Meet our Franchisees

Daryl.jpgInspired by Franchising!

In 2013, aged 24 Daryl Perkins decided to invest in his future by buying a franchise. He did his homework looking into various franchise categories. Fortunately, during his 6 years as a manager in a Budgens store it was supplied by Card Connection and the local franchisee had explained its business model. He always knew he wanted to run his own business and felt that the greeting card franchisor was the right choice for him.

Being so young and not having built up much collateral or credit history, investing in a franchise was a challenge, as banks were unwilling to lend. After much investigation a Government guarantee scheme was sought, and a loan then through RBS was secured.

On taking the Nottingham Franchise the annual sales were £100k. Knuckling down learning the business, opening new accounts and streamlining in store processes sales, Daryl increased the sales in his first year to £108k (+8%). This growth continued and 2 years in he was up 14% a tremendous result in what had been described as a mature territory.

Being extremely ambitious Daryl wanted more and wanted to invest in another territory. In 2015, the opportunity to purchase Lincoln & Hull arose. Daryl didn’t hesitate. With profits from his first 2 years of trading and some financial assistance from his family there was no looking back. Within the next two years all finance had been repaid.

Still only 26 years old at time, and still a relatively new franchisee, he effectively has three territories, which took his sales to nearly £300k, this meant significant change. Daryl couldn’t do it all on his own and had to take the plunge to invest in a full-time merchandiser, part time merchandiser and storeroom operative to ensure he maintained high service levels and to further grow his new larger business.

Daryl remembers this as a very tough period of his business life, “Not only did I need to manage my existing customer base I needed to engage and win over new customers relationships and train new staff to help me with the expanded operation”.

Never one to stand still, Darryl recently decided to purchase yet another area, with Peterborough added to his little empire. This makes Daryl the largest franchisee in Great Britain and the 5th largest in the franchisor’s network.

Contributing Above & Beyond

Daryl is a hugely respected franchisee within the Card Connection network and takes an active interest in the wider company operation. With product being the lifeblood of his business, Daryl ensures he gives regular and useful feedback to our Creative Department. He always contributes ideas for business improvement and helps where he can. For example, Daryl lives near his Regional Sales Manager and is always willing to assist in loaning fixtures or stock to any franchisee in an emergency. He has also helped mentor newer franchisees.

Daryl-2.jpgDaryl also likes to attend trade shows, not only does this give him the opportunity to try and win new customers and build relationships with existing Area Managers of store chains, it also has the added benefit of allowing him to see what his competitors are doing.

Achievements and Highlights to DateDaryl-4.jpg

In 2015, Daryl was Card Connection’s youngest Franchisee of the Year and he also gained a coveted slot as a finalist as British Franchises Association’s Young Franchisee of the Year in 2019. Just recently Daryl has also funded a local football team by purchasing their kit.

Going From Strength to Strength 4yrs on! Penny & Colin Ellis (Reading)

Penny has worked in the Greeting Card Industry for over 20 years, starting in her home country of South Africa, then moving to England where she was employed by Card Connection as a Regional Sales Manager. After 5 years managing 11 Card Connection franchisees of her own, she was so impressed by the business model that she wanted to invest in her own franchise.
Penny-3.jpgAt that time Penny’s husband, Colin, was working awkward shift patterns in security, which interfered greatly with his family life. He felt that with Penny and also a daughter from a previous relationship to consider, he didn’t have the work/life balance that he craved.
He seized an opportunity to work with the Card Connection franchisee for Reading, whose territory just happened to be on the market. He was able to experience the day-to-day workings of the franchise, to see if it was something he would like to do. He took to it like a duck to water, immediately seeing the benefits of a better work/life balance it could offer. He could now spend quality time with his daughter Sam, who visits them regularly during school holidays, while also being able to spend more time with Penny.
After 8 months Penny and Colin took the plunge and bought the Reading territory, initially running the business from their rented home by converting the single garage to a stock room.
Working as a team they were able to maintain excellent relationships with their customers, often spending time out on the road together. New franchisees normally expect to see a decline in turnover during their first year as they get to know customers and the seasonal effects on their operations, but Penny’s experience paid dividends and they managed to grow the business 2% in the first year.
Year 2 saw no let-up by Penny & Colin, and they ended the year with an overall 4% growth in their business, along the way chalking up the award as Regional Winners for sales of giftwrap and gift bags.
Penny and Colin then set themselves a 2-year target to buy their own home, something that was never on the agenda with their previous employment situations.
The third year of their franchise saw further sales growth but then the Covid Pandemic hit the world in March 2020. Their business literally ground to a halt overnight, and as like many others did, they furloughed as per Government guidelines.
Penny-2.jpgFortunately, it quickly became apparent the public’s demand for greeting cards as a way to stay connected with loved ones they couldn’t see during lockdown was enormous. Not initially being able to go out and merchandise, this industrious couple managed to post stock out to some customers desperate to refill the empty card displays. As soon as restrictions allowed, they worked tirelessly, seven days a week to keep up with the demand. Unprecedented sales followed, and they ended their 3rd year with a massive 15% growth!
Now in their 4th year of running the business, lockdown extensions pushed their half year results to a fantastic 17% growth. With June almost upon them they picked up Card Connection’s award for Regional Franchisees of the Year. This was particularly impressive, given the strong sales across the whole of the Card Connection network that meant they were up against stiff competition.

Although their franchise is very demanding, they have loved every minute of watching their 

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hard work pay off, not just with increased turnover, but also the satisfaction of a job well done. The cherry on top of the cake is they’ve been able to say goodbye to wasted money of renting, by purchasing their very

 first home. Once moved in, they immediately invested in building a bespoke garden unit, specifically designed to be their perfect warehouse.
The few short steps from the home they own and love to the purpose-built office and warehouse of the successful business they’ve built together ss a daily reminder of the fantastic new life they have achieved.
Summing up their Card Connection journey, Penny says, “In short, this business has provided us with a steady income, the ability to buy own home and have amazing work life balance. What more could we ask for?”

Change for the Better – James Bird & Sandra Jess (Gloucester)

James-and-Sandra-2.jpgAfter 27 years working in the same place, James Bird was ready to make the step up to running his own business. Investing in a Card Connection franchise gave him the instant advantage of having a ready-made customer base all set up, meaning he could earn an income from day one.
“I started as a cashier in a petrol station and worked my way up through supervisor, then to Store manager,” explains James, “So when I took on the franchise for Gloucester in February 2019 I had a great understanding of how retail works in the convenience sector and was I able to transfer all that knowledge and experience to the benefit of the franchise.”
With the full support of his partner Sandy, James has been able to improve his work/life balance to spend more time with his family. Gone is his previous the stress of dealing with staffing issues, as being his own boss means he can be flexible with how he plans his days. He prefers to start early: “I have my van loaded the night before with everything I need for the next day, and often hit the road before 7am,” smiles James.
Supplying greeting cards and other related product to over 150 stores across his territory, he has a great mix of outlets from nationally branded names like Costcutter, Premier and Londis to smaller independent shops.

Not only did James and Sandy manage to grow their franchise during the Covid pandemic but capped it off by being winning the “Franchisee of the Year for the Midlands Region” award at the recent Card Connection Conference

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The territory includes the cathedral city of Gloucester, Cheltenham, Stroud and Chippenham, which involves driving thought the picturesque Cotswolds area of outstanding beauty. “Yes, there are worse places to work!” jokes James.
Finding out exactly what each outlet needs and how its customers vary is a crucial part of him delivering a personalised service and in doing so driving up his sales.

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“Retail is detail,” quotes James. “Spending time talking to customers is important and after merchandising stores I always check they are happy with their displays before I leave.”