David Nicoll, Certax, Daventry

I had spent 10 years working in London when I decided that I had had enough of the long daily commute. I looked at my opportunities and decided that I would go for it and work for myself.

I began to look at the range of franchises available and even thought about the possibilities of starting up my own business from scratch. However when I found out about Certax, I realised that this was the opportunity I was looking for.

It was the support that really appealed to me. I knew that with Certax I would always have the benefit of the advice, guidance and second opinion that the franchisor would provide. It made the prospect of starting a business a lot less daunting and I knew the Certax support structure would increase my chances of success. Speaking to established Certax franchisees was extremely helpful and I received a very positive response. The franchisees' enthusiasm and belief in the business clinched the deal for me.

The training showed me exactly how to go about setting up, marketing and securing clients for a new accountancy practice - it went into great detail regarding the Certax business model. I've closely followed the Certax system and in my first year I've broken previous performance records by signing more than double the amount of work that is usually projected. All I did to achieve this was to do what Certax told me to do - just follow their advice and stick to the business plans - it has really worked.

In launching the business in January 2006, Certax helped with much of the marketing and made sure I was confident in securing new customers. I've been able to continue developing a strong client-base due to the many potential sources for business out there. I'm looking to expand even more within the next couple of years and am looking forward to a successful future.