The Business Inspector visits Zap Events

A WARWICK-based business is to appear on TV next week after appealing for help from a well-known business expert.

Gary Martin, founder of Zap Events Hire, was struggling amidst mounting paperwork and rough economic conditions and felt he was in need of expert advice.

A friend suggested he contact the TV production company behind the Channel 5 programme ‘The Business Inspector’, where struggling entrepreneurs get advice from Hilary Devey, the founder and chairman of The Pall-Ex Group.

“They approached a friend of mine but they weren’t quite right for the show, so they said to me why don’t you contact them and so I went down for a screen test,” explains Martin.

“We’d had a really difficult year, the events market fell by 30% and as the industry fell so did the business.”

Martin was considering franchising his company but was uncertain how to approach it, but as this was the method by which Devey had created her £100m business it was a perfect match.

“Hilary Devey is an expert in franchising and I was looking forward for a way to franchise our product so it really worked,” Martin says.

Devey suggested that Martin focused on one area in particular of his multi-faceted business, decorative table centres, which were proving a real money spinner at themed corporate events. She also pushed him to get his back-end office into order and tighten up his organisation as a whole.

“I think one of the main things was that we had lots of random stuff and she said we should really focus on the tables centres. It has only been a month but the results have been amazing.  

“Rather than sitting back we have really attacked the market and things are looking pretty good now.”

For her part, Devey was impressed by Martin on a personal level but thought that he needed more commercial nouse.

“When I first met Gary he was doing OK but was lacking commercialism and direction,” she says.

“He has tonnes of enthusiasm and was unsure how to take the next step.  I advised him on branding, marketing and franchising.”

She now believes that the refocused company is going to succeed.  

“Gary has created a great concept with table art and with the correct franchise agreement in place his business will thrive.”

The Business Inspector airs on Channel 5 on Wednesday March 17 at 8pm.