Brand’s person-centred approach pays dividends

Tezlom offers a modern health care recruitment solution that’s rooted in family values

Being in business with your family isn’t always easy, but Ryan and Roz Armitage, directors of Tezlom, know first-hand that when times get tough having your family around to support you makes all the difference.

Their business, then called 247 Professional Health, was established in 2008 and run by husband and wife duo Les and Roz Armitage and their sons, Ryan and Tom.

In 2018, the family lost Tom to suicide and with Les’ health declining Ryan and Roz had a decision to make - give up or keep going. In January 2019, they decided to rebrand to Tezlom.

Rolling out the rebrand

Ryan says: “Our head office team were fully supportive and onboard, so next it was time to go to each individual franchise office and tell each franchisee.

“This wasn’t particularly easy. Some didn’t want to rebrand their business and some even left the network. However, most embraced it and saw the benefits of our more modern, person-centred approach.

“Next, we redecorated our head office and went into countless photoshoots, both with the team and the offices themselves.

“As part of the rebrand, we wanted to focus on our agency workers, who are truly the front line of our business - we knew it was time for them to get the recognition and reward for their work they so deserved.

“It also allowed us to tell their personal stories as agency workers and what life working at Tezlom was like for them.”

Impressive network

First established in Southport to provide personalised service for those working in health care, Tezlom has an impressive franchise network spanning the UK and has added a further five locations to the company’s portfolio in the last 12 months.

Following the brand roll-out, Tezlom headed to its first franchise expo in October 2019, followed by London in February 2020 and Birmingham in March 2020.

“It’s been an amazing step on our franchising journey to connect with major players in the industry to continue to grow our business,” Ryan says.

Open during lockdown

When lockdown hit, the decision was made to keep the business open, along with its franchises.

Teams immediately started working remotely and to support its franchisees Tezlom invested in a new customer relationship management, app and payroll system, reducing costs to a third of what was being offered by suppliers at the time. The next step was to take recruitment procedures online.

In the months that followed, Tezlom expanded its network and ventured into new sectors, such as permanent recruitment and hospitality.

The company advanced a digital learning management system with full online training and support. Each section of the business is called a pathway and each pathway has an online assessment for a franchisee and their staff members to complete and pass.

It was important to Ryan and Roz to add a mental health and well-being element that includes company details for help with addiction and suicide, alongside well-being partners such as yoga classes and breathwork classes to access for free.

“There’s still lots in the pipeline here at Tezlom,” Ryan says. “We’ve created a new website for our hospitality division and we’re all prepped for a full roll-out in January 2022.”

At a glance

Established:

2008

Number of franchised outlets:

10

Location of units:

UK-wide

Investment range:

£25,000

Minimum capital required:

£10,000

Contact:

Ryan Armitage