Optic-Kleer Franchise News Feed Optic-Kleer achieves 5 Star Franchisee Satisfaction Status - 25-October-2021 With hundreds of franchisors all shouting about how good their training and support is, it’s difficult to stand out from the crowd and hard for prospective franchisees to identify the best franchise opportunities. WorkBuzz already recognises exceptional franchisors through the Best Franchise Awards, the 5 Star Franchisee Satisfaction builds on this, helping to differentiate outstanding franchisors. How it works: WorkBuzz invite existing franchisees to complete their confidential online Franchise Satisfaction Benchmark survey. They guarantee that franchisees’ responses will be confidential, so they can provide honest feedback. On average 79% of franchisees complete the survey. They then use this feedback to help franchisors to benchmark their training and support against other franchisors, identify key priorities and, over time, strengthen their relationships with franchisees and their support package. What WorkBuzz measure to award 5 Star Franchise Satisfaction status: Training and Support - The training, mentoring and support that helps franchisees to establish, maintain and grow their businesses Franchise System - The competitiveness of the products / services and proven business model Culture & Relationships - The culture and ongoing relationships with franchisees Leadership - Franchisor’s leadership and maintenance of franchise system standards Overall Satisfaction - How it’s compared to franchisees’ expectations and whether they would recommend the franchise So what did the Optic-Kleer franchisees, who took part in the survey, feel were the best things about their franchise? A great brand All necessary equipment provided Back up and support from head office, with total commitment to improve the brand. Be my own boss. Work life balance Being appreciated for doing an excellent job. Choosing the hours you want to work. Computer system in place Control my own time / destiny Customers come to me, I don't have to hard sell Earning a very good living in a stress free environment without working crazy hours Easy to contact & effective communication Enables you as an individual the freedom to manage sales/marketing in the way you wish. Established company where everyone is friendly and approachable Freedom to choose hours of working to enable work/life balance Freedom to plan your own work/life balance Full control Good earning potentials Good support Great customer Feedback and satisfaction About the Franchise Satisfaction Benchmark (FSB) The FSB is provided by WorkBuzz, a leading independent franchise consultancy. It works by inviting existing franchisees to participate in an anonymous online survey which asks them 31 questions about their franchise ownership experience. Using a consistent methodology, the franchise is assigned an overall FSB score and the highest performing franchisors are recognised in the Best Franchise Awards. For more information please visit bestfranchiseawards.co.uk From franchisee to happy and fulfilled retiree! - 14-June-2021 Franchising is an extremely popular route to business ownership for ambitious entrepreneurs of all ages. If you’re considering semi-retiring or are approaching retirement age, investing in a franchise can be a great way to uphold a steady income, without having to deal with the long hours and inflexibility of a full-time job. Former Optic-Kleer franchisee, Graham Bastow, was no stranger to the world of franchising when he took on his Stockport territory. Graham had always had the desire to run his own business, but after his career in building surveying took off and with a young family to look after, Graham put his dream on hold. But when he was made redundant in 1991 that all changed, and Graham had the ideal opportunity to look into his options. This is when his journey with franchising began. Graham went on to run three successful franchise businesses, eventually selling each of them on. After selling what he thought would be his final franchise, Graham and his wife moved to Cheshire in order to prepare for retirement. When his part-time contract with the company he was working with came to an end, Graham made the decision that he would build up one last business before he retired, where he could enjoy the autonomy of being his own boss. He was sure this would be his last franchise venture and didn’t want to worry about staff calling in sick or machines breaking down. Graham wanted a franchise that could be set up relatively quickly, where he wouldn’t have to take out a lease on a business premise or buy lots of new equipment and where he could earn an income from the outset. After speaking with Managing Director of Optic-Kleer, David Overton, Graham decided to invest. He set himself a four-year window to build this business up, before selling it on to retire. Graham’s 4 top tips for choosing a franchise if you’re looking to retire in the next 5 years: 1. Use existing skills for something new – If you’ve spent many years working in the same discipline, you can use your skills and experience to invest in opportunities in the same sector. Or you can consider if your skills are transferrable in order for you to explore an entirely new venture. With the range of options across all industries available, you’ll find your perfect franchise fit. 2. Work the hours you want – One of the great joys of franchising is that you don’t have to work full time to make your business work, whereas as an employee you will have been expected to work a set number of hours a day. So, look at franchise opportunities where you don’t have to operate every day from nine to five if you need more flexibility than that. That way, you can still make time for other commitments or spend precious time with family. 3. Keep yourself busy – For many, the long days of retirement have no appeal whatsoever. As well as keeping you busy, running a franchise will give you a huge sense of achievement. Even if you can draw on your pension, you may still prefer to stay in work rather than fully retire – especially if you have your own financial goal or want to expand savings. Think about choosing a franchise that you can pass onto a trusted colleague or family member to manage if you’d still like to keep your mind active during retirement. 4. A proven playbook – Franchising provides you with a proven playbook in the form of established business methods and strategies – often with a documented operations manual. A good franchise company will provide all the training, support and coaching you need to be successful – keep your eye out for this when you do your research. “When I’ve previously sold franchises, the process has often been lengthy. Lots of people are quite cautious if they’re coming to franchising for the first time as to whether it’s really for them. But with Optic-Kleer and the support of David and head office, the sale ran smoothly and now I’m happily retired,” said Graham. David aided Graham in ensuring there were a few methods in place for when the time came to start looking at selling his franchise. However, the perfect opportunity presented itself when a prospective franchisee came to David looking to invest. “I suggested to a local prospective franchisee that he consider taking over an existing territory. His previous role had been impacted by the pandemic and he wanted security. He could keep the momentum of Graham’s business going whilst Graham could retire with a welcome addition to his pension pot,” said David. Whether you’re an experienced franchisee, or just want to enjoy the autonomy of running your own business, a franchise could be the right choice for you. With owner-operator franchise models like Optic-Kleer, you can get set up quickly, enabling you to earn an income from day one. The road to recovery - 17-May-2021 In May 2020, AA president Edmund King told the BBC that, based on the analysis of official figures and his organisation’s own monitoring, traffic volumes in Britain were “akin to those in the early 1970s.” Cabinet Office data from March earlier in the same year also showed that motor traffic had dropped by 73% compared with pre-pandemic outbreak levels. So, how have franchises that rely on people getting out and about in their cars, such as windscreen and repair brands, faired during the pandemic? David Overton, Managing Director of windscreen repair franchise Optic-Kleer gives the lowdown. “For our windscreen repair professionals, the usual base of operations includes retail parks which had significantly less footfall than normal,” said David. “Despite not being able to operate from some of our supermarket and retail park locations throughout lockdowns, our franchisees were instead able to pivot and operate for longer periods from their DIY store locations – which throughout the pandemic had a larger customer base. It’s been important for us as franchisors to give guidance on how our franchisees could pivot their approach to daily operations. “For those essential workers still out and about on the roads, our service was also essential. There are two types of purchase – an emotional purchase, such as buying a new watch, and a stress purchase. Even for those not needing to be out in their cars often, car maintenance is needed for the weekly shop or just to ensure it is road worthy for emergencies – fixing your windscreen is a stress purchase. So, despite there being less cars on the road, people found time to complete those stress purchases.” Documenting and advising on safe working practices for franchisees during the pandemic restrictions was obviously a priority for many franchisors since early 2020, but David believes it would have been a mistake to only concentrate on that. “Whilst we secured a contract with Tesco for our franchisees some time ago, we’ll soon be announcing a 600-site deal with another major retailer. It’s important for a franchisor to look ahead and innovate so the network can emerge stronger from any economic downturns. Negotiations like these with large retailers are extremely important for our franchisees,” explained David. “Then it’s all down to communication. As the economy opens back up, a brand’s online presence, from review sites to their own websites, is more important than ever before. Giving customers the confidence to re-engage is vital. Customers will subconsciously notice your environment, if it’s clean, if you have hand sanitising stations available and, in what we’re all calling the ‘new-normal’, you’ll have to be prepared for questions. Keeping your website up to date, so customers know what they’re coming back to and if you have any new customer policies in place, is essential too. “Every business is a cog in a bigger wheel. People rely on us to get them back on the road – whether you have a van delivery to pubs or parents driving the kids to school. Communicating our COVID-safe operations clearly online will give customers the confidence to return. Everyone has their role to play as we set out on the road to recovery.” Welcoming 16 new franchisees aboard the Optic-Kleer franchise - 02-March-2021 Despite the past 12 months proving testing for many businesses, it’s been full steam ahead for the UK’s leading windscreen repair professionals Optic-Kleer. The innovatory brand is working its way towards national coverage and has welcomed 16 new franchisees on board in the six months since September 2020. Optic-Kleer’s work has been able to continue throughout the pandemic. With the correct COVID-19 safety precautions in place, an essential windscreen repair can be carried out while a customer is doing their food shop and the paperless administration of the repair can be processed at a safe distance. It’s no wonder that new franchisees have been keen to launch their businesses, with 12 of the 16 new franchisees already operational. Julian Rolfe is the latest Optic-Kleer franchise to launch. From his first day out of classroom training, Julian was repairing customers’ windscreens and started earning an income the day he launched his business in Oxfordshire. “I had researched similar companies but what attracted me to Optic-Kleer was that I could almost immediately earn an income. From day one you are set up in a supermarket car park with potential customers in plentiful supply. With a lot of other franchises, the initial months of setting up your business would be eating up your savings as you wait for sales to complete, but that’s not the case with Optic-Kleer. “The training with Optic-Kleer was amazing. It couldn’t have gone better and made me realise that I had definitely made the right decision. The moment I met John, a franchisee himself since 2011, who delivered the training, things began to click into place. I know John, David, Optic-Kleer’s MD, or any of the team at head office will always be able to assist me going forwards.” Managing Director, David Overton, is passionate about each and every one of his franchisees’ businesses and is delighted about the growth of the brand in recent months, not least because he used to be an Optic-Kleer franchisee himself. “It’s an extremely exciting year ahead for Optic-Kleer. The new British Standards for windscreen repair are coming soon, something I have been personally involved with. The whole industry will have to ensure they are up to standard and Optic-Kleer is perfectly placed to lead the charge,” said David. “We’re continuing to work our way towards national coverage by the end of this year. Our goal is to recruit 30-35 new franchisees this year, which would bring our national network to around 85 strong. Alongside that we’re identifying new partnerships with large retail sites for our franchisees to add to their regular locations to strengthen the agreements we already have in place with Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons.” Optic-Kleer Franchise News Feed Last updated: 25-October-2021
