For most franchisees, starting a new business is testing enough. Leaving the security of a monthly pay-packet, embracing new skills and processes, and investing life-savings into a venture takes some nerve. But for South African nationals, Hayley and Gary Ashe, joining Dream Doors as its Guildford and Woking franchisees was just one of a series of challenges they faced as they left their friends and family to start a new life the UK.

 

But overcoming challenges is a characteristic that often sets successful business owners apart, and the Ashes have certainly shown their mettle in an intense period of stress and upheaval. Moving to the UK in June last year, the couple had found rented accommodation, schools for their two young daughters and embarked on a new business venture within just six short weeks of landing at Heathrow. Less than a year later, they and their daughters are settled, and they have a business that has generated more than £200,000 of sales in the last three months.

 

“Gary had been speaking with Alex at Dream Doors from springtime last year, with regular Skype sessions and lots of emails flying back and forth,” says Hayley. “Before that we'd been looking at a number franchises, both in the food sector and in retail, but Gary was particularly keen on the kitchen industry.”

 

“You can do a great deal of research online these days, and we could immediately see the appeal of the Dream Doors concept. Changing the kitchen doors and the worktops while retaining the existing base units and cupboards makes sense both economically and environmentally. And when you realise that the job can be completed in a day or two, you can see why customers appreciate the convenience of the whole process.”

 

“So we were both excited about the opportunity before we set off for the UK, but internet research, a few phone calls and emails doesn't give you a true reflection of the business. As soon as we met the Dream Doors team in June last year, though, and then went on to speak to a couple of franchisees, we were convinced this was the right move for us.”

 

“As a sales and management franchise, the skills needed to operate a Dream Doors franchise fit closely with our own expertise. And although the £70,000 investment is quite high, we could see exactly where the money is invested and why it takes that amount to launch the business properly, to market it effectively, and to open a showroom.”

 

Dream Doors helps its franchisees find suitable premises, using a mix of demographic analysis and its own historical trading patterns to determine the best showroom location. The site identified for the Ashes sits on a major road between their territory's two main towns of Guildford and Woking. With a decent sized showroom area, office space and storage, and cars streaming past all day long, the only downside was the interior of the building which was a decade or two out of date.

 

From autumn onwards, and over the entire Christmas period, Hayley and Gary, and the sub-contracted fitters that Dream Doors had helped the couple find, worked around the clock to turn the tired old building into a state-of-the-art kitchen showroom.

 

Opening in the second week of January, the Ashes are now the proud owners of one of the most attractive showrooms in a network that boasts some 45 franchisees.

 

Hayley adds: “Bryn, our support manager from Dream Doors has been fantastic. He helped us through every step, from our initial training course to opening the showroom, and was even here helping us hoover on the morning of our official launch day!”

 

“It's been an incredible, experience but not without its fair share of stress. We're so busy right now, busier than we've ever been, and Gary is really positive because every other appointment seems to be leading to a sale! We couldn't have done it without all the help from head office though, and from all our neighbouring franchisees. There's real warmth within Dream Doors, with no competition between franchisees and genuine support from everyone. And we, probably more than any other franchisees, have really needed that.”