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Driving Franchises and Business Opportunities

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A multi-award-winning franchise with a proven route to building your own £1m+ multi-van bodywork repair business.
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Be your own boss and build a successful recruitment franchise with our expert help, support and training.
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Join this multi-award-winning Windscreen & Glass Repairs franchise and build a highly lucrative, scalable van-based business in the commercial automotive industry.
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Run your own specialist alloy wheel refurbishment centre. Your own stunning workshop, with up to £150k proven annual income potential.
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Join a world leader in SMART auto repair. Choose your own market with this recognisable automotive franchise.
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Trends and Facts About Driving Franchises

The UK’s automotive industry is a vibrant sector of the economy, generating many jobs and business opportunities for entrepreneurial individuals.

Consider this: Per the Vehicle Licensing Statistics: 2021 Quarter 3 (July – September), the total number of licensed vehicles has increased in all but two years (1991 & 2020) since the end of the Second World War.

As of late 2021, there were over 39 million licensed vehicles in Great Britain, with cars making up the majority of these vehicles. All of these vehicles need servicing on a regular basis.

With new cars constantly being manufactured and sold, there is a lot of room in the market for automotive franchises that offer valuable car-related products, repair services and rental services. Not to mention, many cars on the roadways aren’t brand-new. The average age of a licensed car in Great Britain was 8.6 years at the time of the most recent report.

More specifically, driving franchises take many different forms. Here is a sampling of the different areas you can own a driving franchise in:

  • Accessories: Car care is big business. Going into the accessories segment of the industry allows you to be a part of the industry without going into the mechanical side of things.
  • Brokers: Work for clients buying and selling cars. You can broker cars that people drive every day of the week to the finest, most exclusive vehicles available.
  • Drivers: Everyone has experienced logistical issues recently. Help be a part of the solution by helping businesses find temporary drivers and other related workers.
  • Repair: Anything that is used can break. Plus, there is also all of the regular maintenance a car needs - which can lead to an opportunity with car wash franchises. You can even own a mobile franchise in this area, saving you on your initial investment costs in the area of real estate expenditure.

Advantages of a Driving Franchise over Independent Operation

People buy into franchises for many different reasons. Suppose you are enthusiastic about owning your own business, but can’t quite come up with a business idea of your own.

Or, maybe, you know exactly what you want to do, but the idea of doing all of the legwork in setting of a business – such as brand development, writing a business plan, learning the rules and regulations of the industry, finding how to supplement your existing skills in the area, figuring out marketing, etc. – makes your head spin.

In either case, investing in Automotive & Car Franchises may be the best method for making your dreams come true.

When you invest in a franchise, you take on the methods of a business that (1) understands its established target market, and (2) has proven itself profitable and sustainable. These are two of the primary reasons many people find the prospect of a driving franchise very attractive.

Independent companies that go into business without the support of an established partner often struggle to penetrate the market. They often misunderstand what their customers want and how to fulfill that desire. It can take a long time, along with trial and error, for an independent company to get their service offering right.

On the other hand, franchises tend to enjoy more immediate success because the parent company has done their market research. The franchisor has spent time developing their services and products to meet the standards expected by their customers.

When you invest in a driving franchise, you inherit not only the immediately recognizable branding of the parent company but the tried-and-tested business model catering precisely to a client base who already know and love their products. You take on the parent company’s hard-earned reputation—and reputations are hard to build in the marketplace. Additionally, franchises often boast an existing supply chain and vendors that already know what the business needs.

Your franchise parent company usually provides an excellent training package for you and your employees to ensure that you can maintain their hard-earned reputation. In addition to training, many franchise partners offer a range of business support functions, including HR assistance and compliance with food, business and employment regulations.

What To Look for When Choosing a Driving Franchise

When deciding which franchise to invest in, you should compare how much and what types of support the franchisors offer on an initial and ongoing basis. The most common services offered by the franchisor include but are not limited to the following:

  • Advertising and marketing strategy
  • Advice and business support from headquarters
  • Assistance in choosing and developing the franchise location
  • A well-known brand name
  • Management training
  • Operating manuals
  • Quality standards
  • Research and development of new services

With a recognisable brand name and logo, high-quality signage, and other support materials provided by the franchisor, you will be able to focus your efforts on the everyday aspects of running the business. This includes staffing and managing the company.

It’s important to remember that even with the guidance and support, franchises are independently-owned businesses. Therefore, whether your driving franchise is a success or failure is based entirely on you and your ability to run the company.

Finding the Money to Start: Franchises vs. Independent Businesses

Although many driving franchises have a lower investment level to start, sometimes incoming driving franchisees still need a source of funds to start their franchise ventures. Luckily, franchises can offer a slight edge in obtaining loans when compared to their independent counterparts.

Banks generally favour franchises because they're built on foundations that have been proven realistic, practical, and - most importantly - profitable and sustainable. Approaching a money lender with an existing, proven financial model is undoubtedly a path to more favourable interest rates and a surer chance of a positive outcome.

Independent companies, on the other hand, often find it a challenge to obtain loans with sensible borrowing rates since they have very little to no evidence that their business will reach potential profitability. This comparative lack of faith from lenders has the potential to jeopardise their company from the start.

Having enough money before you start is important. Unfortunately, about half of all independent companies go bust within two years of starting up. However, 90% of franchise businesses report profitability within two years. Often, the biggest factor in the disparity in the success rate is the access to financial capital to begin.

The Next Steps

Browse our list of driving franchises to begin the first step of your franchising journey

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