Mark Doig is celebrating six successful months in business as a Mac Man. When he joined Mac Tools, he was more used to dealing with numbers than screwdrivers and wrenches. As a trained accountant, Mark didn’t let his lack of experience in the tool industry stop him from succeeding as a Mac Tools franchisee.

Mark had reached a point in his career when he felt he was ready to progress further, something that his current positon would not allow. After looking at a range of opportunities, he decided that Mac Tools’ position as the world’s leading tool manufacturer would stand him in good stead.

“My finance background has really helped me with the business side of things. I feel that I have strong experience of building and developing relationships which has been invaluable in establishing myself as a Mac Man. At the end of the day, this is a sales role and having confidence and tenacity combined with the ability to handle targets and ‘take the rough with the smooth’ is crucial. Fortunately, I’m well versed in these areas and despite the fact that I’ve not come from a motor mechanic background, I’m making a success of the franchise,” explains Mark.

Mac Tools is part of Stanley Black & Decker, the world’s largest hand and power tools manufacturer, a $12 billion global organisation. The company is a full member of the British Franchise Association (bfa) and offers a combination of a tool franchise and a van franchise. Franchisees are trusted distributors of what are considered to be the best quality tools on the market to customers such as car dealerships, automotive repair shops, manufacturing units and engineering companies.

Although he’s only been part of the Mac Tools network for six months, Mark is already enjoying the flexibility and freedom that business ownership can bring. He also recognises the hard work that he needs to put in to be successful! He’s thoroughly enjoying his time as a Mac Man and has enjoyed meeting new people and discovering new opportunities on a daily basis.

“It might sound like a cliché but I really love being my own boss and I also like the fact that I have the flexibility to manage my day I want to. New franchisees should be prepared to put the effort in. Starting my own franchise has been very hard work and it has required long hours to be successful. Having said that, I wouldn’t change it for the world. It really is a case of you get out what you put in and it is up to me how hard I want to work and what hours I want to do. I have actually discovered that I am much more driven and competitive that I thought it was.”

“Every day is different and brings new challenges. A typical day involves printing out and finalising my route, sorting orders and deliveries for the customers, deciding which promotions or special deals I’m going to promote and, most importantly, deciding how I’m going to make a difference to my customer’s day. When my customers come to the van it should be an experience for them, and so far, raffles and a ‘doughnut day’ have gone down well!” adds Mark.