Culture concerns lead entrepreneur away from franchise model

Sellick Partnership is a financial and legal recruitment firm with six offices and approximately 80 staff members. Sellick plans to open another two offices this year as part of the company’s five-year strategy to have 20 offices, 250 employees and £80m turnover by 2013.

He says the set-up of the company is “not a million miles away” from the business franchise model. “The head office is in Manchester where all the payroll and accounts are done and we’ve got a central marketing manager. But we won’t become a franchise,” he says.

Sellick believes that would mean giving up some control, which could have an adverse affect on the business’s culture.

“For example, I’m involved in the final interview of everyone coming into the company. If we went down a classic franchise route, the culture would be diluted. Our challenge as we grow is to keep the culture of the company," he says.

Cultlure is why Sellick started the business in January 2002 in the first place: “I wanted to create my own culture, which would take bits from the other companies I’ve worked for in the past. That’s essentially what’s happened.”

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