Max Crosby-Browne has been a TAB Franchisee of two territories (Derby and the East Midlands) since 2019. With a background in marketing and consumer products, Max spent 20 years as CEO for consumer product manufacturing businesses, which were mainly private equity or hedge fund owned.

But the time came when he needed a change.

“I had spent 13 years as a CEO to a hedge fund business and in the end, I decided that I’d had enough. So, I then spent 6 months handing that over but didn’t really know what I was going to do. In those situations, you can easily get dragged into another job, but I had a lot of friends reminding me of the amount of experience I had, and how I could use it to do something for myself. It was around that time when I was introduced to TAB through a headhunter.” 

After speaking to Ed (MD of TAB UK), Max very quickly bought into the concept behind TAB, its values and he could see how it could work for him.

“I’ve always been a confident person commercially, but not having to go it alone, and having the backing of a bigger brand was something that attracted me about franchising. One of the key things that helped me buy in was meeting Ed and his team, and I also liked the international aspect to the community.”

Joining the TAB community

Max commented that he approached TAB with an open mind, with the self-belief that he could make something from it. While he knew he would have the support of HQ, one of his priorities was that he wanted to feel like he was running his own business, rather than being a glorified salesman.  He feels that TAB has certainly delivered on that.

In March 2019, Max attended the TAB UK Franchisee Conference, and he remembers saying: “I’ve never felt like I’ve made forty friends quite so quickly.” 

That experience solidified his belief that the people in the TAB community were credible and were those he wanted to be associated with. 

In the August of that year, after completing his training, Max was approaching by Julian Smith, the then owner of TAB Derby, about buying the Derby territory. As a result, Max inherited two facilitators and four boards. 

What does Max think about the benefits of the TAB community?

“Nothing is forced on you. Fundamentally you can dip in or out of the broader community itself and the HQ resource. The beauty is: you know there is always someone there to use as a sounding board, whether that’s another member of my team, another franchisee, HQ, or my peer board, all of which are massively important to me.”

 

Business success so far

Max and one of his members celebrating them reaching their target.

The TAB business in Derby and the East Midlands has grown significantly over the past few years with Max at the helm. 

“I’d always planned from day one that I wanted a model where I would bring in partners/facilitators to work with me. I then tried to launch three facilitators during the Covid lockdown, which had mixed results. I realised that to pull all our activity together, I needed some help, so I recruited a marketing manager who was focused on data management and content. By autumn of 2022, we had five facilitators and eight boards running and I have recently also recruited a lead generation manager to support our facilitators.”

When asked about his aspirations for his growing TAB business, Max said: “I’ve always said I wanted to get it to the point where I was getting £10,000 a month of passive income. The bit I enjoy is putting the team and structure together. I love my boards, but also enjoy the strategic management of my business and making it all to work. If I feel like I’m recruiting strong facilitators, and have a great lead generation programme for them, then I’m just happy to let it be what it will be.”

Another benefit of running a TAB franchise which Max touched on was his work-life balance. 

“My diary manages itself and my time is my own. None of this feels like work, and I have an amount of money coming in and I choose how I spend my time.” 

Max said this dynamic makes him feel relaxed and happy.  It is so rewarding to not have to think about the financials and the normal stresses of running a business because the facilitator model he’s built delivers for him in so many ways. For example, he only spends about eight days a month running his TAB business. The rest? Max spends it however he chooses.

Max's words to you...

There are a few things Max believes a potential TAB franchisee must have. He calls them the “4 Cs.”

Confidence, credibility, curiosity, and commitment.

Max commented that the natural curiosity to be genuinely interested in the lives and work of business owners is a must-have quality if someone is going to make a TAB business work. Not only that, but he stressed that they need to be committed.

“The one thing I would say is that people have got to understand that this is hard work initially, a big financial commitment, and that it’s down to them. There isn’t a magic wand from head office although they provide everything you need to make it work.”

But…

“If you grow your TAB business strongly, it’s excellent income for only half a month’s work. You get predictable monthly recurring revenue, a significant work-life balance, and you feel like you’re running your own business.  So, if you’re someone who wants to have a passive income and financial stability, a TAB franchise with a facilitator model is an incredible investment.”

Max continues to build his TAB business in the Midlands, and it’s going from strength to strength with the recent recruitment of Liz Horsey as his newest facilitator. That takes him another step closer to his goal of running twelve TAB boards by next summer. Watch this space…