Ovenclean franchisee shares his experiences transitioning from redundancy

Nigel Colson is a sparkling example of how to successfully leap into self-employment after redundancy.

Facing redundancy can be incredibly worrying and stressful, and with many businesses having to take certain measures to survive the effects of the COVID-19 crisis, it’s likely the number of people in this position will be higher than normal at the moment.

However, redundancy can actually be a blessing in disguise, so don’t get too discouraged just yet.

Nigel Colson, who is the owner of the oven cleaning franchise unit in Swindon was made redundant from his regional manager role in the home furnishings industry before he started his franchising journey. After this significant life event, Nigel decided he wanted to explore a completely new career direction – and he hasn’t looked back since!

He said: “I wanted a complete change, but still customer facing. A successful business where I was not in an office or at home, but out interacting with customers. My biggest dilemma was that I didn’t know how to start a new business or where I could get business advice from.”

Nigel and his wife attended a franchise exhibition to find out more about the franchise model.

“After the exhibition, my wife and I met with half a dozen franchise businesses but we didn’t feel these businesses were right for us. In some cases, we just didn’t buy into the people we met and felt pressured into saying yes by some.”

But they actually find out about the Ovenclean opportunity online and arranged to attend an open day. They were very impressed with the support team:

“They had such enthusiasm and provided the ongoing business support we wanted. It was obvious to us, just how much the team wanted their franchisees to succeed.

“After the Ovenclean open day, we continued with our research and spoke to as many Ovenclean franchisees as possible, to understand the day-to-day running of the business. I also spent a full day out with a local Ovenclean franchisee to truly understand how the business works.”

After being won over by the opportunity, they purchased Ovenclean Swindon in 2016. They couldn’t be happier with their decision.

“In the first two weeks I completed comprehensive on-the-job training with my business mentor. Then the head office team supported me through a very successful business launch, which meant we had leads coming through immediately. On day one of training we were fully booked up for three weeks in advance.”

If you’re facing redundancy during this difficult time, you might also want to consider entering the franchising world. Nigel offers you this advice:

“…to be successful in franchising, you have to be determined and have a strong business plan. You have to constantly market your business, whether that’s through local adverts, leafleting or social media. In my experience if one form of local marketing isn’t generating leads, don’t be afraid to try something new. But it is all worth it to see the satisfaction on my customer’s faces.”

To find out more about the Ovenclean franchise opportunity, check out its client page on our UK Franchise Directory.