From self-employment to leading the AI revolution: How I changed my life by owning a Valenta franchise
Owning a Valenta franchise represents an immensely exciting opportunity for ambitious professionals to take advantage of the AI and automation revolution.
As the world’s first AI franchise, Valenta empowers franchisees – who we call Managing Partners – to build high-income, scalable businesses by helping SMEs streamline their operations with cutting-edge technology.
Michael Sivewright was the first person to take on this opportunity in the UK, becoming a Managing Partner back in September 2021.
In that time, he has built a thriving business that is transforming how his clients operate through Robotic Process Automation (RPA).
His success has been so emphatic that Michael is now Valenta’s UK Managing Director. In this role, he supports new Managing Partners entering the network, helping them to successfully navigate the path to franchise success that he helped forge.
Below in his own words, Michael shares details about his background, his experience as a Valenta Managing Partner, and why the “gold rush” of AI makes now the ideal time to start your own business with us.
My background working in space… kind of!
Before joining Valenta, I worked as a contracting engineer for technology procurement in the aerospace sector.
While working with spacecraft and satellite systems may sound exciting, I was essentially writing specifications for procurement contracts, so it wasn’t particularly fun!
After one of the products I worked on was withdrawn, I was made redundant from the role. Soon I found myself becoming self-employed, working on similar procurement projects.
Q1. Why I chose a franchise over long-term self-employment?
Being self-employed has its benefits, but it comes with a major downside: instability.
I was constantly working on projects, which meant I didn’t have the time or resources to build a pipeline of future work. As the saying goes, you’re never more than six months away from bankruptcy when you’re self-employed, which is something I was keenly conscious of.
I found myself needing a more sustainable and secure way to generate income. Yet while I didn’t want to go back into employment, I also didn’t want to struggle with the unpredictability of self-employment.
That’s when I started looking into franchising.
Q2. How I discovered Valenta – and why I chose to join?
I was searching for an opportunity that combined my technical knowledge with my management experience. I did look at business coaching and cost reduction franchises, but they didn’t quite fit with what I was looking for.
Then I found Valenta, which was geared towards making organisations work more effectively through AI and automation, which I knew was a sector with massive growth potential. What really stood out was Valenta’s model, which allowed me to focus on client relationships, while the head office team handled delivery of the services.
It ticked all the boxes.
But although Valenta was successful globally and had a great reputation, I was still the first UK franchisee, so it was a bit of a leap to go for it.
I had people telling me I shouldn’t do it, but nothing ventured, nothing gained!
Q3. Building a business in the early months
Starting out was tough. There wasn’t much opportunity to leverage leads from my own network due to complexities with aerospace contracts, so I was really starting from scratch.
But I just worked really hard at it. I put in a lot of effort attending networking events, such as those held by Business Network International (BNI). That got me comfortable talking about Valenta’s offering and meeting people that run small and mid-sized businesses – the ones we believe benefit most from AI and automation.
From there, the hard work paid off and eventually opportunities came along. Some of this was a first-mover advantage; Valenta has a unique model, so I was talking about things nobody else was talking about, which definitely helped.
Within six months I had reached cash neutrality, covering my business outgoings.
Q4. What the Valenta franchise landscape looks like today?
Fast forward to today, and the landscape is very different – awareness of AI and adoption of it has skyrocketed.
We’ve had a significant uptick in enquiries, certainly in the last three or four months I am busier than ever before. It’s likely this is because of the broader imperative for businesses to become more efficient as their costs increase, which is what we can help with.
It makes now a brilliant time to get involved with Valenta. Businesses need AI solutions, and our Managing Partners are perfectly positioned to help them navigate this transformation.
Our curve is very much going exponentially upwards.
Q5. What the day-to-day looks like for new Valenta Managing Partners?
New owners will initially spend most of their time networking and building relationships with target clients. BNI is a great avenue to start talking with other business owners, especially for someone who doesn’t have a network to rely on.
The key to success is focusing on a specific industry vertical. In order to relate to that vertical, you’ve got to have some idea of business owners’ aspirations, or the difficulties they might be encountering.
That knowledge is going to come from one of three things:
You know that vertical inside out yourself – because you have either owned a business or been a senior manager in it.
You immerse yourself in that vertical by reading all the trade press – a harder road, which is what I took!
You have an existing network you can bring in – which would allow you to succeed much sooner than I did.
Ultimately, the more connections and conversations you strike up, the faster you will build momentum.
Q6. The support we provide to Managing Partners
I’m hugely proud to now be Valenta’s UK Managing Director, a role I carry out alongside running my own franchise.
One of the biggest advantages of the Valenta model is that you are never alone. That now begins with me; I am the support mechanism for Managing Partners joining us, acting as a coach and mentor with first-hand experience of the journey to help them with their business setup and booking in those early sales calls.
Furthermore, the infrastructure of Valenta is very mature as you would expect. I will be very visible when a new Managing Partner comes in, but they will also have a lot of day-to-day contact with the rest of the head office and franchise support team. We’re big, but the senior leadership team is still very accessible.
Thanks to the head office support I enjoyed, I have been able to forge a path to make it easier for others to become a successful Valenta business owner.
Q7. The earning potential you can expect – and why now is the time to capitalise
If you look at AI adoption as a gold rush, we’re in the position of selling shovels.
I think within 18-24 months, you can replace the salary of a very high-level corporate role, plus you would enjoy flexibility that would be difficult to get if you remained in employment.
People want different things out of their business, but it is possible to generate around £300,000 in revenue, with a very small cost base, before you would need to consider hiring staff.
Right now, businesses are under increasing pressure to improve efficiency and reduce costs. AI and automation are the solutions they need, and demand for our services is surging.
By joining Valenta, Managing Partners can reap the rewards of the early mover advantage just like I did.
For the right individual, there is amazing scope and potential, because AI is not only here, it’s the future, too.
Q8. How to find out more?
Do you want to lead the AI revolution and build a scalable, high-income business? Then we want to hear from you.
Please get in touch with our franchise recruitment team today to receive our prospectus and ask any questions:
Phone: 07706 001 522
Email: esther.jones@valenta.io
We look forward to hearing from you!
