Exiting the franchise on a high after 13 years, we take an insider look at the incredible, full circle story of the couple behind award-winning FASTSIGNS Hammersmith – and it’s been quite the roller coaster ride!

If you’ve been reading our blogs for a while now, you will have come across Simon & Friederike more than a few times. They’ve won several of our biggest network accolades, including Franchisee of the Year, and Comprehensive Customer Solutions awards, as well as growing to become one of our most profitable centres.

Many of our partners stay in their businesses for more than one term, but because they’re growing with the future in mind, there comes a time to implement their exit strategy. It’s always a bittersweet moment, but it means we’ve empowered them to achieve their longer-term goals. But there are also occasions when life determines a need to exit a business, as was the case for Simon and Friederike, who needed to return to Simon’s home in Australia.  

Their business story is a tale of the perfect franchise growth, filled with challenges and obstacles we worked hard to overcome together, so they could build something impressive.

How it all began…
You can read more about their story in their case study but, in a nutshell, Simon and Friederike bought FASTSIGNS Hammersmiths from its previous owner in 2011. Newly married in Dubai, and moving to the UK with dreams of starting a new business, a FASTSIGNS franchise was the perfect opportunity for them to play to their individual strengths: Simon as an investment banker, and Friederike as a consulting landscape architect.

Like many new franchisees, they’d had no experience in signage before opening their business. But this was no obstacle, thanks to the comprehensive training they both received from the FASTSIGNS head office in Dallas. We also paired them with one of our best mentors, Mark Phelps owner of FASTSIGNS Kingston upon Thames, and they quickly soaked up everything they needed to know about the industry. As a result, their new business thrived.

Overcoming challenges
Over the next 9 years, FASTSIGNS Hammersmith became one of our most successful franchise centres, but their journey wasn’t without a few serious bumps in the road. In 2018, the centre lost a major client and 30% of their business disappeared overnight. However, instead of panicking, Simon picked called the FASTSIGNS UK Support Team to ask for help. Working closely with his dedicated Business Consultant, they restructured their business plan, diversified their customer base, and FASTSIGNS Hammersmith was soon back on track.

All was going well, until 2020; we’re sure we don’t have to remind you what a year that was! However, what started out as a crisis rapidly turned into an opportunity, as we mobilised our resources, and embarked on a new era for the network, and how we diversified our franchise model.  

Signage was essential for keeping the public safe, and our network saw a huge increase in demand for everything from floor graphics to social distancing signage. Everyone within FASTSIGNS came together to help each other adapt to the new normal, and franchisees like Simon and Friederike were instrumental in helping other franchisees by provide materials, signage and encouragement for the network, as their centre had more scope than some of our other, newer, centres.

Building for the future
It wasn’t just professional goals we helped Simon and Friederike focus on over the years, but personal ones, too. We encouraged them to keep making changes to ensure both they, and their teams, felt they were getting the most out of the business in terms of lifestyle as well as profit. They designed their workspace as an open-plan environment to encourage collaboration, empowered their team through ongoing training, and embraced franchise-wide initiatives, like hiring additional salespeople to unlock new revenue streams.

Their commitment and resilience paid off. FASTSIGNS Hammersmith grew by a remarkable 343.6% between 2010 and 2024.

Time to initiate their exit strategy
Sooner than anticipated, it was time for Simon and Friederike to plan for their next chapter: a move back to Australia to be closer to Simon’s parents. With our support, they carefully structured a two-year exit plan and, when the perfect buyer came along, we guided them through every step of the sale and legal transfer process.

Their story is a reminder that FASTSIGNS is about so much more than just signs. We’re about people: your hopes and dreams, and how much is possible for you to achieve when we work together. As we bid the Slees farewell and wish them well on their new adventure, we’re excited about supporting our new franchisee, who has just invested in the remarkable FASTSIGNS Hammersmith Centre – he has a strong foundation from which he can grow his business even further!

Where could a FASTSIGNS franchise take you?
Let’s chat about your plans, today.