New Aspray franchisee, Jack Parkhouse, discusses his experience of starting up a franchise during the coronavirus pandemic.

“ Property damage goes on, even amid a global pandemic’’

Regardless of how the economy is performing, homes and business premises still experience damage by fire, impact, storm, water, flood, malicious damage by tenants or other insured incidents.

One of our newest franchisees, Jack Parkhouse, has certainly learnt that property damage goes on, even amid a global pandemic. We caught up with him recently to find out how he has grown the new franchise whilst also dealing with the restrictions of the coronavirus…

Describe your first 3 months

My first 3 months have been challenging, however, from what I have experienced, if you are proactive and follow Aspray’s launch and growth strategy the model works and you get results.

Thinking back to my first day at the end of January, I had no idea of the impact Covid 19 was about to unleash on the UK and the world. Everything I have experienced has shown me that Aspray is a recession proof business. I feel fortunate to have a business that is still able to operate and grow in these extremely tough times.

How did you find the Aspray recruitment process and training?

The robust Aspray recruitment process was challenging and really put me through my paces. It enabled me to feel confident that the business was the right fit particularly with regards to utilising my project management skills.

The accredited induction training was brilliant!

The training was held at head office, which gave me a great sense of Aspray’s culture. Everyone was extremely helpful and friendly and by end of the 10 days, I truly felt part of the Aspray team.

Since training, I’ve spent 6 days with the National Business Development Manager out in the field. He showed me how to present the Aspray service in a professional and effective manner and, best of all, from the activity we completed I walked away with a handful of claims.

What have been the highlights so far?

My best day so far was at the end of April, when I self-generated a claim lead for around £50,000 claims value. The policyholder had been unable to resolve several issues with their insurer and it had been ongoing for over 18 months. The customer has been delighted with the service.

I currently have 13 claims on the go with a total value of approximately £180,000, and they are on track to achieve good profit margins. This makes me feel extremely excited and optimistic about the future of my Aspray business.

“We were beyond pleased with Jack. We live abroad, so being able to have Apsray (and particularly Jack) manage this was absolutely invaluable. He drove the process forward independently while keeping us updated and kept the claim and works moving as quickly as possible in the face of a number of challenges, including Storm Ciara and COVID-19! He advocated strongly and successfully for us with the insurer and secured full compensation for us.”

Client in the South East

I got my first claim about a week after completing the induction training.

A leak from a flat had gone through the ceiling to the flat below. It took about 7 days to complete the property repairs and in total just over 3 weeks to complete the whole process. It was extremely rewarding to receive such excellent feedback from the customer.

What advice would you give to someone thinking of buying a franchise?

Just do it! You don’t need a eureka moment because you are buying into an established brand with a tried and tested business model.

Work as hard as you can, follow the guidance and training you’re given and enjoy it!

I wish I would have joined Aspray sooner.

Helping policyholders in their time of need is a real motivator, as well as having the opportunity to grow my own successful business.