Market Focus
written assessments and practical training with experienced engineers. Ongoing training is geared more
towards sales and business growth, along with specific product training from well-known manufacturers.
What is a typical day for you as a franchisee? There isn’t really a typical day – every day is different and that is what I like most about this franchise opportunity. I could be surveying a site for a fire alarm, producing design drawings for a CCTV system, onsite helping out on an installation or in a meeting with a large client talking about the service schedule for the month. I also spend a lot of time networking as well as attending business shows and exhibitions. Owning a fire and security franchise is an incredibly varied role and requires lots of hard work and adaptability.
Have you faced any challenges in running your franchise?
I face several challenges every day and the more the franchise grows the more frequent the challenges arise. The biggest single challenge is trying to ensure that every customer, regardless of the size of the order, gets the same level of service, as repeat business for a new franchise is absolutely crucial.
What marketing or promotional tools do you use to grow your franchise? We have a corporate website with a section designed for each local franchise. On initial launch of the franchise, online marketing is used as the main tool for attracting new enquiries and each franchisee has their own customised telemarketing campaign aimed at securing meetings with local businesses. I also go to as many networking events as possible in the local area and regularly attend around three per week.
Would you recommend Jackson Fire & Security to others seeking to run a franchise? I would recommend a Jackson franchise to the right person with a sales background. You need to be pretty thick skinned, as it’s a tough and competitive business to be in, but the rewards are there for those who put the work in.
What are your plans for the future? My immediate plans are to build on a positive start and secure another multi-site servicing contract before the end of my first year. Looking to the future, the plan is for steady growth, adding more service engineers to the company as we expand.
experience in an intellectual capacity meant that it felt very familiar. I’m a people person and I’ve always worked in roles where that was an advantage – I could see that ERA UK was a relationship business and my skills would be useful. Overall, ERA UK felt like it would be a career progression rather than buying into a job or something more labour-based, like some of the van-based or owner-operator franchises on the market.
Andrew Beer
Expense Reduction Analysts
Andrew launched his ERA UK franchise in 2013, less than a year after being made redundant. Now, almost five years on, he says it’s the best thing he ever did. He’s replaced the stress and commute of city working with a flexibility that allows him to be a hands-on parent. He’s become a valued member of the ERA UK network and hopes that his business will provide for his family in retirement.
What did you do before franchising and what prompted you to make the change?
I was an equities trader in global investment banking and spent 20 years in the industry all in all. My last position was at Royal Bank of Scotland but they shut my whole department down at the beginning of 2012. Many thousands of us lost our jobs as a result of the fallout from the financial crisis. The skillset that you have as an equity trader isn’t very portable and many similar roles were becoming automated by trading computers. It wasn’t a nice position to be in.
How did you find out about franchising and ERA in particular? When I started researching franchise opportunities, I found ERA UK almost straight away and it instantly appealed to me. The fact that it was white collar and required me to utilise my knowledge and
What was the initial training and support like?
New franchise partners undertake a tailored five-week course at the ERA UK academy. I relied on support from the academy and other franchise partners in the early days. Both were brilliant and it’s probably one of the prime reasons why people are successful.
How has life changed since you launched your franchise?
The best thing about this business is the flexibility and being in a situation where we can run two businesses. My wife runs her own HR recruitment company, and if I was still working in the city or even had a nine-to- five job, I don’t think my wife would be able to run her business. I see far more of my kids than I’m sure most fathers do – I take them to school and can organise my days around their routine. Financially, my wife and I are both earning now but the payoff comes in other frankly more important areas, like spending time with my family.
What are the benefits of operating within the B2B sector? I recently signed one of the biggest universities in the country as a client and have delivered successfully for them – that makes me incredibly proud. Our business, and ERA UK as a whole, continues to take on more and more complicated projects for customers and I’m passionate about our commitment to delivering an ever more professional approach.
Would you recommend franchising and ERA to others? If I had to choose three words to describe what ERA UK has done for me I would say balance, contentment and lifestyle. To go from being at my desk in the city at 6.30am to now taking the kids to school before my meetings is a massive change and one I wouldn’t trade for any amount of money.
Audrey, Maureen and David at Ableworld Broxburn
April 2018 |
BusinessFranchise.com | 61
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
