ACDC Express success story

Thabo Kgowana, franchisee at ACDC Express Rustenburg, shares his franchising journey.

1. Why did you go down the franchise route?
It is a proven concept that franchises have a higher rate of success in comparison to a startup business. ACDC Express provided a great platform for me to transition into business full time.

2. Why did you choose your franchise?
ACDC Express franchise model allowed me to put my entrepreneurial chutzpah on overdrive. I was able to leverage my expertise, experience, and networks in the electrical industry.

3. What did you do before taking up a franchise?
I worked as an EC&I Engineer in different mining and mineral beneficiation companies for 15 years, both in operations and projects in Sub-Saharan Africa.

4. How did you raise the finance?
I put together all my savings and loans to raise capital to finance the franchise.

5. What training and support did you receive initially and ongoing?
I bought an existing franchise so my training was on the job. I was trained on the franchise systems, and the ongoing support from the franchise operations team has been fantastic.

6. What is a typical day for you as a franchisee?
I’m involved in every aspect of the business and each day presents different challenges. My typical day starts at 5am to 8pm. I spend 80% of my working hours in the store and 20% on meetings with clients.

7. What challenges have you faced?
The past 2 years have been the toughest ever in my life. It has been blood, sweat, and tears at work and melancholic feeling at home due to my absence physically and mentally. Having a supportive partner who understands the vision is of paramount importance for me.

8. Has becoming a franchisee changed your life, if so how?
It has totally changed my life. Entrepreneurship is lonely and work-life balance doesn’t really exist. My life revolves around work and business but most importantly for me, I have grown as a leader and a businessman.

9. What advice would you give to someone thinking of buying their first franchise?
If you are not prepared to roll up your sleeves, get your hands dirty and work for long hours then don’t even think about it, invest your money elsewhere. Again It's equally important to talk to franchisees who shut down and walked away as well.

10.What are your plans for the future?
Empower the employees and build capacity for the store to function without my operational involvement and then open a new one. If you build and invest in employees, they will build a business with high returns.

11.Would you do it again?
YES

Think Electrical, Think ACDC Express.

Looking to buy an Electrical franchise? Look no further. ACDC Expressis the only one stop electrical retail shop for all your electrical products. We offer the widest range of electrical products in South Africa and we’re setting our sights on Africa. With a comprehensive range of over 85 000 individual items, customers have more than enough products to choose from.

For more information contact Mpho Sithole on +27 87 551 0509 / + 27 72 375 0275.