Proving you’ve got the drive to be your own boss
A FRANCHISE can swiftly help you change profession.
Boyd Willoughby, the Dartford franchisee with van-based valeting franchise Autosmart, was previously the corporate international sales manager with an IT company.
‘There was lots of pressure and travelling so, when I was offered voluntary redundancy, I took it. I’m a car fanatic and it was a chance to start a business in an industry that I love, and to work with my wife Tina.’
Boyd, 56, says: ‘ It was a big career change, but I use a lot of the relationship building and management skills from my sales career. They have helped build the business to more than 400 customers in three years.’
Sarah Moore, franchising and recruitment manager at Autosmart, says: ‘Our franchisees come from varied backgrounds, from firefighters to bank managers. You need no automotive sector experience, but we look for hands- on people motivated to make the business a success.’
Autosmart has existing franchise areas for resale from £12,000.
franchises are run according to detailed instructions from operations manuals, so experience in the sector is not essential.
Sukh Chamdal, founder of the Eggless Cake Box franchise, says: ‘Our franchisees include people from IT, pharmaceuticals, surgery and engineering — but, regardless of background, our franchisees must be willing to follow our system and be capable of people and business management.’
Sukhy Bains, the Nottingham franchisee, says: ‘My experiences in recruitment, education and as a mum have given me sales and management skills that help me run the business.’ Investment is £100,000.
Tom Edwards, the new Driver Hire Maidstone and Medway franchisee, says: ‘I was a police officer, but I’d run my own business before and wanted to get back to it.’
Driver Hire franchisees include former accountants, bankers, hoteliers and even an actor.
Driver Hire franchise sales director Graham Duckworth says: ‘It is not about what you’ve done before, but about attitude and determination to succeed. Skills learnt from previous employment can help.’ Investment is £40,000
Autosmart 01543 482 926; eggless Cake Box 01708 728 774; Driver Hire 01274 361 073.