Peter Searle has been the Business
Doctors franchisee for the Maidstone and Medway areas of Kent since
October 2015.
He joined the national business
support network after moving on from his role as operations
director in three profit centres in Aylesford, Kent, which had a
combined turnover of £56 million.
With a background in civil
engineering and building construction management, Peter’s more
recent career has seen him manage projects in retail, commercial,
custodial, health, education, industrial, leisure and residential
sectors. His exceptional ability to turn his hand to any sector and
manage multiple high-level projects simultaneously saw Peter manage
22 live projects across Kent and South London, ranging from £250k
to £19 million in value, immediately prior to the launch of his
franchise.
During his building management
career, Peter progressed to become a director for national
property, residential, construction and services group Kier. During
his time there, he was responsible for restructuring the business
several times during the recent recession in response to external
environment and customer demands.
He decided to make the switch to
franchising in summer 2015, while browsing Making Money magazine.
He chose a franchise rather than setting up his own enterprise as
it offered him a proven model, along with the credibility of
national coverage and the supporting skills of his fellow
franchisees. He chose Business Doctors because it appeared more
flexible in its approach than other areas he researched, as well as
being the closest match to his ideal activity.
Since establishing his Business
Doctors franchise, Peter has been getting to grips with the
different processes involved from his director-level career. He’s
enjoyed exploring his territory, both geographically and in terms
of discovering new aspects of business, and is particularly
enjoying helping his clients unlock their potential and exceed
their original hopes for their business.
Peter has an Open University MBA and
has been a judge for the Construction Manager of the Year Award
(CMYA) for the Chartered Institute of Builders (CIOB). He was the
founding chairperson of the reformed Constructing Excellence Kent
Club, which aims to improve performance in the construction
industry in Kent and across the UK.
To those considering taking the plunge
into franchising, Peter advises to read the book Street Wise
Franchising, as well as carry out a monthly critical review of a
working business plan.
As for future plans, Peter says he’s
happy to take a dose of his own medicine and focus on the segment
of the market which works best for him.
