The media often portrays the lives of Sir Richard Branson and Lord Alan Sugar – as wealthy, celebrated British business magnates owning worldwide organisations.
Away from the cameras, the glitz and glamour can be peeled away to reveal a more realistic view of what life has been like for these individuals and more often than not, we see it takes hard work, self-discipline and a structured schedule to be successful.
Investing in a Clarriots Care franchise requires all of these character traits and more, but before you invest, don’t you wish you could know what it’s really like to oversee a Clarriots Care business operation? Beyond our brochures and sales personnel, no-one can explain what it's like to run a franchise like a franchise owner themselves.
So let’s find out! Introducing one of our new franchise owners, Paul Best and his Cheshire East office. Having only starting trading 3 months ago, his company has completed over 1,800 hours of care and already turned over more than his invested franchise fee.
An average day in the life of Paul
Dependant on workload Paul usually begins his day at 06:00. As a Clarriots Care franchisee in the round-the-clock domiciliary care sector, being a franchise owner definitely isn’t a 9-5 job.
As a multiple business owner, Paul is unable to be present in the office on a daily basis, therefore communication with his team is key and the day usually begins with a phone call or meeting with his Registered Manager, Alison. Paul gets an update on the events of the last twelve hours which includes updates on clients, staffing and dealing with any issue that may have arisen.
Paul went on to say “then I will normally catch up on any further correspondence including any new client enquires to deal with, providing service costings and marketing packs for prospective clients.”
“Most of my afternoon is taken up dealing with phone calls from our office and organising marketing events. Today I’m arranging a show stand for the Nantwich show which we’re all thoroughly looking forward to! I also have time to book in a new half page advert for Link Magazine which goes out on a monthly basis.”
Usually Paul ends his day by checking his online recruitment accounts to look over any new carer applicants before a final call to Alison to catch up on the day’s events.
However no two days are ever the same for Paul and he can often be found working on financial reports and returns, undertaking Marketing Activities, Networking, Devising recruitment strategies, attending Team Meetings, and of course planning!
Work-Life Balance
As everybody knows a work-life balance is critical to a happy and successful life. Paul is always such a positive and motivated person but what does he enjoy away from his desk? Well the answer is, the great outdoors and family time. Paul has an extremely active family with an outdoor lifestyle to keep him on his toes. He says “In the summer time especially there’s never a dull moment we’ll always be out on the bikes, walking or riding.”
Best bits… And the worst…
Paul’s favourite part of the job is publicising the feedback they get from their clients. “To hear the difference we are making to a person’s quality of living and being recommended to others makes it all worthwhile.” His least favourite part “probably the amount of paperwork, but being a regulated service this is an important element and integral to managing an effective service.
Paul describes recruitment of high calibre staff to be his biggest challenge saying it “can be time consuming, especially if you live in an area of low unemployment.” However he went on to say “don’t be persuaded to take on just anyone to fill a position, think about the needs of the client and how they will interact in what can sometimes be a challenging situation. Be patient stick to your plan and the new member of your team will soon be with you!”
Why a franchise business?
“The decision to use a franchise model was based on the fact of being new to the care industry. Therefore needing the support and experience of a company that had not only been successful in this industry but who also shared our vision and passion for the deliverance of quality care, that’s where Clarriots Care came in.”
Has anything come as a surprise to you since you started?
“The surprise has been our success in finding likeminded people to join our team. Our team are literally the best bunch of caring and committed individuals I’ve ever meet. They strive to make sure our clients are happy on a daily basis. They are always willing to go the extra mile and are passionate about what they do and that’s what makes the difference!”
Five characteristics/traits that someone in your position needs:
He gave us a few more than five but they’re all so true that we found it difficult to select only five:
Motivation / Commitment / Good communication skills / Ability to effectively delegate / Decision maker / Team player / People person / Caring and Trustworthy / Multi tasker / Enjoy a challenge