James Rimer Moved From NHS CFO to an ERA Group Franchise

This ERA Group video features franchisee James Rimer, who moved from a senior NHS finance career into running an ERA cost-consultancy franchise. He started on the NHS graduate training scheme and worked up to chief financial officer and managing director, with responsibility for a half-billion-pound organisation where much of the focus was on saving money — thinking that, he says, fits naturally with ERA. Wanting to run his own business and play to his skill set as a qualified accountant, he found the model a strong match, and says he has learned more in nearly a year than in the previous ten in the NHS. Initially unsure about the network, Rimer now clearly understands its benefit: people actively seek out new members and share what works, and although not every approach transfers between franchisees, the flexibility is there. The real strength, he says, is access to genuine experts — for a laundry project, an expert who does nothing but laundry every day, rather than the jack-of-all-trades consultancies of his former life. He stresses that the network works because members need each other, whether the category is fuel, energy or any other, and that success comes down to persistence, enthusiasm and a willingness to keep learning enough about each area to explain the benefits to clients.