Father & Son Team Open Up The East For Cloudy2Clear

Father and son team Eddie and Andy Kerridge are seeing their East Anglia branch of Cloudy2Clear Windows go from strength to strength.

The decor franchise, which replaces windows which are steamed up, broken or damaged at the fraction of the cost of conventional double glazing is really establishing itself in its first year.

"I spotted the Cloudy2Clear franchise around 18 months ago," comments Andy. "I’m originally from East Anglia and had been working away in Sheffield for some time. I liked the idea of being able to work in a local business and one which would also allow me to move back home. I’ve never been in business before though, so I was keen for my Dad to be involved in some way."

This has proved to be a wise choice. Eddie was able to put a different perspective on things and also undertake some intricate due diligence. "When Andy came to me with the idea I could see why he would be interested straight away," says Eddie, "but at the end of the day I didn’t want to see my son rush into something out of pure enthusiasm which wouldn’t stack up. I’ve had businesses myself previously so I was able to ask Cloudy2Clear some pretty searching questions on how the business would work based on my own experience. We didn’t rush things and only when we were both completely satisfied did we agree to come on board."

It’s a decision which now, according to Andy, seems to be beginning to pay dividends. "We started last August and we’re now seeing the business really taking off in less than 12 months. I suppose in some ways I’m lucky in that I have both Cloudy2Clear and my Dad to call on when I need help and advice. Dad knows his stuff but Cloudy2Clear are also able to give me the icing on the cake with the information on what works for other franchisees. Only a couple of months ago they identified a small change which I needed to make. We implemented it and the business has just taken off like a rocket."

Great news indeed but how does Eddie feel his does he feel his son is getting on? "I’m very proud of Andy and the way he has approached this venture. Any business is tough in the early days but he has shown me that he has what it takes to be a successful businessman. He listens and he takes on board advice that he is given. It might not sound much but I’ve met many people in my life who just ignore those who try to help them and just go with what they think is best, regardless of the facts. I’ll always be around for him as we’re a team but I’m more than happy taking more of a back seat and I really enjoy getting my hands dirty on the fitting side of things and chatting with the customers so as long as things carry on improving I’m more than happy."

As for the future Andy has big plans, "When we came into this we bought the Ipswich and Colchester territory but things have gone so well we’ve already started to test market the Norwich area with a long-term view to opening a second branch there as well. Cloudy2Clear are more than happy to support us in this but they have made it clear that they don’t want us to try and expand too quickly and take too much on until they feel we are ready and that’s a decision I respect. Let’s be fair, it would be dead easy for them to just take our money and watch us fall flat on our faces but that’s not the sort of organisation they are. We have a timetable laid out and I’m really looking forward to replicating our Ipswich and Colchester success in Norwich. The future is very exciting indeed."