{"id":23671,"date":"2024-11-29T11:00:46","date_gmt":"2024-11-29T11:00:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.franchiselocal.co.uk\/news\/?p=23671"},"modified":"2024-11-28T15:39:17","modified_gmt":"2024-11-28T15:39:17","slug":"apprentice-to-owner-crawley-franchisee-reflects-on-thirty-year-journey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.franchiselocal.co.uk\/news\/apprentice-to-owner-crawley-franchisee-reflects-on-thirty-year-journey\/","title":{"rendered":"Apprentice to Owner: Crawley Franchisee Reflects on Thirty-Year Journey"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading Time: <\/span> 3<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>

A Crawley-based sign maker is gearing up to mark three decades working in the signage industry.<\/p>\n

Jose Martinez, a 51-year-old production expert from West Sussex, is marking the milestone moment, by reflecting on the early stages of his career as an apprentice and his journey to becoming co-owner of FASTSIGNS Crawley – a signage solutions business, part of the renowned FASTSIGNS UK network.<\/p>\n

Following the launch of Labour\u2019s Industrial Strategy, which aims to boost innovation and productivity in manufacturing, Jose shares what it\u2019s like to work in the industry, offering advice on pathways to creative production careers and insights into how the sector has changed.<\/p>\n

After completing a diploma in calligraphy, heraldry, and traditional sign writing at the Reigate School of Art and Design in Surrey, Jose began his career as a signmaker at The Best Instant Sign Co., in New Malden. A year later, the company changed to FASTSIGNS New Malden, following the launch of the franchise model in the UK.<\/p>\n

During his 7 years there, Jose progressed from apprentice to production manager, where he helped with the day-to-day running of the business; carrying out installations, overseeing design and production, as well as sales and stocks.<\/p>\n

Sharing insights about his career path, and the industry at the time, Jose, said:<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile I didn\u2019t set out to work in signage specifically, I appreciated the opportunity to be actively involved in the creative aspects of the position. Back in the 90\u2019s, everything was manual – we used basic plotting machines to cut vinyl one layer at a time. Every step, from designing and cutting, to installations, required a high level of skill and precision. Although it took much longer to complete, we knew each detail of every project intimately, understanding how much graft and technique had gone into our work.\u201d<\/p>\n

Talking about the value of his training, he added:<\/p>\n

\u201cThe hands-on nature of my early days in the centre gave me an in-depth understanding of sign-making principles, including design, production and installation. But, beyond that, I also honed my entrepreneurial skills, learning to understand the in\u2019s and out\u2019s of a business, including FASTSIGNS\u2019 franchise business model.<\/p>\n

\u201cLooking back, my advice to any apprentice or person at the start of their career is to open yourself up to opportunity – grasp it with both hands. Learn your trade, but don\u2019t be afraid to learn more than that. It opened up so many doors for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

One of those doors was the FASTSIGNS Crawley franchise, where, in 2018, he took over the centre alongside his wife, Melanie Marinez, and long-time colleague, Alan White.<\/p>\n

Located on Manor Royal, the centre works with local institutions like London Gatwick Airport and Crawley College, as well as community-led or focussed organisations like Crawley Pride and Crawley F.C, to create specialist signage solutions, including banners, vehicle graphics and digital displays.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen the occasion arose to buy the business, as a potential ownership team, we saw a fantastic opportunity to make the franchise our own and grow the business. I\u2019d developed experience during my career that meant I understood how a business functioned and what skills were needed to make it run like a well-oiled machine.\u201d<\/p>\n

Over the last three decades, the signage industry has undergone significant changes, as Jose explains:<\/p>\n

\u201cToday, advanced graphic design software allows us to create stunning visuals in a fraction of the time, and high-resolution printers produce vibrant, professional-quality images almost instantly. We can now manage larger volumes of work more efficiently and accurately, while still showcasing our creative flair. Technology has revolutionised the way we work, giving us more freedom to focus on innovative design, customer service and business growth.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a senior team, we\u2019ve always been open to the latest \u2018advancements\u2019, whether it be technology or employees new to the trade, because they bring fresh ideas and new ways of making us more agile. I feel as though apprenticeships in general today are more widely accepted and businesses appear to be more open to them, so it\u2019s important to take advantage of those available routes. Equally, I\u2019m eager to share what I\u2019ve learned with those people. I want to pass on the experience I\u2019ve had, so that others can benefit in the way I did over three decades ago.\u201d<\/p>\n

With UK apprenticeships reportedly growing by 2.5 percent since 2023, and creative arts programs seeing an 86 percent satisfaction rate, Jose advises aspiring professionals to:<\/p>\n

\u201cCommit to learning, stay curious and always look for ways to improve. The skills you develop can take you along way – further than you might expect. The creative and manufacturing sector is rapidly changing, and Labour\u2019s Industrial Strategy will only drive this change further, so getting in as early as possible and growing with the industry would be a significant advantage.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe creative sector itself can be quite a hard industry to crack, but having the opportunity to start as an apprentice has allowed me to use my creative mindset, while also building a long-standing career that has lasted for over 30 years.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A Crawley-based sign maker is gearing up to mark three decades working in the signage industry. Jose Martinez, a 51-year-old production expert from West Sussex, is marking the milestone moment, by reflecting on the early stages of his career as an apprentice and his journey to becoming co-owner of FASTSIGNS Crawley – a signage solutions […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":23672,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1545,80],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23671","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fastsigns","category-signs-and-printing-franchise"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.franchiselocal.co.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/FASTSIGNS_Jose-Martinez_Image-1.jpeg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.franchiselocal.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23671","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=23671"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.franchiselocal.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23671\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.franchiselocal.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23672"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.franchiselocal.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23671"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.franchiselocal.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23671"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.franchiselocal.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23671"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}