Business Doctor Case Study - Peter Searle

Date

Feb 10, 2017

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.