With his wife Kate on a year's maternity leave after the birth of their second child, Daniel Coe decided it was the perfect time to take a career break and spend six months travelling in Australia and New Zealand with his family.
Daniel handed in his notice as a Chartered Accountant and expected to go back to corporate life at the end of the trip.
But on his return to the UK in 2008, the job market had dramatically changed as a result of the financial crisis, and so had Daniel's outlook on life.
"Taking such a long career break made me realise that there was more to life than working long hours," said Daniel. "A typical two week holiday didn't seem long enough to relax and appreciate somewhere new properly. I didn't want to go back to work just to pay for childcare - I knew I needed to try and do something different."
So when Daniel saw an online advert about running your own business, he spontaneously clicked on it and signed up with a franchise matching service. He was then sent information about two franchises, including Platinum Property Partners (PPP).
Despite having never invested in property before, Daniel was attracted by the prospect of generating a long-term passive income and having more control over his time.
"The idea of being at home much more was massively appealing," said Daniel. "It would mean that I could be around to see my children grow up but also set a good example by demonstrating that there are alternatives to corporate life."
Daniel joined PPP in 2010 on a five year franchise agreement. During that time, he built his own property portfolio which generated enough income to replace his previous six figure salary, requiring him to only work for two or three days a week.
He also entered into a joint venture with another PPP Partner to further expand his portfolio.
Daniel commented: "When I left my job in 2007 I never would have expected to be in the position I am now. I just thought I would get another job.
"Joining PPP has revolutionised our family's life and massively met my financial expectations. But more than that, I'm around to support the children after school and during the holidays whilst Kate is at work. I have a much stronger relationship with them than I ever would have had if I'd have gone to work every day. It's also given me the self-belief to continue to expand my business.
"I'm very grateful for the changes PPP has brought to our family life and it seems only fair to try and help others who find themselves needing to generate an alternative income stream."
For Daniel, this has involved providing business mentoring to new franchise partners and presenting regularly at training workshops. Since his initial franchise agreement came to an end in 2015, Daniel has stayed part of the PPP network as an Alumni Partner and continues to play a key role in helping people through the process.
"I like the people and the model. I wouldn't have joined or remained involved if I didn't believe in what PPP was doing," concluded Daniel.
