Franchising is brilliant because the groundwork has been laid for you

Despite their vast experience in a range of industries, it was estate agency and the security of the property market that whet the appetites of business partners Rob Hammond and Martin Mellor, of EweMove Colne Valley and Wakefield.

Having run a successful telecommunications franchise together, Rob and Martin launched their EweMove franchise in April 2021 after both endured negative experiences with other estate agencies and their staff.

Inspired by the prospect of combining passion, personability and business experience to create a seamless house-buying process, their EweMove franchise has gone from strength.

“When we first looked at EweMove, I wasn’t sure if estate agency was right for us. It’s an industry that can carry a bit of a reputation. So, we went back and did our due diligence – Martin visited The Sheep Pen, and it gave him so much confidence in the brand. EweMove is a franchise to do business with. It’s an entrepreneurial brand and you aren’t restricted as businesspeople at all.

Our successful first year with EweMove couldn’t have been achieved without the fabulous franchisee training we received. I still use my notes from training now! I’m not one for sitting at a desk and learning from a textbook, so it was great to have that training delivered in such a rewarding and, most importantly, useful way.

Of course, the real learning doesn’t start until you’ve actually launched, but we were given all the resources we needed to establish our strong foundations as a business and, most importantly, how to be adaptable in the industry. The training was so important in setting us off on the right foot, especially because we didn’t have any experience in this side of the property industry.

Ultimately, you’re your own boss. We have kids and family, and they always come first. It’s great to be a part of a franchise where you can grow and develop as fast or slow as you want.

If you can run a business, franchising is brilliant because the groundwork has been laid for you in terms of branding, operational processes and set up. We want to be in a position where we can step back and allow our franchise to run itself, which the Sheep Pen supports fully, should that be your goal as a franchisee.

The flexibility is really valuable and, as a tried-and-tested model, it’s great to become a part of it. You’re given everything you need to build a well-established local business within your five-year franchise agreement.

The franchise fee you pay is for the quality of the systems - we don’t need to reinvent the wheel.

I’d like to have a business that employs a lot of people and is a go-to local employer. We want to create more jobs and become known for being an honest, likeable business to work for and use as a customer."