World Options Franchise - What's Involved?

Have you ever wanted to get into the courier business, but don’t have the time or the patience to do all the deliveries yourself? If your sense of direction is lacking, but your business acumen isn’t, then World Options Ltd could be just the right franchise for you. Courier franchises represent some of the most profitable and high-return options worldwide, and with more small businesses looking for cheaper, more reliable alternatives to the Post Office or other well-known delivery services, World Options has found a niche in the market and filled it with a premium service. Let’s have a more in-depth look at this excellent business opportunity with our World Options franchise review.

Who are World Options?

In 2003, Andrew Jackson and Stewart Butler decided they’d had enough of paying over the odds for courier deliveries and started their own company in a single room in Manchester, UK. They recognised that SMEs all across the country faced the same challenges as they did – finding affordable, reliable delivery services for both national and international freight. While there were plenty of big names in the marketplace, there didn’t seem to be anything that specifically catered to businesses that were either just starting or were too ‘small’ to be of any interest to the big companies.

Andrew and Stewart realised that a personalised service where customers’ needs are put first is perfectly achievable, and at a price that wouldn’t impact on SMEs’ narrow profit margins. So they set up World Options Ltd.

Today, the company operates over 70 franchises around the world and is a full member of the British Franchise Association. They’ve developed a business model that particularly appeals to SMEs, making it much easier for those who take on a franchise to build up a strong customer base.

Why choose a courier franchise?

Firstly, you’re not actually delivering the freight yourself. Your job is to act as a ‘go-between’ with the customer and the delivery agents both here and in the UK. There are several types of courier franchise available on the market, but unless you want to invest heavily in vehicles, operating centres, and advertising, the World Options model is infinitely preferable.

Your job is to connect small business users with courier services that offer road, rail, sea and airfreight options around the world. Because of the reach of the company, prices are more competitive than smaller companies, but with that all-important personalised service that can sometimes be lost if you book through a larger operation.

Hours are flexible, so it’s the kind of franchise that can fit around your current lifestyle. However, you will need drive, determination and commitment to succeed.

What kind of initial investment do I need?

Your minimum initial investment is £29,995 (+VAT). There are no operating fees or advertising fees to pay, and they do not charge you any franchise fees or royalties. Because the company is highly respected, it should be relatively easy to find additional funding from specialist franchise lenders to help you come up with the £30k you’ll need to get started.

Because you’re acting as the go-between for SMEs and the delivery companies, you won’t need additional investment for vans, staff, or even premises. All you need is a laptop. The company supplies you with world-class online software that is supremely attractive to your potential clients.

What does World Options offer?

Apart from the software that you’ll need to run your franchise, you’ll get extensive training that’ll help you assess the needs of SMEs and match them up with freighters who can offer them the service they need at an affordable price. There’s also ongoing support to make sure you provide your customers with the service they expect from a high-profile brand.

How much can I expect to make?

How much you earn entirely depends on you. The more your business clients send, the more money you make, so it’s in your interest to work hard at encouraging as much business to flow through you as possible. Top franchises can make between £200-500,000 a year (gross profit).

What do I have to do to earn that kind of money?

Work hard! Your franchise is based around attracting new customers to use World Options Ltd.’s online portal to book their shipping via road, rail, sea or air. Your role is to show your customers how easy it is to use the portal and place orders online. Once they’ve activated an account, they are basically ‘your client’. It’s then up to you to nurture the relationship and encourage them to use the service to send all of their packages via World Options Ltd. That is all you have to do – the portal does the rest!

That sounds too good to be true…

Occasionally, a franchise comes along that takes a straightforward model and applies it to a responsive marketplace to generate incredibly strong returns. This is precisely what World Options has done for 15 years. As with any franchise, you get out as much as you put in. So the harder you work to build up your client base and the more they send via the portal, the more money you make. Initially, the hours may be long, but as you build up your reputation as a representative SMEs can trust, you’ll find that this is one of those franchises that almost look after itself (with a little bit of hard work on your part).

Conclusion

World Options Ltd is one of our 2019 hot tips when it comes to courier franchises. There are no geographical boundaries, so you don’t have to worry about local competition, and you’re taking on a very flexible model that can fit around your existing lifestyle. A strong support and training network and world-class software make it easier to break into the courier industry, and with no further financial outlay other than the initial buy-in, you won’t be continually dipping into your financial reserves to pay for overheads. All you need is a laptop, and the will to succeed.