Ed James – Regional Franchisee (Northumberland Tyne & Wear)
Regional Franchise of the Year 2007.
The Northumberland depot has been open since late 2003 and in that time we have seen fantastic
growth. A few months after opening we had 300 parcels moving through the depot daily, and less than 5 years on we are moving over 400,000 parcels through the depot annually. This growth is set to continue as the Fastway name becomes even more recognisable as the network expands. We already have over 1250 customers as a result of the fantastic service offered by Fastway., particularly through its same day local service.
We currently have 17 couriers operating 19 vans, and our plan is to grow this to 30 as more of our couriers build up their runs to a point where they are able to split. This will maintain the growth of the depot and help us win an even larger slice of the local market.
Thanks to all of the hard work put in by both the couriers and the rest of my team we won the prestigious title of Regional Franchisee of the Year 2007. This was such a fantastic surprise and has really helped motivate the couriers to build their business further;my wife Elanear and I are looking forward to taking our prize of a holiday in Australia.
Advice
My advice to other Regional Franchisees is to work with your Couriers, and support them by helping them plan the progress of their business. This will build a strong team within the depot and ensure that everyone is working towards the same goal.
Caroline Cruz & Peter Home - Courier Franchisee (Beds, Bucks & Herts)
Caroline Cruz and Peter Home – Leighton Buzzard & Dunstable (Beds, Bucks & Herts)
Purchased territory: January 2006
Split territory: February 2007
Split territory sold for: £22,000
Caroline & Peter on their business
We heard an ad on the radio and thought Fastway was a good opportunity to be our own bosses. The split happened a lot earlier than we had expected. The purchaser heard our advertising and saw the van. He contacted our Regional Franchisee, Harj Thind, who helped us with the process of the sale. We are already approaching half of the level of earnings before the split and have much more time to develop and grow the business. Having a smaller area gives us much more time for saturation marketing and working with the sales rep. We are already working towards splitting again.
Advice
Follow the system, it works. Have a plan, follow it and work towards splitting from the start.
Jamie Fox – Hillington, Govan & Pollockshields (Central Scotland)
Purchased territory: January 2006
Record weekly earnings: £1,425.65
Jamie on his business
I had always wanted to have my own company and after looking into all the available franchises, Fastway suited me the most, I’m not an office person, I like being out and about and I like driving. My customers and earning have grown steadily since I purchased my territory and now I am preparing for my first split. 80% of my parcels are local within the Central Scotland region where the Fastway service is second to none. For me the best part about being a Fastway Courier Franchisee is being your own man, building you own business, being part of the Fastway family and meeting lots of folks. For me it’s perfect.
Advice
Work as hard as possible and make use of the quiet times for saturation marketing, don’t give up on those who say I don’t want to use you.
Purchased territory: January 2005 for £11,000
Record weekly earnings: £1878
Sold territory: June 2007 for £33,000
Ray on his business
I do the saturation marketing and work very closely with the sale rep. I tell him where I want new customers and he calls them to win their business. I am always looking for the customer who has his own vehicles on the road. I have a laugh and joke about taking their vehicles off the road and using me instead. It is a challenge but I do enjoy it. I have meetings all the time with the RF and we speak about what we can do next to keep growing my business, he is very supportive. “My record weekly earnings are £1878. I’m working hard with the sales rep to split part of my area off. In June 2007 whilst discussing a territory split I received an offer of £33,000 for the purchase of my entire territory. I accepted the offer and I am now happy to be easing down to my retirement at an earlier stage than I expected.”
Advice
If I can do it, anybody can do it. If you are thinking about buying a CF territory, don’t think about it just do it. The longer you think about it the more time you are wasting. Work hard and you will achieve your goals, if you sit by the side of the road reading a newspaper the business will not grow.
Robin Shields - Courier Franchisee (West Yorkshire)
Robin Shields – Tingley & Horbury (West Yorkshire)
Purchased territory – August 2006
Record weekly earnings: £9,289.90
Robin on his business
With Fastway I am my own boss. I’ve only been a Courier Franchisee a short time but I split my territory in January 2007 to enable me to cope with the volume of deliveries. 90% of my business is local and this is where Fastway is so much better than any other courier company. I currently hold the record for the highest weekly earnings by a Courier Franchisee in England and I achieved that record in April 2007 just eight months after starting my business.
Advice
Keep on with saturation marketing and work with your sales rep to build your business.
