Gain control of your career

In order for you to have any success, you will need a real passion for your business and that’s exactly what Imran Ghafoor has done. Imran explains: “Do your research and be honest with yourself about why you want to do this. Can you manage people?”

For Imran, the decision to become a franchise owner was made easier when he found out an old friend was already a franchise owner with CeX. Imran says: “Coincidentally, I found out when I was researching CeX, that one of the guys I went to university with was already a franchise owner and had three stores, so that really reaffirmed my interest!” This wasn’t the only reason why the nationwide gadget store stole Imran’s attention, as he quickly points out, “I’ve always wanted to run my own business and quickly realised this business model would work for me. The bustling stores spoke for themselves!”

Before becoming a franchise owner, Imran worked for years in the corporate world in a management position. “I loved my role, which took me all over the UK. Freedom is important to me,” comments Imran. It is a mixture of his old skills and the franchise system in place that Imran knows will let him achieve his goals.

When applying for finance, CeX use their existing store records and supply you with detailed projections of your store’s financing needs, Imran explains further: “I put together a detailed business plan, based on cost and turnover projections from existing, similar established stores. Together with my franchise manager, I confirmed that my costs and finance were in place to support my new venture, ensuring that the terms would suit my business model.” The opportunity and franchise model that they use is so impressive that many lenders are keen to get involved. Imran continues, “In fact I had prompt and competitive finance offers from a number of establishments I spoke to and had to turn some of them away.”

It isn’t just the finances that CeX help their new franchise owners with; they also provide initial and ongoing support: “I’ve been training and working part-time for several months now in some of our local stores in the North East. The training and support from the franchisor has been wonderful and very helpful; I’ve been given lots of responsibility and have learned a huge amount. I can ask questions at any point and have numerous avenues of expertise and experience to draw from.”The new career has led to many changes in Imran’s life and not just in his working life. “I’m going to be able to spend more time with my family, which is really important to me,” he explains.Imran may have just opened his first store, but is already excited about his new found control over his own future: “I’m used to working with a group of businesses in my previous career and hope to be able to do the same in the future, the only difference is, they will be mine and I will be able to have the freedom to be in control of all aspects.”