Paul Woosnam has had quite the journey to become a Snap-on Franchise Owner in New Zealand

It takes guts to pack your belongings in a container and tell your dad, “I’ll let you know where to send it.” But that’s just what Snap-on Regional Franchisee of the Year for 2022, Paul Woosnam, did with his partner when they set off across the world well over a decade ago.
Paul and his partner were originally based in the UK working in various roles before realising the pace was getting too much. A decision was made to take a break for a year, and they ended up in Australia. This is when a chance conversation led him to Snap-on and eventually to Christchurch in New Zealand.
After checking out the Snap-on Sydney office and then heading over to New Zealand, starting his own Snap-on franchise happened fairly quickly for Paul.
“There was a lot of hands-on teaching, which when you’re green, was brilliant. After ten days of training in the US, I literally landed back home, picked my truck up, and the next day was on the road, with support directly by my side for three weeks in the truck. It was great. The onboarding process was slick,” Paul said.
Without a background in the auto industry – Paul’s previous life in the UK was across retail – Paul’s journey is testament to how a Snap-on franchise can be a career change and complements various industry backgrounds. For Paul, the business skills he developed over many years in the UK came to the fore when running his own business.
“The difference with Snap-on compared to starting a business from scratch is that solid foundation. If you set up your own business, you have to do everything: branding, logos, websites, business plans, you name it. But with Snap-on as a franchisee, you have that ready for you and everyone is there to support you 100 percent. There isn’t a day that goes by where I’m not touching base with someone in the network or with support staff,” Paul said.
Paul saw quick success as Rookie Franchisee of the Year and now Regional Franchisee of the Year. Reflecting on his two awards, he says they are due to his immediate dedication to hard work when joining as a franchisee, as well as how useful his prior experience came to be running the business.

A day in the life
“My week kicks off on a Sunday night. I get my prelist ready for Monday so I can just get up and go the next day. Most of my days, I’m out of the house before seven and they are relatively long days. My deliveries come Friday night and so I sort that out on the weekend. The more turnover there is, the bigger the volume of off-truck work,” Paul said.
Paul is up there as one of Snap-on’s most experienced franchisees in New Zealand. Not mincing his words, he responds instantly when asked what he thinks is key to succeeding as a franchisee with the brand.
“Easy. Do what you say you’re going to do. If you say you’re going to ring someone back, ring them. If you say you’re going to deliver, then deliver. The Snap-on program is solid and it gives you the chance to create relationships and be personable. Here in New Zealand, we don’t have that level of competition like elsewhere, but our customers still have options. Being true to your word and paying attention to your client is key to keeping and building your business,” Paul said.
Snap-on welcomes enquiries from those interested in becoming a Snap-on franchisee and encourages those from diverse backgrounds to get in touch.

For more information, visit www.snapontools.com.au