14 years of successful franchising with Auditel

Having owned their Auditel franchise for 14 years, William and Vicky Ball (pictured) have seen the franchise grow into a thriving network.

Mr Ball joined Auditel in 1997 and was joined by his wife two years later. The couple had both previously worked in the travel industry, but were already looking for a business opportunity when they came across Auditel. “We both wanted to work together and in our own business,” said Mr Ball. “We were looking for a vehicle to achieve this objective and had considered several retail opportunities, before stumbling on Auditel.

“Vicky told me I could do it and I agreed. It appeared to be a good fit with the kind of work that I had been doing as an employee. To be paid ‘a slice of the action’ was a compelling prospect.”

Over the past 14 years, the Balls believe that the quality of the training and support provided by Auditel has taken a quantum leap to meet the needs of the current network of 200 franchise owners. Mr Ball now acts as a trainer and technical mentor, which involves helping new franchise owners build successful businesses. His strengths in the field of Facilities and Property Management and in a wide range of other business disciplines, including Human Resources, Purchasing, Sales and Marketing, are highly regarded.

As well as this the Balls have developed a diverse portfolio of clients in many areas of the UK and in a wide range of business sectors. Mr Ball has established a reputation in Telecommunications Cost Management and leads the Communications Business Development Team within the network. He said: “Two specifics are building a business based on our network of professional contacts and going on to win Franchisee of the Year as a couple in 2006. We found the vehicle that we were searching for and we have achieved the work/life balance we were aiming to reach.”

As to their future, Mr Ball said: “We have succeeded in building both a wide customer base and a positive reputation within Auditel. The development of our business means that Vicky can now take a back-seat role and provide admin support on a very part-time basis. She can spend more time with the grandchildren and doing voluntary work. Within a year or two, we will have a third renewal of our franchise agreement to consider. At our time of life, retirement is getting closer but it’s great to be in a position where the choice of what we do is ours.”

Published: 10 August 2011

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