Martin and Co Franchise

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.

Dennis may have been a landlord and have a background in the property industry but what has he learnt over the past year? Our competitors' common weakness is poor customer service.  We've spent the last year focusing on our customers, ensuring that we're not only efficient, but also personal and approachable. This has become a winning combination for us and several of our multi-landlords have commented that they would much rather work with us than our competitors and prospective tenants are telling us that they'd rather ‘Move In With Martin'.

What has Dennis enjoyed about running his own business? Being responsible for our own success and creating jobs in a tough market have been major drivers in the last year.  Even the long hours have been rewarding - just knowing that every bit of effort we plough in today is an investment in our future.

How has working with his wife been? The key to our success is communication; we talk through every challenge and ensure that we reach agreement as soon as possible.  We also have very complimentary skill sets; my business degree, big ideas, audacity and experience as a landlord compliments Rachel's attention to detail and experience in sales & marketing; being the adjoining piece in a jigsaw puzzle is what makes a great team.

What does the future holds for Dennis's business? The sky's the limit. Our goal is to be the No.1 Letting Agent in Folkestone in terms of lets by the end of 2010. We estimate that we're already 2^nd in the local market based on lets agreed. Once we've achieved dominance in the Folkestone market we'll be looking to expand and acquire a second territory.

And what would Dennis say to others thinking about going down the franchise route? Go for it! Martin & Co offers the resources, training and branding to get your business off to a great start. 

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Aldershot ahead of target

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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 >>