Published: 25 February 2019
Krish Nair was looking for something different. Here’s his story on how a care franchise offered him a complete change of career:
Krish Nair left his home city of Mumbai to attend the University of Edinburgh where he would pursue a Masters in Business Information Technology. On graduating in 2008, Krish naturally fell into a career in IT, moving to London for a contracting role, but he admits his heart was never quite in it.
“I’d been very clear on my academic choices and the career path I thought I should choose, but if I am honest, a true passion for it was lacking.
“I thought about growing my own consulting business in IT, which I tested out for a while, but it is a competitive marketplace and I come from a non-business background so met many obstructions. I was realistic about the challenges of doing it alone and decided it was not the best option for me.”
“But I did want to have my own business, and so franchising caught my attention. It would provide me with a proven business model, essentially fool-proofing my efforts.”
The journey into franchising
Krish began researching franchising in 2010, using the website of the British Franchise Association (bfa) as a starting point. From there, he learned ofThe Franchise Exhibitions, and these were to prove an important part of his journey into franchising. He attended several events over the next few years, meeting different brands and attending various seminars.
“Visiting the different exhibitions, I built up a network of useful people and contacts who would eventually help me pursue a franchise. Aside from meeting a variety of franchise brands, hearing from existing franchisees was probably the most useful aspect of the exhibitions. It was very informative hearing from people who had made the leap and learning what the daily reality of running a franchise was like.”
Krish continued to research different brands and models, informing himself of exactly what was needed in terms of capital to invest and skills to make a success of it.
“I was very keen on the big-name high street food outlets, because they have so much brand awareness in place and the franchisor takes care of the marketing, but the numbers never really stacked up for me. So, I continued my research and looked at different sectors. I was really waiting for things to come together financially and professionally for me to take the next step.”
Life progressed for Krish and his attention was consumed for a while by his lovely wife, baby and the house he’d bought and was developing.
“I took a step back from all the research but in the back of my mind I never let the idea of a franchise drop. I actually set myself a target, that by the age of 35 I would have a franchise, and I continued to save money to put towards it.”
Time to make it happen
As 2018 arrived, Krish was determined that this was the year he would get his own business up and running. By this point, Krish had some direct experience with the care sector, as two close family members had needed support due to serious illness. In addition, he was working on a project for Transport for London which provided free door-to-door transport for the elderly and the disabled.
“All of a sudden the dots began to join, and I felt a calling to the care sector. I realised what a rewarding field care could be, and I could see that a franchise in this area would allow me to run a business that I would really enjoy and could see myself running for many years to come.”
Next steps
Focusing on the care sector exclusively now, Krish went toat Olympia, London, where he aimed to talk face-to-face with several home care brands.
“After all my years of researching and being so familiar with the exhibitions, I went in with a target list of stands to approach all brands in the care sector. There was something which really clicked with Right at Home. I felt their ethos and way of conducting business were very aligned to my own approach and so I officially registered my interest with Kate Dilworth, their Franchise Recruitment Manager, at the event.”
“I did attend discovery days with other home care brands, but it was always Right at Home which felt to me to be the best fit. I knew that support with the launch and operation of my care business was vital to me, and Right at Home clearly offered what I needed.”
Being a Right at Home franchisee
After signing as the franchise partner for Enfield in North London, Krish benefited from intensive training on all aspects of running his care franchise, as well as receiving support to open his office, recruit the right staff, and market his new business.
“I got the keys to my office at the end of 2018. Now I am operational, it’s brilliant having Right at Home at the end of the phone for anything I need. Things like the cashflow spreadsheets or concepts like financial forecasts and margin analysis KPIs have all been new to me so it’s important I can get questions answered as and when I hit an issue.”
“While my main responsibility is to lead and manage my business, I’m pursuing the training and qualifications to become a registered carer myself. I feel it will not only allow me to provide on-the-ground care when the need arises, but it will also make me a better manager of my staff, because I will understand and have experience of providing the service I expect them to deliver.”
“In spite of all the hard work I am putting in, being my own boss allows me the flexibility I need to have time with my wife and young son.”
“Without franchising I would not be able to do what I do today. That’s the beauty of franchising, though. You can jump sector and have a business in an area that you are passionate about but perhaps have no experience in, because all the foundations are in place for you.”
Interested in following in Krish’s footsteps? Find out more about upcomingFranchise Exhibitionsheld in exclusive partnership with the British Franchise Association.Claim free tickets using promo code CAS1.
