Barry and Julie Make a New Start in the Forest

Barry and Julie Roffey lived in London, but their minds were on other things. Both had a dream of living in the New Forest and Barry also wanted to run his own business. How were they to achieve their goals when all the cards seemed to be stacked against them?

Barry had been a contract manager for thirteen years, working for companies in the parking, security and distribution fields. His role was to manage people and deliver against targets and he did this with more than a little success. However, Barry was fed up because, although the job was well paid, he felt his personal achievements were not rewarded well enough through the bonus system.

While Barry was at work, Julie looked after the Roffeys’ four children, the youngest of whom is now three years old. Barry describes Julie as “the sensible one” and, whilst she was keen to move to the New Forest, Julie was worried about the financial consequences. If they moved, Barry would not be able to continue to work in such a highly paid job and starting his own business would be even riskier! She was not keen to jeopardise their children’s future.

The Decision is Made

In the end, the Roffeys had the decision made for them when Barry was made redundant, which came as quite a shock. Although Barry managed to find himself another job, it was lower paid, so the couple discussed how they could use this opportunity to realise their dream. Barry raised the possibility of moving to the New Forest to start his own business and this time Julie was behind him. She just added “make sure it’s a franchise, as that should mean less risk!”

The Roffeys investigated various franchise opportunities and found that Jani King was a high-profile business and seemed to suit the way Barry likes to do things. He saw Jani King as a large, professional company with a strong brand – just what you’d expect from a high quality franchise company. The business itself also fitted in well with Barry’s own experience in the facilities services industry. Also, he had once worked for a commercial carpet cleaning company, so he had an idea of what the cleaning industry was about.

Off to a Fast Start

Barry and Julie took on their Jani King franchise in the New Forest in 2006. Barry started training in July that year and they began to trade in October. Their fast start was due to a piece of luck. An existing franchisee was struggling with some contracts that were out of his area and was happy to pass them on to the Roffeys. With nine new contracts in the first three months, Barry and Julie had to work hard to make sure they delivered the right level of service to their clients whilst they were still learning the business.

Now the Roffey franchise is turning over £22,000 per month and has around 25 contracts, including Odeon, Tenpin and LA Fitness. Most of these have been acquired by the central Jani King sales force, but Barry has managed to get one contract through his own endeavours. “I don’t like cold calling,” he admits, “however, I am good at building client relationships once they are on board.” Nevertheless, Barry realises that when you have your own business, selling is important, and he is now putting more time aside to do this.

“The contracts are out there,” states Barry. He does, though, realise that the most important part of his business is keeping contracts once he has acquired them. He cites the example of a local manager of a national chain where the cleaning contract was negotiated at head office. “The manager had been told by her head office to sack the cleaners she was using,” explains Barry. “She wasn’t that happy, so I had to start proving to her that Jani King could really deliver a good service. We’ve put a lot of our time into that contract and now we’re well on the way to building a strong relationship.”

Barry knows that the best way of improving his margins is through developing extra work for existing clients, ie in addition to the main contract. The margins are even greater if you do this kind of work yourself, and it is this area of the business where Julie is most involved. “My main challenge is to find out the best way of asking for this work,” admits Barry. “I’ve now decided that you just need to tell the client they need the work doing, and then ask them if you can do it for them.” Now he has more time to spend on sales, this element of the business is building well.

Support from Jani King

Barry and Julie Roffey have found their Jani King franchise business to be hard work, albeit, well worth the effort. When Barry was managing contracts for other people he found it less stressful as he weren’t dealing with his own money. “The most stressful element is cash flow,” he admits, then goes on to warn, “Everyone needs to get enough cash flow in advance so you don’t run into problems early on. You can’t afford not to pay your staff.”

Jani King has supported the Roffeys from the start. Initially, by a thorough training programme, then by regular Quarterly Review Meetings where the company shares best practices and informs franchisees of the latest developments. Barry hasn’t asked for much support but knows it is there if he needs it. “Jani King keeps an eye on you and if they see the figures aren’t going right, they contact you to see what help you need,” admits Barry. However, he has found his main support and advice through the network of other Jani King franchisees, who are only a phone call away.

Using Existing Skills

Barry Roffey brings to his Jani King business a wealth of skills from his years in contract management. He believes his main abilities lie in managing people and finances and these have been very useful in making the franchise a success. “Jani King is a very financially-driven business,” explains Barry. “If you can hit those targets, then everything else works.” Due to Barry’s diligence in managing and monitoring the performance of the business, the Roffeys are starting to hit those targets.

There are other areas, though, where Barry has found a difference compared to his previous work experience. “For the last ten years I was managing managers,” he relates. “They were full-time and career-orientated. They cared about their jobs.” Now, he is managing part-time staff who are earning a lot less and who can and will leave when it suits them. Barry has learned he has to motivate them differently. “I need to concentrate on telling them how good they can be, rather than what they are doing wrong,” he explains.

With 25 clients and 30-40 staff, keeping in touch with them on a regular basis is something that Barry Roffey sees as essential for a successful business. “You can’t assume the staff are doing what they are meant to be doing,” he admits. Because of this, he has put procedures in place to help him monitor what’s going on. For example, he gives his supervisor a journey plan and asks her to report back to him on how she is getting on during the course of the day. He also undertakes ad hoc spot checks at his clients’ premises to make sure the work is being done to his high standards. “You need to spend time visiting clients and keeping the relationship going,” adds Barry.

A Change of Lifestyle

Barry Roffey reckons he is working as many hours now as he did when he was a contracts manager, although his work pattern is different. He used to work Monday to Friday, nine to five, but now he can be working 2am on a Sunday or 10pm on a Friday, dealing with problems whenever they arise. He needs to see the cleaners early in the morning or in the evening. Then, he has to visit clients during the normal working day and find time to accommodate the admin when he can. “Managing your time is important to make sure you get everything done,” emphasises Barry.

That said, Barry says his personal lifestyle is great. Flexible working means he is able to see his children more and he often takes them to and from school. He also sees more of Julie and they regularly go for walks with the dogs in the Forest or on the beach which is only two miles away.

Barry and Julie have big aims for the future, building on a firm base. Their intention is to develop a structure with more supervisors so they can focus on managing the business and delegating the hands-on work to others. “I’d like to see us concentrate on bringing in new clients as well as extra work from existing clients which will help us generate more margin,” declares Barry. “I would love us to be Janillionaires (turning over £1m+ per annum) within the next two years or less.”