Sue Crilly - Fenland
Being a woman in a male-dominated business environment has never fazed Sue Crilly one bit. And neither has the fact that she operates her Driver Hire franchise from Wisbech – a small market town in the depths of rural East Anglia.
“Male or female? I don’t think it matters,” says Sue. “In general terms, women have a more dogged and cautious approach to business. But in my view we can make every bit of a success of it as a man. As for the area, I’ve lived in East Anglia for many years and I know there is huge business potential here. Although we are not strategically well-placed for the transport sector we do have a thriving food processing industry and that’s what I’ve been concentrating on. You have to adapt your business to the demand that exists in your particular area.”
Sue and her daughter, Cat, are certainly proving their point. They collect regular awards for sales turnover as they build the business and at a recent Driver Hire Annual Conference their efforts were recognised with a "Special Endeavour" award.
Sue does have some past history with Driver Hire, having worked in the Peterborough franchise for 10 years. When the franchise decided to sell, Sue and a colleague split the territory between them, and the rest is history. “Being part of a network is another plus point,” says Sue. “I have a great relationship with all the other franchisees around me; we all help each other out. Deciding to buy the franchise was a big decision - but I’ve certainly no regrets.”
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