FranchiseShow247 is the brainchild of Bob Rehill, founder and CEO of VirtualExpo247, as well as Bob Rehill Associate Network. In this blog post, we chat to the man himself and find out exactly how he got started in business and what led him to create the FranchiseShow247 platform.
Bob’s first business began in 1989 and came about by complete chance. “My friend and I were actually sitting in a Pizza Hut having lunch together when we saw a window cleaner cleaning the windows. It took him all of 10 mins and then the manager went out and gave him £10. We saw the entire process up close and my friend and I looked at each other and said £10 for 10 mins?” Within a matter of hours, the company was created – they designed some leaflets and dropped them in an affluent area nearby, whilst also investing in one of the first mobile phones so that customers could contact them easily. “To our complete surprise we actually got ten customers in the first few days! We had never done it before, so we quickly invested in some buckets and cloths and went on our way. I was always the guy at the top of the ladder!”
As the business grew, customers began asking if they also did car cleaning, so they said yes and began adding the service to their rounds. Before long, another customer enquired about collecting and delivering laundry, so without hesitation, Bob and his friend said yes. “And so it went on and on, we continued to grow, hire people and ended up with a couple of vans driving around. We then expanded into corporate cleaning, office cleaning, uniform dry cleaning and so on. Eventually the business, under the brand ‘Mrs Duster’ became UK wide, with nearly 2,000 home cleaners employed. We did some big deals with brands such as Dyson, Virgin and Women’s Own too.”
Looking back now, what was the biggest lesson Bob took from the experience? “If an opportunity comes up, say YES and then figure out afterwards how you are going to do it!”
Following years of successful businesses, Bob is ideally placed to know what works and what doesn’t, and really believes that a franchise model can be a great way to get started with confidence, whilst being your own boss, which is one of the reasons FranchiseShow247 was born. “The great thing about a franchise model is that it’s already up and running with the processes all in place. You have the experience and backing of a proven model plus a team to support you with areas you don’t have as much knowledge in. You’ll also be leveraging the brand name, one that has customers and awareness established, so that step is already taken care of.”
As a result, Bob has built the FranchiseShow247 platform to be a supportive community which provides you with franchising support, advice and opportunities. So whether you have already started your franchise journey and are looking for information and support to further your business, or you’re right at the beginning, thinking about taking the next step into a franchise business and want to explore your options, the FranchiseShow247 community can help you. We’re packing the platform full of useful blogs and seminars, as well as lots of different types of franchises for you to discover, so there’s always something new to help you.
Finally, what top three pieces of advice would Bob give to someone looking to start a franchise business? “Firstly, explore the opportunity carefully and be prepared to work in the business at the beginning and get involved hands on. There’s nothing like doing the work to get a proper feel for the business. Secondly, take advantage of the proven model, don’t be afraid to ask for the experience of the franchisor and other franchises; they have been there and seen what works and what doesn’t, so learn from them and the wide franchisee community. Lastly, make sure you do your homework. Take time to understand the business, talk to other franchisees to see how they started, how they generated business, what costs they had and so on. You will more than likely find they are happy to share their experiences and this will help you get that solid start you need.”
Bob Rehill is the founder and CEO of FranchiseShow247, as well as Bob Rehill Associate Network. You can visit Bob’s FranchiseShow247 exhibition stand here and you can contact him via his LinkedIn Profile.
