It’s been a trying time for all of us, and of course at TWS that’s been true too. But we’ve been incredibly lucky when compared to many businesses and industries that have been forced to close for much of the last 11 months, so we count our blessings here.

And more than that, it’s also been a time of learning, adapting and then adapting all over again. Those processes have helped us emerge stronger, as a better business, and as a closer network of business owners. We’re really proud of that last point, because we’re a family-run business ourselves and that’s the culture we foster in our franchise network.

Changing how we operate

Typically, we’re constantly banging the ‘proactive not reactive’ drum for our business operations, and those of our franchisees.

Being proactive in business is all well and good, but nobody could have predicted or pre-empted the issues & challenges Covid has given us all.

So the last 11 months have called for a need for all businesses to be reactive too… and if you’re not reactive enough, then you’re at risk.

This ability to be fluid in the face of diversity has helped TWS greatly. Some of the key results to date have been:

• Roll-out of our contactless customer processing system, CCPS, within a few weeks, requiring zero physical signatures or ‘contact points’ when taking a customer from start to finish during a TWS job
• Helping the network with rate relief, grants and other support mechanisms
• Providing franchisees with beneficial information as soon as the information was available
• Being there for the network 24/7 when government updates were released so we could decipher and advise… and being there 24/7 for the network for queries big or small, recognising everyone’s wellbeing is no less important than financial information
• Offering payment holidays on our monthly management fees

The list goes on…

Yes, of course we have lost some sales; but we also had six record-breaking months for overall network sales!

And a large number of franchisees have achieved their best sales month ever since the pandemic.

What about the future?

We were gearing up for one hell of a year in 2020 but Covid had other plans. A shame yes, but it means we are now more than ready to achieve the expansion we had planned and emerge stronger the other side.

We have 3 new franchisees due to launch their businesses in the next few months – and we plan to welcome another 3-5 franchisees this year. This growth increases our visibility to potential trade and retail customers, and increases the value of every franchisee’s business.

We are reinvesting in our core head office team, with the following aims:

1. Increase franchisee sales
2. Increase franchisee support & development
3. Wherever possible, make their day-to-day business operations easier.

In short, we’re really excited for the coming months and years. And although we’re actively expanding our franchise network, this will never come second to the support and development of our existing franchisees.

We believe The Wheel Specialist is going to be a household name. If you want to be a part of that journey and the opportunities it provides, get in touch for an informal chat about how you can take advantage.

Jack Murphy

Managing Director

The Wheel Specialist