I have always been a hands on person, working in sales before starting my franchise business, and I have always been interested in servicing customers and going the extra mile to satisfy them and do a great job.
So, before you take the same leap, do your research and see what franchise business appeals best to you and your personality. Then, talk to other franchise business owners to get input, advice and feedback. Finally, before you sign a franchise contract, get sound legal advice and make sure you fully understand the agreement.
Once you start out, having your own franchise will allow you to receive a consistent income, which is especially important if you have, or are planning on starting, a family. Managed well, a franchise will also offer you the flexinilty to achieve a good work-life balance – if I need to take time off I can easily do so by booking time in.
I’m able to drop the kids off to school at 9 am and will finish my day around 4 pm – it’s not a typical 9 am-5 pm day. And, I can choose to start early, work late or take a day off – again, having work-life balance is very important as a family man.
Bear in mind, however, that you need to be get really organised and schedule all your billing, accounting, follow-ups and client liaison.
The two key lessons I have learnt along the way that will help you make a franchise business a success are:
• You need a good team around you for support and to be successful, which is what I’m grateful for to Lock & Roll whom have a supportive team on offer.
• You need to be adaptable and switched on as there is problem solving involved – so the ability to come up with solutions is imperative.
David Anderson, Franchise Owner, Lock & Roll
