After a long a varied career from running the family snooker club to operating transport companies in both England and Southern Ireland, Mike Hants was looking to get out from behind the wheel and strike a better work/life balance. A Speedy Freight Franchise in his native Northamptonshire proved to be the answer.

Why did you go down the courier franchise route? And why did you choose your franchise?

I decided to buy a franchise because I wanted a job that would give me the work life balance I was looking for. Also I wanted to be able to earn good money, so that in the future I can retire or take a back seat in running the company. I was pleasantly surprised that the franchise I was looking for was available here, as this is my local area.

What did you do before taking up a franchise?

Before becoming a franchisee with Speedy Freight I had spent the last 13 years in the transport industry. I was a HGV Class 2 lorry driver working for various companies around the UK. For the last five years I have been a courier in a transit van delivering around the UK and Europe. I also have an International Transport Manager CPC.

How did you raise the finance?

Finance was raised through savings and a business Loan with NatWest.

What training and support did you receive initially and ongoing?

The training has been fantastic even though I had some knowledge of the transport industry, I only knew about the driving and route side of the business. Having to learn things like pricing and allocating drivers work was a challenge. I spent three days at head office where I saw a working office and was shown how things operate. There were some aspects that I picked up quickly and others that took me longer to master. As with most things in life practice is all you need. My Franchise Development Support Manager visits me on a regular basis, if I have a question then he is only a phone call away and so are the people in head office. I am never left on my own. An example of this is when you first open, a member of head office staff, including the MD was with me every day for the first five weeks. Everyone wants you to succeed, which makes your life so much easier.

What is a typical day for you as a franchisee?

A typical day consists of pricing work, reading and responding to emails, checking that deliveries were made on time and who signed for them, allocating jobs and liaising with my Sales Executive. There’s also just chatting with customers to make sure they are happy with us.

What challenges have you faced?

As with most new business, cash flow is the most challenging thing. Other than that, getting the new business into your franchise.

Has becoming a franchisee changed your life, if so how?

Yes, becoming a franchise has made a massive difference to my life. I finish work at 5pm don’t work weekends which means I can spend time with my wife and we can plan things to do together.

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

My advice to anyone thinking of buying their first franchise is make sure you have enough working capital. If you need to finance make sure you get the best deal. FOLLOW the Speedy freight way of doing things then you will be successful.

What are your plans for the future?

My future plans are to be able to spend less time working earn lots of money, have great holidays and not have to worry about money.

Would you do it again?

Yes I would do it again in a heartbeat. Speedy Freight have a tried and tested way of doing things, follow that closely and you can’t go wrong.