Sam Williams, aged 33, talks to us about being a new franchise owner with Autosmart.
“Becoming my own boss with Autosmart was a natural progression for me. For the last 4 years, I have been working for long-standing Autosmart franchisee Lee Atkins as a Field Sales Rep. I managed my own customer base in the Nuneaton territory and drove the monthly turnover up by 120% over the 4 years.
“I loved the job – I have always used and trusted Autosmart products because of my interest in motorsports and cars, but I genuinely gained a lot of satisfaction from the daily interaction with customers, as well as the increasing sales aspect. I’ve been waiting for the right opportunity for a couple of years and was prepared to relocate away from my hometown to invest in a business with Autosmart – and that’s exactly what I did.
“I’m only a month into running my own franchise in Warrington and my feet haven’t yet touched the ground. Whilst I’m getting to know my customers and understanding their cleaning requirements, I’m now also wearing the business owner hat – this means juggling lots of different roles, from warehouse stock management through to financial controller, and of course, being a reliable supplier of Autosmart’s products.
“The demand for vehicle cleaning products in the area is phenomenal; my phone is ringing off the hook and within my first month of trading, I have gained so many new customers. The great thing about this business is that we take the shop to the customer – this means we are able to provide hands-on demos and bring cleaning solutions to a business’ doorstep, making it that little bit easier for our customers.
“We are in total control of our income and we get to meet a variety of people every day. I’m most excited though about building a future for myself; I know that I have the work ethic and skills to make this business very successful.”
