Posted:13-January-2021

Desire to set his own rewards drives 20-year-old into business

While many 20-year-olds are counting the days until the weekend, Harry Lord was counting something altogether different – the cost of the ceiling on his earnings potential.

When he returned to his customer service role after a month of travelling, Harry quickly realised that running his own business was the only way to take charge of what he was taking home each month.

“About six weeks after I got back, I knew it wasn’t at all what I wanted to do, I wasn’t enjoying it,” he says. “I wanted more independence – I wanted to be self-employed. Because that way the amount I work determines the benefits I get, I’m in control of my own rewards. I was great at my job, but I couldn’t earn more than anyone else doing the same thing, no matter how good I was.

“I knew a Mac franchisee very well and we’d had some conversations a few months before. It got me intrigued. I was about to turn 21 and I just thought it was the right time to do something for myself, while I’m young. Mac are so welcoming and help you a lot, so I took the plunge.”

Blending youth with experience

Harry says his age is irrelevant when it comes to his business, because the Mac Tools team are so supportive and fill any gaps in his own experience.

He explains: “The people at Mac have been incredible, there’s no two ways about it. From my first conversation on the phone and then each time I met somebody new, they couldn’t have done more to help me out, to put me at ease.

“I’ve never felt alone once. I feel like I could call 16 people in the next half an hour and they’d all answer and give me any support necessary. Great to Work With is much more than just a slogan to Mac, it’s exactly how they go about things.”

That was confirmed throughout the pre-launch training that Mac Tools franchisees enjoy.

“It was a fantastic couple of weeks,” says Harry. “I mean, who wants to sit in a classroom again?! But the more I took in, the more it benefits my business, and they were really good at making it interesting. There were also evening activities, it was great. Steve, the training manager, was brilliant, he put so much effort into it and took the time to answer all our questions.

“From the marketing people to the district managers, everyone was so helpful. There was a guy holding doors open for us when we got there, and we’d say hi with no idea who he was… then he came upstairs and introduced himself as Liam, the boss of the company!

“That really summed up what the entire team were all about, there’s such a good feeling in the business and so much passion to help franchisees. Mac don’t do everything for you, but there’s all the support you could ever need and they really care, really want me to succeed. They’ve given me an opportunity to make money for myself using their brand. I plan to make the most of it.”

Hit the road

After his training it was time for Harry to get out on the road, where he still felt no trepidation about launching his own business.

He explains: “I felt confident after my training. I had my first week with a district manager, who was again fantastic, and then a different regional manager with me for week two. It made the whole launch go brilliantly, having that kind of experience with me in the van.

“That slogan of Great to Work With is something they really live up to – and that means we as franchisees do too, it all trickles down. That means we have happy customers, and happy customers keep spending money with us, so we all win!”