Interview with Nathan Siekierski, Jasper's Catering
Franchisors name: Nathan Siekierski
Name of franchise: Jasper’s Catering Franchise Ltd
Tell us about how/when the business was started and the motivation behind establishing the company.
We chose to franchise our original catering business because the gap in the market for a consistent, safe, professional caterer was so obviously there! The catering marketing in the UK is huge; I and the team are on a mission to become the number one first choice in this place and plan to make a lot of people very successful along the way!
When and why did you decide to go down the franchise route?
We were approached by some very successful people from a large brewery who wanted to buy our original Jasper’s business which had just won an award; their intention was to franchise the software. Needless to say we didn’t sell and after looking into franchising decided to go down that route as we believed that franchise owners would share our passion in making sure the customer experience exceeded anything else in the market place.
What have been the company’s biggest achievements/successes to date so far?
We have been incredibly successful in developing what we have to where it is. We never wanted to be one of these franchise models that exploded the network without a real success model, so we recruited with caution during the recession years (the only years we have been in franchising!).
We have just spent the last 12 months creating THE ultimate food business with an overhaul of our online ordering platform and a creation of four new offerings for our franchise owners enabling them to quadruple the value of a customer. Landing new supplier deals have increased the amounts of support for marketing with our franchise owners now able to claim nectar points with every order they place and new franchisees getting an incredible amount of free stock to get them started.
What challenges have you had to overcome?
Business is about challenges, so aside from the day to day ones and the biggest global recession other challenges are always around people, especially when it comes to recruiting the right people to become franchise owners. There seems to be a culture where 90% of people wanting to start their own business choose to do so alone and not through franchising – this still hasn’t been addressed by the industry.
What marketing/promotional tools do you use to grow your franchise?
It’s very important to use a broad mix; we test and measure lots of things and find the telephone to be the most reliable tool, talking to people is always the best promotion! We realise that SEO, Social media and paid for online advertising are also a very important part of our mix. We built local social media platforms for all our franchisees last year which is contributing nicely to building up audiences. We launched with a national pumpkin carving competition which saw 180 companies take part which we want to double this year.
What differentiates Jasper’s Catering Franchise Ltd from the competition?
There is no direct competitor in the space really. However, our technology is way ahead of the market and competitors within it. Our new range of products are unique to us too, we have spent a lot on developing bespoke solutions. We also provide our franchise owners with £60,000 worth of free stock which covers 2.3rds of their investment!
In your opinion, what makes a successful Jasper’s franchisee?
Attitude, attitude and attitude – they have to be solution orientated, hardworking and disciplined.
What changes have you seen in your industry over recent year? And how have you adapted to them?
Much higher customer awareness about food; TV has driven this and so we have evolved what we offer. The demand for ‘something different’ whilst offering a core traditional range is a balance that we are passionate about keeping
What does the future hold for Jasper’s Catering Franchise Ltd?
Stage 1) UK domination of our marketing place
Stage 2) Global domination of our market place
Stage 3) A holiday!
What expansion plans have you got nationally and internationally?
We intend to open a minimum of 4 new units this year, but the conversion side of the operation is planning on seeing 6 conversions in 2015 (independents wanting to join the franchise network). Once we hit 40 UK units we have interested parties in Australia, Holland and India who want to take the master license for these countries
What advice would you give to someone considering franchising their business?
Meet with the franchisor, every time. Book a week off work / whatever you normally do and book at least 5 franchise meetings with franchises you have already had a chat with over the phone and meet – ask all sorts of questions, don’t worry about the financial investment side until you have asked the franchisor if they have a solution.
If you had to do it all again, what would you do differently?
I would have listened to myself more, been braver and pushed more boundaries. The future of a franchise network needs a franchisor that is obsessed with learning. The future of franchising in the UK needs an innovative leadership.
