Five questions for… Shaun Thomson, CEO of Sandler Training (UK)

Sandler Training is a business development consultancy, helping businesses grow their revenue more effectively and efficiently. Our selling point is our focus on reinforcement training to enable long-term behavioural change.

What's been your greatest achievement so far?

When I agreed to start the UK franchise of Sandler Training in 2003, I set myself a goal: opening five regional centres over the next five years. I did it in two. We now have 30 franchisees and my aim is to double this.

What has been your biggest challenge?

Finding the right people is a constant focus of mine. We have a brand and standard to protect. Businesses must be assured that they will get the same outcome regardless of whom their trainer is.

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How do you plan to hit your targets this year?

The metric I look at every day is my "sales behaviours", which includes figures on how many businesses have signed up to attend seminars and sales collateral that has been downloaded from our website. This is a very good indication of future business.

What's the one piece of advice you'd give fellow entrepreneurs?

My top tip to entrepreneurs would be to "stay motivated". The first year can be hard, but the second is usually harder. Stay focused and put some short-term goals in place so that you can enjoy some immediate successes.