When Daryn Dodge (pictured) left a well paying job to launch an Auditel franchise, he knew he was taking a risk, but nearly 10 years on and he has no regrets.
Dodge was working for a USA-based software company when he began looking into starting his own business to enable him to spend more time with his young family. “The money was incredible and I loved the responsibility, but my personal life didn’t figure anywhere,” said Dodge. “I had three young daughters but never seemed to see them and it didn’t take long to realise there’s more to life than just collection Air Miles. There were problems at work too. The final straw was when we lost a multi-million pound contract because we couldn’t agree over bringing in a designer.
“Giving up a very lucrative job when you have a young family is a big decision and I knew I had to get it right. So, I sat down and made two lists. The first was of personal goals, such as wanting a change of lifestyle, wanting to take control of my own destiny and to spend more time with my family and so on. I still look at these from time to time, just to make sure I don’t lose sight of why I’m doing what I do. The second list was of 20 criteria that my business would have to meet; including the long-term, the ability to operate from home, flexible hours and compatibility with a social life.”
Dodge also felt that a franchise would provide more security than an independent start up. “The only one that met all these factors was Auditel and I’ve never regretted my decision to join the network,” he said. “In fact, if I had the chance to wind back the clock, I’d make the same decision again because Auditel has exceeded all my expectations. That’s not to say there haven’t been challenges along the way. Nobody should be under any illusion that buying a franchise is a substitute for hard work and commitment but there is a lot of support available from head office. The network also helps you over the bumps. The financial and personal rewards are worth all the effort.
“Friends who still work for big firms ask me whether I ever feel worried about working for myself. I can honestly tell them that I’ve never felt more secure than I do now. My future is within my control.”
Published: 8 February 2011
Back to news