Special Feature


What attracted you to working together as a family? We have a great relationship both in and outside work. We all have diff erent strengths and know each other extremely well. We are very loyal and supportive of one another.


What are the challenges? We all have strong personalities and don’t always compromise with one another. It’s therefore important to recognise and respect each other’s views and opinions, as we all have value to add in the decisions we make.


Anytime Fitness Sophie Hoyle


Sophie operates the Anytime Fitness club in Knutsford, Cheshire.


Do you each have natural roles? Yes, my brother, James, and I cover all of the customer-facing and operational roles. My sister, Melissa, covers central functions, such as HR and fi nance, so it works welll.


How has it aff ected family relations? Our business has brought us closer together as a family. There are always going to be tough times but we go through them together in the same way we celebrate our success.


How do you ensure communication and not taking work home with you? It is always hard to switch off and, as a family, we have always worked together. So over the years, whenever we are out together socially, things just generally merge well. We never switch off , our businesses are 24/7 and so are we, but that is what we enjoy. My sister recently had a baby and she was actually working the night before she gave birth and was answering emails the next day.


How did Anytime Fitness help you? Anytime Fitness is a natural fi t for our family, as it focuses on convenience and aff ordable fi tness, while providing excellent customer service and a friendly feel. Excellent customer service has always been our ethos and we feel this is something that is at the core of Anytime Fitness. We have had fantastic support and guidance from Anytime Fitness, so much so that we are opening a further two gyms in the new year. We also have plans for more in the future.


looked for in a franchisor – trustworthiness and transparency. Any franchisor with these qualities has to be a winning formula and integral to anyone considering buying into their business model. Plus, I wanted to be part of Caremark’s vision of success.


Why did you decide to go into business with a family member?


I believe that keeping the business within the family is the secret to success. I wanted to secure the future of the business within the family, so this suited both us and the franchisor.


Caremark Bipin Patel


Bipin is the managing director of Caremark Wokingham and Bracknell, which he bought with his family in 2010, and Caremark Croydon, which he took over in 2014.


Why franchising and why with Caremark? Caremark for me had the qualities that would support me to achieve the success that I wanted. At an early stage, I found Caremark had all the ingredients that I


How do you divide the work? As we all have diff erent qualities, knowledge and abilities, it is quite straightforward to apportion the work. However, I feel it is crucial not to talk about work in our leisure time or take it home. Keeping those professional boundaries is really important and reminds us of our individual responsibilities within the business.


What are the benefi ts of working with family?


Following a tried-and-tested franchise model enables us as a family to utilise our individual talents in the best possible way, pool our resources and work as a strong team towards achieving our own success.


With set policies and procedures already in place, we don’t waste time arguing over minutiae, which allows us time to be creative and discuss the most productive way forward.


Why do you think working with family works for you?


As individual members of the family, we are clear in respect of our personal responsibilities and accountability; as long as these rules are set from the word go and no favouritism is allowed to creep in, it will work. I also believe that having diff erent generations taking part in the success of the business is a powerful formula for continued growth.


Have you worked with a family member before? Yes, in my earlier career I worked with family and it worked very well, which is why I wished to continue in the same vein with my Caremark franchise.


Would you recommend franchising with family in this sector? Franchising is a great option, as it gives the family a set of rules to follow. But equally it allows each individual to play to their strengths and develop as business professionals, while bringing a positive outcome to the whole enterprise.


November 2016 | BusinessFranchise.com | 41


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