We’ve recently spoken to our franchisees from Hull, husband and wife duo Nic and Sarah, to give you the lowdown on what it’s like to run your own business with the backing of a franchise.
Can you tell us a bit about yourselves and what you were doing prior to buying a franchise business?
Prior to buying the franchise in 2017, we were running a design agency which we’d started in 2007. Over the years we’d taken the business in various directions but we’d decided in 2016 to scale back and look at how we might develop residual income through the business.
Why did you go down the franchise route? What made you choose your industry? And why did you choose the it’seeze franchise?
We weren’t initially looking for a franchise, we’d looked around for a product that we could white-label and add to our existing design business, however when we discovered the it’seeze franchise we decided to do a bit more research.
We chose the industry as we had experience in web design already and we’d previously employed web developers so we knew what we were getting into.
Choosing to partner with the it’seeze franchise was a really easy decision as the quality of the product and the support offered were excellent.
How did you raise the finance?
We approached our bank for a business loan.
What training and support did you receive initially, and what’s ongoing?
We visited the it’seeze franchise for a discovery day and once we’d made the decision to go ahead, we had a full week of training. We’ve been supported at every step by the team at it’seeze and they’re always available to help answer any questions. We benefit from ongoing training, events, seminars, webinars and a yearly conference as well as regular check-ins.
How would you describe your day-to-day role as a franchisee?
Busy but fulfilling! We’re always marketing the business, developing leads, meeting new clients, as well as managing the website build process for new clients and supporting existing clients.
What challenges have you faced?
Over the past few years we’ve refined our processes to help us manage our workflow better. We’ve looked to find consistent ways to generate new business and we’ve learnt a great deal about customer service!
Has becoming a franchisee changed your life, if so how?
We still have our own business but we now have the backing and support of a whole team of people. It’s one of the best decisions we’ve made!
What is the most invaluable piece of advice you could give someone looking to buy their first franchise?
Do your research, speak to as many people as you can, and make sure you have an interest in the product or service you’re offering.
In your opinion, what makes a successful franchisee?
Dedication and hard work – don’t expect an easy ride. It takes time and effort to grow and develop any business. The bonus of being part of a franchise is that a lot of that work is done for you and you’re not left to manage everything yourself.
What are your plans for the future?
We have 3, 5, and 10 year goals which we constantly review. Already we’re ahead of the plan and we’re extremely happy with our income from the franchise. We have a great business and one that has genuine value if we ever look to sell it in the future.
If you had to do it all again, what would you do differently?
We’d have signed up sooner. We wish we’d discovered this franchise 10 years ago!
If, like Nic and Sarah, you are looking for the opportunity to run your own web design business – either on your own or with a partner – with the support of an established franchise to back you, get in touch with our team today and find out more about running your own it’seeze franchise.
