Before McDonald’s

I worked in retail for seven years managing supermarkets in Bristol and London before coordinating strategy nationally. My dream as a child was to be a professional tennis player and win Wimbledon (still working on it!) but once leaving school my ambition was always to manage and run my own business having been inspired by family figures. 

My connection with McDonald’s

McDonald’s is a brand that has always been there in my life whether enjoying a Happy Meal as a child with my family, visiting late at night with friends whilst at university or having it at our wedding!  For me it’s all about the people. As Ray Kroc our founder famously said “We are not in the hamburger business serving people, we are in the people business serving hamburgers .” 

What inspired me to become a McDonald’s Franchisee

I booked myself a place to attend the McDonald’s seminars   at the National Franchise Exhibition in London in February 2020 and had the opportunity to talk with Franchisees and the Franchising Recruitment Team - I suppose the rest is history! I really recommend attending an in-person event like this, it was at this point that I realised, I had to pursue my dream to run my own business and become a McDonald’s Franchisee. 

It is the value  of putting their people first, including customers and the local community  that really made me connect with the brand and made me want to become a McDonald's Franchisee. Now having experienced this firsthand over the past two years it makes me feel really proud to be partnering with one of the most well-known brands in the world.

Top insight

Trust. You have got to trust the brand and understand that this is a long-term partnership. Like with any business there are good days and challenging days, however, the strength of the McDonald’s brand and being a part of the Franchisee community is something so unique.