Case Study - Peter Morrison
2010 was undoubtedly a winning year for Peter Morrison. He gained Bronze in the prestigious bfa/HSBC Franchisee of the Year Awards and won the hotly contested Midlands category. He was also Granite Transformations' own Franchisee of the Year, having topped the £1 million annual revenue mark and outstripped all franchisees with regard to net profit, at the same time meeting all the challenges of launching a second showroom.
As with many successful franchises, Peter's is a family owned and run business, with wife Helen looking after the accounts and back office functions and brother Henry in charge of the production site, managing a skilled team of technicians and fitters. Between them, they keep a close eye on every aspect of cost, always looking to improve efficiency, maximise material usage, reduce waste and optimise customer installations. What's more, they are more than willing to share ideas with fellow franchisees, even pioneering an open day at their workshops for GT technical staff.
Like many others, Peter took up a Granite Transformations franchise as a major career change, having previously been in IT recruitment. A good friend, Gavin Whittaker, the original GT franchisee in this country, told him about the unique 'top that fits on top' concept and Peter realised the only way into this potentially lucrative field was through the franchising route. With a global business model, automated back-office systems and marketing support from the franchisor, Rocksolid Granit, Peter is more than satisfied he took up the franchise option and now contributes to its success by sharing best practice with GT colleagues, even travelling to the States to exchange ideas with franchisees there.
"I'm delighted to have won these awards, but it was really a team effort and I depend upon the skills and dedication of family members, our sales and showroom people, the guys in the workshop and our qualified installers, all of whom are totally committed," says Peter. "With the franchise model, we also get expert advice and support when it's needed and, of course, a great product."
