Franchising her own business at just 23, Suzie can still recall a time in the industry when she was often the only girl in the room. The struggle to get people to take her seriously as a young female franchisor was exhausting and there were no initiatives or organisations such as EWIF to turn to for some sisterly support.
Such obstacles only make her more determined however and Suzie went on to grow her ink cartridge business from a single shop in Edinburgh into a network of 70 units across 6 countries. After exiting the business, Suzie then joined a recruitment agency franchise which she helped grow into an international network of offices with a £30m turnover. A buyout to a PLC saw Suzie join the board of Directors, but the entrepreneur in her wanted out of corporate life.
Suzie then founded Platinum Wave Franchising in 2010 on a mission to bring the benefit of her own experience to entrepreneurs looking for franchise consultancy to help them grow.
“The reason I knew there was a place for us in the market, was that during the years I was building my first business I was inundated with offers of help from franchise consultants, but none of them had actually built a franchise themselves. All the more reason I thought, to help other people navigate the journey safely with the benefit of some genuine experience gained on my own time and with my own money – there are some things you just can’t learn from a book!”
In the last 10 years, Platinum Wave has grown into a multi-award-winning, franchise consultancy and marketing agency with a team of 8 that helps brands at every stage of their franchise journey. The company won Service Provider of the Year at The Best Franchise Awards and were voted Best for Customer Service by the bfa in 2018. In 2019 Suzie was named International Entrepreneur of the Year at the prestigious WeDO Scotland Awards, and Platinum Wave picked up Best Service Provider at the EWiF Awards – which they went on to win again in 2020!
“It’s a real privilege to be able to help other people succeed through franchising, and I plan to keep working closely with the bfa and EWiF for many years to come to help make sure that there are no more barriers for women in business!”
