New year, new start
John Fanibe
John runs the Brentwood, Braintree and Basildon stores
Vodafone
What did you do before franchising and what prompted the change? Before I became a franchisee, I was a store manager for 10 years. I worked in the Southend Vodafone store and also at the Chelmsford store for one year. I wanted to run my own business, and when this opportunity came up I was very interested. I had taken both stores to elite level, so I knew how to run large stores successfully.
How did you find out about the Vodafone franchise opportunity? One of my friends was already in the process and told me what a great opportunity it was. My divisional manager also encouraged me to go for it, as he thought I would have the skills to be a successful franchisee.
Describe the process for getting on board From start to finish it took about five months and while the process was straightforward, I was certainly put through my paces! I had multiple interviews and had to present an in-depth business plan. It was full on but it was definitely worth it once I’d received my conditional offer.
How is business going so far? The three stores I have taken over are currently doing well. There's definitely more planned in the pipeline to improve their performance but I am happy with how they’re doing so far. I have been able to reinvest the profits from the stores into my team and expand by recruiting more staff. This has also enabled me to give my team more time to train and develop their skills.
How was the initial training and support? The support from the partner agent team was very good. I had a weekly catch up with the team, and if I needed anything they were happy to help. I certainly didn’t feel like I was on my own at all and I was provided with the training I needed to take on the role of franchisee.
And how has it been ongoing? Ongoing support and training is great, I know that the team are there should I need any help. I meet with my regional manager on a regular basis to monitor performance of my stores and change things where needs be to ensure my stores are constantly improving.
How has your work-life balance changed since you joined? My improved work-life balance has certainly been a massive positive element to becoming a franchisee. I am naturally a workaholic so I will always want to be active and involved, but after becoming a franchisee I have stepped back from always being in store to allow the managers the confidence to lead themselves. I'm lucky to have three top managers who understand my goals and they know how to push their teams to deliver a balanced sales and customer performance.
What are your ambitions for the future of your business? I am keen to take on some more Vodafone stores in the future, but in the meantime I would like to continue to grow and improve my current businesses – with the aim of them becoming some of Vodafone’s top- ranking stores. I would also like to get each of my
stores and their teams more involved in the local communities and charities as I feel it is hugely important for us to give back to the community as much as we can.
There's never been a better time...
The New Year gives many people the motivation they need to become their own boss. Data from 123Reg reveals:
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• British entrepreneurs are 10 per cent more likely to start a business in January than any other months
• The number of new business website registrations in January is growing by 20 per cent year on year
• 2018 saw the number of website domain registrations reach 10k in the first week of the year for the first time
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