Marla Custom Blinds

Franchisor Interview - Angela & Martin Froud founders of Marla Custom Blinds, expliain how it all started.

5th November 2009

Fifteen years in the blinds industry have given Angela and Martin Froud, founders of Marla Custom Blinds, a wealth of invaluable business experience. Running an outfit that is creative and flexible the Frouds have built a loyal customer base of domestic and commercial customers - without sacrificing time spent with the family. Now, in the initial stages of franchise network growth, they are offering a selection of territories, at a dramatically reduced entry-level price of £4,995 for their first franchisees. Because of this initiative, the Frouds anticipate solid growth of the network. Here they talk about their hopes for the future as well as their journey so far.

Tell us about the beginnings of Marla Custom Blinds?

Angela: I wanted to get back to work, but at that time I was home looking after my children. I actually started making and selling hand-sewn curtains on my own, before moving into blinds. Working from home gave me the opportunity to run the business around my family. You could say I literally tailored the business to fit in with my kids.This flexibility has become so integral to our business model that we think Marla Custom Blinds is especially attractive to people with family commitments.

We know how difficult it can be fusing work and home life, and with Marla Custom Blinds the hours are flexible and the business can be operated from home, keeping the overheads down. While I really enjoyed making curtains, it is very labour intensive, and soon there was a greater demand for blinds than there was for curtains. That’s when Martin got involved, and we haven’t looked back since.

Martin: I came on board initially just to help out with some measuring and installation, while Angela concentrated on the sales. That soon changed when we started to deal with commercial clients. At that stage, as our sales continued to rise, I started going on appointments as well as installations.

How did you cope with such rapid growth?

Angela: We’d found a decent local supplier, who was working hard to meet our demand. He then decided to sell-up, and we had the opportunity to take over his equipment and start making the blinds ourselves. Within a year of trading we had moved to our own premises, and were selling blinds across the county.

Martin: My background is in manufacturing and, apart from five years with British Airways as an aircraft engineer, I’ve always worked for myself. That experience helped us expand from the home-based cottage industry we once were, to now manufacturing most of the blinds we sell.

So, why do you make your own blinds, instead of buying in from larger suppliers?

Martin: We do it so that we have absolute control over the quality of what we sell, and are confident enough to offer a five-year guarantee on everything we make. We might not always be the cheapest, but you definitely get what you pay for in this industry. If we wanted to, we could use budget fabrics and invest in cheaper machinery – but that would be a false economy. We’ve invested heavily in this business, and worked hard to uphold such a good reputation. We’re members of the British Blind and Shutter Association, and are committed to a number of local fair trade schemes such as ‘Buy With Confidence’, which is run by Trading Standards. It’s because of this attention to detail, and the high standards we set ourselves, that so much of our business comes through referrals and recommendations.

Angela: And we’re as obsessive about customer service and after sales care as we are about the quality of our blinds. If there’s ever a problem – and it does occasionally happen – Martin tries to see the customer on the same day to resolve the issue. The customer feedback we’ve had over the years has been excellent,and many of the positive comments are online, at Checkatrade.com, which is an independent service that monitors local businesses.

What made you decide to franchise your business?

Martin: Before developing Marla Custom Blinds with Angela, I was a franchisee with a well-known supplier of commercial chemicals. The experience taught me a lot about the benefits a franchise can bring to both franchisees and franchisors. Franchising gave me the chance to be involved in a sector that I had no experience of, which was great, I soon realised that it wasn’t for me because there was an element of hard selling involved. So I sold my franchise, and took my experience as a franchisee into Marla Custom Blinds.

But how important is selling in running a Marla Custom Blinds franchise?

Angela: Very important. If, you can’t sell, your business will fail. But this business doesn’t need the hard sell because it’s almost always the customer that makes the first contact.. If you’re comfortable meeting customers, and have no problem going into homes and businesses offering a quality product at a good price, then you’ll be fine.

What are you looking for in a potential franchisee?

Martin: You don’t need any experience in this business, so almost anyone could do it. There is an element of DIY skill required to fit the blinds, but, if you know one end of a tape measure from the other can drill a hole and fit a screw, you’ll have no problem. We’re really looking for dedicated and hard working people who uphold the same ethics and who believe in a high level of customer service. That’s why we place so much emphasis on training and support – to ensure our franchisees treat their customers with the same care and respect that we’ve always done.

Angela: Marla Custom Blinds would suit a husband and wife team perfectly, just as it has for Martin and myself. If one person can sell, and the other can take care of the installations, you’ve got the ingredients of a successful partnership. However, determined individuals would do equally well with the right choice of people behind them.

To find out more about Marla Custom Blinds please complete the form below

Further Information

Franchise Information

BFA Membership Status
Provisional

UK Years Established
1 year

Current UK Coverage
0%

Franchisee Support Staff
4

Personal Investment Req.
£10,000

Total Startup Cost
£20,000 approx

Why Choose Us?

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THE BFA GIVES MARLA CUSTOM BLINDS AN EARLY CHRISTMAS SURPRISE