Screen Rescue Welcomes Franchisee for Birmingham

Glenn Bowker Lands on his Feet with Screen Rescue Birmingham

Jaime Hilario, founder, and franchisor of Screen Rescue is delighted to announce the launch of former aviation engineer, Glenn Bowker who is the latest owner operator franchisee to join this award-winning Commercial Windscreen Repairs B2B growing network.

We catch up with Glenn to chat about his route to becoming a Screen Rescue franchisee.

Q1: What is your business background?

I have an applied chemistry degree and a 25-year business background in technical sales and marketing management, the last 10+ years of which have been spent in the aviation maintenance sector.

I feel this gives me a solid background in terms of the technical requirements for repairing a wide range of windscreen and glass damages and also in the determination, persistence and tenacity required to generate the new business and client numbers that will be required to make the business successful.

Q2: What made you decide to run your own business?

Following a period of career uncertainty caused by the global impact on the aviation industry from COVID-19 it was time to make a final decision on where my future lay.

After deciding that I had no desire to return to my previous background in the corporate sales world, running my own business was a great option, assuming I could find a corporate business that fitted my skillset.

Q3: Given the current uncertainty in world economics, why now?

Following detailed due diligence and my own market research, I felt that the market for commercial windscreen and glass repairs within the Birmingham postcode area was sizeable, somewhat protected due to its commercial nature and should be able to ride out any short-term national or global economic instability.

Q4: Why did you choose a Screen Rescue franchise?

I was looking for a van-based franchise and reading about Screen Rescue's market niche pricked my interest.

I then conducted some good old fashioned market research and talked to key decision makers in the sector and discovered that the market for these services within the Birmingham postcode area was sizeable and not necessarily well serviced between the national competitors and the local man in a van provider.

Then, when I met both franchisors at their Cambourne Open Day in Cambridge, this reinforced my decision.

Q5: How have your family supported you in this decision?

My partner is naturally a more cautious person than I, so did have some reservations of me moving from a solid salary to running my own business. That said, she does see that the Screen Rescue franchise will give us the opportunity we were seeking to gain financial security and independence, plus a better work life balance in the mid to long-term.

They were there every step of the way to support me in everything from helping me write the business plan, to conducting market research and sourcing the finance required.

I could not have asked for more professional help and support.

Q7: How easy is it to contact the franchisors?

Very easy. They are always available on the telephone and respond to emails/messages very quickly.

Q8: What skills and attributes do you think you need to make a good Screen Rescue franchisee?

I think you need to be friendly and open to attract and retain clients, but you also need to be tenacious, persistent and be able to accept rejection as selling and delivering any service in this day and age can be challenging .

Q9: Why did you choose to invest in a franchise business and not start-up on your own?

Being realistic, any new business, each day, week and month will provide you with lots of ups and downs to negotiate and learn from.

To me, investing in a successful franchise means you have the support and know-how from franchisors who have tried, tested, and perfected the business model and this makes it a significantly lower risk investment than attempting to go it alone.

Q10: How will you maintain the quality of your own client and (their) customer services?

I think this is a very simple and relatively old-fashioned process even in this modern world. Work hard, go the extra mile, treat clients, their customers and other stakeholders with respect. Give a quality repair service but most importantly deliver on your promises to the client first time and every time.

Q11: Where do you see your business 6 months/ 12 months from now?

Within six months I would like to see a steady cashflow coming in from regular clients and by 12 months it would be

Q12: What milestones do you hope to achieve first?

Signing my first client will of course be a big relief, and from there it will be about ensuring I quickly build a regular stable of clients, which allow the business to pay for itself while still allowing me more time to develop a larger and more diverse customer base.

Q13: What are your family goals?

To achieve financial security so that I can afford a few of the nicer things in life for my partner and kids, and to be able to get a good work life balance, which allows me to attend things such as our children's events, which I often have had to miss in the past.

Q14: You’ve got a solid business background, who is your business mentor in life?

I don't think I have a specific mentor. I’ve just tried to take the best traits from people I have worked with over the years and made a conscious effort to ensure I don't pick up any of the less desirable traits I have witnessed.

Q15: Where is your favourite meal out?

We love Gauchos in Birmingham - finest steak in the Midlands alongside excellent ambiance and service.

Q16: What book did you read last?

The Ink Black Heart - the latest instalment in the Cormoran Strike series written by J.K.Rowling.

Q17: Who do you support (football/ other sports)?

I’m a big West Bromwich Albion fan for my sins, I also love watching international cricket.

Q18: If you could speak to the 25-year-old Glenn, what advice would you now give him?

I’d say, have a little more patience, play workplace politics more intelligently and don't so overtly expect others to have the same level of intensity and energy that I deliver myself!

Could You Be The Next Screen Rescue Franchisee?

If you like what you’ve read and can see yourself following in Glenn’s footsteps by becoming a Screen Rescue franchisee in your area, get in touch with the team today to request more information.

The Importance of Great Technical Support for Franchisee’s Website Clients

An interview with Richard Griffin, Technical Support Manager at activ Franchise.

activ is a digital marketing franchise with franchisees operating across the UK and Ireland. In addition to digital marketing clients, there are currently around 1000 live website clients across the network.

Unlike many website hosting services, activ offers a handson, personalised, and bespoke hosting support service to all website clients via our franchisees. To be more specific, those hands belong to our Technical Support Manager, Richard Griffin.

Richard has been with activ since its inception in 2008, known among the team as our technical king! Over his tenure with the business, he has launched thousands of new websites for clients and franchisees alike as well as managing their ongoing maintenance. Alongside our wider technical team, of course.

In our latest interview with our technical wizard, Richard is highlighting why activ should be the franchise of choice for budding digital marketing entrepreneurs. Here’s why…

As a franchisee why is technical support so important?

We have so many franchisees that have little knowledge of website hosting, servers, or domain management. This shouldn’t mean they can’t run a business selling website and hosting services. The beauty of a franchise is that budding entrepreneurs can still offer websites and marketing services, without being a technical expert. Not only that, given the length of our technical support, they can rest assured that we know what we are doing!

What kind of server reliability and uptime scores does activ offer?

The reliability of our WordPress servers are excellent, we have monitoring software on all our servers which report any issues, uptimes are between 99.99% and 100% on all servers.

What range of hosting do you offer?

We can offer hosting for any brochure or eCommerce website, however, if franchisee’s clients required a larger project, we could certainly cater for that.

What does the hosting package include?

All franchisees have access to our hosting packages for their clients which include:

• Ongoing security checks • Nightly backups • SSL certificates • Web application firewall • Plugin management • Regular updates • Dedicated technical support from myself • Access to a team of experienced website developers

Over the last 2 years for example, we have had very little downtime, when issues do occur, we have a reporting system where we can monitor our servers and because we have server support any issues are resolved instantly.

What is activ’s backup policy?

We back up all our networks of websites daily and we also take additional backups of the live websites weekly. We are extremely risk averse!

Do you allow add-on domains?

Yes, of course, we do allow additional domains if clients own more than one address.

What kind of security features does activ offer?

We use a range of security plugins to monitor the websites and network, we use a Web Application Firewall, and we also monitor for Viruses and Malware. We maintain a suite of tools in our armoury to protect against other potential issues too – no website goes unprotected.

How many customers are on each server?

We choose to restrict our WordPress servers to a maximum of 100 sites, this ensures we never experience slow loading speeds and that client’s website visitors always have a good website user experience.

What is your level of technical experience?

Extremely high if I do say so myself! I have been Technical Support Manager for activ since 2008, launching and managing thousands of websites and domains for thousands of Franchisee’s clients. There’s nothing I haven’t seen in my tenure. We also have a team of highly skilled technical project management and website developers on hand for any clients wishing to develop their sites in the future. We are extremely responsive. There are no call centre queues to sit in to wait for a response. Pick up the phone and talk to me directly or send me a message via our franchisee management platform, and either myself or one of the team will respond with a fast turnaround.

Who would I speak to if I had an issue as a franchisee?

Me! We are a very hands-on team; no problem is too big or small for me to investigate. I also draw on the team’s knowledge and support to solve problems and keep everything ticking over. Call me any time you have a concern.

What’s it like to manage multiple client’s hosting service at activ?

For me, it’s no problem, if it was, I may not have decided to stay at activ since 2008! Every job has its busy days, but knowing we have the technical experience, knowledge and fast customer service response times is what keeps clients coming back to us time and again for the website development and hosting support.

What are the main benefits of activ’s hosting support for franchisees?

Apart from everything we’ve already discussed, here are the main points to remember for prospective franchisees who may want to join us:

• Our servers boast a 99% uptime • Our portfolio of WordPress websites have NEVER been hacked • Our approach is personalised – no call centres • Daily maintenance and backups • Weekly plugin updates • Strict security protocols • Affordable pricing based on website size • Access to our team of developers for redesign, enhancements, integrations, and bespoke features

If you’d like more details on how to become an activ franchisee, please get in touch with our team.

Ready to Join the UK’s Longest Running Digital Marketing Franchise?

Get in touch with the team at activ to learn more about the franchise opportunity and to request a franchise prospectus.

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