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Have you considered setting up a franchise? Autotechnician talks to Catriona Robson- Scarborough, co-founder of the ‘Your Man With A Van’ franchise to hear about their rapid rise and the challenges they faced along the way.
What’s the story behind your franchise?
Dan, my husband, founded Your Man With A Van (YMWAV) in 2010 when he was at university and needed a van for his DJ equipment. He went on to deliver machinery for his dad’s business and helped his friends when they moved accommodation. With entrepreneurial parents, this side hustle quickly turned into a business. Contrary to the standard man-with-a-van, Dan was friendly, professional, and genuinely cared about his customers.
The business grew steadily with five star reviews coming from every customer. After Dan and I started working together, we had already reached capacity and had a choice in terms of expansion. Multiple vans and more locations, or franchise the business and provide opportunities for great people throughout the UK. The decision was clear.
Can you share some of the early challenges?
We instructed a ‘franchise consultant.’ Despite research, it wasn’t until we started working together that it became clear they were creating a cookie- cutter franchise, the same as every other franchise model on the market. Unfortunately, the average franchise in the UK felt weighted towards the franchisor's profit and lacked fairness for franchisees.
Franchises often have high entry fees, long-winded incomprehensible red- tape and take a percentage of monthly turnover.
Deciding to go against the grain was a high-risk strategy. However, Dan and I were intent on building a business based on our values and creating a WIN-WIN scenario for us and our franchisees.
How have you managed to grow from one franchisee to 65 in just two years?
The first few branches demonstrated confidence in the brand. This gave us a boost as Founders and as time has gone on, even more positive franchisee experiences have added to the credibility of our offer.
We tested a whole host of marketing techniques including using national franchise directories. However, no matter the marketing firm, we continuously found that the results we could generate ourselves through our own marketing and use of social media ads, far outweighed any other platform.
Dan and I are dedicated to our franchisees’ success and to the overall YMWAV brand. This is noticed and commented on frequently which helps in our growth.
What are the skills you use as founders on a day-to-day basis?
We draw on our combined years of knowledge and experience, from people management to marketing, whether training a new recruit or looking at expansion opportunities for existing franchisees.
My role is to provide leadership and clear communication. This includes sharing relevant industry information, business news, successes, and challenges. Dan and I are the most dedicated cheerleaders you’ll ever meet. Our franchisees are exceptional individuals, so it’s easy to shout from the roof tops about their successes. Other key skills that I use are prioritisation and multi-tasking. We’re a small head office and work is a constant balance of routine activities alongside ad hoc requests.
What does the YMWAV fleet look like?
We made a conscious decision when building the franchise, that franchisees should be able to choose the vehicle (within safety and brand rules) that best suit them. Why should a franchisee be unable to join because they don’t enjoy driving a Luton? Ultimately if they can do the job and service their customers professionally and safely – we’re happy with any size of van. Our branch owners use mostly Luton vans, either low loaders or with a tail lift, however there are also many long-wheel-based panel vans in the network.
How do you ensure every franchisee looks after their vans to the same high and consistent standard?
We outline the importance of maintaining consistently high standards from day one. Safety, professionalism, customer experience, and good business sense!
From initial training, the standard for vehicle checks is set. We provide a structured form to complete these and they are non-negotiable. We also have several mechanics within the brand. Franchisees know they can draw on each other's expertise for support. This is one of the key strengths of our network.
In addition, ensuring the vans are branded in the approved livery and maintaining cleanliness separates us from the rest of the field. Simple and basic but true. Not only is this important for an individual branch, the attitude and level of care reflect the brand overall. Customers see the YMWAV name. To our customers, what one branch does, all branches do.
s your fleet petrol, diesel, hybrid, or EV?
The fleet is all diesel powered. The current challenges with electric and hybrid vehicles mean that around 60% of our branch owners would not currently consider owning one. The limited and fluctuating range, in addition to the variation in performance, dependent on load capacity and weather, make EVs in our sector unreliable for constant user.
This is further compounded by a lack of infrastructure, which would support more regular charging needs. One branch owner purchased an electric van, however within 10 days he had to return it due to the lack of range in cold weather and charging facilities. This was in a city location!
What are your plans for the franchise over the coming years?
We’re continuing with our expansion plans, aiming to reach 100 branches by the end of 2026. Whilst growing at pace, it’s important that we're constantly improving our internal structures and systems. Our priority is and always has been, our branch owners, their customers and offering the best affordable franchise opportunity.
