Dream Doors Franchisee Pulls Out All Stops To Achieve Fastest Ever Showroom Opening

For Dream Doors franchisee Wilson Craig the main benefit of achieving the fastest showroom opening in the company’s 20-year history is clear – ‘We’ve had 75 enquiries in less than three weeks’.

After completing his training in June, it took the former transport consultant just 31 days to formally open his kitchen showroom in his hometown of Prestwick by July 4.

Wilson said that he could have opened the store seven days earlier than that if his town’s Provost had been available to cut the ribbon.

Wilson explained:

“Our showroom was actually finished and ready to go a week before our official opening date.  The reason we had to push it back was to get an official here to cut the ribbon.

We turned this all around very fast so that we can start pushing the business forward and to get new leads coming in."

Wilson, who works closely with his wife Patrice, daughter Jenna and son Adam, found a showroom with ‘wow’ factor – an historic red sandstone building with real character in the middle of town.

Wilson continued:

“Some people might black out their windows while work is going on, but we kept them open so people could see what we’re up to.

We chose an area that has a high footfall, so we’ve had lots of people who have come in since we opened, just to see how it all worked out.  They’ve been driving by every day and seen the progress. There’s also a bus stop across the road, so we’ve had lots of footfall - lots of people interested.

Storage has been the only sticking point in choosing this building, but we went for location over storage space – I can always rent more space later when it’s needed.  This has meant that in these early days of setting up we’ve been moving stock around a lot.

It’s been a little bit like playing one of those tile puzzles – you have to move one thing at a time from storage into the showroom and then to the office. 

Overall, the slightly limited storage space is outweighed by the prime location."

So, what other downsides have there been in setting up a showroom so quickly?

“We had some issues getting contractors in on time because we were on such a tight schedule, but we got there.  The showroom set up was going on while I was on training so I had to travel back from Hampshire to be here over the weekends so I could move cabinets around and take in stock deliveries.

This meant some really long hours and I basically only had one day off in a month, but I know the importance of getting this done.”

So, after wading through all this work in such a short space of time, what are the upsides to the quick turnaround?

“We’ve had 75 leads since our official opening, so that speaks for itself. It’s good for our business to have a high street presence – it’s much better than having to work out of a van.

I spoke to someone the other day who just wanted new doors at first, but then he came into the showroom and he saw the quality of the Wharf seamless worktops and he ordered one.  That wouldn’t have happened without the showroom.”

What advice would Wilson share with anyone planning their own quick opening?

“You’ve got to plan it out. I’m an experienced project manager, so I know that you have to set critical points to hit by certain times. But other things can be moved around to fit and make the schedule work.

My top tip would be: ‘Don’t panic – whatever the problem is there will be a solution – and that solution should teach you a good lesson for the future too.’

It’s also much easier when you are part of a franchise like Dream Doors as there is so much support readily available.”

There are just 19 new franchise territories available nationwide, particularly in the North East, North West, Yorkshire and Scotland.

Find out more about opening your own Dream Doors showroom by clicking below

Dream Doors franchisee follows in friend's footsteps

Franchisee Neil Fisher followed in the footsteps of a childhood friend to launch his own Dream Doors trading territory.

Dream Doors Showroom Owner Explains Appeal of Business Model

Simon Herbert took the leap into running his own business two years ago and opened Dream Doors Gloucester.

Trader Relocates from Minsk to Open Dream Doors Showroom

Ramin Razaq relocated from Belarus to open a profitable kitchen makeover showroom in the UK with his wife Wida.

Dream Doors Showroom Owners Still Going Strong After More Than A Decade In Business

After more than a decade of trading, Dream Doors franchisees Mike and Elaine Hurley are still enjoying their work and making great money.

Ex-Business Development Manager Finds Ideal Career Change with Dream Doors

Chris Nowell joined Dream Doors in early 2019 and is now running a kitchen showroom in Telford.

Franchisee Continues to See Profits Rise with Dream Doors

Almost five years after joining Dream Doors, Mark Holmes continues to see his take home profits rise.

Franchisee Focusing On Making Sales to Support Growing Family

Vishal Amin has found a way to balance spending time with his growing family and earning a great take home salary with Dream Doors.

Ex-engineer Indulges His Love of Interior Decor with Dream Doors Franchise

Ex-service engineer Mick Appleton is indulging his love of interior design by opening a kitchen showroom.

How One Bad Customer Service Experience Inspired Dream Doors Franchisee

Colin Lynch was looking for a change of career and knew franchising for the UK’s #1 kitchen makeover company was the way forward.

Family Working Together For Dream Doors

Changing his career direction has given Wilson Craig the chance to work alongside his family.

Family Sells Up Truck Dealership To Open Dream Doors Kitchen Showroom

Selling up the family business allowed the Bachelor family to start a lucrative Dream Doors kitchen makeover franchise.

Ex-engineer Exceeds Earning Expectations with Dream Doors

David Parr was looking for a career change that offered greater earning potential.

Former Marine Swaps Conflict Zones For Kitchen Showroom

David Ward OBE has swapped conflict zones in Europe and the Middle East for a Dream Doors kitchen showroom in the West Country.

South African Couple Tap into UK's 'Mature' Franchising Market

Gary and Hayley Ashe relocated to Britain to tap into its ‘mature’ franchising market.

Manbir Takhar Reaps Rewards of Finding a Fresh Challenge with Dream Doors

Former sales manager Manbir Takhar was looking for a new work opportunity when he joined Dream Doors in 2015.

Dream Doors Showroom Offers Best Return for Young Franchisees

Sean and Katie Hebdon have built a successful, family-run business that delivers the lifestyle they had always craved.

Top Notch Customer Service Generates Huge Profits for Husband and Wife

Focusing on top notch customer service has allowed husband and wife, Martin and Alex Smith, to build a highly profitable business.

Lynn Fletcher Finds Working Flexibility With Dream Doors

Dream Doors franchisee Lynn Fletcher found the working flexibility she needed by joining the UK’s #1 kitchen makeover company.

Ex-Teacher Runs Dream Doors Showroom in His Favourite Part of the Country

Taking on a Dream Doors franchise allowed ex-teacher Matt Jones to move back to his favourite part of the country.

Family Makes Over One Million Pounds in Annual Sales with Dream Doors Showroom

The James family has worked together to generate over £1million in annual sales from their Dream Doors showroom in Stoke-on-Trent.

Ex-banker Restores Balance with Dream Doors Franchise

Ex-banker Jerry Innesbeer took back control of his working life by taking on a Dream Doors franchise after being made redundant.

Brothers-in-law have surpassed their income targets in their first 18 months

Samiul Islam and Abdul Muktadir have surpassed their income targets in their first 18 months of running a Dream Doors franchise.

Husband and Wife Join Dream Doors to Enhance their Business

Mark and Janet Warr approached Dream Doors to seek the opportunity and method they needed to grow their business.

Richard Marshall Runs Dream Doors Wakefield with Jamie-Louise Brewer

Dream Doors franchisees Richard Marshall and Jamie-Louise Brewer generated over £94,000 in their first month of trade.

David and Kate Howle Join Dream Doors

Joining Dream Doors has been a 'whirlwind' for David and Kate Howle of Worcester.

Craig Allen Chose Franchising to Find Freedom, Profit and Security

Craig Allen was a disgruntled employee that chose franchising to find freedom, profit and security with Dream Doors.

Half-a-Million-Pound Businesses - With No Prior Experience!

How people with no prior experience are building half-a-million-pound businesses with Dream Doors.

Dream Doors Franchisees Reap the Rewards of Self-Employment

Mark and Rachael say that they have never felt more at home whilst working as Dream Doors Franchisees.

Ex-O2 Director shares his experiences as a new Dream Doors franchisee

Lavine decided to open his own Dream Doors franchise and tells us what first attracted him to the proposition.

Design teacher quits profession to take on kitchen makeover franchise

Matt Jones, the new owner of Dream Doors Truro, worked as a design technology teacher for 12 years before taking on a franchise.