Day in the life
Out and about A
fter 17 years in the police force, Nicola Collis-Smith decided she wanted to look at a career change that allowed her to spend
more time with her family while building a valuable business. She launched the South Wales franchise with NIC Services Group in 2016 with her daughter, Charlotte. Not only does she now run an extremely successful business but she also has the fl exibility and work-life balance that she set out to achieve. Here’s a look at a typical day.
7.00am
I start the day by getting the family organised, making sure everyone has breakfast and getting my son ready for school. I also fi t in a quick check of my emails while I’m having breakfast.
8.30am
I’m lucky enough that, since starting my franchise business, I am now able to take my son to school every morning, which was something I was very rarely ever able to do during my career with the police force.
9.00am
I arrive back at the offi ce ready to start my working day fully. I will read and respond to any emails and make any phone calls required to both my team and to any clients. While I’m in the offi ce catching up with the admin, Charlotte is out on the road carrying out audits as required with our clients to ensure the contracts are all running smoothly.
10.00am
Charlotte and I will usually touch base around this time to discuss any challenges that may have arisen and to discuss our plans for the day.
11.00am
Once all the admin has been caught up with, I will usually go out on a site visit. Today, I am visiting one of my clients, a wedding venue where we provide a full cleaning service for the site. I am meeting with the client to ensure that everything is running to plan and also to catch up with my team.
12.30pm
I arrive back at the offi ce. My offi ce manager, Joanne, has now arrived, so we sit down for a catch-up meeting. I also grab a quick coff ee and catch up on any emails and phone calls.
1.30pm
I often attend networking events as a way to build contacts and create new business. Today, I am attending a ladies’ networking lunch in Cardiff , which is a fantastic opportunity to boost my network of potential clients. The great thing about the cleaning industry is that almost everyone you meet at these events is a potential client, as they all have some form of premises that will require cleaning.
3.00pm
While I’m in Cardiff I am visiting a potential client, a large retail distribution centre. I discuss with them their current issues to ensure I can address these within my
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BusinessFranchise.com | October 2017 4.00pm
I go pick my son up from school and take him home. I enjoy being able to pick him up every day and it gives us the chance to catch up on what he’s been up to that day.
4.30pm
I will have one last check of my emails and a quick catch up with Charlotte to check there’s been no challenges that need my attention. Then, it’s time to start preparing the evening meal and back to being a busy mum.
www.nicfranchise.co.uk
proposal and provide a solution. I am given a tour of the building, which allows me the chance to measure the fl oor space to accurately quote the job using NIC’s unique custom-built quoting tool. I always ensure I produce my quotes quickly and return to present them to the client.
Charlotte Collis-Smith, NIC business development director Peter Rob, and Nicola Collis-Smith
Nicola Collis-Smith runs the South Wales branch of NIC Services Group. Here, she reveals an action-packed day…
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