Medics on the Move Franchisee Interview - Jenny Stone, Oxford City
How long have you been operating Medics on the Move?
Bought the Oxford territory 2 years ago
Are you from your territory originally?
Moved to Buckingham (around 27 miles away from Oxford) from South Wales in 1976 through my husband’s work.
What did you do before Medics on the Move?
I did not have a job while the children were young, but worked from home dressmaking, which is something I did before they were born. Once the children were in full time education I worked part-time in marketing in Milton Keynes, then went on to full time in Buckingham which is when Brian Blue and I started working together.
Describe your typical day…
A typical day starts at around 7am checking emails and doing anything that needs concentration until the phone calls start around 8.30. The day can then be anything and anywhere. I often work in Bicester in Brian’s home so that I am nearer to Oxford and can go out to do viewings from there as a drive to Oxford from Buckingham takes from 45 minutes to an hour depending on the area.
What do you look forward to at work?
What do I look forward to? A glass of wine on a Friday night! Seriously, everything, I enjoy the fact that I am never bored and everything can change from one hour to the next. Who works in your business with you? I started off the Oxford area, as Brian has a consultancy and was doing a lot of college work, but he started helping a lot relatively soon as the business took off far faster than we thought it would. Brian bought an adjoining territory, now we have Vanessa, Brian’s Daughter as well and she has taken a huge amount of the load from both of us. What is the high point of a typical week? That glass of wine on a Friday
What do you do in your spare time?
What spare time? Milton Keynes has a very good theatre and I go there with various friends 2 or 3 times a year. I also help on the RHS stand at Chelsea, but had to miss it this year. Other than that, it is playing with grand children a fantastic way to forget about everything.
What is your ambition?
Ambition is to get to a point where we can have a manager and retire (well sort of). What has been your most enjoyable experience? Most enjoyable moment – there isn’t one. There are loads, every time we find the right property for someone, the right tenant for a landlord, when someone is really delighted with what we have done. When I look at the bank balance! If you could offer one tip to someone following in your footsteps, what would it be? A tip would be to take on help as soon as you need it – do not wait until you are ready to drop!
How do you stay motivated?
I am very driven and my personal motivation is doing the very best for each client and seeing a big smile– may sound a bit cheesy but quite true.
Jenny Stone: August 2007
