Commissioning editor, Dee Blick, talks franchises, Frenchies, and flourishing, with Cat Robson Scarborough.
Co-founder of the standout franchise success story, Your Man With A Van (a breathtaking 66 franchisees in two years no less), Cat is one of those women you warm to within minutes. Feted by brands including Meta, and a keynote speaker at headline events, Cat is a positive disrupter, and a consummate juggler. She’s also a lover of French bulldogs, a passion we both share.
Share your connection to Sussex
As a child, I lived in Kent and one of our regular weekend childhood trips was to Rye in Sussex. I remember with such fondness the smell of the quayside, the fudge shop and mountaineering up the hill to reach the cannons. I might have been a pink fluffy girl, but sitting on the cannons was amazing. And of course, we now have franchisees in Sussex, which gives me and my husband Dan, the original brains behind Your Man With A Van, the opportunity to revisit this beautiful county and mix business with a little pleasure.
What made you decide to franchise YMWAV?
Dan had built a successful business, in his words, gentrifying the van removal sector, underpinned by his passion for customer service. We had two choices – expand from a central point and manage large teams across the UK or, build a community using the franchise model, with branch owners, each one creating a solid business using our tried and tested blueprint. We loved the idea of fostering a team spirit, fuelled by the two of us, with owners championing their local areas, fully supported by us and their fellow franchisees.
What challenges did you face?
Confidence was number one! We wanted to create a franchise model from scratch that was genuinely fair for all parties. This was a challenge, which is not to be dismissive of the traditional franchise model, but we wanted to offer something different. Dan even said that he envisioned the franchisees being our bosses, as a fairer way of operating. So, we struck out as positive disrupters, with no data, no research to underpin our gut feeling and our vision. Everyone we spoke to thought we were crazy. But some rules and norms are made to be broken! It was daunting, but once we made up our minds to buck the prevailing trend, there was no going back.
You got my attention when you spoke about your franchisees being your boss!
Creating a franchising model where both franchisees and franchisors benefit equally from the relationship was our overriding goal. Too many franchisors have a clinical attitude to their franchisees, relying on turgid manuals and legal agreements which tie the franchisee in knots. This strips out the human-to-human connection so we don’t. Dan and I are people first, always. Don’t get me wrong, we have rules and a structure in place so that we can be responsible and ethical franchisors, but knowing that our branch owners are happy, love being part of our network and are moving towards their personal goals, means everything to us. And should one decide to leave, we don’t penalise them or make it onerous. The fewer rules and regulations we have, the happier our network.
How would you describe yourself as a leader?
Firm but very fair! I’ve always been like this. If a rule needs challenging, however, I’m a big believer in listening and working through it, objectively. Why wouldn’t you? We have two ears and one mouth. They should be used in that ratio. I’m also a big fan of open and honest communication. It changes everything. Get it right and you can energise, upskill, and boost people in a positive direction. If you shy away, others fill the gap and your silence speaks volumes.
Many people I speak to talk about fear of and imposter syndrome. Does this affect you?
I think it’s harder to find a business owner or leader that has not experienced the nagging feeling of failure and the bouts of imposter syndrome. The benefit we have is that because Dan and I work together, when one of us is having the jitters, the other one steps in.
And Winston, your French bulldog?
Winston is quite simply the best. He is a petite Frenchie with a passion for food and sunshine and a dislike of dirt. If you’re feeling blue, he knows and promptly manoeuvres himself into a snuggle position. He also puts up with a lot of playtime with our toddler, whether it’s having his food bowl taken away or his ears pulled, he’s always gentle and they are the best of friends. And as you can see from the photo he looks so cute in his YMWAV bandana. The perfect brand ambassador and all for the fee of a few treats!
What words of wisdom can you share with a business owner considering franchising?
Make sure you have a solid and replicable business model. We chose to pilot ours in a completely different county with an alternative customer base, ahead of launching.
Be aware too that franchising is a journey. You won’t get it right the first time and crucially you must be open to change. Given the current economic uncertainty, you must be adaptable and swift to respond to trends and market conditions. Talk to your franchisees and involve them in the decision making process when you’re considering changes that will affect them. Securing their buy in shows that you really do care about what they think and why wouldn’t you?
Our journey has been completely wild, scaling fast with 60 branches in the first 2 years, now 66. What this has shown us is that although we have created a vastly different franchise, the market wanted what we offer.
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