‘It’s been a tough first year in business but worth it’ admits Martin, whose Jackson Fire and Security franchise is flourishing despite the pandemic.
When Martin Lawton from Surrey launched his Jackson Fire and Security franchise in September 2019, the name Covid-19 hadn’t even been invented. However, over the next 12 months, this rookie franchisee from Kingston-upon-Thames experienced a roller-coaster first year in business.
He was thrust into a world no one could have predicted in 2019 but now, almost two years later, Martin says he has ‘no regrets’ about starting his own business. Despite admitting times had been tough during 2020, he says his business is currently flourishing and he’s delighted to have made the switch from employee to employer.
For two decades, Martin had worked in building services, occupying various roles within the public and private sectors. Before joining the Jackson network, he’d been an asset manager for Heathrow Airport, but had always harboured an ambition to be his own boss.
While researching options within the world of franchising, he came across Jackson Fire and Security, and quickly decided that he would make further investigations. He attended a discovery day, learned all about the support the company offered its network, and he took the plunge at the start of autumn 2019.
With or without Covid, Martin admitted “It was a steep learning curve. I went into this franchise with plenty of relevant knowledge behind me, but I still needed to acquire more. And this is where Jackson‘s back-up support came into its own. They provided great marketing assistance which boosted my own activities to promote my fledgling business.”
And the Kingston franchise enjoyed an encouraging first six months. Martin told his former work colleagues about his new venture, he undertook plenty of local promotional activity, began networking, and his customer base started to expand. He attracted new clients through recommendations and referrals.
It didn’t take Martin long to establish his business, but during the early months of 2020, and with Covid-19 expanding rapidly around the globe, the UK was forced into a national lockdown. During the first lockdown last spring, Martin could do little but sit tight. The telephone stopped ringing as businesses temporarily shut down and premises stood empty, with many people working from home.
At this point, Martin spent his time volunteering by offering his skills to various local community groups. Within a few months, as companies began to weigh-up their options for the future, enquiries picked up and demand for his services increased.
During these early unprecedented lockdown months, Martin said the team at Jackson HQ had provided invaluable assistance. He explained: “Support from head office has been really good. When I’ve had issues or needed guidance, they were always there to advise me. I also enjoyed support from other, more experienced Jackson franchisees.”
Looking back on his first 20 months of running Jackson Fire and Security‘s Kingston territory, Martin stressed: “I knew it would be hard work and you need to be willing to put the effort in. You also need to be open-minded and adaptive to change. I certainly have no regrets about starting up in business.
“It can be tough, and it certainly wasn’t the easiest first year of trading. Yet I’m far less stressed than I was in previous roles. Work hard and the rewards are definitely worthwhile.”
The Kingston branch is booming, and Martin has increased the number of people working for him. At the start, he employed an engineer and an office manager to help him run the franchise, and he has since added a business development manager, as his team continues to expand.
To find out more about becoming a Jackson franchisee, click here to download a copy of our prospectus. Jackson Fire and Security, whose head office is close to the English-Welsh border in Flintshire, has been in existence for 30 years.
