of Walfinch
“Sometimes one meeting can completely change your life,” says Tiffany Meachim, the Managing Director of Walfinch Mansfield, a growing franchised care business. When I was working in a convenience store, aged 18, I never imagined that within 20 years I'd be a business owner delivering valuable services to my community and employing 35 people.”
of Anytime Fitness
Female entrepreneur Sharon Thandi opened her first Anytime Fitness gym earlier this year in what has been a successful return to the world of franchising. Having previously been a franchisee with Dominos, Sharon wanted to pursue her passion of health and wellbeing by starting her own independent food brand.
of Theatretrain
Returning from a teaching secondment in New Zealand, Paul Clark started a teaching position in Theatretrain Northampton. After 2 years he moved to Rugby and again worked at the local Theatretrain where he stayed for 4 years. It was when he moved to Devon and started working at a boarding school that he realised he missed the shows and trips he had organised at Theatretrain. He decided then that his next step was setting up his own theatre school and it made sense that Theatertrain was the ideal choice for him. He set up Theatretrain Exeter in 2017.
of Pitman Training
Throughout his career, Chris Wyle has always had a passion for helping people unlock their full potential. From delivering presentation skills training to becoming a six-territory franchise partner with Pitman Training, Chris’s passion for training and development is evident.
of Pitman Training
Going into her fifth term as a franchise partner with Pitman Training, Paula Elliott has certainly proved she has what it takes to make it in the world of franchising. A former member of Her Majesty’s Forces, Paula’s previous role as a Special Intelligence Operator instilled an unrivalled work ethic, attention to detail and ability to communicate with people from all walks of life – making her the ideal franchise partner. Equipped with this incredible skill set and the support of the Pitman head office team, Paula has helped administrators, executives and business professionals alike achieve their career goals for the past 21 years
of No Letting Go
After a successful career in property and sales, Rob Smy went it alone and set up his own business in Peterborough. Eventually, Rob went on to sell this as a successful going concern. Three years later he decided to start a business again, but knowing how tough it was to start a business from scratch on your own, franchising was an appealing option.
of Theatretrain
Jess Fairfield is a trained dancer and singer who wasn’t looking to buy a franchise but when the opportunity came up to take on the Welwyn-Hatfield branch, she jumped at the chance. And it has been so successful that Jess opened a second branch 4 years later!
of WPA Healthcare Practice
Michelle Wimsey is the WPA franchisee for Hertfordshire. Desperate to work again and regain her ‘working identity’, alongside being a mother and meeting the needs of her family, Michelle started to look at how she could build a business of her own to satisfy these wants. “I spent several years trying to come up with ideas of how I could work for myself from home whilst having flexibility for my children, but the enormity of what was involved, and the potential risks of it not working, put me off. When the opportunity arose with WPA, everything suddenly fell into place.” Since joining WPA, Michelle has won Best New Healthcare Partner in 2018, followed by the South East Regional Healthcare Partner of the Year in 2021, and National Healthcare Partner of the Year 2021.
of Filta Environmental
With over 30 years’ experience in franchising as both franchisee and franchisor, there is not much that David Fox doesn’t know about running a franchise business. Having only joined Filta Environmental in July 2022 as the franchisee for Oxfordshire, David has already taken on a technician to work alongside him and is on the lookout for second. David talks more about his franchise journey with Filta.
of Metro Rod
Clive and Maureen Newport have been Metro Rod franchisees for over 22 years. Approaching their 50th birthdays, it was a desire for quality family time that led them to look for something they could work on together. And now with both their sons in the business, Metro Rod Bristol has become a true family business for them.