Realising that running his own business was the route for him, Nick set about finding his ideal white-collar franchise.

From a variety of franchise opportunities, Nick and his wife Teresa discovered an interest in the property sector with Northwood standing out in particular. Without any prior experience in the property market, training, support and guidance was a key factor in their choice: "My initial training was over a period of five weeks," reflects Nick. "It was comprehensive, very good and just what we needed to set us up."

Given the opportunity to talk to other Northwood franchisees, Nick was able to gain a better understanding of the business. "Northwood are very professional with a strong image," he reflects. "Their unique selling point is their Platinum rental scheme and with my marketing background I could see this would generate a good number of leads for us - which it has."

Nick launched his Wokingham franchise in June last year. "Northwood made sure we had everything set up correctly from day one with a proven model of property management. They let us make our own decisions giving us a considerable degree of independence, yet they are there to answer questions if you should need the help."