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There are many electricians and electrical contractors who are considering starting their own business. They may have worked for another company or organisation for a while and want to have the freedom and flexibility of being their own boss. After all electricians and electrical contractors are often working on their own and are used to using their own initiative to solve problems. Why not start your own business through franchising, where electricians can use their own initiative but also get support for an array of business disciplines. Starting an electrician franchise can a good option for electricians and electrical contractors because they will be supported from the start of the business to the whole operations. The start of an electrician business You may wish to start the business as the main electrician in conjunction with family and friends. Perhaps there are other people who can support you with business skills and the accounting practices required for your business. With a franchise you do not need to do this as the skills and support are available at the offices of the franchisor. The franchisor is the centre of the operation, similar to a head office and grants the independent business or franchisee the contractual rights to work under trademarks for a return on the franchisees gross turnover. The electrician who owns the business has access to all the information they need to develop and manage the electrician business. Many banks are open to new business ventures but can be opposed if you do not have the correct business plan in place. With a franchise they do all the leg work for you to help you set up an electrician business. The franchisor does this for other electricians all the time and therefore is knowledgeable and experienced in the setup of an electrician business. Marketing Your Electrician Business What is the most common problem faced by electricians who are technically capable? Well it is often their sales and marketing skills, which they are not very good at. The electrician starts to do work but needs more customers, but the exact strategies that provide the best results are not easily available. If an electrician were to set up a business on their own they will not know how to best target customers and ensure a constant flow of business throughout the year. In a franchise you will have plenty of information on how to market your electrician business correctly to bring about the results you want. You need to consider all the ways in which a customer will search for an electrician. The franchisor will show the electrician the best ways to market the business and achieve the growth you require. Websites - Electricians can't do that Yes the internet is just as important for an electrician business as it is for a multinational company. Everyone is searching on the internet these days even for a local electrician, plumber or carpet fitter. It is therefore important that you have a web site highlighting all your capabilities as an electrical contractor or electrician. You could employ someone to do a basic website for you, but if you want it to work properly then it should be done by a professional web developer. This is where the franchisor comes in to help the electrician and their franchise. The knowledge they have built up on internet marketing and how a website should be developed for the target markets is a big reason for buying an electrician franchise. In short an electrician will never develop the right website without a lot of expensive support, so buying a franchise is a good option. Accounting Practices Running a successful business is not just about the electrician doing a good job; it is about the management of the business. Marketing and sales are two such functions that the electrician should have some understanding of in conjunction with financial management. This can be a difficult process and you will want to pick the tools back up straight away. In a franchise you will be assisted with the correct accounting practices that work best for an electrician business. You need to be fully aware of the accounts situation including the cash flow status. The franchisor will assist you in how these items need to be managed to maximise the output of your electrician business. Tax can be an important area for improvement and often many business people do not even know the tax benefits available. The electrician choosing to buy a franchise will have all the relevant financial information available for them to freely use. Benefits of Central Purchasing Owning a franchise is a great way to get support with your business skills in conjunction with the vital electrician skills you already have. This support is a key benefit for buying a franchise but you will also gain access to the centrally agreed pricing with suppliers including national wholesalers, clothing companies and printers. That's sounds good to most electricians, how does that sound to you? Well it gets better as you will get good rates with the advertising agencies and access to new channels of communication. Don't you hate it when your Yellow Pages come back for this years advert and you don't know what to put in it? Does your advert look worse than the other electricians and electrical contractors? Well the central support for design and branding guidelines will help electricians to portray a better business. National Accounts One of the benefits of being in a franchise is that there are other electrician's located throughout the UK so the franchisor can pursue national accounts for all the franchises. This means you have a steady flow of work from the central office, which provides business in conjunction with work the electrician generates locally. This helps to develop the business consistently and means that more electricians can be employed. The local franchise starts to become a larger operation which needs to be managed; this is where the franchisors experience becomes invaluable to the electrician. The Value of the Business The question many electricians may ask is what happens when I want to retire or stop operating the business? Let's say the electrician starts their own business from scratch with no knowledge of how and what they want to sell at the end of it. A business without an exit strategy is not a successful business. Sole trader electricians may make a good living but what will they sell when it is time to move on? Maybe it's a white van with no brand, no database and only one electrician on the road. Only the person running the business is for sale, so there is nothing to sell except a retiring electrician. With a franchise it will have value as you will have livery on the van and an array of strong branding which means customers and competitors know who you are. You will have a customer database that lists not only customers but all the useful contacts in the business. With a franchise you have a brand that is high in value. Think about well known brands and why it is important to their success, it is no different for an electrician.
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