"Even after 20 years, when a sale or purchase is completed, we still have the same sense of achievement being able to help a client achieve their goal," says franchisee Tim Bayley
Tim and Nikki Bayley, regional partner and manager of sales and administration of Business Partnership Birmingham and Warwickshire, are approaching their 20th anniversary with the brand. The couple still feels the same sense of achievement being able to help clients achieve their goals almost 20 years on from when they took on the business.
“One of the best things about being a regional partner with Business Partnership is helping people achieve their goals. We can offer a more professional and personal service to our clients with truly local representation and knowledge of the local marketplace. For many people, owning a business is like having a child they have reared and there’s an emotional element to selling. As a broker, you must understand that. Even after 20 years, when a sale or purchase is completed, we still have the same sense of achievement being able to help a client achieve their goal,” said Tim.
Prior to becoming regional partners with Business Partnership, Tim and Nikki lived all over the world. Tim left Loughborough University in 1983 with an Honours Degree in Mechanical Engineering and joined British Coal as an underground shift charge engineer. With an eye for the figures, Tim moved over to the regional headquarters and held various project management roles on an exciting major project to develop one of the largest new deep coal mines in Europe, which he saw through to the planning application phase.
Tim left to pursue more senior project management opportunities around the world, reporting at board level to large corporations. The project included various goldmine developments in West Africa, managing capital expenditure of more than $100m per annum, a $150m carbon black production in Canada and aluminium processing plants for both China and India. Tim has also worked in Ghana for one of the biggest gold mines in the world.
By 1997, the couple had their son Josh and decided it was time to move back to the UK. Tim set up his own engineering consultancy in Warwickshire, offering project services to the water and sewerage treatment industry. It was while operating this business that Tim and Nikki took over Business Partnership Birmingham and Warwickshire. By this time, Nikki had held several sales and administration posts in a variety of sectors including real estate, healthcare, kitchen and curtains supply and engineering.
“We had grown disenchanted with the corporate world and decided it was time to buy a business of our own. We had looked at almost every option available and considered all avenues, but we knew we wanted to start local. We saw the advert for a franchise territory with Business Partnership and because of my sales background and Tim’s project management background, we thought it would be the perfect fit for us. The security of the business being a franchise was a bonus,” explained Nikki.
“We are able to run the business around our lifestyle, which allows us to work from home, as well as take work away with us if we’re travelling. We love meeting all the interesting business owners we get to work with – all of whom have a story to tell. We see ourselves continuing our work for another five to 10 years. The support network of regional partners is also fantastic. A few years ago, Tim had an operation that left him unable to work for three months. The regional partners were fantastic in helping me out and taking phone calls to lighten my workload.”
