Franchise Interview with Nick Tubb the Head of Franchise Recruitment at Auditel (U.K.)

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In our latest Franchisor Interview, we spoke with Nick Tubb the head of franchise recruitment at Auditel to discuss what makes their franchise opportunity unique and what prospective franchisees can expect when starting an Auditel franchise.

Can you give a little insight to Auditel, first of all?

Auditel is a leading UK business to business, ‘white-collar’ franchise.  It was established in 1994 and initially helped businesses to save money and manage costs around ‘essential services’ such as utilities, telecoms, facilities management.  Over the decades since, it has gone from strength to strength and now offers a full-scope business review to organisations delivering a solution in procurement, supply chain management and business transformation.

Auditel has around 100 franchisees across the UK who collaborate to share information and experience, and who partner together on projects, so they can play to their own strengths, whilst utilising the expertise of others as well.  They can build great businesses, making a difference to clients, whilst building significant six-figure incomes themselves, and having much more control and better work-life balance.

What is your own career background?

NickTubbI started in franchising in late 2000, fresh out of university.  Franchising wasn’t my intended career path, but a local job opportunity saw me offered the position and I was soon working under the tutelage of Robert Allison within an exciting management consultancy business that operated through a franchise structure.  It was extremely interesting and I found meeting prospective franchisees and hearing their career stories particularly fascinating.  It was an excellent learning experience and I took over as Recruitment Manager and we enjoyed a few successful years before I saw an opportunity to set up for myself.

Seeing a ‘gap in the market’ I took the risk myself and started my own business in the franchise industry in 2006, which still runs under management today, working with a multitude of franchisors providing recruitment consultancy, whilst supporting hundreds of new franchisees in starting their own businesses throughout this time.

I was invited to rejoin Auditel in 2019 by my old colleague Chris Aston, who is now MD of Auditel.  The timing felt right for this change, and as Auditel was embarking on an exciting period of transition, and so I was keen to bring my experience to help the Auditel team in their development plans.

What is your biggest achievement at Auditel so far?

It’s just under two years since I rejoined, however, the first six months involved making wholesale changes to strategy, processes and infrastructure for Auditel’s recruitment process.  Despite having a great product, experienced team and successful franchisees, new franchise growth had been slower than planned for several years previously and so there was scope for considerable expansion.

With the thorough revamp complete, and a bespoke franchise research portal having been created to help people conduct their franchise research, despite the challenges of Covid, we welcomed 15 new franchise partners to the Auditel network last year, and there is a significant opportunity for new affiliates well into the future too.

How does Auditel stand out against the competition?

The first factor to bear in mind is that competition is good.  Every successful business has other organisations that compete, and franchising is no different, and nor is business consultancy.  Where there is a difference is that consultancies tend to specialise, and so no two businesses are completely like-for-like.

Perhaps the biggest strength of Auditel is in its network.  No individual consultant can offer the range of services that Auditel can.  By being part of Auditel, franchisees can offer to their client’s powerful solutions thanks to the rich array of experience, skills and talent within the Auditel community.  It also means that any ‘new’ business that seeks to emulate Auditel will struggle to do so as it has taken 28 years to build to this position.  I have seen many companies come and go, trying to emulate Auditel in the franchise industry.

There are many outstanding factors therefore about Auditel, and when you explore Auditel for yourself, if you are considering a professional services franchise, and speak with the key staff, and franchisees, you will likely get the feeling for yourself about why Auditel has that something special about it. Come and find out.

What is the best feedback you have heard about your brand?

There is lots of positive feedback from all sectors.  The banks are incredibly supportive of Auditel, as well as industry professionals – which says a lot.  Auditel has won all sorts of awards over the years too. However, the most important feedback for me personally is from franchisees.  Having originally joined Auditel in 2000, it means that there are still many franchisees in the Auditel network, whom I supported in recruiting back in the early 2000s.  They run successful businesses still today, and hearing how they have achieved their objectives and continue to love their business in some cases 20 years later, is wonderful to hear.

Contrastingly, new franchisees are building their businesses who have recently joined.  The start-up phase is tough of course and takes time, but hearing feedback like when they have secured their first meeting, then their first client, then their first income streams, is fantastic.

Why would you recommend Auditel to people wanting to open a franchise?

Auditel is a highly proven, successful business opportunity.  The key to success can be summarised in two ways: Follow the system, and ‘get on with it!’.  People have built fantastic businesses with a multitude of benefits with Auditel.  It is one of the most successful, recognised and respected franchises available today, and the head office team have over 200 years of experience between them!  There are countless other reasons too, but it’s best to explore Auditel and decide for yourself.

What qualities does the ideal franchisee possess?

Many people look at Auditel and often wrongly feel it has a narrow focus.  I often hear ‘its for accountants’ or ‘number crunchers’ and this is far from the case.  Our content today helps explain the diversity of ‘pathways’ within Auditel, and how you can play to your strengths.  For example, as someone successful and skilful in client acquisition or business development – what could you achieve with offering a service that every business could benefit from, that could be completely self-funding, and where there is huge variety day to day, as well as scope for personal development too?  Couple that with the recognition for making a difference to clients, who see that Auditel are their key to profitability, survival or growth depending on their circumstances.  It’s very exciting.

There are opportunities for sector specialists however as we grow and expand our talent pool, though I look for more about the ‘soft skills’, for example, to consider how any individual would be likely to fare in ‘selling themselves’ when sat in front of a Financial Director.

How long does the process of starting an Auditel franchise take?

The franchise exploration can take anything from four to twelve weeks, though many people are making plans ahead, so sometimes we are speaking with them for several years!  There is a careful research process to go through, nothing is rushed. It is important to thoroughly explore all the options and when the time is right, make the decision.  Of course, there is an element of a ‘leap of faith’ at that point.  I would be more concerned if something didn’t have any nerves that if they do, at that moment!

Once training begins, the initial course is spread over three weeks and then there is an 18-month support programme which continues to include ‘on the job’ training too.  We are a hugely experienced franchisor, so be assured we are going to make sure you have all the training and tools you need to build a great Auditel business.

In what ways do you help Auditel franchisees achieve a healthy work-life balance?

A home-based business where you can scale the business to your desired level is a massive part of the appeal for our franchisees.  No daily commute, not wasted time in meetings, no extensive work travel.  Our franchisees are keen to leave the ‘corporate world’ behind, but not waste their talents and expertise.

Once fully established, many of our franchisees have a great work/life balance, and take extended holidays, balance more ‘family time’ around their day to day.  Several of them can play a lot more golf too!  I mentioned earlier about there being franchisees still successfully operating twenty years later – having a great work/life balance is a massive part of that.

Throw in the potential to earn a significant six-figure income and it’s easy to see why Auditel is a highly attractive franchise for business professionals. I invite anyone who would like to find out more to enquire, and we can provide a free prospectus and access to our franchise portal that has a wide range of content to explore.

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