Discover what the first few months of running your own web design franchise is really like in our interview with Sarah Thompson, who alongside her husband Clive, joined Spoton.net as a franchisee at the end of 2016.
Having previously worked in a wide range of industries, including finance; telecommunications; utilities; insurance; and travel, Sarah is now part of Spoton.net, the UK and Ireland’s leading website franchise, and is already enjoying great success early on.
Why did you decide to join a franchise instead of starting your own company?
We wanted to join a franchise like Spoton.net because we really liked the concept of having the product, systems, and processes already in place, and all as part of an established and successful business model.
We also thought that the range of products – it’seeze website packages– was excellent, and knew that there would be a great deal of demand for professionally designed websites that included such an easy to use website editor, so we had no hesitation in joining Spoton.net.
What made you choose Spoton.net over other franchises?
Not only were we impressed by the product, but we were also very taken with the expert team at Head Office.
From the web designers and developers to the support administrators and marketing experts, they seemed to have a lot of integrity, and all were genuinely interested in helping us to succeed in our role as franchisees.
How did you benefit from attending a Discovery Day?
The Discovery Day at the Spoton.net Head Office was a really great opportunity for us to ask any questions that we had, experience how easy the it’seeze website editor is to use first-hand, and get a real feel for the company and the franchise.
What aspect of the role do you enjoy most?
I enjoy marketing, consulting on, and selling websites! I’ve really discovered my talent for winning new customers whilst working as an it’seeze website consultant.
At first, I was apprehensive about generating leads through telemarketing, but the training I received from the Spoton.net Head Office team has given me all the confidence and knowhow I need to do this effectively. In fact, I now get most of my website sales from picking up the phone and talking to people.
Both Clive and I enjoy networking, which is a great way to generate new business and forge connections with other local businesses.
What has been your biggest challenge to date?
There is a lot to learn. The training week at Head Office covers all you need to get started, but naturally there is quite a lot of knowledge to pick up on the job.
It’s a steep learning curve but this is where the Head Office team come into their own, as they’re always on hand to support us.
What advice would you give prospective Spoton.net franchisees?
Don’t underestimate how much effort it’s going to be – especially in the beginning – but if you enjoy selling and meeting lots of interesting people, and are prepared to put the time in, then you’ll enjoy the challenge.
Also, when you join Spoton.net, you join a network of franchisees who are good for advice and stories – and of course you can always lean on the Head Office team for support. They’ve worked with countless franchisees, so they really do know all there is to know!
If you’re interested in following in Sarah’s footsteps, and joining Spoton.net’s network of digital marketing franchisees, we’d love to hear from you – contact us for more information.
Read more franchising news at Franchise UK directory.