Mark Coldham and his wife Rachel were in the army together where they served as royal artillery officers.

After leaving in 2011, Mark worked in a number of project management roles including development of the Olympic Park and Heathrow Terminal 2, and on replacing the emergency radio service for the Home Office. Rachel left the service in 2013, and worked extensively in programme management for high-level financial services.

They had both been keen to start their own business for many years, and saw it as the natural next step in their careers. They were interested in the health & wellbeing sector from the very beginning, as they recognised it as an industry with great potential. Neither had worked in the sector before, but their time in the army gave them an appreciation for the importance of different types of physical therapy, both in treating injury and trauma, and in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. As Mark told us, “We both understood the benefits of massage and the benefits of looking after your body. After all, you only get one of them!”

However, they were unsure of how to get into the industry and still felt they had a lot to learn about its intricacies. They had not considered franchising as an option until they saw an advert placed by Elliot at The Massage Company looking for potential franchisees. This immediately caught their interest. They could see its potential as a way to launch their own careers on the springboard of an established business model and brand.
Mark and Rachel also recognised that TMC were doing something different from the competition. “I felt it was a brand that I could absolutely get behind and believe in, as I think it genuinely does a lot of good for people.

They went on the discovery day to Camberley to learn more about how the industry and how a franchise would work, and they really put Elliot and Charlie through their paces. They asked a lot of very challenging questions, and were keen to explore all the ins and outs of the business model to learn if it was right for them. As they were among the first to consider joining the TMC franchise, they weren’t going to take this decision lightly, and wanted to make sure they were aware of every possible problem or pitfall they might find along the way. “Every question that we asked had a far more thorough answer than we were expecting. It was clear that they had thought absolutely everything through, and this was a key factor in us deciding to join then.”

Shortly after, Mark and Rachel spent some time doing their research and due diligence checks before signing the agreement and starting their training. Mark found the support and training he received along the way to be excellent, and particularly enjoyed his time working at the Camberley centre where he was involved in every aspect of the business. “The support has been excellent from Charlie and Elliot. They’ve been with me every step of the way, really supporting me through all of the questions I’ve had, right from the little, everyday things up to “What the heck do I do now?!?” moments!” Fortunately, there were not too many of those! Mark and Rachel went to successfully launch their centre in April 2019, and have reported that they are already very busy.

Asked if he would recommend a TMC franchise to others, Mark told us: “To the right person, I would absolutely, whole-heartedly recommend joining the franchise. If you are someone who really wants to be involved in every aspect of the franchise, and wants a product and brand they can passionately believe in, then this is absolutely the franchise for you. I love it!”