Craig joins the Signs Express Franchise group after 15 years with the British Army
As a sergeant in the Army Craig gained valuable leadership skills and went from being in charge of 40 soldiers, to becoming the director of the Stoke-on-Trent Signs Express Franchise.
With some previous knowledge of the signs and graphics industry, Craig was keen to look at setting up a business in an area he already had an interest in.
Craig commented,
“I love this industry, it’s incredibly rewarding taking someone’s ideas for signs and graphics and make them in a reality. Seeing their faces when their dreams come to life makes my day”.
Craig bought the existing Signs Express (Stoke-on-Trent) centre in 2015.
“The opportunity of a resale franchise business attracted me. Franchising made sense to me and the advice and training you receive from the Signs Express franchise team has been invaluable. The ongoing support you receive after the initial training period is second to none and covers a vast array of areas, from operations to sales, marketing to finance and procurement”.
Craig had to secure finance in order to buy the Stoke-on-Trent branch. He factored in the purchase price, working capital and some updating of production kit when deciding to move forward with the business. The total investment was funded by a combination of bank loan, personal capital and forces pension.
Signs Express then worked with Craig to prepare a business plan that lead to him accepting a finance proposal from HSBC. Major banks have a specialist franchise department as they view franchising as a safer way to start a business. Banks like HSBC regularly work with franchises such as Signs Express and offer good terms and a higher lending proportion of the required start-up capital to franchisees than might otherwise be available to an independent.
Once funding was secured Craig then attended a four-week training programme at the Signs Express Franchise HQ in Norwich. He explained,
“You really don’t need any prior experience in the signs industry. The course covers everything from operations, marketing, sales H&S and HR”.
Since taking on the Signs Express (Stoke-on-Trent) centre last year, Craig is already starting to see his hard-work pay off. He has secured a number of high profile clients such as the NHS, JCB and Warner Bros and continues to expand his customer base. Craig has also reinvested into the business and hired additional staff to ensure he has specialist skill sets to call upon for any given project.
Franchising is becoming increasing popular within the ex-forces community. Craig explained,
“It is an attractive proposition, because you’re running your own business, but with the support, tools and opportunities of a larger organisation”.
When asking Craig for advice for those from the forces, considering the franchise industry, one thing he clearly wanted to get across was to “never undersell themselves”.
At Signs Express, you don’t need any qualifications or previous signs industry experience to join and many ex-servicemen and women already have the necessary skill set to make a successful franchisee. Craig began,
“Providing you have a little capital behind you why wouldn’t you invest you in your own future and become your own boss?”
Signs Express have one of the most successful business models in the B2B arena and are the UK’s largest sign and graphics company with over 60 franchises in the UK and Ireland. As the most searched sign brand on goggle, Signs Express are industry leaders and are currently looking to expand their network.
With prime franchise locations available throughout the UK and no previous signs industry experience necessary, have you got what it takes to become your own boss?
Please submit one of the request forms to request additional information on the Signs Express Franchise opportunity.
