A GARDENING business set up by a former finance director after he was made redundant five years ago has expanded with its first franchise.
Peter Brewis started Briary Garden Services in Consett, County Durham, when his 25-year career in finance for the housing and education sectors came to an end.
The firm now has five gardeners, which service more than 200 homes and gardens each month. It provides regular and one-off gardening work, including snow clearing in the winter. As the business grew, Mr Brewis decided to go down the franchise route to further expansion.
He said: “I know there will be a lot of people who have been made redundant and are contemplating self-employment, but are not sure in what profession. Redundancy gave me the motivation I needed to establish Briary, and the business is going from strength-to-strength.
“Running a franchise is a very desirable idea for people who want to be self-employed. Approximately only 20% of start-up businesses are still trading after three years, this compared to a figure of around 90% for franchises is astounding.”
He worked with The Franchise Company consultancy in Darlington to draw up the model for franchising Briary, and is now aiming to establish a network of franchises around the North East.
“We are offering franchisees an opportunity to simply replicate a proven business model and receive one-to-one support and training,” said Mr Brewis.
“Unlike starting a business from scratch, there are no stumbling blocks of working out what services to offer, finalising a pricing structure, growing the reputation of the company, lack of support and learning by mistakes.”
The first franchisee, Ray Oliver, will operate in and around the Stanley area. He was already working as a gardener for Briary when he decided to take the plunge and become self-employed.
He said: “There is a massive difference from being an employee and being a franchisee – it is not just about doing the job but also running a business. Peter has been very supportive during the hand-over period to ensure I am fully up to speed with business routines and am trained. The company already has a concrete reputation and customer base in Stanley, which has enabled me to get the business off the ground very quickly.”