Interview With Franchisee Warren Bancroft

WO: Tell us about yourself?

WB: I live and grew up in Colchester, Essex. When I left school back in 2003 I went to work for a local plumbing company where I underwent an apprenticeship in plumbing and heating gaining an NVQ.

I then went on to become self-employed around the age of 18/19. I really enjoyed my time in the industry however it was a lot of travelling long hours and often working in cold conditions as we mostly worked on new build houses and being self-employed you only got paid for what you installed that day/week etc so as you can imagine there was a lot of pressure sometimes to cover your expenses and earn a living. It was during the 2008 financial crash that work on building sites started to dry up and I decided that it was time to look at other opportunities. This then led me to work with my father in the transport industry.

WO: How did you learn about the franchise opportunities that World Options offers?

WB: I believe it was via a franchising website. It was my Dad at the time who I was working, who was running his own transport business.

Prior to joining World Options, we had experience working with several leading carriers, so we already had good insight on how the industry works.

WO: What was it that attracted you to want to buy a World Options franchise?

WB: It was looked into as part of an expansion, a way we could gain more business from our already existing customer base.

WO: What did you find the process of purchasing a World Options franchise to be like?

WB: A meeting was arranged in Blackburn with my dad meeting Leland, Stewart and Richard. He liked what he had heard and seen and he agreed to join World Options and we went on from there.

WO: What can we expect to see from your franchise in the coming months?

WB: I recently moved my customer service over to key accounts, This is working well for me, as it allows more time to speak with my existing customer base as well as gaining new business without dealing with distractions. I would like to consistently achieve 10k in margin as a minimum.

WO: Do you have any advice for someone looking to buy a World Options Franchise?

WB: A World Options franchise can give you flexibility within your work-life balance and with the low overheads it’s easy to get started. But it will take time to build up your client base and receive that consistent income. But if you have the passion and are willing to work hard, World Options could be a good fit.

WO: What is your favourite holiday?

WB: I enjoy snowboarding holidays, my favourite place would be Austria. The best city break would be New York City.

WO: Hobbies?

WB: Cycling, snowboarding, working out, travelling and watching Formula 1.

WO: Who is the most influential person in your life, and why?

WB: Good question. I think Sir Lewis Hamilton inspires me the most. I love the way he keeps pushing and never gives up and how he always has a positive mindset.