Throughout his career, Chris Wyle has always had a passion for helping people unlock their full potential. From delivering presentation skills training to becoming an eight six-territory franchise partner with Pitman Training, Chris' passion for training and development is evident.
It was back in 2013 when Chris decided to help people on a more permanent basis and become the franchise partner for Pitman Training in Birmingham. The Pitman Training franchise is part of LaunchLife International, a global portfolio of educational franchise brands serving both the adult and children's markets. After three years, Chris decided to open another training centre and has now grown his own business portfolio to include six Pitman Training territories.
"When I started out in franchising, I had no intentions of becoming a multi-unit franchise partner. In fact, I thought it would mean I would have to work more than the usual full-time hours. On the contrary, I've found that the more franchise units you open, the easier it gets. This is because the more centres I have opened, the more people I have around me to make my life easier. I constantly surround myself with people whom I believe are better than me at what they do - this way my blind spots are covered, and my businesses are thriving.
"I'm very focused on being a good dad, walking the dog and doing the school runs on both ends of the day - being a multi-unit franchise partner doesn't stop me doing any of this. I'm also always home for breakfast and dinner as spending time with my family is massively important to me. Another benefit of being a multi-unit franchise partner with Pitman is that you're in business for yourself but not by yourself. There's a level of comfort that you get because other people are involved in the same project. It's a real team effort and, even if you're a one-centre owner, you'll never feel alone.
"The biggest challenge I've faced as a multi-unit franchise partner is ensuring consistency as you scale up. For instance, there are administrative complexities as the more people you employ, the more paperwork you have to complete – but it's all worth it at the end of the day. My advice for anyone looking to become a multi-unit franchise partner would be to make sure you're financially well resourced. There will be hiccups and no business journey is straightforward so, having something to fall back on when times are tough is important."
Paul Lewis, Managing Director of Pitman Training, said, "Pitman currently has 80 locations in the UK and Northern Ireland but we expect to increase this to 100 in the next five years. We plan to do this through sustainable multi-unit ownership. There are many benefits to multi-unit franchise ownership. Not only does it give you access to larger teams, which ultimately offers you more freedom, but owning multiple units can also translate to higher profits. When considering becoming a multi-unit franchise partner, never underestimate the power of hands-on experience. It's likely that you have been through it all, meaning you'll be aware and ready to face head-on any surprises and challenges associated with establishing a new location."
