ORCA Websites continues nationwide expansion

Following a 15-year career in hotel management, working with DeVere, Thistle and Hilton Hotels, Mark Cole has become the latest franchisee to join ORCA Websites. Taking charge of the Sunderland territory, Mark has realised his ambition to run his own business and at the same time spend more time with his wife, Patricia, and their one year old daughter Emma.

Mark said: "It was time to put stop to 12 and 14 hour days, which are usual in hotel management, and invest the customer service experience I'd gained into a new venture. I'd seen the major shift towards online bookings at the hotels I managed so I could see the huge opportunities for a business, which optimised that trend."

ORCA Websites, which creates affordable websites for small businesses, now has more than 60 franchisees and is managing a controlled growth process to recruit for some 440 further territories. As ORCA's Sunderland franchisee, Mark will be responsible for developing a local customer base of traders, retailers and manufacturers, looking to harness the power of internet sales. Mark adds: "I really enjoyed the interactivity of working in the hospitality industry and I loved meeting new people every day, but I was in need of a new challenge and when I came across ORCA Websites I discovered a business opportunity which combined both. I have an ECDI and A+ qualifications in Computer Maintenance but have limited experience in designing websites. However as an ORCA franchisee I don't actually design the websites so it doesn't matter that I have little previous web design experience.

"My role is to act as an interface and find out exactly what the customer needs from their site and brief the design team at the company's headquarters in Leeds. Living locally, I can work with local companies very closely on their requirements, meaning the resulting websites have a truly personal feel.

"Smaller retailers and service providers are facing mounting pressure from chains and out-of-town shopping centres, but over 22 million people use the web every month in the UK, searching for information about goods and services. Over £50 billion was spent online last year. A professional online presence is fast proving to be the small business' saviour, so I know the huge potential ORCA Websites has to offer."