Chris Swilks is new to the world of franchising, having started his Gutter-Vac business in early February. He is looking forward to gradually building the business up and acquiring a strong customer base.
He says he opted for a franchise because of the support franchisors offer, particularly in the early stages.
“I have always wanted to own and operate a small business but didn’t want to venture out on my own with no backing or support behind me.
“I heard about franchising and all the advantages they offer for franchisees who are starting and running a business. I found all of this a confidence booster for starting my own business.”
Gutter-Vac fits into all aspects of Chris’s life perfectly.
“The job involves me being outdoors and active which reflects my lifestyle, [and I am] constantly meeting new people.”
He says he was surprised by how affordable initial start-up costs were.
“Compared to alot of other franchises, Gutter-Vac was relatively cheap.
“When you consider the purchase price of the franchise, the training, materials, ongoing support you receive and the potential profitability for the business, personally I saw it silly not to buy in,” he explains.
The business itself is quite cheap to run, too.
“The machine I use to run my business is very cost effictive, robust and reliable. Also the potential market for this type of business in this area is incredible,” he says.
Chris spends his days travelling to different homes to deliver his services.
“[I travel] to premises, set up my machine, set up my safety restraints and vacuum clean the roof gutters. On average you can complete between three and four homes a day.
“I could complete more but I allow a little time in the afternoons to take care of the officework,” he says.
Chris is a sole franchisee, and he explains this means time management is incredibly important.
“Time management is crucial in any given business and finding time to perform all duties involves a lot of juggling.
“I consider myself to be good at finding time to do things, if I wasn’t good at managing time I wouldn’t have bought a franchise,” adds Chris.
He likes that Gutter-Vac lets franchisees take control of their business, yet at the same time offers them advice to ensure their businsesses are successful.
“I run my franchise how I want to run my franchise but they [Gutter-Vac] have also intergrated a structured plan as a guide for us to follow,” he says.
To raise awareness of his business, Chris relies on radio advertising and word of mouth because his local community is quite small.
Chris has some clear short and long term goals for the business.
“Short term is just setting up, getting to know my operations inside out and trying to build a good clientelle, so for the first 12 months I don’t expect to be busy, I just want to focus on getting everything done right.
“Long term I am hoping to expand the busines as far as it can go, with more employees, more machines and just run with it, take it to its full potential,” he says.
While he has only been a franchisee for a matter of months, Chris says he has learned a lot already.
“So far its given me a good structure to follow not only in business but in life, as well in regards to setting large goals and taking many small steps to achieve them.”