When experienced businessman, David Thompson, was looking for a new business venture he found the perfect opportunity with BCR Associates.
Prior to joining BCR Associates, Thompson had a varied career including working in the NHS, as a management trainer and consultant, and owning a home care franchise. In March 2011, Thompson decided that he wanted a new business venture and began looking into franchising again.
Thompson said: “I was committed to running my own business and was looking for an opportunity where I could flex my entrepreneurial muscle while also building on my proven ability to respect a tried and tested successful franchise formula. For me there was really no question that another franchise was the best option, having owned a franchise before I can see the clear benefits of a proven business model that is successful. It really is quite straightforward, if you follow the same model, you too will enjoy the same success. A franchise is a way of not reinventing the wheel and there is also the huge added benefit of having access to endless support and expertise from the franchise’s head office.”
While attending the Franchise Exhibition in London, Thompson came across BCR Associates and had a long discussion with its co-founder Chris Battin. Thompson said: “After walking away and looking at what other businesses were doing, I came back to the stand after an hour to check out a few finer details. For me there are two clear points of difference, which make BCR Associates stand apart from other competitors. The first is the fact that no charge is made to the customer for the initial review and the second, and arguably most important, is that 100 per cent of the savings are passed onto the client. In my mind, that makes for an incredibly powerful – and ultimately very honest – business proposition.”
In order to be certain that the BCR Associates business model worked, Thompson agreed to ‘test’ the concept on three companies, which included an accountancy practice, a large printing company and a national factoring company. It was only after seeing the professional reports and the scale of savings which were being recommended, coupled with the impressive feedback from ‘professionals in the field’ i.e. the accountancy firm and factoring company, that Thompson finally felt comfortable following his instincts and accepting that he had found the right franchise.
Once the decision had been made, Thompson was invited to take part in the next training session. “In addition to the actual core business model, one of the other motivating factors which contributed to my decision to purchase a BCR Associates franchise was the clear commitment the company has to the training of its franchise owners. Not only is the training very comprehensive, it has been specifically developed to deliver a fast start launch programme for your business to ensure that you can start trading as quickly as possible to help recover your initial investment and get you on your way to reaching your business targets.”
The total training package amounts to 120 days but the initial intensive eight day training session is designed to equip the franchise owner with the tools to get started, with onoing back up and support available from head office. As a former training himself, Thompson was impressed with the planning, energy and enthusiasm associated with the BCR Associates training he had received to date.
Thompson said: “The initial training provided me with the confidence to start trading and while there were natural gaps in my knowledge I knew that I could always rely on the huge bank of technical expertise and advice that is available 24/7 from head office to back me up during the early launch phase of my business. Like all training programmes, it is imperative that you always check on your learning objectives at the start and finish of every session – and that you identify areas where you know you are going to need extra guidance in the future. Certainly the training (which is part of the franchise package) represents excellent value for money, but at BCR Associates training is seen very much as an ongoing process and the programme is constantly evolving based upon feedback from franchise owners. Training is not restricted to enhancing technical expertise either, recently the franchise network benefited from a combination of one-to-one coaching and group training sessions designed to equip each franchise owner with a range of simple, yet powerful tools to develop a secure and solid framework conducive to achieving significant future business growth. This one to one training has been particularly constructive and has helped me define my individual targets.”
Thompson officially started trading at the end of July 2011 and reports a favourable response to the BCR Associates proposition. “When I am in front of a client describing the service, the feedback is good. The challenge lies in not only converting these meetings but also in identifying a highly credible network of professional advisors whose recommendations have the potential to deliver a regular source of income. Translating the positive reception from professionals into clear referrals is my priority and I am passionate about achieving this. I would always advise any would-be franchise owners to have a vision as to what their personal long-term goal is for the franchise. For me it is simple, to build a business which ultimately my son can take over – with this in mind I have a clear benchmark for evaluating my success.”
Published: 20 March 2012
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