Secrets of my success: Atul Pathak, London's biggest McDonald's franchisee

Biggest setback?

After a few years of working in London and climbing the corporate ladder in the management of West End hotels, I’d saved enough to set up my own small business. It was a bed and breakfast that my wife would help run, but that plan didn’t go down too well with my hotel bosses — they obviously thought I was going to compete with them. They made me choose between my salary and my new business so I left and chose the business.

Biggest break?

Being selected to be a franchisee of McDonald’s. Before that, it was my first job, working in a cash and carry in Southall. I went there to look for a job and this guy looked at me up and down and started to laugh. He said: “This job isn’t for somebody like you, it’s for somebody who is well-built.” He showed me a lorry with sacks of potatoes and onions on it, and all that had to be offloaded. I told him: “I’ll work for seven days free of charge. If you like my work, you can give me a job afterwards. Otherwise, you have nothing to lose and you have free labour.” After four days, he said: “I underestimated you. I’m going to pay you not from next week but from day one.” Now I’ve got a restaurant two doors away from that cash and carry, and we still have a coffee and a chat.

How do you juggle the work/life balance?

My wife has a big role to play. Early on, we entered a pact about a division of labour: I’ll look after the outside work and you look after the more demanding home side — taking the children to swimming or piano lessons. She did all that. I can’t remember the last time I went to a supermarket or called a plumber. I’ve never done it. I am very fortunate — both my children have never given us any headache but that could be because my wife looked after them. We are very close as a family and that helps a great deal. I just don’t think about work when I’m at home, and I don’t think about home when I’m at work.

What advice would you give someone starting out?

I say this to my children: work hard with honesty and integrity, but at the same time you should enjoy what you do. If you don’t enjoy it, there’s no point doing it and forcing yourself to work. In business you’ve got to make difficult decisions at times. But you earn that honesty and integrity. Everything you do has to be with them.