I share with you today at our franchise family – How teamwork boosts morale, confidence, and earnings in the serviced accommodation industry. We learn from three real-life franchisee families from Luke Stays – all of whom started with just a dream; and a heck load of determination.
Hard work was never the biggest problem for me. As an aspiring entrepreneur, you prepare yourself for the graft, the grind, and the long hours – even if it means no holidays in between.
We’re taught from the moment we first step into a classroom, the importance of working hard, consistency, and following procedures. In fact, we’re programmed to believe that unless something is tough, it’s not even worth having.
But I must admit, I believe there’s a flaw in the education system; as well as how society generally runs.
You see, while we’re trained like engineered puppy dogs from the age of around four – about discipline, rules, and decorum, somewhere along the line, we lose track of the other significant elements of success.
Such as our emotional and mental well-being.
Our feelings.
Our state of mind.
Our health.
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Franchise Family – Making It Happen
Honestly, I now find it a bit of a travesty, that in a world where we’re taught how to perfect random dance routines to ensure our TikToks are on trend – we’re not given anywhere near as much guidance about how to work with others, how to make industry friends, nor how to create and join communities that are centred around collective goals and values.
I’ve never naturally been a person who’s led with my “soft skills”. However, over the years, I’ve learned the importance of people in any business, and what a difference a support system can make.
To be honest, when I reflect back on my early days as a property entrepreneur, I remember the hardest parts being the feelings of loneliness – or simply not knowing who to turn to every time I had a question or moments of self-doubt.
I’m near certain that if I had had a solid support system around me back then, I would have reached my definition of “success” a lot quicker- meaning, I’d have started helping others a lot sooner, too.
But as the saying goes, “you live and you learn”. This is why as soon as I landed on my feet with Luke Capital Group, after scaling across the UK, Europe, and the UAE, I knew that I had to give back to the industry in some way; and offer help to other aspiring business owners, that I once so desperately needed myself.
For those of you who might believe this is all very woo-woo, allow me to remind you that science proves how teamwork and being part of a community increase productivity in the workplace by up to 20% (research from the University of Warwick). Furthermore, people who feel supported in their line of business (where honest feedback, mutual respect, and personal openness are encouraged) are 80% happier and report higher levels of emotional well-being. This can only be good for business.
Looking at Luke Stays’ franchise model in particular – where we invite aspiring business owners to set up their serviced accommodation business under the trusted Luke Stays brand- then it’s proved that franchise businesses have a whopping 90% chance of success.
This is enormous compared to the measly 15% chance of success that people who choose to go at it alone have.
You do the maths. And hey, if that doesn’t convince you enough, let’s dive into some real-life franchisee stories, from Luke Stays.
The Trendsetters: Liam and Martyn
Liam and Martyn started off as deal sourcers; and ended up becoming the first franchise members of the Luke Stays brand.
While the two were happy with their full-time jobs, they’d seen how I’d scaled my own serviced accommodation business and were keen to “copy and paste” a method that had already been trialled and tested (and massively succeeded!).
So, the trust was there from the get-go – as I had the results to back up the credibility of the model.
Liam and Martyn’s enthusiasm has seen them get to 10 properties in their first year of being franchisees; and I’m certain this will shoot up to 20 to 25 next year – after which they’ll maybe think about doing SA full-time.
Some of Liam and Martyn’s properties are bringing in up to 5k a month, which is a healthy little earner – considering they have all the resources and support they need from Luke Stays.
Our first franchise members; and they’re basically model students. I couldn’t be more proud. You can sure bet that we celebrate all their wins together, only making them more committed to achieving bigger goals.
The Light Bearer: Branca
Branca’s story is a beacon of light to anyone who needs a reminder that they’re capable of incredible things – no matter how many times they believe they’ve fallen.
After some personal issues and losing her property in Liverpool, Branca held onto her other property in Lancashire and took to Luke Stays in the pursuit of a “side hustle”.
I saw the potential in Branca from the get-go, so we welcomed her into the Luke Stays family with open arms; and taught her how to acquire more properties and grow her portfolio. [Branca’s Portfolio]
As I’d expected, Branca grew from strength-to-strength with the support of our community; and has since acquired two more properties in Liverpool, three in Birmingham and five in Derby.
She now runs a successful and money-making serviced accommodation business under the wing of Luke Stays; and says that she’s delighted to prove to her children that you can make a substantial amount of money, without running yourself to the ground.
As a valued franchisee, Branca proves that there’s always light at the end of every tunnel.
The Go-Getters: Sara and Jawad
This power couple is among our newest franchise members; but it feels as though they’ve been a valued part of our family forever.
A short while after Sara and Jawad signed up to partner with Luke Stays, they picked up the keys to their first property in Staines and haven’t looked back since.
The business owners raked in a juicy direct booking just a few weeks ago and have since scaled their property portfolio to a mighty six – and this is all in just a matter of weeks.
Sara has already taken a break from her full-time job, as the family’s serviced accommodation needs more of her and Jawad’s attention (because it’s booming) – and the couple show real promise of making it far in our industry; because they have heaps and heaps of enthusiasm.
While we may all come from different walks of life, our inherent need for safety, security, comfort, and belonging remains the same. This is exactly what the franchise members at Luke Stays experience when they work with us, as we give them the resources, tools, and industry know-how – as well as the peer-to-peer support and guidance, should they even need it.
For me, these are the four walls of success – and I cannot wait to see all our franchise members blow the roof off this industry.
We’re into incredible things. Together.
