Case Study - Astrid and Anil Patil

High-flier Astrid Patil left her job as a solicitor at the beginning of 2005 to follow her dream of becoming her own boss. Today, Astrid and her husband Anil are the successful franchisees of 11 Domino's stores located in Alton, Bognor Regis, Bromsgrove, East Grinstead, Evesham, Worcester, Farnham, Southampton, Christchurch and Portsmouth. Astrid relishes the challenge of running her own business and cites getting into work as one of the highlights of her day. It's a far cry from her previous career when Astrid felt stuck on the office treadmill, with very little time to enjoy life beyond work.

She comments, "I felt that my career as a solicitor just didn't fit into my life plan anymore. I was extremely busy and had to put up with weeks where I hardly saw my partner Anil. I needed to find a job that would enable me to more directly reap the benefits of working hard, plus spend more time with Anil. My successful career as a solicitor previously gave me the motivation and skills to really take the bull by the horns and start my own business."

Astrid considered many options and, after much research and store visits, was inspired to invest in a Domino's Pizza franchise. She continues, "I met with a number of franchisees before taking the plunge to invest in Domino's and was immediately struck by the amazing support and help you gain by being part of a franchise business network. Starting your own business, especially as a female, can be daunting but I felt reassured that I wouldn't be totally alone so couldn't wait to get started."

Astrid's husband Anil soon developed a desire to follow Astrid and when they opened their third Domino's store, he left his career as a barrister to help run their franchise fulltime. Astrid says, "We're so glad that we made the leap of faith and I'm feeling more positive about the future than ever before. It's been hard work but we're already beginning to reap the rewards -- I feel like I'm in full control of my life and enjoy the daily challenges that work brings. I enjoy the opportunity to make important decisions and the feeling of real responsibility is unlike anything I have previously experienced."

The ambitious husband and wife team continue to go from strength to strength with Domino's Pizza and have also just had their first baby.