Industry honour for virtual PA franchisee Kelly

21-July-2022

A personal assistant’s dedication to helping other businesspeople cope has won her a major industry award.

Kelly-Ann Grimes impressed the judges of whichfranchise.com’s Great British Franchisee Awards, putting her among the franchise industry’s elite.

Kelly-Ann, the owner of Pink Spaghetti in Stratford-upon-Avon and Leamington Spa, helps business owners with too much on their plates.

“We take the weight off their shoulders and do the jobs they don’t have time to do, don’t want to do, or don’t know how to do,” says Kelly-Ann, who spent 29 years in hospitality and opened seven hotels before changing careers.

Four years and four staff later, she’s become indispensable to the owners of the Pink Spaghetti PA Services’ network, too, even stepping in to help train fellow franchisees during a medical crisis.

“We needed up to six months of key support,” says Pink Spaghetti Franchise Director Caroline Gowing, “and Kelly-Ann was one of only two people in the network we could have asked.

“She’s working with the head office support team to help up to 20 franchisees grow their businesses, and will be able to share her experience and suggest a path to get them where they want to be.

“She’d already been chosen to be part of our Pink Programme - a development programme for franchisees who stand out from the early stages - and she’s also our Employment Ambassador and New Franchisee Ambassador.”

Kelly-Ann won the Franchisee of the Year Award at last year’s Pink Spaghetti conference and saw her turnover soar 79%, year on year.

“Success is not just about the financials, though,” she says. “When I started out, I wanted to do the work I loved for people I loved doing it for.

“I wanted a work-life balance. I wanted to spend time with my friends and family and not be on call 24/7.”