Case Study Ryan Wong Bromley

From climbing ladders to installing them!

Looking for a way to put your practical skills to use in a rewarding new career? For these ex-firemen from Hong Kong, joining Access4Lofts was the perfect next step.

Meet our newest franchisees, Ryan Wong and his team, who recently opened their new Access4Lofts business in Bromley.

At Access4Lofts HQ in Plymouth, we have a “Wall of Fame” where we proudly display the photos of all the partners who successfully built their own businesses with an Access4Lofts franchise. It seems to get bigger and bigger all the time, but one of the most interesting things about it is just how many different people are now part of the network, and the incredible variety of backgrounds they represent.

Some of them have come to us after choosing Access4Lofts as the best option from a range of franchises, others have even heard about us through customers who have had work done with us. A few have even come to us thanks to a recommendation from a friend who was already an Access4Lofts franchisee, as was the case with Ryan who joined us in October 2022.

Ryan and his team are all ex-firemen who moved to the UK about a year ago. They were keen to build a life for themselves here but wanted a career that they could control, and all the rewards that come with it.

“Before I came to the UK, I didn’t really know anything about lofts.” Ryan told us. “We just don’t have them in Hong Kong! The idea that you would have a big space in your home that wasn’t being used properly is just crazy to me coming from a city where space is at such a premium. When Kelvin (from A4L Milton Keynes) told me about his work, I could easily see why this would be so important to UK homeowners.”

Even when a potential franchisee comes to us through a recommendation and has already heard a lot about what we do, we still always take the time to give them all the information they need and answer any questions they have. Ryan and his team could already see that an Access4Lofts franchise could provide them with a way to offer superior products and services in a booming market, but making the decision to invest during times of economic uncertainty is always a hard call.

While an Access4Lofts franchise certainly provides a great deal as part of its package, and we have worked hard to ensure excellent value for money in terms of equipment, training, and support, potential franchisees are right to want reassurance about return on investment.

“My biggest question was about income.” Ryan explained. “Especially because I had no idea how business works in the UK. I was also concerned about how best to do marketing and attract new customers. Access4Lofts showed me some of their figures, and I thought ‘Wow! They are growing so fast!’ The training took care of everything else.”

While Ryan and his team obviously have quite a bit of experience in using ladders and monitoring health and safety from their firemen days, our comprehensive training covers so much more than just how to carry out the service. Every franchisee learns how to fit our full range of ladders, hatches and boarding, but they are also coached in every aspect of running a successful business. One of the highlights is our bespoke admin system which streamlines all aspects of the business from customer enquiries and bookings through to invoicing and accounts, allowing hard-working teams like Ryan’s to focus on what's most important: growing their business and delivering a fantastic service.

“The training was great, and fun! We were already quite knowledgeable about DIY and maintenance work, so loft access installation was an easy step up for us. However, we also learnt how to deal with potential customers and handle calls and enquiries.”

Though the new Bromley team had only been trading for a few days at the time of writing this case study, they already have several paying customers lined up for their first few weeks. Their first customer was actually Ryan’s neighbour but, like many of our franchisees, the team have found that word soon spreads about the great service and products they can offer!

Are you ready to combine your practical skills with our expertise and know-how to build your own successful business?

Get in touch today to find out more about how we can work together.