Something holding you back from fulfilling your dream of business ownership? Here’s how FASTSIGNS franchisees overcame their initial doubts and never looked back!
In last month’s blog, we talked about all the doubts and worries which hold people back from deciding to make a change in their lives, such as starting their own business. In our experience, these worries can be big or small, from general concerns about the economy or how well suited you are to business ownership, to more specific questions about how easily you can make money or learn the technology involved.
Did any of those concerns sound familiar? If so, we’re extremely interested to hear about your thoughts and to understand where you are on your journey to business ownership. You can always contact us for an initial informal chat, where we can dissect any concerns you may have. With this month’s blog, however, we thought it would be a great opportunity to connect you with some of our franchisees, who have stood where you are and may have shared the fears that you could have before they took the plunge and committed to their FASTSIGNS Franchise.
As a standard, we are in constant contact with everyone in our network on a frequent basis, but we also send out regular surveys to all our franchisees to see how they are doing and obtain their unfiltered feedback. We do this so we can continue to make informed business decisions on how best to support them. This annual process has shown that in 2024, we had a 90% franchise satisfaction score from our network, which is a fantastic result and one that we are immensely proud of! In our most recent survey, we added an extra question:
“What were your biggest fears when looking at a FASTSIGNS franchise?”
The results generated from this question were fascinating! Not just because they gave us insight into how our franchisees felt before they joined FASTSIGNS, but because all the respondents are now successful franchise owners. Owners who have overcome their fears and concerns and are actively building successful businesses, with the support of the FASTSIGNS franchise model. Here are some of the top answers they gave, as well as some more details on how it all panned out for the franchisees, once they’d joined the network:
Tom Gilpin – FASTSIGNS Birmingham
Fear: Being self-employed and responsible
for his own income
Despite having worked for himself since he was 16, Tom still felt a real anxiety around being fully responsible for generating his own income, particularly in the context of running a more structured business, like a FASTSIGNS centre. He recognised running a franchise was a long-term commitment with fixed costs and personal financial implications.
At 23, when he took on his franchise, he wondered if he was up to the task.
This is a common concern and one we understand. Leaving your current employment, even if you’re a freelancer or contractor, to start a business of your own, often in a new industry, can feel like a huge leap into the unknown. However, with a FASTSIGNS franchise, you’re never going it alone, which makes all the difference. The structured business model and systems of support we have in place, meant we could help Tom understand the targets he’d need to hit each month and how they’d translate into income for him and his family. While our business planning tools and guidance have given Tom the confidence to succeed, he’s still very much in charge of his own future. In our recent survey, he also commented that FASTSIGNS was not as rigid as other franchises he’d looked at. While we do provide clear frameworks and expectations, there’s also plenty of space to be your own boss – the perfect balance, really!
Nik Mathur – FASTSIGNS Tunbridge Wells
Fears: Learning the industry & generating
business from Day One
Nik came into FASTSIGNS with a strong business background but admitted two major concerns:
– How long would it take to properly get to grips with the signage industry
– Could he make enough money to justify the risks?
Nik found that when he started, we helped him to hit the ground running before he even launched, giving him all the training he needed to succeed in the industry and build his own winning team.
His first big win was hiring a salesperson who generated leads right away! Then, when their first day in business came around, they already had a strong pipeline of work ready to roll; their revenue has continued to grow steadily ever since. While the signage industry was very new to him, he found his core training and our ongoing support, along with a mentor from another centre, soon gave him all the tools and confidence needed to succeed. He’s never felt on his own and he knows he can approach anyone in the network, at any time, to receive whatever help he needs.
With his centre opening in January 2024, in 2025, his year-to-date sales (May) are 161% up on the same period from the previous year. Nik is now focusing on incrementally, sustainably growing his business and he knows that opening his centre was a risk
worth taking.
Martin Slater – FASTSIGNS Sheffield
Fear: Not being a natural salesperson
FASTSIGNS franchisees come from a variety of backgrounds with several complementary skillsets and only a few have extensive business experience before joining. This naturally leads to a very common concern: How can I feel confident in attracting and winning customers, especially in an industry which is
new to me?
Martin had a solid working background in operations and had managed franchise enterprises before, but he felt concerned about how successful he would be in sales and marketing disciplines.
Since taking over his centre, Martin has discovered for himself how the sales and marketing systems we trained him in, gave him a solid foundation for promoting his business to potential customers. Alongside the support he received from the mentorship team, his confidence has grown and grown. 12 months on and his perspective has completely changed. His journey proves sales skills can be learned, especially when you’re backed by a network which genuinely wants you to succeed.
Any of these fears sound familiar?
Feeling fearful is natural, especially when it comes to something as life-changing as starting a new career as a business owner. However, these stories are proof that all these concerns aren’t showstoppers when it comes to turning your dreams into a reality – just bumps in the road, which can be overcome with the right support and a proven business model.
These are all people who have been exactly where you are now, but we appreciate there’s a lot for you to think about. So, why don’t we have a chat?
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