Customers are always looking for a realistic cost, and usually expect small firms to be able to do this for them. However, these smaller businesses often have to outsource some of the jobs, which causes the price to spike for the customer.

To overcome this, the opportunity to co-brand with Fastsigns can allow small businesses to diversity their product and service portfolio, and begin to target new markets. To start from scratch, it can be expensive to do this alone, as new machinery, marketing, and the recruitment of new staff would be required.

Fastsigns has enabled hundreds of people to run their own signage centre with the support they need to get started—however, the co-branding model allows us to work within established businesses to help them improve their offer. As with our stand-alone centres, being a co-branded partner means they can benefit from our support and marketing services, as well as access to the latest technology. Being co-branded also allows the firm to be part of a network of suppliers and other business owners.

There are around 660 Fastsigns centres, and 31 of those operate as co-brands, with many more under development, the first of which opened in the UK in April 2016. Michael and Sarah Ward-Hendry decided to expand their school photography and design services by co-branding with Fastsigns to open the Oxford North centre. Up to that point, the Ward-Hendry’s had supplied basic signage to schools, but through the partnership, have since gone on to create bespoke visual communications with a higher quality finish. No longer limited to education, they now work in fields such as manufacturing, hospitality, and retail.

Co-branding allowed the Ward-Hendry’s to retain their identity, while providing the tools and expertise they needed to flourish. For established, large-format sign-makers there is also the option to fully convert their business to a Fastsigns centre. A conversion helps their business stay cutting edge, have access to top of the range machinery at favourable costs, and ensure their skills are maintained through state of the art training.
The move can also open up greater commercial opportunities that could have been difficult to achieve without the support of a company like Fastsigns as a franchisor.

Certainly, from my own observations, co-branding and conversion can be a catalyst for smaller firms to realise their ambitions that their business can yield, as well as being supported in their growth by a larger and well-established business.

John Davies joined Fastsigns in 2015, having been selected by the company due to his previous experience within the franchising and retail sectors. Davies had previously worked within the franchising industry for a period of eleven years, as franchise director and oversaw the growth of a franchise network to over 45 centres. To relax, he enjoys spending time with his family and participating in varied sporting pursuits.