Mark Timmins

Back to Franchisees

Mark was already self-employed as a property developer when he became an Auditel consultant in 2007 having previously worked as an independent pensions advisor. However he was increasingly concerned about the vicissitudes of the property market and the high costs associated with his industry.

“I’ve got two daughters and for the five years I’d been in property development I’d had the flexibility to plan my working week around my family and my personal interests, in stark contrast to my days as a corporate pensions consultant. I wasn’t keen to give up that freedom but my income was just too unpredictable and I wanted more certainty and stability. In the corporate world it would have been very difficult to balance these two criteria and I wasn’t keen to start a stand-alone business given my wish for more certainty. Investing in a franchise therefore seemed to be the way forward; not that it would completely eliminate risk but a tried and tested business model and a support system would certainly mitigate it to some degree.“
“The Auditel proposition appealed to me because it seemed to meet my two main criteria and also provided a good match with my existing skills. Just as importantly, the professionalism of Chris Allison and his team really impressed me. Some of the franchisors I spoke with seemed to be telling me what they thought I wanted to hear rather than the truth, but when you’re about to make a big investment you don’t need promises you need facts.“
“Fifteen months after my initial training I have nine clients including private schools, estate agencies, a care home group and a legal practice. I’ve already identified and reclaimed a £12,200 refund for one of these organisations and made an ongoing annual saving of around £28,000 so my initial impression that the Auditel model would allow me to quickly build a decent income while still having the time to enjoy the fruits of my labours has been proved right.“

And Mark is just as confident about the future. “I’ve just completed my first full year trading and because we earn a share of the savings and refunds we implement for our clients for 36 months I can see from my business plan that my income will grow significantly in year two. My plan for the next five years isn’t just an ambition, it’s a statement: my business will be turning over more than £100,000 per year”

Back to Auditel Franchisees