Franchise Success Stories
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 2nd 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.
