HIGH-LEVEL INVESTING
ESQUIRES COFFEE
Dale and Clare Smith run their Esquires Coffee franchise in Durham in the North East of England. Dale spent over 30 years working in the oil and gas industry and later in project management and consultancy roles and Clare previously worked as a coronary care nurse and occupational health practice nurse.
Why did you choose to go into franchising, and why with Esquires? We looked into lots of different business opportunities and franchising seemed like the best fit for us. We felt like it would be quite isolating starting a business on our own. But with franchising you have that support team and years of experience to help you get going. We did not want to work for a corporate company, with no heart or soul – we wanted to work with real people. A premium product that operated a Fairtrade, organic and ethical business supply chain was also a priority. We wanted to work together, as we had spent long periods apart in our working lives. We met with Esquires, and the rest is history, it ticked all our boxes – Fairtrade, ethical, premium. We all work like a large family, always there to support each other, and one of the main plus points of Esquires is its people and we can operate as an independent.
How has business been so far? One of the best learning experiences in our life. There was a lot to learn but we have built a valuable business. Esquires
is now our family. We regularly meet. The business is an ongoing development. We have worked very hard, but it has been fun, and with the help from Esquires we have run our business independently. We have managed to keep all of our boxes ticked, ethical, Fairtrade, organic. We have a great culture and have built up a great team who work with us as a family. Most of all it’s been fun. We have built a community. We all have worked together.
How did you secure funding? We self-funded but Esquires can recommend many forms of available funding or loans to suit your budget.
How hands-on are you in the day-to-day operations? Our first goal was to learn the business inside out, making great coffee, food preparation and managing staff and so on, so that we learned all of the steps. We are now pretty good baristas and make a mean flat white! There was no requirement to do it that way, it is just how we are as individuals. A store manager has now been put in place to allow us to
focus and develop the business in other areas.
Describe a typical day… There is no typical day in the store! Our unit is based around quite a large university campus and so therefore we have a high level of students as well as our local residents. We pride ourselves on mixing our community together. We arrive to work at 8.15am ready for open at 9.15am. Our delivery of stock, such as milk and sandwiches, arrives around 7am; we put these away then we turn all our machines on (coffee machine, boiler, dishwasher). Following on from this we bake our pastries and then receive further supplies that come into store around 9am. We then put all of our outside furniture out and put our aprons on ready for open! During the day, we provide excellent customer service and great coffee. The only challenge we find is the dishes!
Has franchising changed your life? We spent years apart. Now we can be together doing something we enjoy.
What has been a highlight? Working with the Esquires team and learning how to make great coffee, watching our business grow with the community and developing relationships with our customers and staff.
Have you encountered any problems? There will always be issues to resolve, late deliveries, stock not turning up, staff reporting in sick and so on. But while it’s challenging at times, we have always found a solution.
What are your plans for the future? We plan to expand and own more stores.
July/August 2018 |
BusinessFranchise.com | 33
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