From ship to shore why I joined Northwood

Leading UK property franchise Northwood is bucking economic trends by expanding the business with the launch of a new office in Torquay. The new lettings business in Union Street, run by franchisee and former Royal Navy Lieutenant Commander Simon Beck, now joins the network of 72 Northwood businesses covering the country.

Established 15 years ago, the Northwood business has grown year on year owing a great deal of its success to its unique Platinum Guaranteed Rental Income Scheme which guarantees rent for landlords all year round regardless of whether their property is occupied or not. Not only is the service very popular with landlords, it is also extremely profitable.

Simon, 43, recently retired from 21 years' service in the Navy. He served on 12 ships in 42 countries and wanted to turn his hand to something completely different.

"Leaving the armed services I had a real desire to work for myself - that's quite common in the forces. But starting your own business from scratch in the economic climate we are experiencing at the moment was not a move I relished. The franchising model therefore was appealing.

I did a huge amount of research into which area I thought I could best use my skills and where I would fit best. Northwood stood out a mile. Its image, professionalism, its democratic treatment of its franchisees and commitment to training meant I knew I was going to get all the support I needed, not to mention the huge income potential.

I have lived in Devon for more than 20 years, but I have spent a great deal of that time away from home and my family. This is going to be a real change for me and a real challenge.

Northwood has maintained a strong success rate even throughout the recession. The failure rate for people who start up a business on their own is 33%, the failure rate for a franchise just 4.7% per annum. Northwood's failure rate is less than 4% - over 10 years."

Northwood MD Nick Cooper said: "We are really pleased to welcome Simon to the franchise team - he will be a huge asset I'm sure and we wish him a successful opening.

We are passionate about recruiting the right calibre of franchisee, somebody that fits with the company and understands our ethos. Like Simon they are people with a great deal of experience of life already, for example we have an ex-senior manager from Tesco, a founding member of Vision Express and a former RAF air traffic controller. "

WHAT IS INCLUDED?

• LETTINGS, ESTATE AGENCY, MORTGAGES
• THREE FRANCHISES IN ONE
• UNIQUE SELLING POINT
• LARGE EXCLUSIVE FRANCHISE TERRITORY
• EXCELLENT INCOME POTENTIAL
• FIVE YEAR RENEWABLE LICENSE
• SENSIBLE WORKING HOURS
• PROVEN BUSINESS MODEL
• AN EVER GROWING MARKET
• SIX WEEK TRAINING PROGRAMME
• FULLY INTEGRATED SOFTWARE
• UNLIMITED SUPPORT

Franchise Fee £39,950 plus VAT (includes office setup and equipment)

Northwood have a network of offices around the UK and it's still growing...

Aberdeen
Basingstoke
Bedford
Birmingham
Bolton
Bournemouth
Brighton
Bridgwater
Bristol
Bromley
Cambridge
Cardiff & Newport
Carlisle
Chelmsford
Chester
Chester City Centre
Cheltenham
Crawley
Crewe
Derby
Doncaster
Dundee
Eastbourne
Edinburgh
Exeter
Glasgow
Glasgow North
Harrow
High Wycombe
Hull
Ipswich
Lancaster
Leamington Spa
Leeds
Leicester
Liverpool
Luton
Macclesfield
Milton Keynes
Newcastle
Norwich
Northampton
Nottingham
Oldham
Peterborough
Plymouth
Portsmouth
Preston
Romford
Sandbach
Sheffield
Sleaford
Solihull
Southampton
Southend on Sea
South Manchester
St Albans
Stoke on Trent
Surbiton
Sutton
Tamworth
Torquay
Trowbridge
Warminster
Watford
Wigan
Wirral
Wokingham
Worcester
Worthing
Wrexham
York