Case Study - Rob Simpson
Former Yellow Pages manager Rob Simpson took on the East Anglian Drain Doctor franchise in October 2009. Drain Doctor had been one of his main clients and when he found out that the East Anglian franchise was for sale -- because the existing franchisee was retiring -- he jumped at the chance to run his own business.
Rob said he took on the franchise because he had been looking for an opportunity that was virtually recession proof but also with the potential for growth and improvement.
He said: "Excellent management systems and strong ethics are essential for a successful business. When I looked at the market I found that Drain Doctor has just this approach. As a franchisee I can run my own business but with the back-up of a national organisation that will help to ensure we can deliver on our promises."
"We are looking to double current turnover over the next five years. I intend to increase our marketing activity to create more brand awareness and visibility, particularly in the commercial and civil sector."
"In order to achieve this we will need to increase our fleet to 14 fully equipped vans with technicians in order to cope with the additional workloads that will be generated."
To sustain that level of growth Rob relocated to prestigious office accommodation in converted Royal Air Force barracks at Martlesham Heath just outside Ipswich.
"The new office space provides a geographically central location for our fleet. These offices are near to the junction of the A12 and A14 trunk roads which bisect our franchise area North/South and East/West.
"Because our business covers from Aldeburgh down to Lakeside and from Cambridge to Felixstowe, this makes an ideal meeting point."
To bring the Drain Doctor brand to as wide an audience as possible and to further his marketing activities Rob spent two days exhibiting at the Royal Suffolk Show earlier this year.
The show had over 100,000 visitors over the two days. Rob said: "With support from head office we were able to distribute a lot of merchandise which gets the Drain Doctor name in front of the public -- the main point of the exercise."
"We developed a special show flyer offering visitors to the show a 10 per cent discount. We have completed two jobs for a customer as a direct result of having our stand at the show."
Rob featured rainwater harvesting and water treatment plants at the show. Rob said: "Drain Doctor can provide a complete rainwater harvesting and water treatment plant installation services that include site surveys, planning consultations and building and inspection work.
"We project manage the whole installation from start to finish dealing with the consultation process, liaising with planners and completing the work with our own highly trained technicians."
Drain Doctor technicians are trained not just with technical skills -- including the latest techniques such as closed circuit camera drain surveys and no-dig drain repairs -- but in customer care that is reflected in such things as wearing overshoes while in customers' homes and clearing up carefully after every job.
