Learnings from the first year of franchising from Raison Home UK franchisee Sarah Maguire

Sarah Maguire is a RAISON Home franchisee covering the Edinburgh area. She has been extremely successful over last quarter, bringing in over £100K of sales! Here she tells us about her first year in business, and how she plans to develop her franchise further.

Why did you choose Raison Home?

“I’ve always had a passion for interior design, and friends and family often suggested that I pursue it professionally. It always felt like a big leap from what I was doing, and I had a fear of stepping into the unknown. However, the Raison Home franchise gave me the confidence to become self-employed, knowing that I would have the support of the Franchise to make my business a success, and could take advantage of their branding, marketing, operations, and supply chain.

I loved the concept of designing with clients in their own homes. Building relationships and delivering great customer experiences are very important to me, and the in-home design concept is a great way to achieve this. I’m excited by chatting to clients about their dream interiors and helping them to make it a reality. I also know how stressful some people find home renovation projects, and it’s great to be able to bring a more convenient, stress-free and premium service to clients.”

Tell us about your first year?

“The first year has been a roller-coaster – with many more highs than lows! Being self-employed has taken some adjustment after such a long career in a corporate setting. However, I love the flexibility and freedom that owning my own business has brought me. While there’s the occasional stressful day, it genuinely doesn’t feel like work most of the time!

After just 6 months, I’ve learnt so much about running my own business and the many hats that I need to wear! There’s been plenty of learnings along the way, and I’m feeling much clearer about the way I want to operate the business and the types of projects I’ll take on. I have a much better idea of how to market the business and the most effective ways to build my pipeline. I’ve also built a trusted network of tradespeople, which gives me extra confidence when taking on new projects.

The support from the Franchise has been fantastic, and there’s always an experienced hand to offer guidance or a listening ear. The established systems, processes and supplier relationships have made it easy to hit the ground running and being part of a franchise network seems to instil extra confidence in clients that they’re doing business with a reputable company.

I’m really loving the variety that each day brings and there’s no better feeling than seeing a project come together as planned, and a happy client along the way.”

Where would you like to take your business in the next 5 years?

“In the next 5 years my goal is to expand the business and become a multi-seller franchisee with two additional designers in my territory. When I’ve built the business and brand reputation in Edinburgh, I would consider expansion into other territories across Scotland.”