Puncturesafe Franchisee Success for John Mace

John has been a franchisee since May 2011, having been a police officer and then a detective. Facing retirement, he thought embarking on a new venture as a Puncturesafe franchisee would prove much more lucrative and interesting for him.

My name is John Mace and I have been a distributor with Puncturesafe since May 2011. Prior to starting my business with Puncturesafe, I worked for over 30 years as a police officer, 25 of them as a detective.

I was due to retire in April 2011 at the age of 51, and considered for several months what I was going to do. There was an option for me to continue working as a police officer past my retirement date, but I was interested in doing something completely different.

I saw an advert on the internet regarding becoming a Puncturesafe distributor and it caught my interest.

Following telephone calls to the head office in Exeter, I was given the names and numbers of other Puncturesafe distributors who I called and had conversations with.

The Derbyshire area was available, which meant I could work close to home, so I took a trip to Exeter to meet the managing director and other members of staff. The visit to head office convinced me that Puncturesafe was an excellent product and I could see the business potential of becoming a distributor.

Having never run my own business, I set about getting as much advice as possible and undertook a training day with another distributor. This was invaluable, as it gave me some direction of where to start with the business and gave me knowledge and confidence to sell the product.

My business model was mainly to sell the 20-litre drums to the trade but I ensured the capability to also do installations when required.

My business is called Puncturesafe East Midlands and I have established a good customer base in the area. There is a good proportion of repeat business every month and I continually find new customers within my area.

The customers I have are diverse businesses such as golf courses, waste management companies, mobility shops, motorcycle dealers, tyre companies, house builders, caravan sales and servicing, agricultural suppliers, motorhome sales, and local councils.

The business turnover has increased month on month, year on year and I have been able to establish a good reputation for supplying and excellent product.