DAVID BATCH
measurable,” he says. “Now when we go to stakeholders like the government, we can press a button and they can see right away the impact we’re having.” Secondly, Batch maintains that having a well-defined set of guiding principles helps the Premier Education Group provide the highest level of service to kids and schools. “We try and live by our core values,” he says. “There’s lot in there about problem solving, being innovative and creative: all of those things contribute to what we do now.” Perhaps the biggest reflection of this ethical stance is Premier Education Group’s commitment to giving back to the communities in which it operates. “The nature of the business we work in means we’re embedded in the local area,” says Batch. “It’s important that we appreciate that and support those local communities.” Not only has the franchise launched individual initiatives to give back to local schools, for example pledging £150,000 of professional sports coaching to 1,000 schools in 2012, but it has also helped children who may have otherwise been expelled by using physical activity to influence their behaviour. “We’ve now even got coaches working for us that started off as kids 15 years ago on our courses,” he says. “So it’s going full circle.” And these kids aren’t the only ones who have undergone a stark transformation over the last couple of decades: Batch himself has changed considerably during this time. “I’ve literally gone from doing everything, including painting the office, cleaning the office and answering the phone, right the way through to now solely
We’ve now even got coaches working for us that started off as kids 15 years ago on our courses; it’s going full circle
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focusing on strategy,” he says. With a chief operating officer now handling much of the day-to-day running of the franchise, Batch has been freed up to develop new initiatives and programmes to add to the Premier Education Group’s portfolio. “It’s my job to get anything that will complement and enhance what we do and that fits our core values to a point where it’s ready to be dropped into the business,” he says. “Then I’m on to the next thing.” This will certainly stand the Premier Education Group in good stead as it continues to grow. “Premier Sport alone has now got 123 territories across the UK and we’re at about 70% market penetration,” Batch says. “In the next two or three years, we expect to be at our maximum.” In light of this, Premier Education Group is not only expanding abroad into China, India, the US, Australia and eastern
Europe in the early half of 2017 but it is also looking to add new facets to its business, including new programmes for franchisees and a non-franchised education brand. Additionally, it’s starting to focus on ensuring each franchisee gets the most out of its territory. “Our mantra is ‘accelerate the growth, rather than simply supporting it,” he says. “So we’re actively pushing each territory’s business.” When asking Batch whether he has any other plans for his own future, he’s characteristically frank. “I don’t ever want to leave the business,” he says. “Why would I?” As it enters a whole new stage of its growth, there’s more for the founder to sink his teeth into than ever before. “The long and short of it is, I really enjoy and I’m really passionate about what we do,” he says. “As long as I’ve got value to bring to the company then I will continue to do that.”
elitefranchise | January 2017
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06/01/2017 15:55