This franchise is the perfect fit!

FRANCHISE OWNER DIARY: Julia Lemmon and Joanna Bailey, Norfolk

Rain, wind and snow could not deter twin sisters Julia Lemmon and Joanna Bailey from eventually finding the right franchise for them.

Forced to turn back on their journey to the British Franchise Exhibition in Manchester by freak snowstorms, the sisters continued with their research and travelled unhampered by the elements to the British & International Franchise Exhibition in London later that year.That was in 2002, and by July they had invested in the Snack-in-the-Box (SITB) franchise for Norfolk.

“SITB fits them perfectly,” reflects Joanne’s husband Mark, who assisted in financing the launch of the business. “It is an established business, and is associated with a leading brand name.”The sisters both had backgrounds in retail, and this shows through in their customer service skills applied to the business. “Joanne organises the orders and packs the boxes while Julia goes out in the van to deliver the boxes,” Mark explains. “However, they both get heavily involved in the canvassing. When they first launched the business SITB sent a canvassing team out to assist them in winning business. In the first few weeks you are normally looking to site 150 boxes, but with SITB’s help and the proactive approach from Julia and Joanna they put over 200 in place.”

Fast-forward and their business has gone from strength to strength. Julia and Joanne are still chasing higher targets, “although they’ve re-sited some of the lower-performing boxes, canvassing for additional business is the most important aspect of their operation,” Mark observes. “Their target is to reach a weekly turnover of £3,250 before Christmas. Past that they are looking at further avenues for expanding their business, including the possibility of taking on the SITB vending machines franchise.”