An interview with CNA franchisee Trevor Dale

CNA International Trevor Dale explains why he chose to invest in starting his executive search recruitment business as part of the CNA International franchise network.

York-based Trevor Dale loves flying around and briefly considered recruiting for the aviation sector with his new CNA International franchise business, in the end he settled on food manufacturing when he started his business in October 2012. "I know the food sector from past experience, so I thought it best to stick to what I know," He continues: "I've worked in general recruitment for many years, and I had my own successful recruitment, so I decided that's what I wanted to do."

The appeal being a franchise

"The biggest challenge for any new business, I'd say, is managing legislation and the hassle of setting up a new venture. In my previous business, so much of my time was taken up with dealing with things I didn't want to do; admin, payroll, tax things etc. These tasks took me away from what I really wanted to do, which was recruitment and growing my business. Running a CNA franchise means that much of that none-core stuff is taken of, making everything so much easier and leaves me to concentrate on what I really want to do."

The CNA International brand forms the executive search arm of the Pertemps Group, one of the largest of specialist recruitment companies in the UK.

Although I've worked in recruitment for years, I haven't done executive search previously, that's very new to me and it employs new skills. I've already done my initial training and now I'm really looking forward to getting on with establishing my business. I'm expecting my first year to be a baptism of fire, but I'll be very satisfied if I cover my costs and build my client base. I want to build a small reliable team in a classic small-business environment."

Why Trevor chose CNA International

When seeking to go back to running a recruitment business Trevor considered two options. "One of which was a joint venture, the other was to invest in a franchise. I first encountered CNA while searching on Google. I was just fishing really and looked at the CNA proposition on the web. Obviously, I knew all Pertemps. I found the vidoes interesting and reassuring. After meeting Nick Sprang (CNA Executive Seach Franchise Manager) who was very down to earth, I came away feeling it was definitely worth looking closely at. I met Tim Watts (Chairman of Pertemps) and John Smith (Director), and Nick again. The proposition was really attractive and I also felt that being part of Pertemps would provide added benefits."

The sky's the limit for Trevor

Trevor has a son aged 24, a young son of eight and a little girl of 18 months. As if that wasn't enough to content with, a labrador puppy called Rufus has become the latest addition to the family. "Martina, my partner is a keen photographer and plans to set up her own photography business. She's been very supportive, even though she knows establishing the new recruitment business is going to be challenging. I just feel as though I have to do something and i enjoy working - it's important."

So what does Trevor do to relax

"I fly small aircraft. I hire plans that I fly from my local club every weekend. I really enjoy flying, it's a very relaxing. We also own a motorhome and spend part of our summers driving round the likes of the South of France or Austria."