I have realised my childhood dream of owning my own business

Compact Vending Solutions : Bill Horn

Area : Central Scotland

When I was made redundant after working in sales for over 30 years, I seized the opportunity to follow my childhood dream of owning my own business.

I looked at a few franchises that were available and I decided to go with Snack-in-the-Box because it is associated with a well-known confectionery brand. Also I felt that my background in sales would help me with this sort of business.

Before launching my Snack-in-the-Box franchise in 2007, which covers central Scotland, I underwent one week of training at SITB Head Office. The training was a mixture of classroom-based learning where SITB taught me all aspects of running my own business, from basic accounts and VAT through to ordering stock and how the offer the service.

The rest was spent going out on the road with another franchise owner. In addition to the training I have always had very good support from the team at head office.

I want to concentrate on growing my business and I have recently taken on 20 extra machines and I am looking to take on another 20. My son, Douglas, has shown an interest in the business. He is currently taking driving lessons and once he has a licence he will join me on the road playing an active part in running the family business.