Hot on the heels of our recently opened office in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, we are delighted to announce the launch of our Wolverhampton office and welcome Updesh Gidda to Redstones.

Updesh officially opened his Redstones lettings agency on 7th June 2014.

It’s important to us to ensure the experience of our franchisees is positive throughout the selection process, so we interviewed Updesh prior to his launch to gain more insight into why he chose Redstones as his franchisor.

Updesh, welcome to Redstones.  Can you share with us some of your career history prior to you becoming a franchisee?

I worked for a number of years in senior level client account management in the drinks industry and most recently as a National Account Manager in the UK waste and recycling sector.  While I enjoyed a successful career, I had a burning desire to take my destiny into my own hands and run my own business.

What influenced you to invest in a franchise brand rather than set up alone?

The business format offered by a franchisor is generally tried and tested, giving you that initial advantage and enabling you to become profitable more quickly than you would as a stand alone business owner.  The continual support also attracted me.  An ethical franchisor like Redstones offers advice whenever you need it.  As well as that, I love property so finding the right lettings agency franchise with a reputable, trustworthy name was my goal. With Redstones, I have all of that and more.

What prompted you to explore franchising rather than remain in your career, where it sounds like you were very successful?

In late 2012/ early 2013 I was twice put on notice by my previous employers within the space of 18 months.  I knew then that I had to take control of my career, make that leap of faith and launch my own business.

What skills from your previous roles do you feel will equip you to succeed as a Redstones franchisee?

I derived great satisfaction from ensuring that all of my clients received the highest quality of service possible. That’s why the Redstones brand resonated with me. With your attention to detail and high levels of customer care, it felt like the perfect match.

Would you explain more about why you chose Redstones in preference to other franchisors and also share your experience of your own due diligence process.

My wife and I always harboured the desire to run an efficient, client focused property management business and for us Redstones ticks all the boxes and more. Redstones left no stone unturned in responding to our various questions relating to marketing, brand awareness and future developments. Manjit and his team are so thorough they ‘stood out from the crowd’ – by some way!

Believe it or not, we spent over 15 months speaking to various franchisors within this field and attended many meetings in our search for the right brand. No other brand offered us what Redstones could in terms of meeting our aspirations to run a client led lettings agency.

Were there any other aspects of the franchise package on offer that particularly stood out for you?

I was already aware of the Redstones brand but what attracted me to them in particular was:

The state-of-the-art technology available to all franchisees.

The fact that Redstones obviously care about the success of their franchisees.  You are much more than just a number.

There’s no hard sell or pressure to sign on the dotted line.  We took over ten months to make our decision.

The ability to launch our business from serviced offices rather than a high street location.

A competitive franchise fee and total investment with the potential for an outstanding return on investment.

Having said that ‘people buy from people’ and we joined Redstones because of their enthusiasm, vision and desire to be the UK’s premier lettings agency franchise. In the end it was a straight forward decision.

What top three tips can you offer to every would-be franchisee?

Spend time researching the various options available to ensure the brand you choose is right for you.

Don’t be tempted solely by the so-called ‘big’ names.  Expanding networks, like Redstones, often have more competitive fees and the latest technology to meet industry requirements.

Go with your gut feel!

Thank you Updesh and welcome to Redstones!

If you are considering the option of investing in a franchise and would like to learn more about life as a Redstones franchisee, please contact us.