etyres Croydon owner is steering his business towards
success
Within weeks of launching and marketing etyres Croydon,
determined Rahim Verjee knew he had made the right decision to
start his own business. He hit the ground running with orders
stacking up from the first day of operation and with the help and
support of the etyres Head Office team, his branch is going from
strength to strength as demand for his mobile tyre fitting service
increases.
“This is exactly why I chose an etyres franchise rather than
starting my own business, because I wanted to hit the ground
running, plus having the benefit of a sales team helping to process
orders to my branch," Rahim explained.
“I have been able to concentrate on getting used to doing the
work, delivering a great service to my customers and also
grassroots marketing, handing out leaflets and chatting to people
who are interested in what I am doing.
“Without the sales team fielding all my calls I would have
struggled to do the jobs, take telephone orders and spend time
making sure my customers get a high level of service. I am
conscious that every job offers further sales opportunities,
because I want the customer to come back to me, but I also want
them to recommend my service to their family, friends and
colleagues.
“This is why I go out of my way to show my customers that our
service goes beyond what you would expect from a traditional
garage. A good example of this is that I offer to point out the
tread wear indicators so that my customer knows how to keep an eye
on the state of all their tyres. I also offer advice about the
importance of keeping their tyres properly inflated and have even
quickly explained how to fit a spare wheel!
“I have been able to do this safe in the knowledge that
customers who call my number will be taken care of by the sales
team, so I am not losing out on work.”
While Rahim visits many offices and business premises in and
around Croydon, he has been struck by the number of customers who
arrange to have their new tyres fitted at their home. “A lot of
these customers are women,” Rahim explained, “and they tell me they
really appreciate the mobile service, because they hated going to
garages and tyre depots.”
Rahim, who launched his branch at the end of April, is not new
to the industry. He previously devoted two years to building up his
own tyre shop with a growing database of customers and new
business; however the cost of a new lease would have made the
business financially unviable.
It was at this point that Rahim realised his bricks and mortar
business was not going to be sustainable and spurred him into
exploring alternative ventures. This quickly led to the discovery
of the many advantages of owning an etyres franchise instead,
including low overheads due to it being a mobile service.
Rahim explained:
"I am a realist and I know how hard it is to establish a
business from scratch. So I started looking at the possibility of
joining a franchise, because I would benefit from the support and
inbuilt reputation it comes with.
“As soon as I saw etyres on a franchise website I was really
keen and the more I found out, the more convinced I was that this
was the perfect fit for me.
“Right up until the point I launched etyres Croydon, I kept my
original tyre business going, which has meant I have been able to
let all my customers know that they can still count on low prices,
but that from now on I will come to them to fit their tyres. Most
of them can’t believe it! They are all very happy and I hope there
will be a lot of familiar faces coming back to get their tyres from
me in the future.”
Rahim admits that some of his friends and family questioned
why he wanted to invest in a franchise business, instead of
starting from scratch and putting his own name to his venture, and
he has been very candid with his response.
“This is a very important investment for me and it was a big
decision,” Rahim explained. “I can’t afford any mistakes and the
more I found out about etyres the more I felt confident it was the
right choice for me.
“An etyres franchise gives me the opportunity to continue
working in an industry I enjoy, but with the benefits of a team of
experts in all fields, from finance to marketing and IT, to support
me and help drive my business forward.
“Right from the initial meeting at the Head Office in
Cambridge, I was impressed with how smoothly and efficiently the
team operate and it gave me even more confidence knowing that I
would be given their full back-up and support moving
forward.”
