Market Focus
Metro Rod
Tricia runs the North East England branch of drainage repair and maintenance franchise Metro Rod. She was named Female Franchisee of the Year 2016 by the British Franchise Association.
T
ricia Craig has worked extremely hard over the past 18 years to grow her business into the huge success that it is today. Prior to becoming a Metro
Rod franchisee, Tricia worked for some large companies, both in the accounts team and training new recruits. After having children, she spent some time at home before starting her Metro Rod franchise with her then-husband. Tricia says: “We had looked at different business options, but my sister and her partner were also Metro Rod franchisees and highly recommended the business. My ex-husband was offered the position of managing director at the newspaper that he was working at, but we had already set our hearts on going self-employed and investing in a Metro Rod franchise.
“I truly believed that this would be a
recession-proof business and would bring together all my skills from my past careers: the training, procedure writing, handling telephone complaints and customer service. I also felt that I could run this business and still be the mother that I wanted to be to my two young children.
“Being a franchisee definitely has its benefits. The support you get is second to none – I can ask for guidance and advice if I need it, and there will always be someone willing to help. I also get the opportunity to use IT systems that would be impossible for me to afford alone, and then, of course, there is the work that we get purely because of the Metro Rod name. I sell the reputation of Metro Rod to new clients along with the guarantee that we have a network of franchises that can help if we need them. “I would say the main qualities that franchisees need to work and be successful within the B2B sector are transparency and honesty, as well as being good at building
Tricia Craig
relationships. Above all, though, you must deliver on what you promise a client! “I want my clients to feel confident that they know if they call us with a problem, they can simply leave us to get on and fix it, and the next time they will hear from us is with an invoice for the completed work. I concentrate a lot of my time on building these relationships with our customers and it pays off time and time again. “I would say that this is one of the main benefits of working within the B2B sector – it’s a totally different relationship, whereby we have more autonomy to complete a professional job, which is enabled because of the trust we are able to build up with our clients.” So, with hard work and determination, investing in a Metro Rod franchise has changed Tricia’s life for the better. “I have a great team of people who want to take this business forward with me. I don’t look at anything and consider it failure; I look at how we can improve the business and build on the knowledge that the problem brings. “Metro Rod is not the right place if you want to make quick, easy money, but if you are willing to work your backside off, then you can build up a very successful business. You must be dedicated to teamwork and this business will not work unless you are part of the team on every level.” On her goals for the future, Tricia concludes: “I want to build Metro Rod up so that we are the first choice for any business in the North East when they have a drainage problem. I want to offer more people secure employment with Metro Rod. And I want to travel more. “I wouldn’t do anything differently and I have no regrets. I love my life; I work hard and I play hard. I have a nice lifestyle and take several holidays a year.”
April 2018 |
BusinessFranchise.com | 59
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