To be totally honest, I wasn’t initially interested in becoming a franchisee of any particular brand. I just set out to have a business within the coffee industry as I was looking for a fast-paced, customer- facing and revenue-earning retail opportunity. Simple. Well, not quite.
Back then I didn’t know anything about the coffee industry and neither did I have great experience of running a business. What I did have was a natural inclination towards customer service and of course an appetite to build a healthy revenue stream.
But what made me choose this particular branded concept called Puccino’s? For starters, it’s important to define what success is. Again, through research I established franchisors’ views about success vary. In Puccino’s, for example, for the partnership to be successful both the franchisee and franchisor have a part to play to achieve the satisfaction of building a solid, financially-rewarding business.
There are a number of reasons why, despite now having enough knowledge and experience to move on, I choose to stay and grow my business with my franchisor. Firstly, there’s a full breadth of systems and training support – Puccino’s team are experienced, accessible, approachable and ready to assist. Secondly, it has a chosen market and pro le in which to operate, having established itself as one of the preferred go-to franchisors for commercial agents by offering new locations and renewals of existing opportunities. My franchisor also recognises standing still is not an option, with regular introductions of new products developed in conjunction with a trusted supplier base keeping the offering fresh and relevant. Furthermore, I find Puccino’s celebrates their franchisees’ successes and regularly recognises the achievements of both franchisees and individual team members. Finally, there’s the humour. Seriously, the artwork and humour has its own following, a cut above everything and everyone else.
I joined some years ago with the intention of staying for a short while before moving on. Well, that plan went to the wall as I’m still here enjoying the challenge and continuing to grow my business, with my biggest frustration being I can’t get another unit quick enough. This is another factor for anyone considering this franchisor: they don’t open units for the sake of it. All the sites are carefully chosen following extensive research.
I’m far from the only success story with this business. A fellow franchisee started out as a barista a few years back and now proudly operates five units. The important point is our franchisor is supportive of our ambitions yet realistic in assessing the capabilities of each individual franchisee.
You can expect any well-established, reputable franchisor like Puccino’s to offer comprehensive processes with procedures in place so their franchisees need not worry about the basics. But what sets Puccino’s apart is a de ned market niche and strong and long-standing relations with high-pro le suppliers. Also, while it’s well-established and respected in the coffee industry, Puccino’s is small and personable enough to work closely with both new and existing franchisees. This complements their loyal customer following, great product offering, fantastic branding and business model that continues to grow.