Robin McKee – Select Appointments – Edgware and Waltham Cross

With 17 years experience working for small, medium and global recruitment companies, Robin McKee identified his own ideal role – running his own staffing business with the backing of the UK’s leading recruitment franchisor.

Twelve months later Robin owns and operates two territories – Edgware and Waltham Cross – running two brands from the latter: Select Appointments (specialising in office staff) and Parkhouse Recruitment (specialising in industrial staff). He has also acquired the rights to trade in a further Greenfield territory.

The investment in both Select and Parkhouse was a calculated decision to optimise on different trading cycles, larger market audiences and a bigger industry pool in which to operate.

Robin acquired a franchise rather than setting up in business on his own as he wanted to drive the speed of change, whilst enjoying the support and benefits associated with operating within a network of like minded people. Given a choice of dates and venues for regional meetings, Robin opts to attend both believing the opportunity to share ideas and best practice invaluable.

Robin says: “the benefits of being your own boss are that you get to choose how the business feels, its personality, its successes. There is a great deal of satisfaction in achieving the goals of the business and watching it grow up and evolve almost in the same way a parent would gain pleasure in witnessing the development of a child.”

Having set up a number of recruitment to recruitment companies Robin had knowledge of the Select Appointments brand and was very impressed at how efficiently the company went about its business. He explored varying market sectors and numerous franchise offerings available. His overwhelming conclusion was that the support and value for money delivered by Select Franchising made the decision to purchase easy.

He describes the key support received from Select Franchising as “factoring, marketing, national accounts, mentoring, networking with key head office personnel, the provision of strong trading brands, an IT infrastructure, and probably most importantly, is an understanding partner”.

Robin’s hard work in establishing his business is off-set by playing hard too. An avid motorbike racer, he committed to participate at five events this season on his branded Suzuki GSX-R 600 as a fund-raising exercise for the charity ‘Tomorrow’s People’ who help people from all areas of the community find and keep a job.

Back in the office having attracted key personnel, Robin is on track for success in his local markets. In fact two team members have been shortlisted for The Hertfordshire Consultant of the Year - a huge achievement that underlines the relationships already being built in the business community.