Here at My Local Farm Box We’re often asked what is an average week like for one of our franchisees, so we thought we would ask one; meet Paul.
Hi Paul, you run the Surrey Hills franchise, tell us about an average week for you?
“Well, my working week can vary, but generally it’s as follows. On Monday’s I tend to concentrate on marketing. I use ‘mailchimp’ to send an e-mail to all of my customers and potential customers that explains what will be in our fresh boxes the following week.
“I then go and do some leaflet dropping. If any of the kids are at home I bring them along and we can drop a whole village in about 2 hours. If people are in I often talk to them, explain the concept and show them my shop on my phone and collect their email address, I’ve got a lot of customers from doing this.”
“On Tuesday’s I begin to organise my orders. For same week delivery my cut off is midnight Tuesday, so by the afternoon I pretty much know what I need to order for the week so I e-mail my suppliers who then get my orders ready.”
“Wednesday I whizz round my suppliers and pick up my orders, all except the meat that is. The meat orders I pick up Thursday mornings so I can deliver the same day. Wednesday afternoons I spend at home, build the boxes and organise my delivery route for the next day.
“Thursday is my main delivery day so I drop by my meat supplier, add these to my boxes and spend the day delivering. Depending on my orders I repeat this on Friday’s and my weekends are generally free. I do visit farmers markets a lot and once a month I have a table at my local farmers market.”
Here’s a small selection of the My Local Farm Box boxes Paul delivers:
What do you like about being a MLFB franchisee?
“It ticks all the boxes for me. I’ve always wanted to be my own boss and I love the flexibility this gives me. I love good food and drink and I have always loved trying to source local foods where ever I am, I even do it when I’m on holiday. I’m a people person so I really like meeting people and building a rapport with both my customers and suppliers. It’s something I am passionate about and it’s easy to enjoy and be good at something you really like. I highly recommend it.”
Is there anything you don’t like about the role?
“No, I love it. What’s not to like! I get to showcase amazing, local produce to my customers each week. I’m not stuck behind a desk; I’m out and about in the beautiful Surrey Hills every day. My only concern at the beginning was the website. I’m no techy however it turns out it’s all very easy to use and if I ever get stuck I can always ask head office.”
