now in and intend to continue to do so and hopefully provide a great service for many years to come.”
Metro Rod Drainage
www.metrorod.co.uk/buy-a-franchise call.centre@metrorod.co.uk 0800 668 800
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132
