Two heads are better than one

Mixing professional and personal lives isn’t always recommended, but in the case of franchising, going into business with your partner can make for a very successful venture indeed

 A recent survey revealed that one fifth of prospective franchisees are looking to go into business with their partner*, and it’s not hard to see why.

Being joint franchisees obviously involves spending more time together and working towards a shared goal. Having someone to experience the ups and downs with, bounce ideas off, and turn to for help and support is a definite bonus.

Franchising can encompass a drastic change in lifestyle, as you are invested in building a business and making a success of it. This can mean putting in long hours at the start, but many couples enter into franchising in order to eventually achieve a better work-life balance with more room for quality family time.

Many couples go into franchising with a clear idea of the roles that each of them will fulfil, with a different set of responsibilities for each person depending on their personal strengths and weaknesses. This means that partners in life often form a highly successful team in business, as one person provides the skills that the other lacks – combining assets to form an effective business partnership.

Here, five couples share their experiences of running a franchise business together.

Screen Rescue

Married franchisors Jaime and Amanda Hilario run Screen Rescue, a dedicated windscreen repairs specialist, and have found their combined strengths are perfectly balanced to their franchise operations. Jaime’s role is to provide extensive sales, customer services and NVQ-led technical repairs instruction, whilst Amanda is the business trainer with a firm grip on financial operations.

What did you do before becoming a franchisor?
JH:  I was in the unique position of having worked within the industry for a number of years so I had an insight into the strengths of the market and the weaknesses in the operations that I was hampered by at that time. We made a number of strategic changes; Screen Rescue was set up with this intelligence in mind and has rapidly become a very successful business in Suffolk and this became the operational pilot for the franchise.

Why did you decide to run a franchise together?
AH: We both have strong sales, management and marketing backgrounds that span 25 years and knew my experience in PR and journalism wouldalso be advantageous in our business. More importantly, as a former franchisee myself, I had been hands-on in my company set-up, operations and its ultimate sale, so the expansion of Screen Rescue by way of franchising was a natural step for us to take.
JH: Franchising the business together allows us to combine our key strengths – we really couldn’t have done it without each other.

What strengths do each of you bring to the business?
AH: Jaime is a people person with a strong sales and business development background, which has proven to be an asset in the rapid growth of the company and in maintaining our excellent client retention record. He is also a perfectionist in his repairs, so we get lots of positiveclient feedback. I have drawn on my business background and operations experience as a former franchisee and this has been invaluable in dealing with the accounts, customer service and financial side of the business. My journalist background definitely gives us a marketing edge over our competitors.

What are the benefits of working with your spouse?
AH: We both have a vested interest in making a long-term success of the franchise for ourselves and for our franchise owners, so the vision we havefor the business and the goals we are working towards are completely aligned.
JH: Because we work closely as a team, we discuss business matters on a daily basis – we share the highs no matter how big or small and quickly pick each other up through the lows. We have an understanding of the challenges weeach face within our own sides of the business so we’re a good sounding board for each other when key decisions needto be made.

How do you fit work around family life?
AH: With a football-crazy 11 year old playing Sunday league matches and two toddlers, family life can be quite hectic at times. Day to day, we rely heavily on our local pre-school and have alternative support systems in place when they’re needed. Family time is precious, so we make the most of it and do things together as often as we can.
JH: For me, we now have the businessat the stage where I can step in to do the school runs most mornings, participate in sports days, watch our kids in their Christmas plays or sit with them on Father’s Day. I even attend the odd parents evening! These occasions were virtually impossible beforehand; running a successful business has changed all of that.

Would you recommend franchising as a couple to others?
JH: If you want control of your future and a better work-life balance, then definitely!
AH: I believe if you’re committed long-term, as we are, then yes, absolutely. It really does make you a stronger couple.

Granite Transformations

Franchisees Derek and his wife Pauline Delaney are both actively engaged in running their Granite Transformations business and their son Daniel is employed as a qualified master installer. They were also shortlisted for a Family Business of the Year Award, run by their local paper.

Why did you decide to go into franchising together?
We came to the home improvement market from quite disparate backgrounds. I spent almost 20 years in automotive retailing, then went into sales management, followed by a spell in industrial engineering. Pauline began in fashion retail and applied her creative skills to in-store merchandising in the crafts and hobbies sector. We’d always wanted to run our own business and thought the best way to achieve this was through franchising. With a franchise, all the business problems have already been ironed out for you.

What strengths do each of you bring to the business?
I apply my skills to managing the sales and installation team, worktop production and putting the business systems in place, while Pauline turns her creative eye to customers’ kitchen and bathroom décor, as well as ensuring the showrooms are amongst the best merchandised in the trade.

How is business going so far?
Having come across Granite Transformations at a franchise exhibition and liked the product and the package, we opened a showroom in Bolton and have gradually built up a thriving business. It’s been hard work but it has been very rewarding in the sense that we are our own bosses. We’ve also opened a new showroom in Altrincham, extending our franchise territory to take advantage of the market potential there.

Jolanta Lavrenova and her partner Andrejs moved to the UK from Latvia in 2005 and they now run their Dublcheck franchise together.

Why did you decide to run a franchise together and why Dublcheck?
We decided that franchising would be the best option for us because of the support we get from the franchisor; we didn’t have any business experience so it felt safer option than starting from scratch. We wanted a management franchise in particular so that we could start byworking part-time and gradually build up the business. Dublcheck seemed to tick all the boxes for us – no other franchise offered guaranteed turnover.

What strengths do each of you bring to the business?
Over time, we have realised which tasks are more suited to each of us. Andrejs is better at managing staffand doing the accountancy paperwork, while I’m better at maintaining relationships with clients and bringing in more customers.

How have you found your experience of working together so far?
We have very much enjoyed it so far! It has been a life-changing move for us to invest in a Dublcheck franchise and it turned out to be the best thing for us to work together. The best thing about working together is the support we get from each other.

How do you fit work around family life?
Dublcheck has given us great flexibility; we can plan our schedule as we need and want. We have a four-year-old daughter and we are spending more time together as a family, which is great.

Would you recommend franchising as a couple to others?
I would definitely recommend franchising! We have had so much support from head office; they are always there if you need them and it doesn’t feel as though you are completely on your own. When you invest in a franchise the system is already there, so you can't really fail!

ChipsAway

Anatol Poyer-Sleeman and his partner Michelle Clark (pictured with Vicki Butler Henderson) are celebrating 10 successful years with ChipsAway.

What was your route into franchising?
We decided to invest after attending one of the ChipsAway open days. Having completed the training, we launched the business in 2004 and over the first weekend wrote 60 estimates for work, taking bookings well into the next month. We achieved £900 in our first week of trading, £4,000 by the end of our first month, and this upward trend has continued ever since.

How is business going at the moment?
Today, we own five profitable territories and operate from an extensive, fully equipped ChipsAway CarCare Centre in Cambridge, employing a team of technicians to provide high-quality paintwork and alloy wheel repairs. Our regular customer base now numbers over 4,500 and turnover is continuing to climb. Currently, business is up by around 15 per cent compared with the same period last year.

What different strengths do you each bring to the business?
We bring different skills to the business. Michelle is a hands-on, very practical person and is brilliant at completing tasks efficiently and effectively. She doesn’t do much actual painting these days, but she is responsible for the workshop and dealing with our customers. I do the strategic thinking and business planning. We both invested completely in the business from the outset, financially and emotionally, and so we have always been totally committed to making it work. 

Do you enjoy working together?
Michelle and I love working together. The only drawback is that it’s difficult to leave work behind when you head home but, on the other hand, if there’s a problem to sort out or particular pressures, we both understand the situation and can support one another.

What advice would you give to people considering franchising as a couple?
To succeed as a couple in franchising, you need to be a good match as business partners as well as being compatible on a personal basis. You have to be prepared to sacrifice a few hobbies and make sure you carve out some quality time together. We’ve made it work with the help of ChipsAway and, 10 years down the line, we still have passion for one another and for our business!

Availl 

Katya and Radi Genkova bought the Availl franchise in Norwich 18 months ago. Originally from Bulgaria where Radi owned a taxi business and Katya worked as a nurse, they moved to the UK and Katya worked as a carer for several years before they took the leap into franchising.

Why did you decide to run a franchise together?
Katya: We understand each other and have always worked well as a team.
Radi: We have different skills. I concentrate on the business and finance side, whilst Katya ensures that we provide the highest level of care.
Katya: Running a business together seemed a natural progression for us.

What strengths do each of you bring to the business?
Katya: As well as being the joint owner of our Availl franchise, I am also the registered manager. My strengths are in the care and management side of the business; I am responsible for interviewing new carers, visiting and assessing our clients and ensuring that we work within the guidelines set by the Care Quality Commission.
Radi: As I have previous experience of running a business, I concentrate on the office and administration duties.
Katya: This means that together, we run a well-balanced and successful franchise.

What are the benefits of working together and have there been any challenges?
Katya: I don’t think we have experienced many challenges working as a couple; we enjoy working together and agree on most things. Working together is the foundation of our business as we have one common aim – to provide the highest level of care to our clients whilst running a successful business to create a secure future for our family.
Radi: When we initially opened the franchise, we spent most of our time at the office so it was a challenge to find the time to spend with our family. The main benefit is that we are there to support each other in every decision we make in the business.

How do you fit work around family life?
Radi: Our franchise is now 18 months old and we have doubled the size of our office team. We can now delegate tasks to our staff, allowing Katya and I to spend more time with our family.

Would you recommend franchising as a couple to others?
Katya: Yes, I would definitely recommend it. I feel that working with Radi gives our business security. We trust each other100 per cent and make all-important business decisions together. I wouldn’t hesitate to do it again!
 
[*The British & International Franchise Exhibition Survey 2014]

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