Event Preview Case
Study
Redundancy leads to a complete change of lifestyle for one Dublcheck franchisee
Len Donnelly had been working in food retail management for 30 years when, in 2005, he was made redundant. Reflecting on the impact of the extremely long hours his career demanded, Len decided to seize the opportunity to create a better work-life balance for himself and his family.
L
en comments: “The schedule of my life had been tipped for too long in favour of my career – there simply was no work-life balance! Redundancy gave me the chance to look at a number of other avenues.”
Len was determined to move into another sector and to be his own boss, and his research led him to investigate the world of franchising. To explore the different sectors and franchise businesses available, Len attended the The British Franchise Exhibition in Manchester.
He wanted to gain further advice and meet brands face-to-face. It was at the exhibition that he came across Dublcheck, one of the UK’s leading franchised commercial cleaning companies. Len says: “It was great to be able to explore franchise businesses across a variety of sectors at the event. It was a conversation with the Dublcheck team at their stand that helped me to assess them as the ideal business with the ideal territory available to meet my needs. “The Telford territory had already been operational but was up
for resale and, on consideration, it made the most realistic financial proposition for me.”
Len took ownership of the Dublcheck franchise covering an area including Telford and Shrewsbury in February 2006. The training and marketing support provided by Dublcheck got him off to a productive start, and he has maintained year-on-year growth since then. He now has three vans servicing the contracts he fulfils in his area.
Len comments: “Much of my success has been through generating word-of-mouth business. The high levels of service we provide generates recommendations, plus I remain in regular touch with my clients. The relationship-building side of the business is very important to me and something I enjoy. “The type of contracts and clients varies, from a small
hairdressing salon to large factories and office blocks, and even big contracts servicing health centres.”
Len’s journey with Dublcheck and his years of service mean he is now well placed to help new franchisees. He’s a key member of the company’s mentoring system, which is part of the service Dublcheck offers to all new franchisees to further support them in their first year of business. In April 2013, at Dublcheck’s 20-year anniversary celebrations held at Chester Racecourse, Len was awarded a week’s holiday at the Bellagio in Las Vegas.
“I took the holiday in 2014 and extended it to three weeks with
the agreement of Carol Stewart, founder of Dublcheck Cleaning Services, and used it to celebrate my 25th wedding anniversary with my supportive wife Sue.”
Len summarises: “Since I became a Dublcheck franchisee, my lifestyle has improved tremendously. I can spend more time with my wife and see more of our nine grandchildren. “We also like to take several holidays each year, at times to suit us, which was not always possible in my previous profession. “I have built up a great team around me with two supervisors taking on most of the daily tasks of running a business, leaving me free to get on with life.
“I have just celebrated my 60th birthday and so am often asked when I will be retiring. My answer is: why retire when I am enjoying the life with Dublcheck?”
To follow in the footsteps of countless franchisees like Len who have started their journey at The Franchise Exhibitions, visit The Northern Franchise Exhibition this summer.
Taking place on 22 & 23 June at EventCity, Manchester, you’ll have the chance to meet a wide range of franchise brands, including Dublcheck, and take advantage of free advice from industry experts.
Book your free ticket today at
FranchiseTickets.co.uk using promo code ‘PRE1’ to save £10.
May 2018 |
BusinessFranchise.com | 83
TICKET LINE 020 8394 5294 WEBSITE
FranchiseInfo.co.uk
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