Franchise Partners
The current community of Franchise Partners comes from varied backgrounds and there is a great diversity of age, knowledge and skills. From a physiotherapist and mother of three to former vice-presidents and board directors of international divisions within global corporations; from graduates in their twenties to couples who have just pulled out of the rat race; from individuals who have already been successful Franchisees in other businesses to a freelance writer and former estate agent – all share the same drive to achieve financial freedom through property investment while helping others along the way.
“Being part of PPP has enabled me to achieve far more than I otherwise would have – within six months of being mentored by Steve Bolton I had five highly cash-positive properties fully tenanted, and I have continued to expand my portfolio since. The reason I joined the franchise was so that I could benefit from not only the great strategies, information, innovation and support provided on the property investment front, but also the continuous personal development opportunities offered to franchise partners, and focus on health, balance and happiness. This holistic attitude to achieving freedom and success in life is something I had not come across before in any other company, and I can honestly say I am proud to be a part of this group of truly inspirational, like-minded people.”
Alex Ferretti, Stratford-upon-Avon
“Platinum Property Partners is the only business franchise I have seen focusing on both personal development and sharing values as well as driving the business.”
Chris Tapp, Eastbourne
“Because it’s a franchise, people have made all the mistakes and gained all the experience for us, so we can hit the ground running, which is what we’re doing. And the mountain that you would think you would have to climb, that we thought we could see in front of us in setting up the business, flattens with every day and every hour at the workshops.”
Nicky Ruggier, Poole
“I am starting my property investment in somewhat turbulent times, and the expertise, encouragement and networking in the franchise are invaluable.”
Brian Eckhart, Berkshire
“Having let a student house for 10 years back in the 1990′s, I thought I could get straight back into property as a ‘pension plan’ now that my corporate career is in its later stages. However, my research showed the market had changed dramatically and fear of failure stopped me in my tracks until I met Nick and Steve at the Property Investor Show last year. Becoming a Franchise Partner allowed me to tap into a proven formula, which gave me the confidence to invest again. Not only that, but the growing network of experience that we are all willing to share means that the system is dynamically evolving to keep ahead of market trends, and expert advice is only a phone call away, which creates tremendous value for me.”
Kevin Lucyszyn, Nottingham
Carloline Marsh
Investment Location: Swindon
Caroline is currently making a name for herself in the media as an inspirational speaker and philanthropic entrepreneur, combining family life with a rapidly expanding business. From a rollercoaster childhood in her native Zambia to local celebrity in her present hometown of Swindon, Caroline has consistently demonstrated determination, resilience, generosity, capability and integrity, and it is these skills and values she is now sharing with others, with the support of PPP.
She moved to the UK with her husband, Mike, in 2002, and worked as an administrator and promoter for a marketing company, before going self-employed a year later. She had her first child in early 2005, and then in 2006 accompanied Mike, a self-employed accountant, to a business conference in Alicante, where she heard Steve Bolton talk about cash-positive property investing in the UK.
Caroline & Mike already had a few investment properties, but they were breaking even at best, so in March 2007 Caroline undertook two days of one to one mentoring in Swindon, which led directly to her acquiring a buy-to-let HMO, which cashflowed a pre-tax profit of £1,250 a month. By the end of 2007, Caroline and Mike had joined PPP and bought four more highly cash-positive properties in Swindon.
In early 2008 Caroline was screen tested & selected for C4’s ‘The Secret Millionaire’, and spent a week being filmed in Toxteth, Liverpool. The programme aired in September 2008 and as a direct result of her experience, not only has Caroline given money and ongoing business support to two community projects in Toxteth, but she was inspired to get to know her own local community in Swindon and make a real difference there as well.
Says Caroline, “The PPP franchise has exceeded my expectations. Not only have I built a substantial, income producing, multi-million pound property portfolio but I am now recognised as one of the UK’s leading female property investors, having been featured on Channel 4’s ‘The Secret Millionaire’. None of this would have been possible without PPP…”
Since the programme was broadcast, Caroline has done a large number of radio and magazine interviews – both local and national, and her speaking engagements have ranged from inspiring young people to be more entrepreneurial in their thinking, to encouraging other businesspeople and property investors, and giving inspiring motivational & after-dinner talks.
She has been involved in the national campaigns and awards judging alongside Alistair Darling and Peter Jones; has appeared on BBC and ITV news; is working alongside Esther Rantzen as part of the Family Commission with the ’4 Children’ charity; is an Ambassador for the Have a Heart charity in Wiltshire; and has helped judge the ‘Enterprising Britain’ competition, to find the most enterprising place in the UK.
The flexibility of the PPP franchise has allowed Caroline to make the most of the opportunites that have come her way, and she is continuing to build her property portfolio in and around Swindon, working with passive investors to diversify and strengthen her business.
Steve & Linda Hogan
Investment Location: Aylesbury
A former IT and Services Director for several large UK and multi-national companies, and latterly a Board Director, Steve is currently balancing working as a self-employed Business Consultant with growing a portfolio of cash-positive UK properties and high capital growth overseas investments. Linda used to full-time for a telecommunications company, but has recently been able to give that up to concentrate on the franchise and enjoy some of the financial freedom the business is affording them.
Over the past ten years, Steve has held the positions of European Central Services Director for Coca Cola Enterprises, and Information Services Director for the Booker Group, and gained immense experience in implementing re-engineering strategies and managing multi-site support functions within world-class FMCG businesses. After such a career, he had no intention of retiring his mind, so when he and Linda decided, at the end of 2006, that they wanted to get out of the corporate ‘rat race’, they started looking for something that would give them a better quality of life while still being stimulating and purposeful, and providing strong links to other like-minded people.
“We looked at a range of ways of investing our spare money and assets. When we looked at the options and considered our experience and skill sets, we realised that the market we worked in – big brand retailing – had given us both excellent analytical and project management experience along with research & marketing and customer service skills. All that seemed to fit very well with the idea of building a property portfolio, which we thought could be the right way to deliver the lifestyle and financial results we wanted.
Then the fear set in, because we were taking a real gamble, especially as the majority of property investments and companies are not regulated by the Financial Services Authority. We met many slick salesmen along the way wanting us to buy certain properties at ‘below market value’ or invest in their expensive education programmes, many of which we weren’t sure we even needed.
We felt that we had to have a clear strategy, even at this early stage, to decide the right investment route and the right people and companies to work with. What was hard was finding a company or expert that we could be confident wouldn’t just take our money and run, so we decided to assess our options using the following criteria:
- Someone with ten or more years’ experience in property investment.
- A company run by people who had a solid track record of delivering to their customers/investors.
- An offer of different strategies, focused on investing for the long term, rather than short term, ‘fast buck’ initiatives.
- Clear risk analysis of strategies and deals.
- Be able to talk to current investors and clients who were happy to openly discuss experiences, good and bad.
We did a lot of due diligence and research before selecting Platinum Property Partners, which impressed us hugely with the calibre of individuals involved and the franchise opportunity. The fact that they only make profit when we do, reassures us their interests are directly aligned with ours.
PPP’s investment strategies have clarity and diversity and take full advantage of current market conditions, and we are very satisfied that they consider all the risks involved, first and foremost. Like Steve, Nick & Richard, we believe that 2009 and 2010 will present some great opportunities in the property sector and we are confident that working closely with Platinum Property Partners we are investing in the best way we can and maximising our chance of success.”
Steve & Kim Thorogood
Investment Location: Cardiff
Steve and Kim Thorogood both held well-paid jobs in blue-chip companies within the financial sector in London for twenty years, but by 2005 had become disillusioned with corporate life and left the city to find something they could do together, working for themselves to build a secure future. They were originally looking at the overseas holiday home market but, after some research and a viewing trip to Spain, realised that it was unlikely to provide them with a sustainable monthly cashflow. At a property show in early 2007 they happened to hear Steve Bolton speak, and realised that building a portfolio on the foundations of cash-positive professional multi-let properties could give them a decent income and flexible working hours.
This was right at the time when the PPP franchise was being put together and Steve & Kim had no doubt they wanted to be part of it, because there was simply nothing else out there quite like the one-to-one mentoring and financial, legal and property management support network the company was offering. In addition, the franchise network presented them with the opportunity to give something back and they both strongly felt they could add value to the franchise itself.
“As foundation Franchise Partners, my husband and I had a say in shaping the legal agreement and I am now also working as a consultant to the franchise, on the legal and operations side. And that’s just one of the very attractive things about it – Steve and Nick are insistent that the franchise grows organically and Franchise Partners should have a say in shaping its long-term vision. We have such an incredible group of people with diverse experience and expertise at a high level in so many different industries and environments, that I have no doubts about the long-term viability of the PPP franchise.
I’m 100% confident that being part of PPP will enable us to not only grow our own personal property portfolio quickly and effectively, but that it will also provide us with the opportunity to mentor new franchise partners in the future and share our knowledge and expertise, which is something I’m really keen to do. The business has grown so quickly and is already looking to expand into other areas of property, investment, and helping people achieve their full potential. This franchise isn’t just good, it’s fantastic, and it’s an exciting journey my husband and I are proud and excited to be a part of.”
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