2020 through the looking glass
It is that time of year at Ed’s when we like to take stock of the year gone by. We look at where each of our franchise business owners have got to with the development of their individual franchise business. It is a good time to talk through how happy they are with the progress they have made over the past 12 months. We also look at Ed’s as a whole and how we have fared. We compare where we have got to with the goals we set ourselves back at the start of the year.
So what about 2020 then? Well, where do we start. All we can say is what a year! The world does indeed feel like a very different place from this time last year.
We are hugely sympathetic to the problems in other sectors. However, we also feel very fortunate that our businesses have not been severely affected by the pandemic. Yes, we have had to learn how to do things a bit differently. However, we are still able to run flourishing businesses and even grow them in the current climate. For that, we are very thankful.
Franchise Business – general overview
From purely a demand for our gardening services and individual franchise business financial performance point of view, paradoxically the past year has been a very good one. Demand for our services ran at least in line with, if not above, normal levels throughout the year. Furthermore, given the socially-distanced nature of gardening, we were able to deliver our services, albeit with some adjustments. Resulting business profitability is indeed looking very good.
New Franchise Business success
The positive attitude, and financial results, of our newer franchisees have frankly blown us away this year.
Theo (Middlesex) started his brand new business in perfect harmony with the announcement of the first lockdown. He remained very calm and worked hard, under our guidance, to put all the right building blocks in place to run a great business. He is well on his way to that goal and his financial performance since he started is impressive.
Rich (Oxford South) and Ali (Cambridge North) have joined Ed”s more recently. Likewise, both have had very promising starts and have already started to build strong regular customer bases.
In addition, Franchise Business owners who had joined Ed’s in the months leading up to the pandemic have powered through and have delivered strong financial results this year.
We consider this a great endorsement that our business model delivers results, even in the most unusual business climate.
Supporting our Franchise Business team
Strong financial results are certainly a big part of the wellbeing jigsaw for our business owners. However, we do appreciate that this is only part of the picture. The uncertainty and challenges of the past year have made for a very difficult time. We appreciate that this can take a big toll on any individuals’ mental wellbeing.
We know how supporting our team of business owners has never been more important. Our franchise business owners are spread out over a number of locations. This makes strong communication even more important and it is something that is at the very heart of Ed’s. We realised early on that there was a big gap to fill with business owners not being able to get together for the usual face to face meetings, training and last, but certainly not least, social get-togethers. So we have ramped up our phone calls and Zoom calls and done our very best to keep contact, just in different ways.
Training through a new lens
In the absence of large group training sessions, we have provided more focused smaller group virtual training workshops which have proved very effective.
Our business owners are very keen on the training sessions we usually run where we have our expert horticulturalist train on a whole range of gardening-related matters. We usually run these at RHS Wisley but we are currently running the same sessions via Zoom. The response to this has been very positive.
Looking ahead
We are currently experiencing very high levels of interest in Ed’s franchise opportunity. Many people’s circumstances have changed with job uncertainty or losses. We hear many people saying that they want to run a business where they have a level of control over the future success of their business. If they are looking at a franchise, they want one that will not be wiped out by any future pandemic circumstances. Many just say that life is too short to do a job you don’t feel passionate about…
Ed’s ticks all of these boxes and a lot more besides.
So, there you have our current view of Ed’s world. We wish you a very Merry Christmas and a prosperous 2021.
If you think joining Ed’s could be an attractive option for you for a fresh start in 2021, please do get in touch.