‘Investing in a Snack-in-the-Box (SITB) franchise proved the key to Susan and Keith Denwood realising their dream of working together. “I was a head chef and my husband was a lorry driver,” explains Susan. “Our jobs meant that we didn’t spend as much time together as we’d have liked and we realised that the answer was to work for ourselves.”
Understanding the risks involved in starting their own independent business, the Denwoods focused their attentions towards franchising. Quitting their jobs, they felt that a franchise would be a safer and more secure route to self-employment and, through months of research, came across a handful of opportunities that appealed to them.
It was the association with the Cadbury brand that held the Denwoods’ interest in SITB, says Susan. “We thought this was a great boost to a business. The more we learned about the business, the more it appealed. It soon became apparent that this would be the business for us.”
Buying the Bradford business as a re-sale, the Denwoods benefited from inheriting a number of customers from day one – but did not rest on their laurels. “It helped us get on our feet but we used what we learned in SITB’s excellent training programme to canvas for new business and expand our customer base. One thing that we love about the franchise is the great flexibility it offers us. As there are no contracts for placing machines, we always have the ability to move those that are underperforming to sites that will potentially bring us more profits.”
Approaching the end of year one in the business, Susan exudes enthusiasm for the support she still receives from SITB. “We’ve continued to receive great support,” she reports. “This includes regular meetings and even a convention – there’s a great network and everyone is willing to help, including other franchisees.”
Planning to expand the business gradually over the next few years by investing in more vending machines, Susan says she can only see the business getting bigger and better. “It’s a very pleasant job, we enjoy meeting new people everyday and our lives have changed for the better,” she enthuses. “We get to see so much more of each other, it’s fantastic. We believe in what we’re doing and are very happy doing it.”
