Martin and Co Franchise

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."

Another key factor in the choice of Martin and Co was the fact that neither Tony nor Carl were interested in taking on a straightforward turnkey franchise, he adds. "With our business background, we naturally wanted to be fully involved in every aspect of the planning and setting up of the venture, rather than simply buying a lettings agency in a box. With Martin & Co, we were able to choose the level of support we wanted - while at the same time, there was the reassurance of knowing that further guidance was always there, if we needed it," added Carl.

As for their success to date...having launched in April last year, Tony and Carl are having to radically revise their projections - upwards.

No surprise then that the partners are already planning to open their second office, in Barnsley. After which, the sky really is the limit.

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 >> 

Aldershot ahead of target

"Ahead of target" are three words that any business likes to hear, but to be comfortably ahead of your targets less than a year on from signing your franchise agreement, as with Martin & Co's Aldershot office, is an impressive achievement. In their first six months of trading the business was comfortably ahead of targets by £8,000, had employed their first member of staff and had helped 60 tenants move in!

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 >> 

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 >>