Meet Our Franchisees
Tunde & Laide Sodipo, FASTSIGNS Northampton
After finding love at school, 40 years later Tunde and Laide Sodipo took the opportunity of voluntary early retirement and embarked on their next adventure: ownership of their FASTSIGNS Centre.
After taking early retirement from his accountancy role with the Nigerian National Oil Company, Tunde Sodipo and his wife, former bookkeeper, and multi-business owner, Laide, invested in FASTSIGNS Northampton. Having retired in their mid-fifties, they both knew they wanted to continue working. The redundancy opportunity, however, allowed them to choose to do something they would enjoy, which would also keep them busy until they were ready to retire in their sixties. “Apart from the financial aspect of it, running a business helps keep the body and soul strong, and we can do it together,” Laide says.
Now approaching their second anniversary, as owners of FASTSIGNS Northampton, Tunde and Laide are already multi-award-winning franchise partners, within the FASTSIGNS network. In their first year, their graphic designer won the prestigious Employee of the Year Award, and as a franchise, they won the Net Promoter Score Success Award. An award that underpins their commitment to their customer service, by achieving 100% customer satisfaction, based on the reviews submitted by their customers, throughout 2023. A brilliant achievement for any business!
Why FASTSIGNS?
Tunde and Laide wanted to invest in a franchise because they knew they would receive a high level of support from their franchisor, as well as gain access to a proven business model that would help them to be successful.
Whilst looking for a franchise business to invest in, FASTSIGNS really caught their attention.
“FASTSIGNS were quick to respond to our inquiries. Everything looked promising from the first day of contact,” Tunde says. “The support base they have, plus the incredible opportunities for us to learn along the way, was also attractive – FASTSIGNS has an online university through which we can learn about all aspects of our business and signage. Plus, the network of other franchisees we can link with, has been a massive help.”
Even before they opened for business, Tunde and Laide were warmly welcomed into the network when they attended the FASTSIGNS UK Convention, in 2021. “We had signed our agreement, but FASTSIGNS Northampton had not yet opened,” Laide explains. “The Convention was a great way to hear about development plans for the business, as well as meet with and talk to other franchisees. The UK-based Support Team made opening our business stress-free! They’ve given us help with every challenge we faced, from recruiting the right people in our team, to how to approach sales calls, which was something we’d not done before!”
Tunde continues, “In addition to this support, is the fact we have links to suppliers. As a franchise partner, we can use the FASTSIGNS national supplier relationships to purchase what we need for our customers, so we can create the best quality signs. All of these benefits have helped us to build our business. They have helped us to increase sales, quarter after quarter and now year on year!” Speaking of sales increases, Laide and Tunde increased their sales by 329%, in 2023
Projects to bring you and your customers joy!
Entering the signage sector provided Tunde and Laide with the challenge of learning new things. Including how to fulfil customers’ projects. As Laide explains, “When we first started, I’d often wonder how we’d do a particular project. But, having access to a network with almost 40 years of signs and graphics experience, meant we could reach out to the other franchisees for advice. Now, we’ve gained confidence in what we do, we’re giving back to others in the network, by sharing advice on projects we’ve done when someone else needs that advice.”
“There’s something about seeing your first project in its place, and the sense of achievement in knowing we did that!” Something Laide takes great delight in, even still, two years on. “I was at a Women’s Conference a couple of weekends ago and saw one of the Church vehicles, which we had branded. I just saw it and felt excited to see what we’d done.”
Tunde also takes great joy in remembering the projects which initially left them scratching their heads. He recalls, “We had to do a couple of 20-metre signs for a logistics company. To deliver that job, we lent on our network, franchisor and mentor to help us get it right. I’ll be the first to admit that, due to the scale of the job, it was quite nerve-wracking! In the end, it all went wonderfully well and took less time than I expected. The company were so pleased, they’re now a repeat client and one of our most fruitful business relationships.”
The stronger the network, the stronger our business
Tunde believes everyone should go into franchising! And would love to see more people joining FASTSIGNS – “the more the merrier!
They both believe there is a strength to be gained in being part of a franchise network, which is hugely beneficial for those who want to run a business. “Once you know what you’re doing,” Tunde explains, “and you put your heart into it, you are focused on what you’re growing. The help is there every step of the way. Even for us when we had to leave the UK for an emergency reason, the network stepped in and covered our business for us, which enabled us to be able to go.”
Like any Franchise, FASTSIGNS is very much a long-term investment. Something, both Tunde and Laide are keen for people to see it as an asset for their future. “Anybody coming in should come knowing it’s long-term. Our kind of business builds up over time. As you build a name for yourself, repeat customers recommend you to new ones and your name becomes synonymous with excellence.”
The future looks as bright and steady as an LED sign!
As Tunde and Laide look forward, they’re excited about the future. They credit FASTSIGNS’ supportive network with helping them grow. As we approach our third year, we will continue to increase sales, doubling the sales of last year. To achieve this, we will invest in another Salesperson. So, things are heading in the right direction for us to do this, later in the year.”
We’re excited to see how the franchising journey continues for FASTSIGNS Northampton.
How’s your future looking?
A few years ago, Tunde and Laide couldn’t have envisioned the success they’re currently enjoying. This is the power of investing in the right franchise. So, why not explore what you can achieve with your own FASTSIGNS centre.