Case Studies
Meet the Franchisees
Who better to tell you about life in the network than the people who have already made the move into business ownership for themselves?!
Case Studies
Meet the Franchisees
Below you’ll find videos and written stories that highlight the diversity of backgrounds and people who proudly call themselves Countrywide Signs franchisees. Your career to date isn’t what matters for success: it’s your passion,determination and ability to get along with people that are all-important.
David & Daniel Jordan, Boston
This father-and-son duo had no prior experience in business or in the property sector – but that’s not stopping them creating the future they were looking for, with a few friendly family discussions about who’s really the boss along the way!
Craig & Judith Woodhams, High Wycombe
Formerly in the education sector, this husband-and-wife team were looking for a B2B opportunity that could grow to suit their ambitions. Having the support and experience of a franchise was key to their decision to choose Countrywide Signs.
Lee Guestford, West Bromwich
Lee was no stranger to running his own business when he discovered the Countrywide Signs franchise model – having previously run two limited companies and four sole trading firms in markets as diverse as soft drink delivery, motorcycle accessories and fascia installation.
Seeking new self-employed opportunities at the start of 2015, Lee visited a franchise exhibition in Birmingham and began seriously researching the possibility of becoming a franchisee.
Just a month later he had invested in a Countrywide Signs franchise based around West Bromwich, taking over from the previous owner who had unfortunately fallen ill.
“With a lot of franchises I considered, the message seemed to keep changing – but with Countrywide Signs the potential was consistent, as was the insistence that it was hard work,” says Lee. “The opportunity and business model was also easy to understand, the market was clear cut – and future issues such as how online estate agents would not affect the business model were addressed early on. So the honesty from the team convinced me it was the right opportunity.”
As someone with experience building and running several businesses, Lee also appreciates the benefit of having the right systems and processes in place to run a successful operation. “In this context the training I received in the field was excellent,” says Lee, “and the client management technology is phenomenal – it puts you leaps and bounds ahead in terms of providing an extra special service.”
When he’s not hard at work managing his new franchise, Lee loves nothing more than track racing his 1000cc superbike or catching up with some adrenaline-pumping computer games with his grandkids – proving this enterprising businessman never really slows down.
“What impresses me about the Countrywide Signs model is that it has scope to grow beyond where I originally envisioned it,” says Lee.
And what advice would this highly driven franchise owner have for anyone considering investing in a Countrywide Signs business? “Do your research and talk to franchisors,” concludes Lee. “Make sure the message stays the same – if you keep hearing different things from different people and if some of it sounds too good to be true, it probably is and you should walk away. There are good opportunities out there and this is one of the best in my opinion.”
He adds: “The honesty from the team convinced me it was the right opportunity for me.
“As someone who has built and run several businesses I am aware of the struggle to identify the right systems and processes to run a business successfully. I also know the time it takes to develop technology to help you to win business and to run the your business efficiently – that is all there with Countrywide Signs from the start and I appreciate the head start that gave me as a new business.”
