Franchises for Women UK Scenic Blue (UK) Limited

A tragic turn of events caused Management Accountant Elaine Harding to question her current lifestyle, and in particular to re-evaluate her career as a successful Head of Financial Operations for Britannic Assurance.  

Although paid generously for the senior role she held, for some time Elaine had been aware that the highly pressurised work environment was taking its toll and that the quest for personal fulfilment was fast becoming a dim and distant possibility.

The Turning Point... 

Sadly, a horrific road crash in July 2003 which claimed the life of Elaine’s husband, and left Elaine herself seriously injured, followed by the untimely death of a nephew after a battle with cancer, provided a cruel reminder of just how precious life is.  Determined not to go back to her former position and risk becoming “trapped for life” in a role which had ceased to offer the right degree of personal satisfaction, Elaine took the incredibly brave decision to not allow the recent chain of events to curb her appetite for life but rather, to fight back and claim the self-employed lifestyle she had always craved.

The Way Forward... 

The recovery period after the road accident provided Elaine with a previously unknown commodity – some “spare time” to explore and research alternative careers.  Certain that she no longer wanted to be an “employee”, but rather an “employer”, Elaine quickly settled upon the franchise option as the most viable route to establishing her own business, “franchising offers a potentially safe way to go into business on your own.  The considerable ongoing support and the fact that the proposition has already been extensively researched and you get to work to an existing successful business model means there is none of the expensive preparatory work which so often can lead to a fruitless outcome.  By buying a franchise you have the chance to immediately launch into a new avenue of work, thus limiting the start up risks for a small business” says Elaine.

Enter Scenic Blue... 

Elaine’s initial desk top research led her to the BFA web site where she came across Scenic Blue.  A natural interest in horticulture (Elaine had studied horticulture and garden design at a local college and holds an RHS General Certificate in Horticulture) drew her to examine the Scenic Blue entry in more detail.  More importantly, the fact that she was about to have her own garden landscaped provided the perfect opportunity to witness the Scenic Blue service at first hand – and in effect to become a “mystery shopper”!

Seven months from the day her research for a new career began, Elaine signed on the dotted line to become a Scenic Blue franchisee.  She took over the reins of the Worcestershire franchise on 1st September 2004 and subsequently went on to buy the Cotswolds franchise just three months later.

In the Beginning... 

Commenting on the early years, Elaine says “The first six months of trading were tough, particularly as there was a steep learning curve to become au fait with the hard landscaping aspect of the business.  I was lucky in so far as having taken over an existing franchise, I had experienced staff on hand to guide me through those early days and we signed off our first project soon after starting”.

Elaine started out with four staff which she inherited from the previous franchise owner.  She now oversees a total of seven staff and is confident this will increase as the business continues to prosper.

Elaine's Typical Day... 

A typical working day will include an update with the Contracts Manager to discuss the status on various jobs in hand and any staff issues.  Client visits are a regular feature of Elaine’s daily schedule and this can sometimes stray into evenings and weekends as many of Scenic Blue’s customers are working full-time and are unable to commit to an appointment during normal working hours.   These visits may be in relation to new business leads or going back to new clients to discuss design concepts and quotes.  Elaine makes a point of dropping into the office she has based at a local garden centre every day, especially since this has proved a fertile source of new business leads.  The production of estimates and contracts is time consuming but clearly an important aspect of the job, as is the inevitable paper work associated with running your own business such as checking invoices and paying bills.  To encourage that critical constant drip feed of enquiries, Elaine also makes a point of spending a good chunk of her time on the marketing of her business which includes the exploitation of opportunities within local quality magazines.  Regular business reviews and forward planning sessions have also become a natural discipline for the former management accountant.

The Benefits of a Scenic Blue Franchise... 

For Elaine, the real benefits of running a Scenic Blue business lie in the fact that no two days are the same.  “I’m never bored or fed up and I love being outdoors, rain or shine.  The variety of the job means that I get to spend about 50% of my time out on site, meeting new people and helping them achieve their dream gardens.  The smile on a client’s face when the job is completed is just wonderful and I still get a kick out of getting personal recommendations for new work from customers”.

In less than three years, Elaine is securing highly lucrative contracts which in some cases have exceeded £100,000.  Longer term, Elaine has ambitious plans for her business and plans to continue to expand.

Elaine's Advice to You... 

When asked for any words of wisdom for would be Scenic Blue franchise owners, Elaine proffers the following advice “have a passion for your product, it makes selling it a lot easier!  Don’t try to set up on a shoestring and be prepared to work anti-social hours.  As with any new business, you’ve got to go into this with your eyes open and make sure you have the stamina and nerve in place to cope with the inevitable rough patches.  Never assume you are in control, there is always something out there ready to trip you up so ask questions and exploit the knowledge that surrounds you.  Finally, whenever you see a successful business, be aware that one thing is for sure – someone once made a courageous decision to get that business off the ground in the first place!”

Click Here for the main page about this franchise