A piece of the action
August 1st 2006 Acquiring a new owner and its 700th UK licence, last year was a busy one for carpet and upholstery franchise, Chem-Dry, setting a celebratory tone for its milestone 20th year of UK operations
Chairman Philip Smith has seen the company grow over the last 15 years. As part of a global group operating in 46 countries, Chem-Dry's operators now cover 28 million homes in the UK and provide a fire, flood and accidental damage and restoration service to the country's major insurance companies.
"Achieving our 700th licence is fantastic. The stronger the Chem-Dry network, the stronger the brand and the higher the service offered to customers and insurance policyholders. With Homeserve's encouragement Chem-Dry is investing in new products and services, new business systems, and new approaches to delivering technical and business training. These will all be rolled out over the next 12 months, so we will be able to enter our 20th Chem-Dry year more confident than ever about the quality of our offering to all markets," says Smith. "These are exciting times."
Chem-Dry says its patented hot-carbonating cleaning process and 96% success rate make it an attractive proposition. The company invests heavily in updating products and equipment to ensure all franchisees are fully equipped with the best tools for the job. This is backed-up by technical and business development support and Continuous Professional Development through the Chem-Dry Centre of Excellence a purpose built training complex at the UK head office in East Yorkshire.
These elements, plus an established, well-recognised brand, mean franchisees with a dedicated approach are bound to succeed, according to the company. Below are a few typical examples:
David Hunt,Castle Chem-Dry, Edinburgh bought an existing Chem-Dry business in April 2002 after serving as a Police Officer for 14 years. Like most franchisees he started from a home base and his 100% commitment to building a balanced business was justly rewarded in only his second year, when he achieved a 100k turnover. He now works from business premises and employs three technicians and an administrator.
Darren & Sharon Barker,Chem-Dry Solutions, Surrey joined Chem-Dry in April 2003, Darren coming from a career in Sales Management. They worked the system and applied their business skills, which resulted in them achieving a first year turnover in excess of 100k. They have achieved phenomenal growth ever since, taking on business premises, adding an additional franchise licence and their first technician in November 2003, their third licence in April 2004 and a second technician in September 2004. They have since purchased an additional three franchise licences.
Ian & Sharon Jackson, Chem-Dry Countrywide, Essex started their Franchise in October 2002. Ian took redundancy from the Royal Mail, after 22 years of service, because he felt his life needed a change of direction. "I decided I wanted to run my own business and so looked at the options of going it alone versus running a franchise. I researched a number of franchise opportunities and after a visit to see the Yorkshire HQ, reviewed what Chem-Dry had to offer and decided to join the Network."
"After a demonstration of the cleaning system and a tour of the technical and business support centres, I had no doubts why Chem-Dry is a UK leader in Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning and Fire & Flood Restoration."
Ian and Sharon admitted that when they first set up their Franchise they were petrified. "It must be the same for anyone starting up a new business. The difference is, whenever we weren't sure how to tackle something, we knew we could just call the Master Franchise or a fellow franchisee for advice."They soon gained confidence in their ability and now act as mentors themselves, helping new franchisees to establish their businesses.
"We are part of a large professional company and a world-wide brand. Customers have complete confidence that they are dealing with professionals. We've gained new customers just because we offer a recognised service people who are new to Essex, who've always used Chem-Dry."
With the ability to work both aspects of the business, Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning and Fire & Flood Restoration, Ian and Sharon's days are full and their business continues to grow. In their first year, up to October 2003, their turnover was 56,000. In their second year they achieved over 100,000, took on their first technician and won the Chem-Dry 'Rising Star Award' as the UK's best newcomers.
According to Ian and Sharon, it is the power of a recognised brand and the strength and experience of a franchise network, which provided them with such strong foundations on which to build their success. "After that, like with any self-managed business, it's down to how much you want to make things work. Chem-Dry is a system you work the system and it works for you."
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