A year in franchising

It's amazing to think that my first year of business as a Signs Express franchisee has gone by so quickly. Luckily, when looking at the current economic climate, I'm even happier that I opted for the franchising route. Franchising has given me a great deal of peace-of-mind, especially when all there seems to be in the news is doom and gloom about the state of the global market.

As a new business in these difficult economic times, it has been important for me to thoroughly plan for the future - after all, it's important to be as realistic as possible and aware of the different scenarios that could happen. Our main aim is to ensure that our monthly overheads are covered while also trying to gradually increase sales. I'm confident in our sector that we shouldn't see too much of a change, since now is the time for businesses to up their game in signage so that they stand out more from the competition.

I'm hoping that once the economic downturn is over we'll be able to accelerate our growth and be a £500,000 business by the end of 2012; an aim which isn't unrealistic as part of a franchise network. It is particularly helpful that the unit I leased has extra space, as recommended at the time of choosing it. I plan to look to fill the space with both additional manufacturing machinery and also additional staff and potentially have a workforce of six by the end of 2012.

The support from HQ has been invaluable and has definitely made the whole process throughout a lot smoother. During the period between signing the franchise agreement and opening the centre, I received help in all aspects from securing the right unit to finding suitable staff. Then once open, the ongoing support, particularly in the areas of marketing and technical, have really helped us to reach where we are today. The franchise package has really provided the complete package I was looking for.

Over the year, there have been many good moments. Most of those involved us securing key orders or when I get a really positive reaction from a customer who has new signage. There's one particular customer who springs to mind. Earlier in the year we were contacted by an owner of a small boutique which was in need of signage to help them get noticed in their location at the end of the road. She was not getting enough foot fall, so we installed new signage, increasing the overall size of it; providing uplighting for the main sign and adding an internally lit projecting sign so that potential customers would see it from the far end of the road. The installation was completed just as the daylight went and when we switched on the lighting and she saw the effect, she literally threw her arms around me! You just can't beat the feeling of seeing a customer so pleased with our work.

There have been a number of things that I've learnt over my time as a franchisee. In particular, I've learnt a great deal of technical knowledge about signage in general, but mainly about me. I've found out that I have a flair for design, which I was unaware of, and that the general business knowledge I gained in my 27 years of work is in fact very extensive and has enabled me to quickly become a respected member of the local business community.

Finally, I've learnt never to give up on a sales enquiry. I raised a quotation on 29 October 2007 and pursued it regularly until the order was finally placed on 14 October 2008! I knew I'd get there in the end.