New year, new start


meeting allowing me to meet the people that I had, until that point, only spoken to over the phone. It is a great coming together for ongoing learning and the sharing of best practice. I am thoroughly enjoying the nature


of the work, the business owners I am meeting, and the professional network I am building.


Business Partnership Colin Howell


Colin’s franchise covers North Essex, East Hertfordshire and South Suffolk. He is married to Sarah, who is a director of the business, as well as a full-time teacher.


What did you do before starting your franchising journey? I worked as an accountant and tax specialist for many years before becoming nance director for a group of companies in the healthcare sector. In 2004, I founded a recruitment and


payroll startup, which I grew to a turnover of £50million over a 15-year period. I exited that business in 2018 but found that I wasn’t ready for a life of retirement just yet and was looking for something to ll the gap.


How did you find out about franchising and Business Partnership in particular? I still wanted the autonomy of being my own boss, but this time around I was keen to retain a wider team of people around me, supporting me, but without the


employment and management stresses that come with it. In order to grow my previous business,


I had acquired other businesses. Because of that, and my accountancy background, I found myself being asked for advice on the topic. Selecting a business broker franchise seemed a logical step to take. Business Partnership was simply the one I felt an afnity to with regards to the culture they promote and the people they have as franchisees.


Describe the process for getting on board – how long did it take? Onboarding was dictated by the factors of getting digital and physical stationery and marketing tools created. Training was initially six days spread across three of the most senior partners in order to break up the schedule and to give different perspectives and geographical variations. Following that, there are additional


training days I can request when I am ready for them and the ongoing phone support is always available. In September, I attended my rst national franchisee


How has your life changed since you joined? Having a business where you get out what you put in provides flexibility. eing able to set my own hours enables me to invest time into the business consultancy part of my business.


Any standout moments? Successfully signing up my rst client. n my rst visit, the business owner commented how knowledgeable I was and clearly experienced in business. This was a big condence boost having not had face-to-face new business calls for some time.


What advice would you give to anyone considering a franchise? ou are investing signicant money and you therefore need to be ready to also invest a similar amount of time to build any business venture. It also helps having an established brand when you are selling or pitching for new custom – although you are new, the business isn’t.


What are your ambitions for the future? My aim is to be the go-to person for business sales in my area and to also become part of the management team within the management group.


BUSINESSFRANCHISE.COM 27


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104  |  Page 105  |  Page 106  |  Page 107  |  Page 108  |  Page 109  |  Page 110  |  Page 111  |  Page 112  |  Page 113  |  Page 114  |  Page 115  |  Page 116