Communication Franchise Recognises Serial Entrepreneur

Mail Boxes Etc has announced its Franchisee of the Year.

Dave Tester, who runs the Brighton branch, won the accolade for his rapid progress since opening the communications franchise in January 2006.

The award is also a recognition of the work he does for the network as a whole. He is part of the franchise’s consultative marketing group, consistently shares best practice with others in the network, has introduced new products and services, and identified new opportunities for his centre which are being exploited by other franchisees.

To say that Tester had a varied career and in a variety of places would be an understatement. He worked in the Middle East, US and West Indies for over 20 years as a petroleum inspector in the oil industry.

Then he trained as a chef in New York, before moving to San Francisco to run his own catering business and cookery school, and also cook in one of the city’s most famous restaurants. He changed direction slightly once again and location drastically, setting up a food manufacturing business in the UK, which was subsequently sold.

The serial and versatile entrepreneur’s next venture was an insurance business for ex-pats until new compliance regulations erected hurdles in the financial services sector. He duly sold it and examined other options, including franchising, which he already knew about.

“I went to a franchise exhibition and met some franchisors, although none of the businesses held significant appeal until I went on to the Mail Boxes Etc stand,” he recalls. “I already knew MBE from my time in the USA. It seemed to offer great variety and I could see the potential for making a sound business out of an MBE franchise.

“In the past, I had worked for an auction house in Bond Street, so I had some experience of this sector and realised how important a reliable pack and ship service is. I understood the value of the other MBE services and how they meet the genuine needs of local businesses.

“Since opening three years ago, I’ve discovered that the demand is escalating, especially for courier services and mailbox rental and, recently, for our Ordnance Survey-approved mapping and data service.”

Speaking about the award, he adds: “I am delighted to receive this award and give thanks to my staff and to my partner Sachiko without whose help, patience and hard work it wouldn’t have been possible.”

MBE’s recruitment consultant, Chris Gillam, congratulated Dave on his success. “We’re delighted to announce this award. Dave’s personal success is well deserved and he has made a big contribution to MBE, demonstrating his commitment to his own business and to the network as a whole.”

Tester was chosen for the award from MBE’s network of over 100 high-street, ‘one-stop shop’ business service centres across the UK and Ireland. The company has a global network of more than 6,000 outlets.

Unique in UK franchising, MBE offers local companies and members of the public a wide range of business services that include specialist packing and parcel delivery around the world, mailbox rental, digital colour copying, professional lithographic printing, document finishing services, stationery, office supplies and postal services.