Meet Our Franchisees
Richard Wedgwood, FASTSIGNS Manchester
After 12 years in an executive-level sales role that demanded frequent overseas travel, FASTSIGNS UK offered Richard Wedgwood the opportunity to fulfil a life-long ambition.
Prior to launching his FASTSIGNS business, Richard was an international sales director for a ceramics company, where he sold high-quality foodservice products to superior hotels within the global market. Richard’s sales leadership role afforded him a ‘glamourous’ jet-set lifestyle where he would travel around America, Canada, the Middle East, and Australia selling the finest ceramics.
Whilst his role appeared exciting to many, Richard frequently found himself living out of suitcases, hopping between airport lounges, boardrooms, meeting rooms, and hotels, rarely getting to enjoy any of the countries he was visiting. Whilst he loved his job and the perks of the lifestyle, Richard realised he was exhausted, missing out on spending time with his family and friends with no time to pursue his life-long goal of working for himself.
Richard comments, “I put everything into my job and lived a fast-paced lifestyle for more than 12 years, ultimately hotel-living lost its charm. I remember trips that required me to visit 12 different cities in 16 days. It was both exhausting and uninspiring. I realised I no longer wished to operate in this way and began to consider other opportunities.”
This came in the form of an attractive redundancy offer in 2009. Richard seized the opportunity with both hands and moved on from a role which had been extremely rewarding, but had also dominated his life for over a decade.
Whilst taking some time away from employment to decide on what the future held, Richard visited friends in the US and Canada. Whilst there, he discovered the franchising opportunities available in these countries. He realised franchising offered a proven business model, providing a low-risk opportunity to start his own business in virtually any sector. Franchising would also deliver any additional training he needed, and support to achieve business growth within a brand known and trusted by its customers.
“Having discovered so much about franchising in the Americas, I did not realise franchising was a possibility in the UK. I was all set to emigrate to Canada, planning to start both a new life and a franchised business abroad, believing all the opportunities were there!” Richard continues, “However, a chance meeting with the manager of a newly opened franchised restaurant in Manchester, opened my eyes to the franchising opportunities in the UK. I realised this would be a bold – but ideal step – to help me achieve my goal.”
Having decided to stay in the UK, Richard set about undertaking his due diligence to understanding the UK franchise market. He worked with a company which connected franchise brands to potential franchisees, who company told him about FASTSIGNS, an American franchise business operating in the UK. They provide signs and visual graphics to local business communities, which intrigued him.
After further research, Richard was attracted by the technology FASTSIGNS used, alongside the management nature of the business and the work-life balance the opportunity promised. “After 12 years of travelling, I was ready to find somewhere to establish my future. The technology and equipment required to open the centre was a huge draw for me, even though my background was in sales. But, I knew through the proper training and by building the right team, I could excel in my own FASTSIGNS centre.”
In 2010, Richard began his FASTSIGNS journey, attending the FASTSIGNS Foundations training course, prior to the launch of his centre. Knowing he did not possess any design capabilities, Richard hired a graphic designer, taking him and another member of staff, to the two-week training course, delivered by the FASTSIGNS Head Office in Dallas, Texas. The course covered everything the team needed to know, including design, installation, and customer service.
Richard states that the training he received as the business owner was invaluable. “My role is often incredibly varied. I can be trouble-shooting machinery one moment, involved in customer sales, or dealing with finances. Not only did I gain an excellent overview of the business, from the FASTSIGNS perspective, but I’ve also developed an array of new skills.
“When FASTSIGNS Manchester first launched, I knew I wanted to see quick growth. To do this, I followed the FASTSIGNS model as closely as possible, making use of all the systems FASTSIGNS had developed over their decades-long history. I also ingratiated myself into, not only the UK franchise network but the US and Canadian networks too. This ensured we were not only able to ask our franchisor for help, but could also approach the wider network.”
Each year, FASTSIGNS Manchester has achieved year-on-year growth. In 2016, to facilitate further growth, Richard relocated his centre to a 5,500 square foot, purpose-built facility and invested in the latest signage technology and equipment. He believes this investment will allow him and his team to fulfil and exceed their customer’s expectations, experience further rapid expansion in capabilities, and has firmly positioned his centre as one of the top 5 sale turnover centres in the UK.
Even after achieving so much at FASTSIGNS Manchester, Richard is not ready to release his foot from the pedal, just yet. “I keep upping the bar as the market evolves, providing new challenges myself and my team to achieve. It’s always about tomorrow. It’s about next year and the goals we can continue to reach for.”
The FASTSIGNS franchise can help you create a great business of your own, not just for today and tomorrow, but for many years to come. To find out more about how it can help you achieve your ambitions, contact us on: 01785 253140, or visit the next steps page of our website and complete the online form to request a call.