Cava Guard has been supporting franchisees for over a decade, says Bruce Hancock, head of indirect sales
Why is Cava Guard a smart franchise investment?
Cava Guard is a unique opportunity in that it provides a stream of recurring revenue. Unlike many franchises, the security industry carries on throughout the night and at weekends. For example, a key holding contract pays every day for the year and if there is an alarm activation, your guard will be dispatched by our control room to attend. This will earn the franchisee income even while they sleep.
We have been recruiting franchises for 11 years and all of the franchisees have followed our business model and succeeded to date.
What do franchisees get in return for their investment?
As part of the franchise fee of £20,500 (+VAT), the franchisee will receive initial setup help like setting up their business and their VAT registration. Then after the initial set-up, we will work with the franchisee to train them as a licensed SIA officer, train them in our processes and procedures, industry-specific training, operational support, accounting support and most important of all for a new business, marketing and sales support.
We will provide contracts that fall within the franchised area and will actively pursue new business for them via our sales team.
Do franchisees need any prior experience to join Cava Guard?
No, this is a managed franchise. Our franchise model works one of two ways:
• Managed franchise – The franchisee would employ staff to fulfil the contracts we have or the new ones we create together. The franchisee manages the day to day running of the business with a business mentor from our head office team. The franchisee needs no industry experience at all
• Part managed – In order to get the business up and running a franchisee may cover some of the contracts themselves and as they grow, employ staff to cover the expansion. With this type of model, we will train you to the very highest levels in order to carry out the duties yourself until ready to employ a team. For this model, industry experience is very helpful as it speeds up the process of generating and fulfilling contracts.
How does Cava Guard support its franchisees, from initial onboarding to a long-term strategy?
Once up and running, Cava Guard provides full ongoing business, sales, operational, back-office, and industry training and support as required.
Taking the leap into franchise ownership can feel daunting. How does Cava Guard help with this transition?
We provide as much support and mentoring as a franchisee needs. An experienced business person will not need as much support as, say, an officer that wants to stop earning money for other people and wants to benefit from their own hard work.
How can Cava Guard help with funding a franchisee’s launch?
If a potential franchisee does not have some or all of the fee, the government-backed initiative with The Start Up Loan Company can provide an initial loan at very competitive rates, even if your bank was unable to help.
We will build you a business plan and cashflow forecasts to help you to apply and also this will help you to understand what your business can achieve, by following our business model.
What can Cava Guard franchisees expect from their first year?
A typical franchisee with industry experience would hope to recoup their initial investment in one to one-and-a-half years. A franchisee without industry experience would expect to do this within two years.
The reason for the difference is that a franchisee with experience would have good contacts for potential contracts, whereas an inexperienced one would rely more on us providing contracts for them.
It’s a huge jump to leave a job and become a franchisee – can prospects do both?
We have franchisees that started their journey with us while still holding a full-time job. The support we give allows this to happen because we operate the guards on your behalf. For example, we will dispatch guards for the franchisee without even waking them. We carry out welfare checks and organise shift patterns for our partners.
What does a typical day look like as a Cava Guard franchisee?
Typically, a day as a franchisee would involve, once fully trained themselves, seeking new contracts alongside our sales team, arranging officers to fulfil the contracts, and carrying out welfare calls during the day.
Additionally, the day may include a meeting with potential clients (with our support), interviewing potential officers, preparing quotes for clients and the day-to-day operation of the business.
What are Cava Guard’s plans for 2022 and beyond?
Cava Guard is looking to add a further five franchises to its partner team this year. To facilitate this, we have invested in two business development managers with extensive industry knowledge to provide our franchisees with quality business that will generate very healthy profits throughout the life of the business, particularly in the early stages.
Case study: Andrew Roberts, Southwest London
Andrew had a career in the forces and then security. He wanted to develop these skills to earn himself a secure future. He had a lot of experience but needed the business model to endure he did not make mistakes at the start.
Cava Guard gave him a ‘ready to go’ business model to provide all the processes, procedures and policies he needed to ensure he could, with Cava Guard’s help, spend his time winning contracts and providing excellent service to his clients.
Following Cava Guard’s mentoring and guidance, Andrew now has a very successful business and 80 per cent of his business is referred to him, due to his outstanding customer service. Andrew recouped his franchise fee in 14 months.
Initially, Andrew was apprehensive about joining Cava Guard but after a very enlightening discovery day, he joined us and never looked back.
At a glance
Established:
2005
Number of franchised outlets:
8
Location of units:
Nationwide
Investment range:
£20,500 + VAT
Minimum required capital:
£10,000
Contact:
franchise@cavasecurity.co.uk
