Real Business:
After 26 years in the insurance industry, Phil Marshall had had enough so he launched his own Netstationers franchise in the South West and is on track to make £250,000 in his second year of operation.
It wasn’t a breeze, though. Marshall says one of the most challenging aspects of his new, entrepreneurial role was becoming a salesman. “I had no sales experience,†he says.
“In the early days, I think I wasted a lot of time. It probably took me six or seven months to come up with a plan and identify those people who were serious about entering into partnerships with us as opposed to people who wanted to leverage us to go back to their existing suppliers.â€
Marshall picked Netstationers, an office supplies franchise, because of the training and support programme it offers. He says: “That personal development helped me sharpen the areas I lacked experience in.â€