Sarah Cadwaladr is no stranger to working with reputable brands. She spent years building her career at major household names such as Selfridges, Chester Racecourse and Manchester United, and now she’s chosen Pass the Keys as the place to begin her next chapter.
Just one week into launching her franchise in Chester, Sarah shares what attracted her to the property management network, the support she’s received so far from head office and fellow franchisees and her ambitions to expand into multiple territories, both in the UK and abroad.
Entering the franchise world
Sarah comes from a strong client management background, most recently overseeing the team responsible for Manchester United’s high net worth executive members.
She loved her job, but after having two children, she needed a role that would fit around her family life.
“Working in football, by its very nature, is a seven-day-a-week commitment, and as account manager with a customer-facing role, I needed to be at the stadium when there was a match on, including on weekends,” Sarah explains.
“When my first born, Ollie, was born in 2012, this was more manageable, but when Lara came along and Ollie started school, that was my time to leave. I didn’t want to be the mum that wasn’t there.”
In 2016, joined Puddle Ducks, a network of franchises providing swimming lessons for babies and toddlers.
“It was a term-time only business, so it meant I could drop the children at school, pick them up and be around at weekends. Admittedly, I was always on call, but I wasn’t over in Manchester working a 12-14 hour day,” Sarah says.
“It was a life choice, and it worked brilliantly,” she adds.
Nearly 10 years on, Sarah was ready for a new challenge, having grown her team to the point where they could run the business confidently without her day-to-day involvement.
Sarah knew she wanted to stay in franchising, but it was important for her to find the right brand to continue that journey.
“Franchising works for me because you’re supported by technical experts. There’s no way I could successfully run a business on top of building and staying on top of all that specialist knowledge,” she says.
“But you have to have the right set-up and the right team behind you – I’m a big believer in the power of brand and the pull of a strong reputation, having worked with Manchester United, Chester Racecourse and Selfridges throughout my career,” she says.
The appeal of Pass the Keys
So, what was it about Pass the Keys that appealed to the successful entrepreneur?
“For me, Pass the Keys is young and really forward-thinking. It’s ahead of the game in terms of AI and it’s a journey I’m excited to be on,” she says.
Sarah is referring to Pass the Key’s AI-powered technology, which streamlines daily tasks and allows franchise partners to focus on scaling their businesses, providing quality services and building lasting relationships with their clients.
“Because the head office has invested in systems and algorithms, we can respond very quickly to market trends, ensuring that our hosts get the most out of letting their properties,” she continues.
Sarah was also impressed with the franchisor’s senior leadership team, including Founder and CEO Alex Lyakhotskiy and Franchise Partnership Manager, Sabrina Hussain.
“Alex is so keen and driven to succeed and it’s very easy to subscribe to that. That’s what I want in a franchisor,” she says.
“Sabrina has also been great. We had a really good conversation when I first inquired about Pass the Keys – she was really personable, open and honest.
“She didn’t try to sell me the franchise – it felt like it was just as important for her and the team that I was the right fit for them as they were the right fit for me, so that was reassuring.”
Training and support
Describing the support she has received from Pass the Keys’ head office, one week into launching her franchise, Sarah says: “I’ve had enormous amounts of training and support from different departments. I went up to York to spend time with a Franchise Manager to get under the skin of it all before being let loose, and I also met with the sales team in London.”
“I’ve probably asked more questions than I have asked in my life, but the answers are always there,” she adds. “It’s nice to be learning new skills with the full support of the franchisor.”
Sarah also already benefitted from the strength of the Pass the Key’s network, having attended its annual two-day conference in January.
“I was invited to attend before I joined the business and it was really useful,” she explains. “I’ve also spoken to neighbouring franchisees in Anglesey, Manchester and Shropshire, which is great – we have a bit of a North-West hub going on.
“So, even though we’re all working remotely, in different parts of the country, I’m seeing people weekly, which makes me feel I’m part of something bigger.”
Scaling the business
Sarah is currently learning the ropes of her new Pass the Keys franchise, familiarising herself with everything from IT systems to cleaning rotas. But she already has plans in place to scale the Chester business.
“I’d like to recruit an operations assistant pretty quickly and once I’ve got my head around everything, we’ll be able to scale – the plan is to grow into a multi-unit business,” she says.
Sarah also dreams of opening an overseas territory, an ambition Pass the Keys empowers its network of franchisees to achieve.
“My eldest is 14, so in a few years’ time he will be off to university and we might move abroad,” she enthuses.
“We’ve always wanted to travel, and Pass the Keys has territories all over, including Spain, so as long as we have the backing of a proven business model and the infrastructure in place, I feel I could take it anywhere.”