Nothing in life is guaranteed, we all know that, but I know one thing for certain – if you don’t believe that something is possible, like aiming for 100% success, then it will always remain impossible.
In 2004, I came up with a new investment strategy, which is now the proven HMO (House in Multiple Occupation) model followed by Platinum Property Partners (PPP), and I knew I had found something big.
I had achieved what I’d set out to – financial security for my family, a substantial income and pension and more time to spend doing what I wanted. I’d learnt that as well as having a proven system, it was also about working with the right people and sharing experiences with each other that were critical to the success of my business. And I wanted to share that with others.
So, I did what most other people in the training, coaching and mentoring business did - I started running courses. They were hugely successful and profitable, but it soon became apparent that there was a fundamental problem.
The problem
When I started to check people’s progress a few months after they had completed the course, I noticed a very disturbing pattern…no one was actually applying what we had taught them! The uncomfortable truth was that the only people who really made any money were the people selling the courses. These courses provided ‘information and inspiration’ but what they lacked was ‘implementation’ – nobody could replicate our results.
There was no way in the world I wanted to continue to run property seminars that promised the earth but delivered little beyond information and inspiration and was based on ‘selling hopes to dreamers’!
How could I change this? The 100% success solution
I was determined to find a way to create a business where everyone could be successful. I spent months agonising over how I could aim for 100% success, and then it came to me... ten key principles to follow:
1. Partnership. Work with people for the long-term, so that when the honeymoon period is over and challenges arise, you can give your partners the help and support they need.
2. Tried, tested and proven systems. Create tried, tested and proven systems and a profitable and sustainable business model that can be simplified and followed by lots of different people with different skills and experience.
3. Choose your partners wisely. Only partner with the right people who have the money, time, motivation and intelligence required to succeed.
4. Family culture. Create a community and supportive family culture of like-minded people with shared values, who like and trust each other and who genuinely want each other to succeed.
5. Stand on the shoulders of giants. Build a team of experienced mentors and specialists in all aspects of the business who would work with our Franchise Partners on a one-to-one basis in real time in the real world.
6. The best and most trusted supply partners. Build a network of trusted supply partners who could provide first-class bespoke products, services and support at the lowest possible prices, without compromise.
7. Passion. The management team and staff would have to be genuinely passionate about mentoring, coaching and helping others succeed - because a business of this type would be one that would have to operate and exist for years to come.
8. Provide accelerated and blended learning solutions. Provide a wide and ever-growing range of personal and professional development, which would enable Franchise Partners from a diverse range of backgrounds and with different skills, to turn theory into real world results as markets and industries change.
9. Be the best, not the biggest. Aim for quality over quantity and focus on measurable results and partner success, not bums on seats.
10. Make a profit, reinvest and give more. Have a financial and commercial model that meant the business would be able to afford to provide all of the above, still make a modest profit and be able to give back to those less fortunate.
So that was it! My Jerry Maguire Mission Statement moment was complete. In 2007, these principles became the founding principles for the PPP franchise – the perfect way to ensure this level of support could be delivered to people while helping them aim for 100% success for themselves.
And the rest of the story, as they say, is history!
