Martin and Co Franchise

Aldershot ahead of target

The opening year has been hard work but worth it according to franchise owner Richard Oldaker, "James and I have both worked flat out this year to make sure that our business is successfully established and are looking forward to reaping the rewards in the future. We aim to stick to the business plan we built with Martin & Co, we will always keep a very close rein on costs (always easier when it's your own money), year 2 should see us earning closer to the sort of money we were used to and year three should take us into unchartered territory."

Fellow franchise owner and colleague James Wiggins admits that despite both he and Richard having a background in sales they have still learnt a lot in their first year. "The big learning curve for us has been the running of the business side of things as this has been completely new to us. Fortunately, the support we have received from Martin & Co (particularly in the build up towards launch) has been great and they have pointed us in the right direction when it has come to getting finance in place and making sure we launched on time. The other thing that has been really exciting for us has been being able to start a fresh and be building a solid reputation within our area."

On owning their own business, both felt that they had made the right decision with Martin & Co. "Coming in to work every day you get the feeling that you are creating something which is great, best of all it belongs to you." James comments. For Richard it is the independence that he enjoys most "For me being in control of my own destiny is great, not having to bow down to corporate regional managers or a managing director's decisions is nice. Especially as I always felt I could have done a better job than some of my old bosses anyway!" So far the friends and colleagues have enjoyed their working relationship adds Richard "We always make sure our decisions are made jointly and we haven't had a falling out yet, so let's hope it stays that way!"

Richard strongly recommends the franchise route to anyone looking to own their own business. "James and I were confident about getting the business off the ground having turned around flagging estate agencies in the past; however we weren't confident with all the things involved with getting to the point of opening the doors. The funding, shop fit, business plans, legalities of lettings, software systems, accounts, joining the Ombudsman and NALS, the list is never ending. We were guided through the process and have had continued support since launching from our operations director, who always pushes us to do more and more business!"

Diggle brothers dig it in Cambridge!

Opening a property franchise and teaming up in business was a dream come true for brothers Nick and Charlie Diggle who are franchisees at Martin & Co in Cambridge. More >> 

Customer service is key to success in Folkestone

Martin & Co Folkestone franchise owner Dennis Roodhardt shares his experiences of his Martin & Co office's first year in business. More >> 

Sink or swim!

That's the motto of franchise owner Susan Hume who opened the Martin & Co franchise in Dundee earlier this year. 

Susan had always wanted to run her own business and the franchising opportunity with Martin & Co gave her just that. However the flexibility the franchise business model offered here was top of her list. Susan's daughter is the British swimming champion for 100m and 200m freestyle and is training very hard for the 2012 Olympics. Running her own business, Susan can support her daughter with her early morning training sessions and accompany her on important competitions. The Commonwealth Games in India in 2010 is next!

Launch to leader

No stranger to success, former estate agent Alex Lamb, the Business Owner of Martin & Co Northampton has had an incredible month, even by his own high standards! More >> 

Husband and wife team take Newport by storm

Husband and wife Neil and Lisa Williams both had a long term interest in property and turned to Martin & Co after deciding they wanted to launch a business in the lettings sector.

We were already aware of the company's national name, brand and reputation so it wasn't a difficult choice when it came to picking a franchise," said Neil. Newport was also an obvious choice for locating the business, and opened early in 2007. More >> 

Islington - from rock promoter to franchisee

It might seem like a far cry from rock promoter and manager to the owner of a lettings franchise in Islington. But for Adam Clasby, who once worked with big names including Robert Palmer, UB40, Alice Cooper and Paul Young, it wasn't really such a difficult move.  More >> 

Sheffield North move from phones to property

When Tony Deveney and Carl Doogan, who had previously forged a strong working relationship as senior executives at the Carphone Warehouse, decided to set up their own lettings business in Sheffield North, they researched the market with their usual thoroughness. "We did a full competitive analysis of all the available alternatives, and Martin & Co won hands down," says Tony. "Not only is theirs the leading brand in the sector, but - in return for a substantially lower initial investment and lower ongoing franchise fees - their package was easily the most comprehensive." More >> 

Keeping it in the family!

Father and daughter team Bob and Claire Urwin opened their Martin & Co franchise in Oxford in October 2006. "Over the previous 10 years, I had built up my own property portfolio," says Bob, who used to run his own newspaper publishing business before merging it with a local broadcasting company and floating it on the Alternative Investment Market in 2003. "Claire had always been interested in the sector and used to help me manage the properties - so a lettings business seemed like the natural thing to do."  More >> 

Former beauty queen launches new business at 64!

Sandra Reeves is not the type to revel in the quiet life. Keen to show that age doesn't have to be a barrier to launching a new business , Sandra launched a Martin & Co franchise at the age of 64 in 2006. I worked in the printing industry before retiring and then found I was restless. I have still got a lot to offer, bundles of energy and I am always buzzing with ideas.  More >> 

Franchising - tried and tested

Gary Everett had worked in the banking industry for nearly 20 years and redundancy in 2003 gave him a great opportunity to review his future. He looked at various franchising options, realising that starting a business on your own could be a very isolating experience.  More >> 

From redundancy to rental!

Martin & Co Wimbledon franchise owner Ian Waldron shares his experience and views on why redundancy doesn't have to be the end but can be the beginning. More >>