Stockport-based Ray Anderson joined the Auditel Cost Management Franchise last month. Prior to this, he had held senior operational management roles for the Police, Serious and Organised Crime Agency and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. He had worked in the UK as a senior Police Officer based in Manchester and overseas in Diplomatic consultancy roles in West ,South and Southern Africa.
Ray recalls: “I retired from Law Enforcement and my next ambition was to run my own business. I did lots of research. I was looking for a franchise with the best reputation and the best record of looking after their franchisees. Auditel was up there and had won prizes. I wanted a business-to-business franchise and Auditel was the one for me.”
Asked about the training, Ray replied: “It was intensive, but very enjoyable and my attention was held for the whole time. The presenters were impressive. All of them had experience of being franchisees - and being successful franchisees. This gave them great credibility. All in all, it was challenging. I have learned a lot and feel very motivated!”
Ray says that the way business is done now is changing rapidly. Rising costs mean that decision makers are having to be innovative in order to make profits. Increasingly, the need to outsource specialists in cost reduction is being recognised as a viable option to add value to a business. Auditel can provide that outsourced specialist knowledge. They have a client base of more than 3,600 satisfied customers to testify to their expertise.
“My career was in Law Enforcement and Intelligence which involved investigating the UK's most ruthless and sophisticated criminals and pursuing them around the globe to do so. Out of necessity this type of work required me to have highly developed project management and leadership skills. Managing for example, a project encompassing law enforcement and intelligence agencies spanning the US, South America, Africa, Europe and Asia is one project that springs to mind. As you can imagine, projects of this type are not without their challenges.
“As is the norm in the public sector, such projects still had to be implemented under severe budgetary constraints. So I am acutely aware of costs and how they affect the ability to do business. The good news is that I now pursue cost savings for my clients with the same enthusiasm and determination that I did when pursuing criminals - and I always got my man!”
Matt Sidwell, Auditel’s Director of Network Development – UK and Ireland, adds: “More and more people are looking to run their own business but setting up from scratch is not for the fainthearted. Statistics show that one in three new businesses fail within the first three years. This is why so many who want to reap the benefits of running their own endeavours, opt for the tried and tested franchise route. Working for yourself, within a well-known and proven brand, gives a much greater chance of success, as well as the satisfaction of being your own boss."
Franchising is therefore a superb opportunity for any management professional seeking a change in their career. It’s a huge industry with an annual turnover of £13.7 billion employing nearly 600,000 people. The latest survey indicates that 92% of franchisees are profitable.
Auditel still have places in their network for newcomers to become highly-skilled and valued cost management consultants in the company of over 200 like-minded colleagues. We welcome visitors to our free Discovery Seminars. You can meet the Head Office Team, hear about franchising and ask as many questions as you like.