Bristol-based Mike and Luisa Keig joined the Auditel Cost Management Franchise in September 2010. Mike had spent 20 years in Engineering and Packaging Business Development and General Management. This had enabled him to develop a broad range of commercial experience. Luisa had held a number of Senior Graphic Design roles within design and marketing agencies, before starting her own successful design business in 2003.

They decided that they wanted to work together in their own business, but it was challenging to find something which could bring together their distinctive talents. Mike recalls: “So, we looked for an opportunity in a completely different industry where our skills would be an asset - mine in sales and Luisa’s in project management. We felt that Auditel fitted the criteria well.”

Luisa says: “We came across Auditel on a franchise web search. We chose them because we felt that the business model suited us and their ethics matched our own. The quality of training and ongoing support received from Auditel has been excellent. The network is fantastic. Our fellow Affiliates are prepared to go above and beyond, to help when required, especially through the bulletin board, which is a superb facility.”

One of the features within the Auditel network is ‘joint venturing’. This enables Affiliates to combine their particular experience and offers clients a multi-faceted solution to managing the array of costs under review. Mike and Luisa undertake their own analyses of all energy costs and most other areas, but joint venture a proportion of the other categories. With one of their partners, they have made a huge saving in waste management where they halved the costs for two of their clients.

Mike says: “We have made massive headway into schools - mainly Academies- with almost half our clients in this sector.  However, we also work in a number of other market areas, including manufacturing and retail. Savings, of course, are very welcome, but our clients feel that the major benefit is having a specialist acting as part of their purchasing team. We have become a trusted advisor and continue to provide ongoing reporting and monitoring. We always try to go the extra mile, look at their overall needs, and highlight opportunities for them.”

 

Mike and Luisa’s early successes were recognised by Auditel. They won the prestigious Rising Star Award in 2011, which was a big highlight. They responded: “We were working so hard that first year, that it was lovely to celebrate our achievements!”

 

As to the future, Mike reveals: “By partnering with local professional firms, we have acquired useful business through referrals. We are planning, for the next year or two, to obtain most of our new clients in this way. We are also planning to consolidate our database with the aim of working mostly with our higher income customers.”

 

Luisa sums up:  “We both love working from home. We walk the children to school every morning. One of us is around to be with them after school, while the other one works. Our days are just so much more flexible”