Creating space, creating profit! Access4Lofts is a franchise business that helps utilise wasted space by providing quick, easy and affordable loft access and storage solutions
Established in 2005 by Tim and Lindsay Brown, Access4Lofts operated in the local Devon area successfully for 8 years before demand for the service nationally led them to launch a pilot franchise in 2013 in Preston. The success of the pilot helped the business grow considerably and in 2018, Access4Lofts franchise was officially launched.
There are now 72 franchises operating across the UK from Glasgow to Cornwall.
Why choose Access4Lofts?
- No previous experience required: we provide full business & practical training to all our franchisees.
- Huge demand: franchisees have several months of bookings.
- Safe hands: we’re proud to be accredited as members of the Quality Franchise Association and by Which? Trusted Trader.
- Great cashflow: customers pay you when you finish the job.
- Dedicated territories: at least 150,000 households per area.
- It works: former employees have invested to become franchisees.
- Bespoke IT System: which automates much of your admin, no more paperwork!
- We understand: because the management team have all been franchisees themselves.
- Committed to support: with full training and ongoing support.
- One big family: join a group of like-minded people who support each other and celebrate together!
The Access4Loft franchise opportunity
Access4Lofts offers two business models – owner operator and management (multi-van) operation.
1. OWNER-OPERATOR
Proven to generate £120K+ sales with 40%+ net profit within the first year.
Franchisees undertake all installation work and solely run the business. Complete one job per day over a four-day week, spend the fifth day on business development. Work around your other life commitments.
To become a successful Access4Lofts owner-operator you need:
- to be great with customers
- some basic DIY competence
- to follow the proven system
- the ambition to grow your business
2. MANAGEMENT BUSINESS
Proven to generate £300K+ sales with 35%+ net profit with two staff.
The franchisee works on developing the business and employs and manages fitters that do the majority of the installation work.
To build a successful Access4Lofts management business you need:
- to be a great communicator
- ideally some management experience
- ambition to grow a multi-van business
- extra finance to invest in your team initially
The investment
To setup and establish your new business the initial investment is £29,950 + VAT, however, if you have £10,000 financing can be secured via many of the high street banks for the balance OR as we are a business approved for the Government backed Start-Up Scheme, you could qualify to borrow up to £25,000, without investing any of your own money; and this figure doubles if the business has two Directors.We will provide you a detailed breakdown of where this money is spent, rest assured it is far better value than starting up on your own as an independent!
How we train and support you
As a franchisee, you will receive completely tailored ongoing support to help you on your path to reaching your goals. If you are practical, we support you on the business side and if you have business experience we train you on the practical side.
The Access4Lofts bespoke admin system is undoubtedly our unique selling point, it takes away the stress of admin and accounts, so you can focus on creating space for your customer and creating profit for you.
It has been built from the ground up and is the result of us working alongside a specialist programmer over several months to create an easy to use single system that streamlines our whole admin process. From taking the initial customer telephone enquiry, through to quotes, order confirmations and invoicing, our system automates the process, leaving you free from worry and stress about when you’re going to find time to type a quote and send it to a customer!
All our franchisees attend a 5 day residential training course held at our dedicated training facility in Devon.
You’ll be guided through health and safety issues and learn how to fit our full range of ladders, hatches and boarding and of course learn how to use the comprehensive set of tools you receive as part of the franchise package.
Regardless of the amount of training you receive, your first few jobs may be daunting, therefore, we follow the training with 2 days operational, on-site support so that we can observe, advise or just give you the moral support as you start your journey. We have an Operations Director who franchisees can call on for support and advice.
As franchisors we are committed to best practice, to doing it right. All of us have been franchisees ourselves; we’ve been where you are right now, so we know what it’s like! We remember the concerns, the steps on the journey to success and the feeling of contentment on achieving our respective goals.
We have spent a lot of time refining this business to make it as simple as possible to succeed if you follow the model.
If you would like to find out more about Access4Lofts please do get in touch. We look forward to hearing from you.
Access4Lofts Doncaster celebrates a bumper first year!
Access4Lofts Added 3 New Franchisees in July 2021
Access4Lofts Announces New Franchisee Representative Role
Access4Lofts takes it to the next level with move to incredible new site
One Third of Available Territories Sold
Access4Lofts Case Study: Ryan Wong Bromley
Looking for a way to put your practical skills to use in a rewarding new career? For these ex-firemen from Hong Kong, joining Access4Lofts was the perfect next step.
Meet our newest franchisees, Ryan Wong and his team, who recently opened their new Access4Lofts business in Bromley.
At Access4Lofts HQ in Plymouth, we have a “Wall of Fame” where we proudly display the photos of all the partners who successfully built their own businesses with an Access4Lofts franchise. It seems to get bigger and bigger all the time, but one of the most interesting things about it is just how many different people are now part of the network, and the incredible variety of backgrounds they represent.
Some of them have come to us after choosing Access4Lofts as the best option from a range of franchises, others have even heard about us through customers who have had work done with us. A few have even come to us thanks to a recommendation from a friend who was already an Access4Lofts franchisee, as was the case with Ryan who joined us in October 2022.
Ryan and his team are all ex-firemen who moved to the UK about a year ago. They were keen to build a life for themselves here but wanted a career that they could control, and all the rewards that come with it.
“Before I came to the UK, I didn’t really know anything about lofts.” Ryan told us. “We just don’t have them in Hong Kong! The idea that you would have a big space in your home that wasn’t being used properly is just crazy to me coming from a city where space is at such a premium. When Kelvin (from A4L Milton Keynes) told me about his work, I could easily see why this would be so important to UK homeowners.”
Even when a potential franchisee comes to us through a recommendation and has already heard a lot about what we do, we still always take the time to give them all the information they need and answer any questions they have. Ryan and his team could already see that an Access4Lofts franchise could provide them with a way to offer superior products and services in a booming market, but making the decision to invest during times of economic uncertainty is always a hard call.
While an Access4Lofts franchise certainly provides a great deal as part of its package, and we have worked hard to ensure excellent value for money in terms of equipment, training, and support, potential franchisees are right to want reassurance about return on investment.
“My biggest question was about income.” Ryan explained. “Especially because I had no idea how business works in the UK. I was also concerned about how best to do marketing and attract new customers. Access4Lofts showed me some of their figures, and I thought ‘Wow! They are growing so fast!’ The training took care of everything else.”
While Ryan and his team obviously have quite a bit of experience in using ladders and monitoring health and safety from their firemen days, our comprehensive training covers so much more than just how to carry out the service. Every franchisee learns how to fit our full range of ladders, hatches and boarding, but they are also coached in every aspect of running a successful business. One of the highlights is our bespoke admin system which streamlines all aspects of the business from customer enquiries and bookings through to invoicing and accounts, allowing hard-working teams like Ryan’s to focus on what's most important: growing their business and delivering a fantastic service.
“The training was great, and fun! We were already quite knowledgeable about DIY and maintenance work, so loft access installation was an easy step up for us. However, we also learnt how to deal with potential customers and handle calls and enquiries.”
Though the new Bromley team had only been trading for a few days at the time of writing this case study, they already have several paying customers lined up for their first few weeks. Their first customer was actually Ryan’s neighbour but, like many of our franchisees, the team have found that word soon spreads about the great service and products they can offer!
Are you ready to combine your practical skills with our expertise and know-how to build your own successful business?
Get in touch today to find out more about how we can work together.
The training course was very professional and well planned. It was a good mix of classroom and practical and the manuals provided were easy to follow. I was made to feel part of the team from day one and at the end of the training I felt confident that I could do the job. I would say the training and ongoing support are fantastic
Having looked closely at several other franchises I knew immediately the Access4Lofts was head and shoulders above the rest. The whole process from initial phone call to securing my territory was relaxed, informative and there was absolutely no high pressure selling. The decision to invest in Access4Lofts was definitely the right one and I would highly recommend this franchise to others
I would recommend this franchise to anyone. I have been involved in franchising for 10 years operating my own gardening franchise. I was looking for a franchise business that my son could take over and came across Access4Lofts. I could immediately see the potential and was impressed with the support and professionalism of the owners. The training, marketing and support has been exceptional which meant that I hit the ground running.
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