Originally having joined as Staffordshire franchisee Steve Roulstone was previously employed as a sales manager for a building material manufacturer and latterly Steve was manager of a buildings material supply company. Steve's explanation of how he reached his decision to be part of the Castle Estates national network is fairly typical - his decision 10 years later to buy the entire franchise operation of course is not!!

During his previous career Steve spent most of his time in a sales environment, but benefited from the involvement in planning strategy during his time in management. So before taking the plunge into self- employment in early 1979 Steve spent six months investigating various franchise opportunities that would suit both his experience and background skills as well as his budget.        

Even though his experience lay elsewhere in Management, he had a growing desire to go into a self-employed business and so he spent a great deal of time investigating franchising opportunities, especially those available within the property letting industry as like so many franchisees Steve was already a Landlord. And like many franchisees Steve also reckoned he could manage property far better than agents whose services he had used.

This proved to be time well spent and Steve will recommend any prospective franchisee from whatever walk of life they are approaching franchising and whatever business sector they are considering, to maximise their efforts in respect of detailed research on specific franchisors.  

In November 1999 Steve decided he would choose Castle Estates, having first met directly with them at the previous owner's Milton Keynes Head Office earlier that year. To him as well as a detailed knowledge of their own business as the longest established property management franchisor they had the necessary experience behind them, the fee was right and they had always had a good reputation within the industry.  

At that time Castle Estates was also the only property management and lettings specialist with Full Member accreditation by the British Franchise Association and this weighed heavily with Steve. Others have followed but, as with so many facets of a property management franchise it is a case of where Castle Estates leads others follow.

As with so many new franchisees it took Steve himself several months to go through all the various stages, interviews and research before he was ready to start as a Castle Estates property management franchisee. Steve well remembers this phase of his decision and comments " Prospective franchisees are taking a decision which will have a major influence on the rest of their lives and they owe it to themselves to take as much time and ask as many questions as they want to before making up their mind. I actually completed the research and decided to join Castle Estates relatively quickly but they were more than comfortable with enquiries from people planning anything up to 2 years ahead and this is an approach that whilst the franchise is under my stewardship I would not wish to change "           

Many of Castle Estates franchisees initially start trading from home, though the franchise can be adapted to suit individual needs. Steve in fact set up his business within the office of an estate agent acquaintance, was then forced into operating from home for a few months but ever since 2002 has been in High Street retail premises. "I wanted to minimise costs initially but also realised that starting from home, whilst minimising costs and risks, would also mean the business would grow more slowly. This sharing of an estate agent's premises seemed to be an ideal compromise and provide a low cost entry route into the High Street and indeed all was well for the first year but differences between us meant I had to relocate from his offices".          

Asked how he rated Castle Estates delivery on their pre-trading promises to him, Steve is very satisfied " I was pleased with the 18-20 days initial training course spread over six weeks as I had little experience in this market and needed the detailed training. The ongoing support is there in the form of regular meetings when the franchisees get together to exchange experiences, compare notes and receive updating briefings on industry issues." Having been on the receiving end himself Steve is determined to continue Castle Estates' proud record in its training of franchisees.           

"We also have direct access to computer and insurance helplines and use an external professional referencing company to thoroughly vet tenants. And of course Mike Edwards is always available to answer any query, no matter how serious or routine. "        

The only discipline for which his sales and commercial background had not fully prepared Steve was the legal side of the property management business. This can sometimes be far from straightforward and Steve confessed he had initially found it to be a steep learning curve. However given the depth and detail of the initial training and the ever present ongoing support, especially the legal helpline, after his first six months trading Steve found the property management side itself to be much easier.     

Steve confirms that the good reputation of Castle Estates within the industry helps in discussions with potential landlord clients, as did the introduction of Corporate clients from the original HO on Milton Keynes Steve adds; “Despite the change of ownership this aspect of the business remains very much an ongoing one and Castle Estates still strives to introduce as much business from the centre as possible to its franchisees.” This is something unique to Castle Estates and which applies, in varying degrees of demand, to franchisees all over the country.        

Clearly a Castle Estates property management franchise has suited Steve well, to the extent that he recently bought the entire business!! But in conclusion were there any particular areas of his previous background and training he was aware of putting to use in this particular franchise?  

"My experience of sales, preparing budgets and cash flows, as well as day to day man management was obviously relevant, but it is the self- confidence instilled into all sales people which has probably been the biggest asset. You must have confidence in your own abilities, in the self- employed context that confidence and your own commitment can be crucial. Starting with a bit of self-assessment and then undertaking detailed relevant franchise investigation over several months before you finalise your decision will pay you good dividends."