Ilkeston entrepreneur takes the reins of UK's first surveying franchise

An Ilkeston-based entrepreneur has helped a family-owned firm of chartered surveyors with its expanding business having become their first franchisee.

McLaughlins has recently restructured and rebranded itself, and subsequently handed over the reins to local man Joe Miller as a managing director.  

Since then, he has begun a hunt for residential chartered surveyors, and from 5 upon his start in November 2020, has increased take up from to 38 and has a target of 60 by Christmas.

Joe said: “Having grown to this size from what was a small family business, I felt it was time to look at the next exciting phase in our journey.  “This new programme will enable other people in the industry to do the same thing as our founders did and effectively build their own family business. Our plan is to be in the top 10 of chartered surveying firms by Christmas and maybe in the top five by this time next year.”

After meeting certain minimum criteria, qualified surveyors who apply to become part of the MCL family will receive a free ‘Business in a Box’, which includes a marketing budget, social media training and management, ongoing CPD allowance, help with business tenders, professional indemnity insurance and investment for hiring more employees.

They will benefit from being part of an increasingly recognised and respected industry name, with operations from Derby to Darlington, Bognor Regis to Bristol and Manchester to Middlesbrough.  In just the last year alone, MCL has seen its turnover increase tenfold.

“We’re definitely breaking the mould in an industry which, although seen as one of the most trustworthy in the housing sector, has also been quite old-fashioned,” said Joe. 

“This modern franchise-style approach is the first of its kind in the UK and will enable independent surveyors or those currently working for other employers to grow and retain more of the income and profit generated by their work.”

Joe added that he would encourage more people to look seriously at becoming qualified chartered surveyors, as it is an industry that is rarely short of work and continues to benefit hugely from the buoyant housing market.

Each new surveyor on MCL’s books is allocated a specific territory in the UK, typically in the region they are already operating.  The ongoing support from MCL will provide members with the backing of a national name to help them establish closer relationships with estate agents and solicitors in their local areas. 

MCL partner Sean McLaughlin, son of the original founders, said: “As McLaughlins, the business gained a solid footing in our birthplace of Stoke many decades ago. Since then, and particularly in the last year, we’ve seen the company expand to many other parts of the UK. 

“The new MCL brand looks set to take us towards even greater success in the future. It’s wonderful to see that our small family firm has not only survived for so long but is set to become one of the major players in the UK surveying sector.”  

To find out more about MCL’s ‘Business in a Box’ opportunities in your area, visit www.mclaughlins-surveyors.co.uk or contact 01782 390108.