What-Franchise-Issue-20.1

rganisational change at Premier Foods in 2007 meant Roger Pemberton lost his senior post as factory general manager and faced a critical decision. Aged 49, and with 27 years working in the food industry, with the past 10 years in senior roles, what should he do next? “With two teenage kids still at school, I needed to work and couldn’t disrupt family life by moving us to a new location,” explains Roger. “There weren’t any major food companies on my doorstep looking for someone with my level of experience, so if I worked locally I’d have to take a lower paid job.” If he wanted to continue his career with big food brands, he’d have to face a long commute. Otherwise, he could do something completely different such as setting up his own business. While this certainly seemed more daunting, Roger felt ready for a change and decided to go for it. He’d been paid a lump sumwhen he left Premier Foods and used this to buy an ActionCOACH franchise to operate in his local area of Norfolk and North Suffolk. “My management style had always been focused on getting the most out of the teams in my plants and helping people develop. I had strong coaching instincts and lots of solid commercial experience to draw on and share,” says Roger. Although he wasn’t specifically looking to buy a franchise, Roger felt the ActionCOACH brand would accelerate his coaching business. Roger liked the support ActionCOACH offered and the emphasis it placed on each coach’s own development. “You’re encouraged to keep learning and training, so you continue adding value to your clients. For someone like me that was really appealing,” he says. “By month four, I could take money out of the business to pay myself and by month 18, I had a very secure, stable coaching business. I was comfortably earning what I’d been earning at the height of my corporate career and I was doing it on my terms, with no major commute.” It was eight years into his ActionCOACH business when Roger met a new client, Premier Education, which had coaching and franchising in common. THE PREMIER EDUCATION FRANCHISE Premier Education Group is a children’s coaching and physical activity company, delivering over 25,000 sport and physical activity sessions every month through its network of UK-based franchisees. Since 1999, Premier Education has aimed to redefine the standards of physical education, working closely with schools nationwide to inspire children to lead healthy, active, and fun lives. In 2012, Premier Education became an accredited training provider, offering qualified coaches and instructors the opportunity to gain additional qualifications and skills in the workplace. Nurturing talent and providing training strove to set the brand apart in the market. However, despite Premier Education’s success, it has faced various challenges over the years. David Batch, CEO at Premier Education received a cold call fromAction Coach, Roger Pemberton, during a challenging period for the company. Roger offered David coaching funded through grant money. O ActionCOACH’s Roger Pemberton has helped Premier Education hit new heights with his ‘rhythm of business’ concept Boosting big brands with winning strategy Minimum required capital: £29,000 B U S I N E S S & P R O F E S S I O N A L S E R V I C E S 68 WHAT FRANCHISE Issue 20.1 Behind the Brand | PARTNER CONTENT