Here Brad Edington of Really Awesome Coffee Worcester lets us in on how he came to buy and run a Really Awesome Coffee mobile coffee van franchise, and offers some sound advice for prospective franchisees.
Please tell us a bit about yourself and what you were doing prior to becoming a Really Awesome Franchisee?
Worked at Starbucks UK in a head office role.
Why did you decide to run your own business and why Really Awesome Coffee specifically?
I always wanted to run my own business but didn’t know what to do or how to start. The franchise model offered a clear way to launch fast and start earning quickly. I chose a coffee van because the initial costs were much lower than a coffee shop, which was my first idea after working at Starbucks and understanding how they run their stores.
I chose Really Awesome Coffee because the van and coffee is good compared their competitors. I already knew a fair bit about coffee, customer service and crafting good offers that customers would like, so I knew I had a lot of previous experience to help me when it came to running my own coffee van.
Tell us a bit about your training at Head Office and your business launch.
Training was good, as was the launch. I had a great Franchise Development Manager. I was a bit nervous but I knew that it was going to take a lot of hard work to get to where I wanted to go.
I enjoyed the launch, and I was glad I didn’t have to do it alone and customer reactions were great from the start!
How have you found the ongoing training and support?
I haven’t really needed much further support from Head Office. I know how to get new business if needed, and I know they are on hand if I need any advice which is van related. They’re very quick to help.
What is the most invaluable piece of advice you could give someone looking to invest in their first franchise?
Only do it if you are going all-in – especially in the first 6 to 12 months!
Once your round is established and your customers know who you are and that you’re consistent, then you can take your foot off the gas a bit. Don’t worry if you’re not hitting the numbers that you want: follow the process, provide great customer service, be consistent (but do take some time for yourself every now and again), connect with other franchisees and learn from what’s working and not working for them.
And finally, don’t blame anyone else – take ownership and responsibility for your business. Your success in this business is within your control and it’s easy to play the blame game if you’re not seeing the success that you want.
There will be quiet days, there will be long days and there will be days when you think, “What am I even doing…!?” But it’s all about getting out there and pushing through. View each day as a game and work backwards by asking yourself how can I hit £XXX in profit today as easily and quickly as possible. The answers will appear – as if by magic!
I still view myself as very lucky as I have a great territory and great customers, but I have to remind myself that I have worked hard to get to this place so I don’t take it for granted.
