At first glance, the multi-faceted world of the auto franchise is about as easy to navigate as spaghetti junction. Happily, we’ve collected some industry experts to steer you in the right direction.
Whatever sort of auto franchise you're interested in, join us as we explore the opportunities available for those keen to start their own business.
For other industry opportunities please go to our franchise directory
Cars are needy creatures. From deep cleans and replacement windscreens to new tyres and air conditioning refreshes, they always require something. And, of course, there's actually buying a car in the first place to consider.
Whatever the need, you can guarantee there’s an auto franchise opportunity to service it. Some popular auto franchise options include:
Amanda Palmer is co-owner of the St Albans franchise of auto body repair specialists, ChipsAway. Since 2013, she and husband, Brian, have grown from being a one-van operation to a workshop-based business boasting a ten-strong staff.
Brian had been an increasingly disgruntled IT worker enduring a daily London commute, when redundancy gave him both the opportunity and the funds to fulfil a dream of becoming his own boss.
While a trip to the NEC Franchise Exhibition offered some leads, the clincher was a ChipsAway open day for potential franchisees.
“It ticked all the boxes,” says Amanda. “They gave us enough support and the marketing side was really good, with templates for leaflets and adverts. There was also a national advertising initiative to drive customer leads from head office, as well as locally. That made it easier for us to start up.”
The pair were equally impressed with the training offer and start-up support. Despite having no prior experience, Brian was fully road-ready following a four-week instructional course.
“I joined him for the sales and marketing training, which is my forte,” says Amanda. “They taught us to use the CRM [customer relationship management] system, then we did our own marketing locally, advertising in local magazines and newspapers.
“ChipsAway also provided us with a buddy, someone that had been doing the franchise for a little while and who was available in case we needed any support in the early days.”
Besides buying the right to cover postcodes within the St Albans area, Amanda and Brian were granted access to ChipsAway’s CRM system. From the get-go, they were determined to generate their own leads, too.
“We did a launch at our local Sainsbury's. We were there all day and got quite a lot of leads. Brian. the kids and I were leafleting every weekend – the whole family was involved.”
While Brian undertook most of the work in the first two years, Amanda says, “We subcontracted out some of the bigger jobs to a local guy. From that we could see the potential to open a body shop.
"Now, we do all of it: five guys in the body shop, another in the van doing our mobile jobs, plus a couple of staff in the office.”
The best thing about life as part of an auto body repair franchise, says Amanda, is being able to enjoy flexibility in work/life balance.
“The first few years are hard because you have to work like a Trojan,” she says, “but now we're reaping the benefits a bit more. I have Thursdays off, Brian has Fridays off and plays golf.”
“Our long-term plan is to reduce our hours further,” says Amanda. “We're taking steps with the guys we employ to bring them up to speed so that they can eventually run the business without us being here.
"Brian and I have always been hard workers, but I can honestly say we’ve never worked as hard as we do now – when it's your own business you go that extra mile, don't you?”
"Do your research. This is the biggest thing. For us, it was ‘look at the demographics’. Were there people in the area with money to spend on keeping their cars nice? How many lease vehicles were there? (They have to be returned in a certain condition).
"We spoke to a lot of other existing franchisees as well, getting feedback on the pros and cons of taking the plunge.”
"Another tip is to never stop marketing. A lot of people start off marketing and then, when things pick up, they stop. We're currently booking jobs two months away, but, probably because I'm from a sales and marketing background, the marketing carries on.
"Keep drip feeding. We email newsletters and it's not even about the content. It's more that our name comes up in their inbox and they say, ‘Oh yeah, I've been meaning to get my car sorted’.”
Brian from ChipsAway is not the only successful auto franchisee who began with a yearning to put themselves in the driver’s seat. In 2004, Trevor Langley was an electrical salesman tired of a life where “someone else says, ‘This is what the product is, this is the price you're going to sell it at’.”
When he saw an advert showcasing auto franchise opportunities at chauffeur service, Pinnacle Executive Cars, he saw the chance to “take hold of a few more levers of the business” and signed up to take on a postcode area.
“You exploit that opportunity to go out and get customers as much as possible,” says Trevor. “I got a second car and employed a driver within the first year. Within the second year I got a third car and a second driver – I was gradually growing my business.”
Before long, following what Trevor calls “a bit of a malaise in the centre”, he was in a position to become MD of the whole Pinnacle franchise.
Naturally, new franchisees at Pinnacle are not expected to roll up the gravel driveway of their first pick-up without having a little training up their immaculately pressed sleeve.
“We teach people how we sell the service, “says Trevor, “how people should go about trying to generate new enquiries in their own area. Then there’s etiquette training – how to conduct yourself in front of the customer, how to open the door. We’ll touch on some of the driving aspects as well.
“I always remember the day I switched from being a sales rep to being a chauffeur. You immediately change your driving style because you know that's ultimately what you're going to be judged on.”
While new Pinnacle franchisees can expect “a chunk of work from the centre, the expectation should be that they're going to go out and evangelise for Pinnacle and bring in new business.
“When it comes to holidays or days off, you can take that time off and let Pinnacle deliver your customers. But, generally speaking, one needs to be available.
"We have to deliver when the customer wants us to deliver. If someone comes in and says, ‘I only want to do 10-15 hours a week,’ we have to say, ‘To be honest, this isn't necessarily the right franchise for you’.”
Chauffeuring is a growing market. Why should someone looking to enter the sector sign up to an auto franchise rather than look to start their own business?
“Primarily, it's the opportunity of leveraging our brand within the marketplace," says Brian. People know what Pinnacle stands for and what you're going to get from us.”
On a more practical level, he adds, you may have a regular client “who suddenly needs five cars one evening because they are doing a hospitality event. The ability to pull in four more cars from within the group is a really strong thing to be able to offer the franchisee.”
"Do your due diligence. You've got to make sure that it's both a decent opportunity to go into and that it's the right one for you as an individual.
"Ask lots of questions and do as much research as you can on the opportunity that presents itself.”
Secondly, don’t forget the personal touch. “You might have the backing and initial customer base of a franchise, but you also need the hunger and ability to go out and drum up business yourself.
"If you’re chauffeuring you have to think, ‘What is going to get everyone from the PA to the MD of a local business to use my service?’ If you pull up in a nice car, drop some leaflets off and they can see that you're part of something bigger, part of a network, they’re more likely to think ‘Let's look at it’.”
If you're interested in auto franchise opportunities, browse our wide range of franchise opportunities. You can also browse courier franchises and van franchises.
_(1)_100_71.png){kind=logo}
Everything you need to know about buying a franchise
Franchisors provide an insight into how they’ve built their businesses.
New articles added every week
Hand picked franchise opportunities just for you
First class help and advice for franchising and business
We have the industries best contributors on board
Inspiring and insightful franchise case studies
Keep up to date with all the industry news
