Envirocare franchise has grounds for optimism

Envirocare, the leading commercial grounds maintenance franchise, is benefiting from the rise in outsourcing in the UK

Government cutbacks and tightening business belts have led to an increase in business outsourcing. An industry survey in late 2011 suggested that outsourcing for UK businesses in the third quarter of 2011 grew at its fastest rate in three years and ahead of the five-year average rate.

One business benefiting from this trend is leading commercial grounds maintenance franchise Envirocare. The business has seen turnover almost double in the last 12 months and growth is set to continue as, among other things, local government cutbacks provide opportunities across the country.

Local touch
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Ian Morton is the Envirocare franchisee for the Newcastle area and for him the potential offered by local government restructuring was a key reason to consider the business. “I was looking into starting my own business and I felt that grounds maintenance could benefit from the government change in expenditure policy,” he explains.

“The change, which sees local government able to outsource various services to the private sector, would I thought benefit the maintenance industry. So becoming part of an award winning, accredited, national, commercial grounds maintenance company that valued the ‘local touch’ was something that I could not have hoped to achieve without years and years of work on my own. A franchise was the perfect solution to have the fruits of the franchisor’s hard work and the support of an experienced team.”

Envirocare franchisees employ operatives who visit corporate clients to provide a comprehensive grounds maintenance service. The opportunity is based on repeat business from regular visits to business parks, hotels, schools, hospitals, offices and hundreds of other business locations. High client retention and a profitable model mean the business can grow as quickly as clients’ plants do.

Franchise director Dan Archer says: “Our franchise is benefiting from the unique business environment. Many of our clients are looking for better value and the improved service that comes from a national player with industry leading accreditation. We are winning business from smaller local competitors as our franchisees have triple ISO registration and also benefit from other industry recognised quality marks.

“Our business is stable as it is built on regular repeat visits to businesses that contract to use our service all year - we do not maintain domestic locations. The franchise is ideally suited to anyone wanting to run a sustainable, flexible, low risk business. As a management franchise, our franchisees will employ teams who will actually cut the grass and maintain the sites, the franchisee’s time will be best spent running the business and building client relationships.”

Expanded
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After starting his business when the economy was at its lowest two years ago, Ian Morton has been successful in building his local area and has already expanded into a second territory. Talking about the challenges of building a successful business, he says: “I now understand what others had to endure when trying to reach me in the past. Getting through efficient secretaries and receptionists to talk with the decision maker was my initial stumbling block. I am now experienced in all aspects of the fieldwork and there is no better feeling that getting a deal, doing the work, seeing a site transformed and then having the site manager come to you and express their happiness in the difference. It’s a very satisfying feeling from beginning to end.”

Ian’s advice to anyone considering the business is: “Never stop marketing. I have found this to be like a rolling snowball down a hill. The bigger it gets as you add your quotations to it and as it rolls the more work comes in from it, but you have to continuously add to it for it to expand. I take some time out each week to carry out local marketing.”

The investment required for an Envirocare franchise is £43,000. Funding is available via the main franchise banks for up to 70 per cent of the total start-up costs. Franchisees will need £16,000-£18,000 in unencumbered funds and the desire to build a substantial business. Envirocare is an associate member of the British Franchise Association.