Redundancy Feature Fresh start!
No looking back for these business owners turning a new chapter after redundancy with a franchise
FASTSIGNS F
ASTSIGNS franchisee for Kingston Upon Thames. Mark Phelps worked in various management roles but began looking for business ownership opportunities, after being made redundant in 2005
What did you do prior to becoming a franchisee? Before becoming a FASTSIGNS franchisee, I had experience working in the gas and telecom industries. When my role as an international program manager was made redundant due to the sale of the international business, I decided, having grown weary of the corporate environment and years of international travel, that it was time to look for an alternative career option, like running my own business, in the UK.
Why franchising and this brand in particular? I liked the idea of franchising because I knew that while I had the skills to be successful in business, I also felt assured that I would have some level of support. I spent a long time looking at franchise options and when I came across FASTSIGNS, I was really attracted to their model. Coming from the gas industry, I could see parallels between my previous work in B2B and B2C markets and the opportunity FASTSIGNS provided. The management element of the franchise, both project- based and team-based, felt like it offered a really positive synergy to my personal skills. At that time, my FASTSIGNS centre’s previous franchisee was selling due to ill health, so I made the decision to purchase the centre.
Describe the process of getting on board I attended meetings with the UK managing director, who introduced me to the brand. I had the opportunity to ask any questions and was invited to visit other existing centres. Once I’d satisfied myself, with extensive due diligence, that this really was a great opportunity, contracts were signed. I attended training at the FASTSIGNS Head Office in Dallas, Texas. Here, I learnt about how to run my centre according to the model. I then returned to the UK, where the in-country support team helped me to settle into my centre, and I put my
From left Mark Phelps, Mark Jameson
“When I came across FASTSIGNS, I was really attracted to their model”
learning into practice. I would say onboarding took around three months and by the end of my first year, I felt settled into my role as a franchisee.
How is business going so far? I took over my centre in 2005. So I’ve been here for almost 18 years… it’s a lifetime, really. We’ve had our ups and downs. The recession of 2008 and the pandemic being two major events that my business has weathered. On both occasions, our franchisor has reacted with a robust programme of activities that has helped us to thrive in adversity. In fact, one of the benefits of the business is our product range. Signage has been needed since modern civilisation began, it's one of the oldest industries out there, but one of the newest in terms of technology. Our product range is so versatile, it can be flexed to suit the market and bespoke customer demands. In 2023, we’re set to achieve a turnover of £1.1million,
which my team is very proud of considering the market conditions we have faced coming out of the pandemic and the economic volatility we’ve experienced in recent months, with political instability in the UK.
info.fsfastsigns.co.uk BUSINESSFRANCHISE.COM 63
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