David Willett

David joined the Auditel network in 2006 having spent the previous 20 years in the telecommunications industry, most recently for Avaya as Account Director responsible for BT Government Globally.

“I’d always wanted to be self-employed but it wasn’t until a couple of years ago that the right business opportunity, my personal circumstances and my finances fell into alignment and made it possible. I’d always felt franchising would be the most secure route to realising my ambition because the stats show that about 90% of frachisees are in business after 2 years while the figure for stand-alone start-ups is only about 10%.“

“Like anybody considering franchising I did my homework and looked at a few opportunities in depth but Auditel just seemed to be the best match for my ambitions. Firstly because it’s an excellent business proposition and secondly because the the overall package offered to me as a potential franchisee addressed all my concerns in terms of training, support and tools to help me run my business. What really clinched it though was the people involved in the business, both the Head Office support team and the network of franchisees. Investing in a franchise is a big deal so you have to trust and believe in the people you’ll be working with and right from the start I felt that Chris and his team were people I wanted to work with and be associated with.

And it isn’t only the Support team that have impressed David, “The range and depth of skills within the Auditel Network and the culture of sharing and team-work is really impressive. I joint venture with a number of colleagues who have specialist knowledge, which benefits me and my clients. The great thing is I know I can trust anybody I work with absolutely because they’ve signed up to the same business principles as I have and, on a personal level, I get a real kick out of working as part of a team of like-minded professionals.”

Like anybody starting a new business, David has experienced a few challenges but nothing he hasn’t been able to overcome. “There are always going to be ups and downs in any new venture but you just have to keep faith with your business proposition and stay committed to your plans. Coming from corporate life where I’ve always had support staff and worked with other departments one of the biggest adjustments has simply been learning to juggle so many tasks. Working for yourself isn’t all glamour – I’m responsible for everything, from the office cleaning, to business planning, backroom analysis, sales and marketing, accounts and making the tea!”

“Of course the flip-side of this is that for every ounce of effort I put in the results come back directly to me and my family, not anyone else. It’s also very liberating to be able to make my own decisions based on my judgement and experience rather than ‘politically’ driven management policies, and to fail or succeed accordingly.”

So, would David go back to being an employee? “Not if I have anything to do with it! Of course, if my business gets large enough to become incorporated I’d technically be an employee of the company, but I’d still be my own boss… Actually, now I think of it, that’s not a bad goal! Seriously, being an Auditel franchisee has given me the sense of security and provided the support I needed to become successfully self-employed. 2 years in, I’ve still got a long way to go but I can see my plans coming to fruition and that gives me an immense sense of satisfaction.”

Back to Auditel Franchisees