Driveway Pavers: Paving the Way to Success with a Franchise

The British front garden has historically been well-tended with beautiful flowers, trees and plants with a picket fence thrown in for good measure. But over the last decade or so, changes have been creeping into residential streets up and down the country.

Grass now appears to have been overtaken by gravel or paving, with more than 25% of homeowners opting for practicality over prettiness, according to the Royal Horticultural Society.

Driveway landscaping

In a world where driving has become a necessity, rather than a luxury, gardens have made way for the driveway. According to the RAC, there are more than 38 million vehicles licensed on the roads of Great Britain. In addition, the majority of these cars and vans spend around 80% of their time parked at home. These statistics make it clear why having a driveway rather than a front garden is growing in popularity.

And while a beautifully green front garden undoubtedly gives a property ‘kerb appeal’, sometimes buyers value parking over pruning. This is why estate agents often promote off-street parking as a positive selling point in areas where parking is limited.

So, it seems that a driveway beats a front garden from both a practicality and a resale perspective. As the number of families that have two working parents increases (many of which have a car each for an easy commute to work), so does the appeal of the extra space and low maintenance that a driveway offers. Anyway, there’s always the back garden to enjoy if the front garden needs to make way for paving slabs.

>> Read more:

• Grow Your Business with a Gardening Franchise
• Top 5 Gardening Franchises For You To Grow
• Gardening Business: Create Your Own with a Franchise
• Start a Gardening Services Business with a Franchise

Driveway contractors

As the demand for paving over pretty front gardens continues, it’s a great time to consider starting your own driveway business. But if you’re not sure where to start, choosing to invest in a landscaping franchise can be the perfect solution.

Franchising allows you to be your own boss with the support and backing of an established business with a proven track record of success. If you’re looking for such an opportunity, then Daniel Moquet Driveway Designer could be your ticket to starting your own franchise.

How did the Daniel Moquet franchise start?

Daniel Moquet Driveway Designer is France’s leading player within the landscaping industry. For 40 years the brand has brought new life to outdoor areas such as driveways, paths and patios across the channel and now it’s looking for franchisees to do the same in the UK.

If you choose to invest in the franchise, you’ll benefit from the expertise and know-how that has been built up over four decades, as well as being rewarded with a comfortable income. Furthermore, Daniel Moquet franchisees have a 99% success rate proving that this is the ideal investment for budding entrepreneurs with a love of landscaping.

How much does it cost to start a Daniel Moquet franchise?

The franchise fee for a Daniel Moquet franchise is £17,700 but total investment costs rise to around £230,000 to lease the equipment and vehicles you’ll need to make your business a success. Of this, you’ll be expected to contribute a minimum of £40,000. If you are unable to afford this contribution, the franchise will give you the opportunity to work as a manager in an existing branch with the aim of making you a franchisee within three years.

With the average client spending approximately £6,000, your first-year turnover is expected to be in the region of £400,000 increasing to £900,000 by your fifth year of trading.

What support will you receive as a Daniel Moquet franchisee?

Before you open your own franchise branch, you’ll spend 20 days working with an existing Daniel Moquet franchisee in France. This will give you an idea of what it’s like to be part of the company as well as giving you practical tips on how to run your own business successfully. This period is followed by a further six weeks of training at the Head Office, also in France, covering topics such as sales, marketing and technical training.

Once you’re up and running, you’ll receive assistance with the launch of your new business. Not only this, but a member of the franchise support team will remain on-site for the first four weeks to ensure that your business gets off to the best possible start.

When you’re established the support is still available as and when you need it. You’ll also get the chance to meet up regularly with the other 200 plus franchisees that make up the network. This provides an opportunity to share best practice and seek advice for any problems that you’re encountering.

What does it take to be a Daniel Moquet franchisee?

Daniel Moquet is seeking dynamic individuals with excellent communication skills, an enthusiasm for selling and the ability to motivate and manage teams. You don’t need to have any prior experience of working in the building or landscaping industry, but it is recommended that you speak French.

As a franchisee, you’ll use your selling skills to secure new clients. You’ll also be responsible for site management, people management, and administrative management of the agency. No two days will be the same, and you’ll be rewarded by helping clients to achieve the driveway of their dreams and ensuring that they receive the best service possible throughout the project.

Find out more

If you think that this is the right business for you, you can find out more about the brand and the franchise by attending a Discovery Day. Not only will you get to meet the man himself, Daniel Moquet, you’ll also take part in a three-day immersion session to make sure that you’re the right fit for the franchise.

Once you’re happy that a Daniel Moquet franchise is suited to your values and ambition, then you’ll decide upon a territory with the franchisor. You’ll also get help at this stage to develop your business plan to ensure that you secure the funding you need to start your own franchise.

Other driveway franchise opportunities

If you’re looking for another driveway franchise that incorporates environmentally friendly methods to produce stunning results, Oltco could be the right opportunity for you. The leading provider of resin driveway solutions in the UK, Oltco has been in operation for more than 15 years and has racked up thousands of satisfied clients in both the domestic and commercial driveway markets.

Oltco began life as a family business back in 2004, who sold non-slip driveway and path solutions to domestic and commercial properties in sunny Cornwall. It quickly became successful and founder and director, Tom Stringer, realised that his business had the potential to begin operating on a national scale. His background as a trained mining engineer equipped him with lots of technical expertise and a specialist knowledge of epoxy and polyurethane resin coatings.

However, Stringer came to the conclusion that it wasn’t viable for his family alone to expand the business. He realised that franchising offered Oltco the best chance at expanding beyond the sunny shores of Cornwall to other areas in the UK. That way, he was able to build a business model and training process that allowed other dedicated individuals to gain just some of the information he had gathered over the years.

Now, Oltco is on the hunt for new franchisees across the UK that can help it provide its stunning resin driveways to customers everywhere. Its innovative Recycle Bound product is the world’s first driveway made entirely from waste plastic that’s already in circulation. Not only does it produce stunning results, but it also puts the mountains of plastic waste that are polluting the oceans to good use.

You’ll need to prove that you’re better than the rest if you’re looking to become an Oltco franchisee, as the exclusive franchise accept just five franchisees per calendar year. This ensures that each franchisee has the maximum potential for success and sustainable growth, as its franchise support teams can guide each individual or team through the process at a pace that suits them.

Oltco franchisees will need to be loyal individuals who embody the values of the company to their core and are willing to put in the hard work to make their business a success. They also need to be able to fund at least some of the £30,000 franchisee fee.

Those lucky enough to be selected as Oltco franchisees will attend a two-week training course at Oltco’s HQ in Cornwall, in which they’ll learn everything from installation to sales to the company’s strong ethos and values. Each franchisee will have their own dedicated Account Manager mentor who will spend their days ensuring that they reach their goals, offering guidance, support and a sympathetic ear through the difficult first stages of running your own business.

They’ll also assist with day to day things such as generating new business leads, advertising the business, invoicing suppliers and ordering stock to ensure that each franchisee can concentrate on getting their business off the ground.