Daniel & Irene Pritchard - Southend
The Pritchard family (brothers Daniel and Rowan and mum, Irene) bought Driver Hire's Southend franchise in 2004. Irene had worked for a Driver Hire office in London, but her sons were new to the recruitment business, having previously worked in export sales and warehousing. Rowan has since gone on to purchase his own Driver Hire franchise in Romford.
“My mum saw it as way of making us all better off,” says Daniel. “And she’s been proved correct. If you want a quick way of measuring this; when we bought the business I had a beaten up Ford Mondeo which I called ‘The Dentley’. Whilst I can’t afford a Bentley, my current car is a lot newer and dent-free.”
But he’s quick to point out that running your own business has a lot more plus points than simply the financial ones. “It’s just more satisfying and less hassle. You simply follow the rules and do what you have to. We have family business meetings over a meal and, apart from the odd disagreement, we all get on really well,” he adds.
Daniel also appreciates the benefits of being part of a franchise network. He recalls; “In the early days I once had to do the weekly payroll on my own. I got a bit stuck with it and phoned Group Services. They took me through it step by step. Help like that is invaluable, as is assistance with marketing and merchandising.”
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