“You are the face of your business but it’s the support you get behind the scenes that’s the most important part for me.”

David Bancroft has been the proud owner of Mac Tools Dagenham since October 2015. David began his career as a truck mechanic but decided that he didn’t want to be doing physical work until retirement age so he became a Workshop Supervisor. However, David soon decided that he no longer wanted the responsibility or stress of managing so many other people and started to look for a business he could run by himself. He wanted to utilise his skills and knowledge of the technician’s environment and that’s when he found Mac Tools. Although knowledge of tools and experience as a mechanic isn’t essential to join Mac Tools, David found that, along with the support of Mac Tools, it has helped him to hit the ground running.

“I left my last job because I just didn’t want the responsibility anymore. I was in a middle management role with a staff of 10 people in the public transport sector. The staff were responsible for the repairs but, with buses, there is very strict road worthy criteria. If anything went wrong while the buses were out on the road then it was me who had to pick up the pieces even though I wasn’t directly responsible for the repairs. It was too much responsibility and I just didn’t want the stress or the hassle anymore.”

“I’ve always worked in a garage environment so I’ve got knowledge of how to use the tools that Mac Tools offer and what they’re used for. If someone has a particular job, I can suggest something better to help them to do it. It gives the technicians a different option on how to do the repair so my mechanical knowledge has helped me quite a lot with the business.”

Mac Tools is part of Stanley Black & Decker, the world’s largest hand and power tool manufacturer, a $12 billion organisation. Mac Tools franchisees are trusted distributors of what are considered to be the best quality tools on the market to customers such as car dealerships, automotive repair shops, manufacturing units and engineering companies.

“I decided to buy a franchise because of the added support you get – I think it’s so important when you’re starting up a business on your own. You are the face of your business but it’s the support you get behind the scenes that’s the most important part for me. I chose Mac Tools because, being a mechanic, I know about the range of products and their applications – I have more inside knowledge which makes it easy for me to go into garages and sell the right tools for the job.”

“For my training, I spent two weeks in the classroom. In that time, you learn all about the process of selling, how to use the computer system, how to maintain finance for your customers and how to manage your own finances. I then spent another two weeks out on the road with an Area Manager who guided me through the first visits to garages. Sometimes the Area Manager will even go into the garage with you to introduce you to the technicians but I was mentally prepared already so I did it myself. My Area Manager used to be a franchisee so he was drawing from his own experiences and could see what I was capable of doing.”

Although experience as a mechanic or with the tools that Mac Tools offers is not necessary, David found that his knowledge and experience as a mechanic has really helped him to build relationships with his customers and know exactly which tools are right for each job.

“I really enjoy the job so it never feels like work! I go into workshops and, because I’m from that environment, I can still get involved in the banter. You build a great rapport with your customers and this also encourages sales. You have to interact with customers a lot and chat to people to see what they want and need. Even if you know they don’t need anything, you can still go in and talk with them to help maintain the relationship.”

“Before buying a franchise, I would highly recommend speaking to a franchisee face to face to find out more about how it works. Anyone can quote earning figures and tell you what hours you’ll be working but I don’t think you can really know how it is until you speak to someone who’s doing it.”

“My advice to anyone looking to buy a franchise would be to also make sure you’ve got all your finances in place before you start because it can take a while for your business to pick up properly. Keep working hard and you will see the benefits! It’s really important to keep going into garages, even if they’re not particularly interested, it can take a while for them to get used to you being there and to build a relationship with them.”