About the Franchise: Why join us?

"In year 1, working evenings and weekends (5-8 hours per week) without giving up your existing job, earn £30,000 per year profit based on the 2008 pilot scheme. This franchise has full head office support, including marketing, advertising, accountancy and producing drawing and specifications." - Anthony, Head Office 

Architectural Service UK Ltd (ASL), is one of the best franchising opportunities that is available today. This is a unique opportunity that allows relative novices to become part of the architectural service market sector, in the only franchise of its type in the UK today. We provide customers with drawings for planning permission applications and building regulations submissions. This franchise can be purchased on the basis of a part time involvement while the business grows, allowing you to maintain your current employment/ business without the risk of giving it all up to start up on your own. In year one based on one design job per week you will need to allocate between 5-8 hours to the business per week. You are not expected to produce working drawings or specifications this will be provided by head office. Your role is to visit clients, produce electronic surveys using the very latest software and equipment and provide the local customer contact. 

The market place:

There are currently over 22 million homes in England, Scotland and Wales today. The market sector that we are interested in is the domestic market initially for the Franchisee although the pilot scheme has started on commercial works in 2009. The domestic market is essentially extensions, loft conversions, timber frame buildings, garages, alterations and new housing. This sector is currently served by Architects, Architectural technicians, Chartered surveyors, structural engineers and planning professionals who have been employed by Local Authorities in the past. There is no company in the UK today offering a truly national service with local surveyors.

 Current Climate: 

The changes in the economic climate during 2008 have been not been seen in most peoples lifetime, bringing uncertainty and a change in the world that we live in that no one could have predicted at the end of 2007. We are now living in a new world where we cannot expect things to carry on as they once did. Employment now is the biggest factor in most people’s lives as mortgage rates tumble as do house prices. Being employed with a company that offers a must have product or service is essential as those who are employed in the nice to have sectors have found to their cost in 2008 and will continue to do so during 2009. ASL sits across both these sectors with its product offering, the family end of the business, age group 20-55 years has been hit very hard in the last 12 months and are rarely spending money on nice to have items, but saving their money for the must have purchases.

The grey pound as we call it 55+ is flourishing in both the nice to have and must have sectors and we have found that during 2008 it has been the one end of the market that is relatively unaffected by what has been happening. 

There is still business within the 20-55 age sector as some people cannot afford to move due to negative equity or have no one to purchase their home. It may be with the addition of a new child or an elderly relative that they are forced to extend their home. 

The outlook for 2009 is excellent for ASL as the credit crunches bites harder with families forced to stay in their current home and look at ways of adapting it to change to their new needs. The key to 2009 is being involved in a product or service that is firmly within the must have category and we believe that ASL is.

Background:

The company was set up at the beginning of 2008 due to complete frustration and a lack of faith at the services being provided by local architectural companies. I set up a successful building company in 2002 that has steadily expanded over the last 6 years with 3 full time employees and a number of sub contractors. The business specialises in extensions and we started design and build about 4 years ago. As our standards and expectations became higher for our own business we found that the services provided by local companies were found lacking. In 2007 we were commissioned to design and build a large extension, porch and detached garage by a really nice couple the contract was worth about £200k. I sat down and designed the works with accurate drawings for the client, on that basis we were commissioned to design and build the works. I employed a local company to redraw what I had already drawn for a planning application and to lease with the local authority.

After about 6 weeks we finally received a correct set of drawings and a planning submission was made. About 6 weeks after this we found only by chance that the company had not established the type of land that we were to build on (it was in fact classified as agricultural) and a change of use on the land was required. The planners had written to the company within 2 weeks of the application being submitted but the architectural services had failed to deal with the revised planning application that was now needed. Another 4 weeks passed before the revised application was submitted and then there were further complications with what the company had submitted which meant that there were further delays. Planning permission was finally granted about 9 months from the initial instruction with the company.

I became heavily involved with the planning application and dealing with the planning officer and any faith I had with the architect evaporated.

During this process I vowed never to use an company ever again and started planning to set my own business up. I spent months researching the market place and the technology that is available and with my blank sheet of paper drew up the blue print for the business that still holds true today, the principals of which are:

   • Excellent customer service with regular and accurate communication

  • Value for money

  • Initial meetings within 48 hours of enquiry

  • Surveys within 48 hours of instruction

  • Completed drawings within 24 hours of survey

  • Planning applications and building regulation submissions within 24 hrs of approval by client

  • Client able to see a scheme on the first visit

In short a 7 day plan service from time of enquiry, tough targets maybe but achievable. In fact targets that we now regularly smash, on the 24th January 2009 we had an enquiry, a meeting was arranged to visit the client on the 25th at the meeting the client agreed to go ahead, the survey was carried out there and then and completed drawings were shown to the client on the 26th at about 13.00. The drawings were approved by 16.00 and a full planning application and building regulation submission was made at 16.30, when I personally delivered the drawings to the local council. The clients were over the moon and we were paid in full for the works. In 2008 we have had no bad debt at all we are paid in full on submission of all planning and building regulation applications.

 Vision for Architectural Services UK Ltd

To provide a national service for planning applications and building regulation submissions that is delivered at a local level with service levels that set the standards for the industry making it impossible for our competitors to offer the same service at the same pricing levels. Establish ourselves as the first choice for all sectors of the market place, providing unparalleled service to our regular customers that means we are an integral part of their business that is essential for their growth and profitability.

 Competitive advantage

With a vision of providing a premium service at budget pricing level we must maintain a low cost base. Franchisees must keep their costs to a minimum, we recommend that franchisees work from home until the business is built up to a sufficient level that it can support additional overheads. This business can be operated from home and does not need expensive offices or administration staff. All appointments are made for the franchisee from all enquiries that are received on the head office number. The management accounts service means that franchisees sends all information through and each month they will receive management accounts. The franchisor will regularly review ways of saving money so that fees that are charged to franchisees remain competitive.

Our competition generally have offices, admin staff and cad technicians, their cost base is far higher than ours. Their service levels cannot compete with the 7 day plan service that we offer or the pricing levels that we operate at. We are approximately 50% cheaper than architectural services and in some cases they charge 3 times the price that we charge.

When establishing a new business you need to have a unique selling point (USP) when trying to break into an established market place. ASL clearly has many USP's and in a climate where customers are looking to reduce their building costs, there has never been a better time to establish a local ASL franchise.