Snap-on Tools franchisee has it all planned out

Snap-on Tools has given Scott Holowkiewicz the opportunity to achieve the lifestyle he wants, while remaining in control of his own destiny

Scott Holowkiewicz, Snap-on Tools’ new franchisee in Harrogate, came into franchising via a long career in food retail.

Since leaving school, Scott had worked his way up through the ranks to Tesco Manager and then worked with a number of independent farm shops, using his corporate experience to help them grow their businesses.

Skill
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At the age of 35 Scott realised he was using all his skill and expertise in retail food and selling to improve other people’s businesses and make their lives better. He freely admits that it earned him a good amount of money, but it was lacking the satisfaction of reaping the rewards directly for himself.

Towards the end of 2012 a good friend, who is also a Snap-on Tools franchisee and who had been telling Scott for some time he would be “good at it”, suggested to Scott, yet again, he should take the plunge into franchising. As Scott had been starting to question his future in an employed position, he decided to investigate his options further.

Initially he looked into food retail as, ideally, he wanted something he was familiar with. Unfortunately anything that was premises based required a higher financial commitment than he was willing to make, so he took another look at mobile tool sales franchises, as his friend was such a fan, as well as doing well too.

Snap-on Tools stood out head and shoulders above the competition, offering better training, support and, of course, a product range that is second to none. In January 2013 Scott started his new life as a franchisee and says that: “As this was all new to me, I took everything on board and have followed the system without deviation. As a result, before the end of my first year in business I am one of the ‘Top 20’ UK franchisees.

“I didn’t realise at the time that my food retail background would be so useful in my new business, but selling is selling at the end of the day. If you add to this that I am also far too keen and eager to succeed for my own good, I can’t actually see how I can go wrong.”

When asked about the level of support, Scott has no hesitation in commending his Sales Developer, Andy Wilkinson: “Andy is always there at the end of the phone whenever I need him and Head Office Customer Services couldn’t be more helpful.”

Scott has also found that being part of Snap-on is akin to being part of a family, as the other franchisees are very supportive.

Having made the decision to join Snap-on Tools, how did he go about raising the necessary finance needed? The answer is simple - Scott wasn’t laid off, made redundant or sacked, he was a home owner, in a secure position with a good salary, so he had no need to raise the finance elsewhere. Had he pursued his original thought of a retail/ premises-based franchise, it would have been a different story. “And,” says Scott, “Snap-on Tools don’t have an ongoing franchise royalty to pay, so you keep 100 per cent of your profits.”

What advice would Scott give to someone thinking of buying a franchise? “Be prepared to work hard, as ultimately the more you put into your business the more you will get out,” he says.

“Changing careers and industries was a daunting prospect at first, as was learning a new trade, but I have got over that now and it just gets easier each month. My franchisor does push me, but that is a good thing and something you don’t get when you try and start a business on your own. To be fair, having done so well since January this year I think my own expectations of next year’s performance are actually higher than theirs.”

Thriving
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Scott does miss managing people, but he’s got a plan for that too: “I’d love to see a future where I am running a multi-van franchise or passing my thriving area over to another new franchisee and moving onto my next challenge with Snap-on Tools, maybe even helping others, but we shall see.

“Snap-on Tools have given me the opportunity to achieve the lifestyle I want while being in control of my own destiny, so if you’ve got it in you, go for it.”