November has been a very eventful month overall for Countrywide Signs because an existing franchisee has expanded his territory as part of an ongoing business development strategy. However our biggest news comes from Cumbria.

Countrywide Signs has commenced operating in Cumbria servicing estate agent boards!
John Lunney, who will be taking charge in Cumbria, joined Countrywide Signs this month.
John has owned a portfolio of businesses during his career in Zimbabwe, the Channel Islands and South Africa. Most recently a security monitoring company in South Africa.

After relocating to the UK in 2018, John first looked at the franchise opportunity in February of the same year after finding us online.

After an initial enquiry and several phone calls, John decided not to proceed any further at the time due to a change in personal circumstances.

However after almost 18 months, in July 2019, John got back in touch with Countrywide Signs. John had looked at other franchise brands indifferent sectors but says “Countrywide Signs caught our attention”.

When asked how his previous experience would help him build his Countrywide Signs franchise, John said “I’ve always been innovative, I don’t see anything as a stumbling block and I’m very adaptable to new situations”.

John commenced his training at our head office in Newmarket, Suffolk in November with our trainer and ex franchisee Sue Jamil after signing his new franchise agreement in late October. John quickly took to the Countrywide Signs systems and processes.

After a week of systems and theory training, John was then given on the job training with another ex franchisee Neil Samson, where he was shown the practical side of running a successful van franchise. This included how to erect sign boards along with using the correct post fixings and using double sided residential and commercial boards.

Further to John’s on the job training, he spent a day with our Durham franchisee Mike, who helped John by taking him out and showing him how he manages estate agent signs in a working territory.
John was so pleased with Mike’s training, he emailed head office and had the following to say:

“Mike shared a wealth of knowledge and experience with me and also gave me a lot of handy tips and advice. Overall, he was very welcoming, open and friendly. From what I can see, Mike has achieved much in his first year of operating and it is inspirational to see the level of work and dedication he has applied.”

Every Countrywide Signs franchisee benefits from ongoing training and support. All of the head office team are available to provide high quality training to the network.

Support includes ongoing systems training, a tailored marketing plan which covers social media channels, email marketing and digital print materials (full colour business cards and brochures) for direct marketing to customers. All of the tools a franchisee needs to succeed.

With 2020 knocking at our doors, now is the perfect time to look at a new Countrywide Signs business opportunity. With greenfield territories available in areas across the UK and existing franchises for sale, Countrywide Signs may just be the opportunity you’re looking for.

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