Meet our Franchisees
We sat down with Gary and Beckie, the Franchisees for United Carpets and Beds in Boston.
Read about their experience with United Carpets and Beds.
Tell us a bit about yourself:
Gary & Beckie; We are family people who enjoy spending time together and with our 3 ‘kids’ (youngest is 16 so not really kids any more). We like our pets and currently have 2 dogs, a hamster and a bearded dragon, although we have previously had snakes, rats, mice, rabbits, guinea pigs, cats a tortoise and geckos- a pretty mixed bag!
Now the kids are a bit older we have started doing a bit of travelling too, and try to visit at least one new place every year We are both Boston born and bred so know the area and the people really well
How long have you been with United Carpet:
Gary; I started working in Boston store in 2004 as a salesperson. 18 months later I was promoted to Assistant Manager and then about 2 years later I was made manager.
Beckie; I started when we took over the business in 2021
Read about their experience with United Carpets and Beds.
Tell us a bit about yourself:
Gary & Beckie; We are family people who enjoy spending time together and with our 3 ‘kids’ (youngest is 16 so not really kids any more). We like our pets and currently have 2 dogs, a hamster and a bearded dragon, although we have previously had snakes, rats, mice, rabbits, guinea pigs, cats a tortoise and geckos- a pretty mixed bag!
Now the kids are a bit older we have started doing a bit of travelling too, and try to visit at least one new place every year We are both Boston born and bred so know the area and the people really well
How long have you been with United Carpet:
Gary; I started working in Boston store in 2004 as a salesperson. 18 months later I was promoted to Assistant Manager and then about 2 years later I was made manager.
Beckie; I started when we took over the business in 2021
Do you have a background in flooring and beds? What were you doing before United Carpets?
Gary; No background in carpets or beds, I was working at Topps Tiles before I started with United, and had previously work selling fabric at Dunelm, so both have similarities to the carpet side of the business but are also very different.
Beckie; I worked in a nursing home for many years and then worked in my local Spar shop doing early mornings (4am start) for a few years before we took over
Did you always want to run your own business? What inspired you to run a business?
Gary; It had been something I had thought about, but I was also quite happy doing what I was doing. Running the business was the natural progression for me. I think if it hadn’t been for the opportunity coming up to take the business on it might have been something that never got past thinking about and I might have regretted it later in life,
Beckie; Not really- it actually took some convincing from Gary to get me to agree. I think the fact that Gary knew the business so well and was sure it was the right idea were the factors that made me decide to take the leap
What made you choose to partner with United Carpets?
Gary; Having worked in the business for 17 years before taking over, it was just a natural progression. I knew what was involved in running the business day to day and I knew some of the people in the network which helped. One factor was knowing the company had many staff and franchisees who have worked for or with United Carpets for a long period of time, which is a good sign that United Carpets are doing something right.
Did you feel supported through the process of opening your store?
Gary; Everyone was great from day one. I only really had to pick up the phone and the help I needed was there. Even now we are 3 years in I would say exactly the same- there is always an answer to any question and if the first person you speak to doesn’t know it, they will find someone who does Beckie; As I didn’t really know anyone in the business or much about how to run a business when I first started I had lots of questions, and made a lot of calls to the Head Office team, who never seemed to mind, and always talked me through what I needed. Without that support it would have been hugely difficult to get through the first few months of our ownership.
What do you enjoy about working with United Carpets?
Gary; There’s not really anything I don’t enjoy. Getting to know everyone around the network and from Head office better has been really enjoyable, building relationships with people is really important, and you can’t do that as well when both parties are just voices on a phone. I’ve also enjoyed the development of the stores which has been an ongoing process and seeing the changes.
Beckie; Meeting new people has been great. I’ve also developed a lot of skills I did not have before- I’d never worked in this type of retail before and now I can approach customers and sell, and understand the financial and admin side of running a business of this size
Do you have any advice to future United Carpets Franchisees?
Gary; The most important thing for me is make sure you have the right people around you- staffing is difficult but if you find the right people it makes your job so much easier. Remember as well that you have the flexibility to make decisions day to day, but the franchise structure means that it does not become too overwhelming.
Beckie; Don’t be afraid to take the leap. I wasn’t sure about taking on a business (especially as we took over during Covid 19 when there was a lot of uncertainty around), but it is certainly worthwhile. Finding the balance between good cop and bad cop when dealing with both staff and customers is really important too.
Gary; No background in carpets or beds, I was working at Topps Tiles before I started with United, and had previously work selling fabric at Dunelm, so both have similarities to the carpet side of the business but are also very different.
Beckie; I worked in a nursing home for many years and then worked in my local Spar shop doing early mornings (4am start) for a few years before we took over
Did you always want to run your own business? What inspired you to run a business?
Gary; It had been something I had thought about, but I was also quite happy doing what I was doing. Running the business was the natural progression for me. I think if it hadn’t been for the opportunity coming up to take the business on it might have been something that never got past thinking about and I might have regretted it later in life,
Beckie; Not really- it actually took some convincing from Gary to get me to agree. I think the fact that Gary knew the business so well and was sure it was the right idea were the factors that made me decide to take the leap
What made you choose to partner with United Carpets?
Gary; Having worked in the business for 17 years before taking over, it was just a natural progression. I knew what was involved in running the business day to day and I knew some of the people in the network which helped. One factor was knowing the company had many staff and franchisees who have worked for or with United Carpets for a long period of time, which is a good sign that United Carpets are doing something right.
Did you feel supported through the process of opening your store?
Gary; Everyone was great from day one. I only really had to pick up the phone and the help I needed was there. Even now we are 3 years in I would say exactly the same- there is always an answer to any question and if the first person you speak to doesn’t know it, they will find someone who does Beckie; As I didn’t really know anyone in the business or much about how to run a business when I first started I had lots of questions, and made a lot of calls to the Head Office team, who never seemed to mind, and always talked me through what I needed. Without that support it would have been hugely difficult to get through the first few months of our ownership.
What do you enjoy about working with United Carpets?
Gary; There’s not really anything I don’t enjoy. Getting to know everyone around the network and from Head office better has been really enjoyable, building relationships with people is really important, and you can’t do that as well when both parties are just voices on a phone. I’ve also enjoyed the development of the stores which has been an ongoing process and seeing the changes.
Beckie; Meeting new people has been great. I’ve also developed a lot of skills I did not have before- I’d never worked in this type of retail before and now I can approach customers and sell, and understand the financial and admin side of running a business of this size
Do you have any advice to future United Carpets Franchisees?
Gary; The most important thing for me is make sure you have the right people around you- staffing is difficult but if you find the right people it makes your job so much easier. Remember as well that you have the flexibility to make decisions day to day, but the franchise structure means that it does not become too overwhelming.
Beckie; Don’t be afraid to take the leap. I wasn’t sure about taking on a business (especially as we took over during Covid 19 when there was a lot of uncertainty around), but it is certainly worthwhile. Finding the balance between good cop and bad cop when dealing with both staff and customers is really important too.
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