{"id":17816,"date":"2023-03-10T09:00:57","date_gmt":"2023-03-10T09:00:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.franchiselocal.co.uk\/news\/?p=17816"},"modified":"2023-02-28T15:55:59","modified_gmt":"2023-02-28T15:55:59","slug":"discover-the-story-of-jon-king-who-started-his-business-during-the-last-recession","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.franchiselocal.co.uk\/news\/discover-the-story-of-jon-king-who-started-his-business-during-the-last-recession\/","title":{"rendered":"Discover the story of Jon King, who started his business during the last recession"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading Time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>

How are you feeling about the current situation, when it comes to thinking \u2013 or dreaming?! \u2013 about starting your own business? There\u2019s no denying these are very unsettling times for everyone.<\/p>\n

And we\u2019re no different. On one hand, there\u2019s doom and gloom every time we switch on the news, with inflation at a high, staff shortages, utility hikes, and suppliers increasing prices. But on the other hand, The Wheel Specialist Bristol, recently had a record-breaking month.<\/p>\n

In the year leading up to the UK\u2019s last recession, we\u2019d launched five new franchisees\u2019 businesses who suddenly, within their first year, were facing the challenges a recession brings. They needed, and could rely on our firm reassurances to guide them through the hits.<\/p>\n

One franchisee, Jon King, actually joined The Wheel Specialist right in the middle of it, opening TWS Cardiff in March 2010! Meet Jon:<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I came across The Wheel Specialist, I thought it would be a nice little adventure to take on; and actually opened during the recession. It was difficult as we were starting a new business from scratch. The Wheel Specialist back then was still relatively new as a franchise. But, I\u2019d joined a supportive group, and with the CRM and the marketing TWS had in place, it wasn\u2019t long before, business came through the door.\u201d<\/p>\n

But how is TWS recession proof?<\/strong>
\nLooking at the longevity of our model \u2013 we\u2019ve been in operation since 1955 \u2013 we know from experience people don\u2019t buy new when times are tough. Current data around new car sales in the UK, show a repeat of this trend in the first half of this year, as they\u2019ve have dropped the equivalent of 2.8% on 2021 (according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders). Any slump in new car sales can be an indication of an impending recession.<\/p>\n

So, how we are supporting our franchise network:<\/strong>
\nLooking back at the lessons we learnt we\u2019re already preparing our network for what is potentially on the economic horizon:<\/p>\n

1. Strengthening our marketing.<\/strong> A careful marketing spend, and the right message, can have a positive impact on sales. So, we\u2019ve increased marketing spending, and adapted our messaging for the current situation, so our franchisees don\u2019t have to worry about it.<\/p>\n

2. Increasing value for customers.<\/strong> Customers increasingly look for the best value for their money; a combination of cost, quality and sustainability. A Jon says, \u201cPeople don\u2019t always go for the cheapest, they go for the best option for their cars. At TWS, we\u2019re set apart from our competition because of the quality we deliver. I enjoy delivering something which puts a smile on our customers\u2019 faces. And these days, we could all do with more of that!\u201d<\/p>\n

3. Stay ahead of market trends, and understand customers\u2019 needs.<\/strong> In doing this, we ensure our products and services fit their requirements. At TWS, we have two very different target markets: trade and public, as well as additional revenue streams. So, when you join the network, you\u2019ll be able to tailor your services to each market\u2019s requirement, and won\u2019t be dependent on just one income source.<\/p>\n

At Head Office we\u2019re committed to supporting you to grow your new business alongside our current franchisees. As Jon says about the benefit of franchising:<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you have a franchise behind you, you have people to listen to you about the problems you face, offering you advice and help \u2013 you really need this as a business owner. There\u2019s so much you learn and need to do, so having the support of the Head Office is invaluable \u2013 especially if you\u2019ve never owned a business before.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

How are you feeling about the current situation, when it comes to thinking \u2013 or dreaming?! \u2013 about starting your own business? There\u2019s no denying these are very unsettling times for everyone. And we\u2019re no different. On one hand, there\u2019s doom and gloom every time we switch on the news, with inflation at a high, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":17817,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[163,97],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17816","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-the-wheel-specialist","category-automotive-franchises"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.franchiselocal.co.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/TWSJonKing.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.franchiselocal.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17816","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.franchiselocal.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.franchiselocal.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.franchiselocal.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.franchiselocal.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17816"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.franchiselocal.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17816\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.franchiselocal.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17817"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.franchiselocal.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17816"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.franchiselocal.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17816"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.franchiselocal.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17816"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}