Elite Franchise Magazine July 2017

elitefranchisemagazine.co.uk

The Detective Project

Jenny Williams turned her police experience into a fun crime-solving party franchise

JULY 2017 ÂŁ4.50

Social franchising

Non-profits and charities are growing rapidly thanks to franchising

Noa Noa

After a time of turmoil, the Danish fashion brand is setting trends in the UK

Smart money With the help of his network of 140 industry experts, Robert Allison is saving British businesses money hand over fist with Expense Reduction Analysts UK

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Reach out for renewables The renewable market in the UK has a predicted value set to reach £50 billion by 2020 and the sector presents fantastic opportunities for entrepreneurs who want to establish a new business in a rapidly growing market.

Green Square is looking for like-minded people to join their team and experience a business model that is in high demand from domestic and

commercial customers looking towards greener alternatives for practical renewable energy solutions for the future.

The Green Square franchise offers the opportunity to work in an ethical environment and penetrate a ring fenced business area, while minimising the risks associated with starting out alone, with a sales potential of over £1 million in three years.

Other benefits include: • Exclusive products • Fully certified training and qualifications in renewable technology • Quality Management system for microgeneration technologies in place (MCS)

• Bespoke software allowing full system design and calculations for complex installations • Full marketing support: website, launch event and marketing campaigns • Turn-key business concept

• Supported by legislation • Reasonable franchise fee

For further information please visit our website, or to express an interest in For further information please visit our website, or to express an interest in finding out more information email: franchise@greensquare.co.uk finding out more information email: franchise@greensquare.co.uk

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The future is green, the future is a Green Square franchise Green Square opened its flagship store in March 2013 in Raynes Park, London and instantly made its mark on the renewable energy scene. With demand from homeowners and small businesses across the UK, Green Square realised it had to offer more showrooms across the UK to display their impressive product portfolio. The future of Green Square and their renewable energy offering came in the form of a franchise.

Green Square is a member of the British Franchise Association (BFA), and one of their first franchisee was Paul Smith whose showroom in Tunbridge Wells, has been open for over a year, and others are quick to follow suit to ensure they secure their part on the Green Square map.

Meet Paul Smith, Green Square Franchisee “I’d always wanted to enter the green sector but, until now, there weren’t any opportunities that could offer me the income and lifestyle I required. I was also looking for something that could tap into my experience in sales, marketing and management.

Initially I was a little sceptical about franchising, but going to see Green Square’s training facility and its associated company gave me all the reassurance I needed. This is a genuine business with substantial backup. What’s more, Green Square’s managing director, Richard Hiblen, is very honest and straightforward, with a wealth of knowledge of the renewables sector.”

How you can harness the rapid rise of renewables As a management franchise, you don’t need any industry experience. Green Square is looking for driven people with a passion for the products and services being sold by them. Contact us to find out more.

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With expertise on everything from petrol to photocopiers, Robert Allison’s crack team of franchisees is saving businesses a small fortune on their procurement

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REGULARS 9 Welcome & contributors 11 News & events 89 Franchise diaries

COLUMNS

Doing it in style

13 Pip Wilkins 15 Sussanne Chambers 25 Frank Milner 27 Nigel Toplis 31 Tony Bowman

Noa Noa aims to satisfy Brits’ sartorial cravings

FEATURES 34 The mystery manufacturer

Jenny Williams launched The Detective Project to share her love of crime-solving

40 The greater good

Social franchising is enabling non-profits to scale faster

52 Holding the purse strings

Digital accounting can help franchises keep a close eye on their network’s numbers

58 The latest in loyalty

How can franchises ensure customers stick around?

66 Keeping the peace

By resolving internal conflicts franchisors can focus on building their business

72 Building a business with pedigree

Sarah Richardson found her true calling with Petpals

76 Get lets together

The legalities to consider when helping franchisees with their lease

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Start your own ecommerce business today and benefit from our expertise Register to attend our free Discovery event and learn how to... set up a tax-efficient ecommerce business select the right products at the right price create your own brand and portfolio of products sell your products via established ecommerce platforms

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Platinum Business Partner

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welcome Volume 05 Issue 07 / 2017 EDITORIAL Josh Russell – Editor josh.russell@cemedia.co.uk Maria Barr – Web Editor maria.barr@cemedia.co.uk Eric Johansson - Feature Writer eric.johansson@cemedia.co.uk

On the trail

DESIGN/PRODUCTION Leona Connor – Head Designer leona.connor@cemedia.co.uk Jenny Allen – Designer jenny.allen@cemedia.co.uk Dan Lecount – Web Development Manager dan@cemedia.co.uk

T

hanks to true crime shows like Serial and Making a Murderer, it seems like Britain has become a nation of aspiring sleuths. And even those working in franchising have caught the bug.

Having spent years working for the London Metropolitan Police, few are as well equipped as Jenny Williams to hunt down clues and track down the likely perp. And she has brought her keen nose for mystery solving to her franchise the Detective Project, the crime-solving party franchise for adults and kids alike. And this isn’t the only way franchises are putting their magnifying glasses to work: thanks to cloud accounting software, it’s become easier than ever for franchisors to investigate their franchisees’ financials.

But my preferred private eye this month has to be Robert Allison, managing director of Expense Reduction Analysts. Having assembled a crack team of 140 industry experts, Allison is now hot on the trail of wasted expenditure and is tracking down significant savings for British businesses. The game is afoot.

SALES Gemma Campion – Sales Manager gemma.campion@cemedia.co.uk Jemma Tonge – Senior Account Manager jemma.tonge@cemedia.co.uk MARKETING Taylor Blayney – Media Assistant taylor.blayney@cemedia.co.uk CIRCULATION Paul Kirby – Circulation & Data Manager paul.kirby@cemedia.co.uk ACCOUNTS Sally Stoker – Finance Manager sally.stoker@cemedia.co.uk DIRECTOR Scott English – Director scott.english@cemedia.co.uk Circulation enquiries: CE Media Call: 0124 567 3700 Elite Franchise is published by CE Media, 1st Floor, Regency House, 16 Victoria Road, Chelmsford, CM1 1NZ Copyright 2017. All rights reserved. No part of Elite Franchise may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written consent of the editor.

Elite Franchise will make every effort to return picture material, but this is at the owner’s risk. Due to the nature of the printing process, images can be subject to a variation of up to 15%, therefore CE Media Limited cannot be held responsible for such variation. cemedia.co.uk

elitefranchisemagazine.co.uk

■ Josh Russell - Editor

Contributors

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Frank Milner

Sussanne Chambers

Pip Wilkins

Tony Bowman

Finding the right franchise fit is never easy. But thankfully the CEO of Tutor Doctors is here to help, having penned a guide explaining how aspiring franchisees can pick the franchise that fits them the best.

How can you lead a successful business if you don't invest in yourself ? This issue, the founder and managing director of HomeXperts reveals how you can create You 2.0 by enriching your life with new experiences.

Many foreign franchisors dream about bringing their business to these shores. Fortunately international growth is soon to become much easier, according to the bfa CEO. Check out her column to find out why.

Launching a new business is always a challenge but, as the etyres managing director explains in this month’s column, having the support of your family makes it a lot easier and more profitable.

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news Digital franchising Given the wide range of industries using franchising to scale, it was only a matter of time before the model would be used in the new digital economy. One of the companies doing just that is Get Ahead VA, the virtualassistant service. The firm has now just launched its franchise model and recruited its first franchisee.

Company director Rebecca Newenham founded the business in 2010 to give busy entrepreneurs and freelancers

a helping hand with answering calls, managing social media, administration, email marketing and website design. Looking for a way to expand the business, Newenham decided that franchising was the best option and hired a franchising consultant last year. Her efforts have certainly paid off now that the business has recruited its first franchisee.

We’re willing to hazard a guess that Get Ahead VA won’t be the last digital business to go down the franchising route.

Recognising that it’s only when franchisors and franchisees work together that they can become more than the sum of their parts, the new bfa HSBC Franchise Awards celebrated them both together for the first time at the end of June. And with 12 franchisors and franchisees being honoured for their efforts over the last year, it’s safe to say that there was plenty to feel festive about.

Bluebird Care, the homecare franchise, was named Franchisor of the Year after impressing the judges with its company culture, franchisee support, innovative practices and commitment to franchising ethics. The top gong win was even more impressive considering that the franchisor went up against Driver Hire and Expense Reduction Analysts, which won the silver and bronze medals respectively. Among the other notable winners of the night were Heritage Healthcare, the homecare franchise, which was crowned Emerging Franchisor of the Year and InXpress, the delivery franchise, which claimed the Brand Innovation award.

For Hannah Drury of Caremark Sutton, the homecare franchise, the night was one of dual celebrations. Not only was she named Young Franchisee of the Year, her efforts to go above and beyond in her service also saw Drury claim the prestigious Franchisee of the Year award after a vote from the audience. Other notable winners included franchisees from Puddle Ducks,

EWIF London Regional Meeting 13 July Under 1 Roof Kids, Unit 9 IO Centre, Skeffington Street, London, SE18 6SR

Restaurant Franchising & Innovation Summit 2017 18 - 20 July

Grange City Hotel, 8-14 Cooper's Row, London, EC3N 2BQ

Prospective Franchisee Seminar 6 September

Olswang LLP, 7th Floor, 90 High Holborn, London, WC1V 6XX

BY ERIC JOHANSSON

Simply the best

Events

Water Babies and Creation Station.

Commenting on the winners, Pip Wilkins, chief executive of the bfa, said: “Every year the standard gets higher and we demand substantial evidence of success for both the franchisors and franchisees. Our winners truly showcase British entrepreneurial talent and pay testament to their sustained franchising excellence. Everyone should be extremely proud of themselves.”

It’s good to see successful franchisors and franchisees getting their due and we certainly hope you join us in sending them a hearty congrats.

Setting a smart approach to franchise recruitment 27 September

Honiley Court Hotel, Warwick, Warwickshire, CV8 1NP.

The National Franchise Exhibition 13 October

National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham, B40 1NT

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Pip Wilkins chief executive bfa

Supporting flourishing franchises around the globe Operating a franchise across international borders is about to get a whole lot easier arlier this year we held an international symposium where country representatives from all over the world congregated to find out more about cross-country franchise development. Lots of insight and expert advice from international franchise professionals was shared and it became very apparent that franchising is booming.

The World Franchise Council survey on the economic impact of franchising worldwide provides compelling evidence to back this up: the United States presents the global franchising industry’s largest economic output at $674bn and this is followed by France at $284bn and Japan at $214bn. These three regions alone have 6,635 franchise systems represented with over a million individual units in operation.

One of the key difficulties for international franchisors is identifying which region to expand into and how best to do

As an active member of the World Franchise Council, I often discuss international challenges in franchising and as a council group we review opportunities and initiatives that could effectively deal with these. One of the key difficulties for international franchisors is identifying which region to expand into and how best to do this.

The bfa is proactively dealing with this challenge by piloting a new membership category that can support international expansion into the UK. When designing the framework, great consideration has been given to ensure current standards are maintained. In order to qualify for the category, international brands should have an established, successful network in their current region of operation. This will form a baseline

accreditation proving the franchise’s ability to effectively onboard, embed and support a network in an ethical way. Additional areas of compliance will be required in relation to the UK landscape assessment and subsequent development of foundation documents.

The opportunity for the brand is that they are committing to set up and operate according to bfa standards from an early stage. The member will be able to engage in all current member benefits but won’t be listed or receive their logo until they have their first year trading evidence. The aim is to provide guidance in the early days to help navigate the rocky terrain when piloting. Once 12 months of evidence of successful trading in accordance with the UK model can be provided and they have successfully passed a review, the member will transition to the provisionally listed category.

In order for the UK franchise industry to build a strong reputation, we take very seriously the impact that educational awareness can have. Our expanded membership to cater for international brands entering the UK market means that we can guide and influence people when they most need it. This ensures that franchisors are operating in accordance with the expected standards of the bfa to develop successful networks that can stand the test of time.

In the long run, we should see more great examples of success across the franchisor and franchisee community as a result.

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What will you be doing this time next month?

Still wishing you had a new job?

Still wishing you’d started your own business?

Still wishing you could do something more rewarding?

With a Mathnasium Learning Centre franchise you have the opportunity to build your own business, be your own boss and make a great living whilst making a difference.

• No maths or teaching experience necessary • Simple, effective and proven system • Extensive training and ongoing support • Over 800 franchised centres worldwide • Low investment, great returns

It could be the most rewarding move you ever make!

Remember – nothing happens until you MAKE it happen

Find out more at mathnasium.co.uk or call Mathnasium UK – 0161 791 0686 Standard call charges apply

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Sussanne Chambers founder and managing director HomeXperts

How you can invest in yourself, not just a franchise When looking to embark on your franchise journey, there are plenty of ways spur on your personal development something else. There are now podcasts on numerous subjects, so you’re sure to find something that will interest you. You can also attend seminars, which are a great combination of educating yourself while meeting like-minded people. Another option is webinars: I love that you can go online now and get access to such great content, often at no charge.

Build your personal brand Invest time in creating a personal brand for yourself. If you are starting or running a business this is important. Start online with LinkedIn, Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram. Think about how you want potential clients or customers to view you and tailor your posts accordingly. Once you have covered all the social media, create content – whether that’s blogs, podcasts or vlogs – and use it to build your online presence. hile you are considering investing in a franchise and choosing a business model to deliver your future financial freedom, it’s also worth taking stock and considering the investment you could make in yourself. After all, spending a little time and money on your own personal and professional development makes good financial sense and will pay dividends: an investment in yourself could last a lifetime, help you develop new skills and improve your confidence. So how can you go about investing in yourself?

Create your bucket list If you don’t already have a bucket list, put one together by writing down 100 things you'd like to do, achieve, see and experience in your life. Then ensure that you try to tick one or two off the list every month. These can be personal or business aspirations: the most important factor is that the bucket list is unique to you.

Set ambitious goals Be audacious and be brave. I personally don’t see any point in setting easily achievable goals so wherever your comfort zone is, challenge and stretch it. Once goals are set, whether they are personal or professional ones, that will help you focus on what you want to achieve. Then it's important to set timescales to push yourself to achieve them.

Find more free time Create a time diary and see how you spend your time. There are numerous apps you can use to log your day: I suggest you record for a month and this will help you see where the time thieves hang out. The object of this is to create free time that is yours to do with as you please. It will not only help you see how your productivity changes throughout the day but also experience life and spend it how you wish.

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Educate yourself Read books or listen to audio books and podcasts. The great thing about the latter two is that you can listen while you are doing

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Some expense spared Waging war on wasteful procurement, Robert Allison has helped grow Expense Reduction Analysts UK from a simple licensing model in the US to a thriving franchise with expertise at its core BY josh russell / photography by emilie sandy

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ROBert ALLISON

aving helped grow Expense Reduction Analysts UK into a thriving franchise saving British businesses money on a combined spend of £500m, Robert Allison, the company’s managing director, is no stranger to going the distance for financial reward. Born in the UK, his parents emigrated out to Perth in Western Australia when he was just four years old, eager to pursue opportunities they felt were beyond them in Britain. “When they emigrated 40 years ago, the economy and the opportunities here were more limited,” Allison says. “They were looking for new horizons and new opportunities.” In contrast, at the time Australia had a much more entrepreneurial culture, giving his parents the opportunity to start their own trophy factory, something that undoubtedly rubbed off on an impressionable young Allison. “I remember living and growing up in a household surrounded by self-employment,” he says. “That’s the nature of a growing country: there were a lot more people over there starting their own businesses.”

The nature of his parents work meant that the family moved around quite a lot: Allison ended up attending seven different schools during his 12 years of education. However, one thing remained consistent throughout. “If you were to go back and pick through most of my reports, they’d all probably tell you something similar,” Allison says.

“‘Shows fantastic potential: if only he spent as much time on his work as he does on entertaining the class.’” Fortunately, there was one area in which he did apply himself: thanks to the example his parents had set, Allison wasn’t afraid of rolling up his sleeves and taking on part-time jobs, including working his summer holidays when he was 14 in the local brake-bonding factory. And he wasn’t averse to the odd entrepreneurial money spinner: he recalls a plan he and a friend came up with to make a little moolah one Valentine’s Day. “We went down to the local fresh flower market and bought flowers early in the morning and set up a roadside stall selling them,” he says. “That was the trading entrepreneurship coming through at a young age.”

But even with this tenacity, Allison’s first fulltime role actually came about by accident. Having secured a place at the University of Western Australia to study business accounting, he decided to defer for a year to go travelling around the country until, ironically, a slight budgetary miscalculation saw the trip grind to a halt. “That resulted in me at 17 being stuck on the far side of Australia where I’d run out of money,” says Allison.

Fortunately, the father of a friend of his owned a small print factory nearby; when the business’s minority shareholder and head of day-to-day operations left suddenly, Allison was offered his job.

“He basically upped sticks and left the operation, leaving the real owner high-and-dry so I stepped into the void,” says Allison. “At a fairly tender age that got me straight into working and earning good money, given the responsibilities I’d taken on and the work I was doing.”

Without this happy accident, Allison would have never found his way into the world of franchising.

“The owner gave me the seed capital, if you like, to buy my first franchise, which was a pilot for an American dry-cleaning franchise called Pressed for Time that was trying to get into the Australian market,” he says. “I was 19 by the time I’d started that and that was my first foray into franchising.”

Despite his tender years, Allison quickly took to the model and before long he had added a small stationery business and a franchise trying to

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We came into the British market here with a very arrogant assumption of ‘we made this work in Australia: it will naturally work here’

modernise milk delivery to his portfolio.

Without a doubt this has stood him in good stead: even now he feels that spending time as a franchisee taught him invaluable skills for when he eventually found himself sat on the other side of the desk. “It has helped me to understand the psyche of many of the franchisees I’ve worked with over the years,” he says. “While it was 20 years ago now, I have a degree of empathy and understanding for the view the franchisee holds of the franchisor.”

Having cut his teeth in franchising, Allison’s next move was into a consulting role at the Franchise Alliance, which at the time was one of Australia’s premier franchise consultancy groups. “I was still only about 20 or 21; I was only taken on really to be an office junior within that environment but they believed very strongly in just dropping you in at the deep end,” he says. “Very quickly I

ended up actually managing a number of franchisor accounts, helping them to plan the growth of their network, their franchise sales within Western Australia and helping them to write systems.”

Working both with home-grown brands like Brumby's Bakeries and major international players like Subway, for Allison the next four years were a masterclass, giving him insight into a wide array of franchise systems. “There were a range of different franchisors from a massive variety of sectors,” he says. “I was very hands on in half a dozen different franchise systems at any one time.”

And this is what brought Allison into contact with Expense Reduction Analysts (ERA). First created in America by a couple of entrepreneurs looking to help businesses save on their procurement costs, ERA was originally operated on a simple training and licensing model. “My father and

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ROBert ALLISON

a couple of partners got involved and loved the idea of what ERA represented,” Allison explains.

“But the original model didn’t really work for the Australian market so it made sense to take this concept and structure it as a business format franchise.” But while Allison was helping his father convert the model on a consultancy basis, Londonbased accountant Frederick Marfleet also saw the potential and acquired the rights on a global scale.

And when he caught wind of what the Allison family were doing with the brand down under, he was impressed with the new ideas and concepts they’d hit on for the business. “Very quickly a deal was struck for us to take on the UK brand rights while Marfleet took the concept to global success,” Allison says. “That really was the birth of ERA.” This saw Allison return to the country of his birth for the first time, a land he didn’t even remember. But while he easily acclimatised to the new culture, there was more of a resistance about adapting the business to fit its new home.

“We came into the British market here with a very arrogant assumption of ‘we made this work in Australia: it will naturally work here without any tweaks or changes’,” he says. However, on the advice of Brian Smart, then director general of the bfa, the ERA UK team began looking deeper at the market and found that, despite the fact its service was offered on a no-win, no-fee basis, British directors were much less eager to take a punt on it than their antipodean counterparts. “Whilst the language and broad concepts were the same, there’s no doubt that culturally there was a much more conservative approach,” Allison says. “So we did have to change our systems to suit the market: it took us a good year or so to find those and get them firing properly.”

Fortunately ERA was helped in this by its first crop of franchisees. Choosing to adopt an approach of conversion franchising – whereby it took on franchisees that were already working in the industry as procurement consultants and trained

Our first seven pilot franchisees already had anything from one to six years of experience doing what we do

them in its model – meant that the franchise was able to make use of the expertise of those who were already au fait with the British market. “Even from day one our first seven pilot franchisees already had anything from one to six years of experience doing what we do in the UK marketplace,” says Allison.

“So we were able to blend 80% of what we had as a system with 20% of their local nuance to create a model that worked.” And once the franchise was off the ground, new enquiries started coming in thick and fast, in part because in 1997 whitecollar franchising was still something of a rarity.

“Genuinely 95% of the conversations that we had were people going ‘crikey, I came here looking for either a hamburger stall or a white-van business: I never realised that professional service models could be franchised’,” Allison recalls.

It’s safe to say that ERA’s work is slightly more distinctive than flipping burgers or couriering packages around London. Targeting mostly businesses with turnovers between £5m and £250m, its service helps companies save money on the costs that often go unnoticed. “Most of their everyday procurement and general business overheads are very much forgotten,” Allison says.

“They’re an area of the business that really isn’t given time, attention or proper resources.” Using its expertise, ERA bundles up all of a company’s costs, sources similar quality products and services and negotiates improved contracts with existing suppliers. While one might imagine the money saved would be small fry, ERA nets its clients on average 20% savings – and, thanks to the fact that it charges on a contingency basis, those that it is unable to save any money don’t have anything to pay. “We know what good value looks like because we database and share information on every job that we do and when bad value’s being received we review the procurement in all those areas,” says Allison. “When you combine all of those factors, it means we can be pretty confident on making a saving for the client.”

While this is something that the big four consultancy firms may be able to duplicate if they were of a mind to, Allison believes that ERA has a secret weapon up its sleeve. “We’ve been able to use franchising to assemble a team of category experts that even the highest level consultancy firms would give their left arm to accrue,” he says.

“What we’ve done very deliberately is not recruit from procurement necessarily but instead take on those who are from industry with 20 or 30 years being on the supplier side of the table.” Rather than take on candidates based on territory, ERA’s big innovation has been taking on franchisees based on their extensive subject matter expertise: one example Allison gives is ERA franchisee Ken Rogers, who spent three decades running his own haulage firm and buying diesel. “What Ken doesn’t JULY 2017 | elitefranchise

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know about buying diesel fuel oil isn’t worth knowing,” he says. “So we have that degree of expertise that we can make available to our clients.”

No matter how much experience new franchisees have however, they still have to go through ERA’s comprehensive training programme. “It teaches them the core procurement model: how to win the clients, manage them effectively and follow a standard generic procurement process in half a dozen generic cost areas,” says Allison. “Then regardless of their background, we encourage them to do a little bit of all of it in their first three to six months.” From here, franchisees can go down one of two roads: either focusing on winning business or acting as a subject matter expert working with the clients others in the network have secured.

Then while they build their businesses up over the next 18 months and until they hit key growth metrics, they remain in ERA’s academy to share best practice and complete digital training, as well as receive on the job coaching. “When they come to deliver projects, we assign mentors from the existing network to work in parallel alongside them to provide some oversight while still allowing them to build their business and earn some money,” Allison says.

Evidently this is a formula that is working wonders for ERA: the brand has been a finalist in the bfa HSBC Franchisor of the Year awards for many years running and has twice taken home the bronze award, with the most recent win being announced just last month. However Allison is keen to stress that picking up these gongs isn’t just an opportunity for ERA to pat itself on the back. “I don’t like to do these awards, pick them up and win the different things that we win for my own ego,” he says. “It

Everyday procurement and general business overheads are an area of the business that really isn’t given time, attention or proper resources is well and truly judging us on what we do against industry standards, benchmarks and best practice.”

But while the awards are a useful way of gauging how well the franchise is performing compared to the rest of the industry, in Allison’s eyes the most import thing is how they recognise the hard work of the network as a whole. “It's ultimately about the franchise holders themselves having a brand that they can be proud of,” he says. “They all deserve the awards and the accolades that come from it.”

Certainly Allison is now sat at the head of a thriving franchise network. ERA UK now has approximately 140 franchisees in its network, something he reveals is unlikely to change significantly any time soon given the franchise has to take on around 12 new franchisees a year just to maintain its current size. “So all of our focus for growth centres not on the number of franchisees we’ve got but the success of those franchisees and the market size that we hold,” he says. And this is a tactic that is clearly paying off. “The total billings of all our franchisees added together grew by 10% last year and we’re forecasted to grow conservatively by another 13.5% this year,” he says. “And that’s actually with a couple fewer franchisees so the real-time growth of all the individual franchisees is even higher than that.”

But ERA’s aims for the future aren’t only focused on the financials. While boosting the profitability of the network is a significant aim, Allison is clear that he doesn’t just want it to be all work and no play.

The franchise runs regular social activities for its franchisees from sailing trips to a cycle ride from Scotland to Southampton and allowing franchisees to unwind in this way will remain a major aim for the business. “ERA isn’t just about the corporate goal of growing to £25m in revenue: it’s about making sure our guys and girls have some fun along the way,” Allison says. “We want them to achieve, be successful, earn good money and delight their clients but we want them to do it with a smile on their faces.”

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The Family Holidays Franchise

HOW MUCH YOU COULD EARN FROM TRAVEL? If you like travel and holidays then that’s all we need. The rest we can teach. We set up our holiday business on £6,000 and now we sell over £20m holidays each year. And the best bit? We will be able to show you how to do the same!

When you join the Family Holidays Franchise you will receive all the training you need to set up a lucrative travel business from home. And it doesn’t need to just be family holidays. We can help mould your business to your travel interests and those of people in your local area.

UK consumers spend over £13bn on overseas travel each year and so it’s no surprise that a number of our sales staff book over £100,000 of holidays a month.

The running costs are very low and so get in touch so we can show you how to do the same!

To find out more call Dale Randle today on 0121 200 5561 Or visit us at www.familyholidaysfranchise.com

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ADVERTISING FEATURE

Client loved the service so much he bought the franchise When Matt Ewer needed help to exit his Premier Sport franchise he hired ActionCOACH. Not only was he impressed by the service, but he loved it so much, he decided to buy the franchise

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t the age of 36, Matt Ewer has already embarked on his second franchising adventure. “In 2008, I joined the family business in Rugby to project manage building renovations,” he says. “During that time, I worked with our local cricket club bringing in funding and developing it for the future. I was so passionate about sport and getting more children involved in sporting activities, I decided to go it alone and start a Premier Sport franchise in January 2014.”

While Ewer was a perfect fit for his new business and even won an award for best new franchisee, it only took a year before he realised it wasn’t the challenge he’d been looking for. It was then his wife, Louise, told him she thought he should look into becoming a business growth specialist.

Becoming an action coach From October 2014 to April 2015, Ewer and Jennings worked together to build a management team and in the process the business became a valuable entity.

Ewer had now reached the point where he was happy to move his focus on to becoming an action coach himself and he flew out to Las Vegas to begin his initial training.

“You are completely immersed in the ActionCOACH culture during the training – I loved it,” he remembers.

“Having been coached as a business owner, I could see how much of the learnings could be applied. I had been looking for a new challenge and I was more motivated than ever. I moved to a mentality of soaking up as much learning as I could.

“When you start an ActionCOACH

franchise, you are given a master coach until you reach a good level of income. Jennings is a franchisee but also a master coach with the UK support team of over 60 people and I kept that relationship going. I launched my ActionCOACH franchise in May 2015 and quickly moved to service offices as I secured three clients in the first two months through business networking events with BNI. My Premier Sport franchise was doing so well that I was able to invest in marketing for my new business and I developed a strategy to take on a dedicated marketing manager and run regular events.”

Ewer’s strategy worked but not exactly as he intended. His goal was to have five businesses at each monthly PlanningCLUB and convert two clients

Recognising an opportunity “Louise recognised my skills in building relationships and growing businesses and I began to research business coaching, what it entailed and where I could start,” Ewer says. “It was then that I came across ActionCOACH. I was smitten with their values and clearly articulated culture. I went on the discovery day and made a conscious decision I wouldn’t need to look at any alternatives.

“I decided to make a serious transition from my current business to becoming an action coach. To do that I needed to remove myself from the day-today management of my Premier Sport franchise. Not only would engaging action coach Mark Jennings help me grow the business and recruit a team to run it, he also provided a fantastic insight to the support and guidance ActionCOACH provides to business owners.”

Trialling ActionCOACH was the best thing I’ve ever done in my working life and it’s making a difference to the lives of people in my community too

Matt helping business owners achieve

22 elitefranchise | JULY 2017

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05/07/2017 11:23

ADVERTISING FEATURE

Matt and Louise Ewer with their twin boys Ralph and William

from each. He didn’t always get five clients to join the event every month but his conversion rate was much better that the 40% he had envisaged.

In fact, PlanningCLUB delegates have loved the ProfitPLUS five-year business plan product so much that over 80% have hired Ewer to work with them on an ongoing basis, as an action coach, to help them implement their plan. Ewer has loved the ProfitPlus products so much, he’s bought that franchise too.

A growing business and family “It wasn’t just my business that was growing, my family was too,” says Ewer.

“In June 2016, my wife gave birth to twin boys, Ralph and William. The importance of creating a business that would allow more flexibility for work-life balance increased by 200% that day.

“Two years into my ActionCOACH business, my Premier Sport franchise is sold and I’ve reached a monthly client income of £21,000 through a mixture of two-day coaching events, group coaching and one-to-one coaching.

My year one turnover was £53,751 and year two totalled £111,500 which was

similar to what I reached with my other franchise but the profit margin is much better with my ActionCOACH business.

“The rewards aren’t solely financial.

I get a real boost every time one of my clients makes progress. Trinity Accountants increased their turnover by 125% in the first 12 months of coaching with a 400% upturn in profits. By switching to working on rather than in her business, Samantha Rollins is now planning to get her firm into the top 100 accountants in the next five years.

“I have my own goals for the future which includes growing my business in to a firm of multiple coaches that works without me and hits a turnover of £2 million by our fifth year. I know my business is about to explode – in a good way.”

Ewer continues his love of sport and enjoys the events ActionCOACH manages as part of over 70 days of support a year to the network. “Going into business can be lonely but we have a community I expect many other franchises would envy,” he says.

“The support given as part of my Premier Sport franchise was good but

ActionCOACH’s is extraordinary. I’ve played cricket at Lords, taken part in MasterCLASSES and the culture I first read about during my research has proven to be exactly what I expected and more.

“I’ve been able to access PR support to promote a project with Rugby First which has now expanded into the wider borough to reach more businesses.

I’ve also chosen to support a charity in my local area and hope to widen their impact through business coaching.

Trialling ActionCOACH was the best thing I’ve ever done in my working life and it’s making a difference to the lives of people in my community too.”

If you get a buzz from helping others succeed, love learning and developing yourself, have enjoyed success in your career or sport, then find out more by watching the 6-minute overview video at actioncoach.co.uk

JULY 2017 | elitefranchise

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05/07/2017 11:12

ADVERTISING FEATURE

A day in the life of a franchisee Steve Thompson from Chester began trading in December 2015 and hasn’t looked back since

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efore I bought the franchise I had worked in IT, security, fire and flood restoration, and medical carpet and upholstery cleaning. I purchased a franchise for many reasons.

Not only do you get great support and full training but you also get to use tried and tested products. Plus all the signage, marketing and logos are ready to go. However, the key driver behind my decision was that franchisees have a higher success rate in their first year rather than people settiung up businesses on their own.

I chose zerodrytime because there was a gap in the market for a dry carpet and hard floor cleaner in Wrexham.

Another reason was that the franchise isn’t taking any of your profit but only deal with fixed fees. There are also no sign of things like minimum orders that other franchises have. The team behind the franchise were very helpful when I went up for a day to see how it all worked I couldn’t wait to be able to get started and do it myself.

From day one my personal life has changed so much for the better. I have control of my diary so I can choose

I chose zerodrytime because there was a gap in the market for a dry carpet and upholstery as well as hard floors

when to work and when not to. I see my family a lot more as I can organise work around things going on. I’m see more of my friends and have been able to rejoin my old pool team.

I had two weeks of training at the head office where I received classroombased training covering everrything from health and safety to marketing. I also got the chance to see actual customers’ properties and to learn on the job. It was great to see the results and how shocked the customers are with the immediately dry carpets. The support doesn’t end there: the team is alwasy on hand over the phone or via email and all other franchisees are very helpful.

We have an online training portal that is full of videos and tips in case you need to be reminded, this is updated all the time when new products and machines are added as zerodrytime are always looking to improve systems.

My day starts with getting up with my family, answering any emails, phone calls or messages on Facebook. I then take my daughter to school before arriving at my first customer’s house around 9:30. I’ll complete the job, answer any phone calls and then move on to my next job. No two clients are the same and times vary depending on the size of the rooms. I normally have a maximum of three jobs booked in. I get home between 15:30 and 16:00 and clean my machines and prepare the van for the next day. My daughter loves helping me with this. I’ll have tea with my family. When my daughter goes to bed I update my map of customers and customer records for that day before replying to any queries via email or Facebook. I then enjoy the evening with my wife.

After six months of trading I found myself being really busy and didn’t have the time to promote my business. My wife recently been joined me to help with this and the busines is now growing better than I could have ever imagined in my first year. I started to market my

business by listening to the franchise’s advice by advertising in local A5 magazines and have listed the business on most free sites like Yell and Thomas local. I joined the local BNI breakfast meetings and use social media showing before and after pictures doing as much as I can to get the name out there.

I always highly recommend zerodrytime to new franchisees looking to join the team. I plan to grow the business by having another van on the road in the next 12 months and have now started to work with one of the other franchises to purchase another area that we can both work together on. zerodrytime.com/franchise Call: 0191 270 9202

24 elitefranchise | JULY 2017

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05/07/2017 17:12

Frank Milner CEO Tutor Doctor

Settling on the right franchise for your skills Finding the perfect franchise comes down to whether it’s the right fit for your expertise hen you decide to leave employment and start your own business, there are a world of options to choose from. Franchising is a very broad sector with businesses ranging from cost-reduction consultants to care providers, from retailers to hometutoring franchises.

One of the many advantages of

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franchising is that you can choose to run the business that you've always dreamed of but never thought possible. The support of a franchisor can mean that in many cases you don’t need previous experience of the industry that your new business will operate in. For example, 70% of Tutor Doctor franchisees don’t come from a teaching background. Ultimately, the franchisor should be the industry expert: the purpose of the training and support that you will receive is to help you to become an expert too.

Whilst you may not need direct experience in your chosen industry, your business will benefit from the transferrable skills you can bring

If you understand your own transferrable skills, you are unlikely to waste time looking into businesses to which you are unsuited to it from your previous career. So when people ask me “what is the best franchise to invest in?” – which they often do – the straight answer is “the one that suits you the best.”

And to understand which franchise that is, you’ll need to do a thorough assessment of what a typical working day will look like and what skills are needed to carry out each and every task. You’ll then have to spend time

looking at your own background, experience and personal strengths and weaknesses to make sure that, with 100% honesty, you know how and if your skills will transfer.

Speak to a franchisor to get a good understanding of what it takes to run the business. Will you be customer facing? Is there a technical element?

Will you be employing a team or work independently? When you discuss with the franchisor the skills needed to be successful, it's often useful to talk about and with other franchisees in the network to understand their journey better.

It’s also a good idea to use an evaluation system to understand how well you're suited to the franchise.

Most people are familiar with a SWOT analysis for business and the marketplace but fewer professionals conduct the exercise by looking at themselves to assess what strengths they personally have. By doing this you will see how your strengths could create opportunities and what weaknesses – unless compensated for – could pose a threat.

If you understand your own transferrable skills, you're unlikely to waste time looking into businesses to which you are unsuited. You’ll also be better equipped to answer a franchisor when they ask you “why do you feel you’ll be successful?” An ethical franchisor should only award a franchise to someone who has the right transferrable skills. And you should only want to be involved in a business where your skills give you the best possible chance of success.

JULY 2017 | elitefranchise

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05/07/2017 16:52

Due to increased demand for arts & crafts classes, parties and events, the award-winning Creation Station are looking for proactive and friendly people to run their own successful franchise.

Rated 5-Star by customers on Trustpilot and in an independent survey, franchise owners rated the franchise as 5-Star.

Would you love to be your own boss, doing something you love with the backing of an established, tried and trusted brand? Request your free information pack today.

Over 120 people already enjoy running their own rewarding franchise.To check if your area is available and for more info call Maggie today on 01395 29700.

“I wanted something more flexible, rewarding and fulfilling. I was so pleased my area was still available as The Creation Station really ticks all the boxes for me and my family.�

Fariyal Shariff Inspiring imaginations in North Watford, Hertfordshire

thecreationstation.co.uk/run-your-own-franchise Creation Station FP.indd 1

As seen on.

01395 239700

THEC011 01/06/2017 18:05

Nigel Toplis managing director The Bardon Group

How future proof is your franchise?

When considering a franchise there are many things to take into account to ensure that it can go the distance

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t’s impossible to predict the future and success is not guaranteed for any business – be it independent or franchised.

However, we all know – and continuous research has confirmed – that the risks involved in operating a franchise are greatly reduced and consequently, while there are no guarantees, the chances of success are far greater in franchising compared to running an independent business.

And there are ways to enhance the chances of your chosen franchise being successful.

Some of these considerations are simply a matter of common sense.

For example, membership of the bfa indicates that the business has been subject to and passed independent scrutiny. Additionally, I would also be more confident of companies that have

While there are no guarantees, the chances of success are far greater in franchising

a proven track record and have trading histories of a number of years.

But it’s not solely about common sense: you also need to look closely at the franchisor and the level and quality of the support they provide.

If I’m looking to buy into a franchise then certainly I would be looking for more than occasional advice over the phone and support from a distance. I would want real people understanding my business and providing me with proactive cover in the key areas of marketing, sales, business planning, procurement, training and finance.

The best franchises are those that foster a marriage between the franchisor and franchisee and as such I want the franchisor to be a positive participant in helping grow the business. For this reason, the franchisor should make the bulk of their money from a royalty based on business performance and not through a huge initial fee. This encourages the franchisor to work hard with the franchisee to help develop their

business and over time create new income streams for the franchisees.

The franchisor is therefore a key point of reference when evaluating how future proof a business is and their support, financial standing, longevity and stability should all be closely examined in direct consultation with them. You should also seek advice from business professionals such as the banks, accountants and the bfa to get a feeling for the reputation of the franchisor. All of the above of course acts as a sieve, lessening the risk with each shake.

But as the final and maybe most important point of reference, I would always speak personally to two or three existing franchisees and get their input on the business itself, the support of the franchisor and the robustness of the proposition. As the old saying goes the only guarantee is life in death and taxes but with a little forethought you can at least further reduce the risks involved in owning your own business.

JULY 2017 | elitefranchise

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05/07/2017 16:53

ADVERTISING FEATURE

Born in the USA Worldwide teaching phenomenon reaches the shores of the UK

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ore than 40 years ago, Larry Martinek, creator of the Mathnasium Method, was inspired to find a better way to teach maths. As a teacher in private and state schools as well as a father to a mathematically gifted son, Nic, Martinek possessed a comprehensive view of maths education. Working with both advanced and struggling maths students, he identified a common theme in maths instruction – a vast disconnect between students’ learning skills and the curriculum they were expected to master.

Martinek had to find an approach that would provide students with the strong mathematical foundation they needed to succeed.

The solution would be to identify students’ current skill levels and propel them forward by teaching them maths in a way that made sense to them.

He assembled and developed a blend of methods and materials that had proven highly effective for students of all ages in his years as an educator. The Mathnasium Method was born.

Instead of relying on memorisation and repetition, Martinek’s approach focused on helping children build deep mathematical understanding through a combination of mental, visual, verbal, tactile and written exercises. His classroom experience showed that teaching children conceptually worked much better than standard repetition and allowed students to develop Number Sense – a critical foundation for understanding maths.

Above all, Martinek’s methods made it fun. The children really wanted to be there and ran into – rather than away from – the sessions. A first for maths education.

The approach was groundbreaking. Over the years, he gradually expanded his work to develop a

It is a business in which you can make a great living, and is perfect for people that are also keen to make a difference in their local community Andrea White, director of UK franchise development

Larry Martinek, creator of the Mathnasium Method

complete curriculum that spans both primary and secondary education. Nic provided insight into the mind of the student and gave his dad’s work an extra dimension. Martinek’s innovative materials found their way into classrooms and were often used instead of textbooks. Student test scores skyrocketed and he became recognised in California as “Larry, the Maths Guy.” Tragically, Nic passed away at age 19 in a car accident.

Shortly before his death, he told his dad, “You have to show other teachers how to teach maths the way you do.” Nic had observed that many of his friends left high school unprepared in maths – not because they couldn’t handle the subject but because they hadn’t been taught in a way that made sense to them. Martinek took this to heart and made it his mission to teach children of all ages. He opened the first Mathnasium Learning Centre in 2002 in Los Angeles. Since then, their work has taken on a life of its own. Today, Mathnasium is a global community with more than 800 franchised locations worldwide, teaching children maths the way that makes sense to them.

28 elitefranchise | JULY 2017

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ADVERTISING FEATURE

The business model Whilst the Mathnasium Method is all about a revolutionary way of teaching maths, the franchise model is equally innovative. Utilising a flexible membership-based system within distinctive high street premises, everyone loves the brand. By offering homework help and unscheduled attendance timeslots the Mathnasium Method’s business model ensures that parents benefit as much as their children do.

All of this has come together to create a unique business opportunity for the franchisees. With a clearly-defined, proven business model and over 18,000 pages of curriculum – tailored to suit each new market they enter, Mathnasium’s team of educational experts ensure that franchisees are able to get outstanding results in their centres, both in terms of student exam results and their own business success.

Franchisees come from all walks of life and an educational background is not essential. Perhaps surprisingly, there is also no requirement to be good at maths. The franchisees role is to run the centre; meeting with parents, handling the marketing, recruiting instructors and managing the business aspects of the centre. If a franchisee has a passion for education then they may well want to be more hands on in the centre, but this is not essential.

The right instruction makes all the difference UK operations director, Steve Felmingham says, “The strength of the Mathnasium Method lies in its individualised approach. As no two students have the same skill level, our approach includes an initial skills assessment designed to identify where strengths and weaknesses lie for each student. Our own proprietary software then generates an individualised

learning plan for them. It’s an incredibly effective system and the results are astounding. As students gain a greater understanding of maths, they become excited about the subject. Excitement leads to passion and passion leads to growth. At Mathnasium, we have helped tens of thousands of children grow to not only understand maths but to love it as well.”

What makes a successful franchisee?

The background of Mathnasium franchisees has always been very diverse. “Even if you don’t have a

teaching background, you can still excel as a Mathnasium franchisee,” says Andrea White, Mathnasium’s UK franchise director. “We teach you all that you need to know about running a business that deals with maths instruction. It is a franchise in which you can make a great living, and is perfect for people that are also keen to make a difference in their local community.

“One of the great things about Mathnasium is that it is a very simple and comparatively low-cost financial model. You will operate from small high street premises, and the fit-out and preparation is minimal. We will help you find the right location, and our demographic and mapping data will provide you with detailed insights into the viability of your chosen site. We will train you in marketing, recruiting tutors and running the business, all you have to do is follow our system.”

Opening two new franchised centres every week and ranked No.3 by Forbes Magazine in their 2016 ‘Best Franchises to buy’, Mathnasium are clearly getting something right.

Call 0161 791 0686 or visit: www.mathnasium.co.uk to learn more.

JULY 2017 | elitefranchise

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05/07/2017 11:09

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Elite Franchise Advert January 2017.indd 1

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Elite Franchise Advert January 2017.indd 1 Elite Franchise Advert January 2017.indd 1 Elite Franchise Advert January 2017.indd 1 Elite Franchise Advert January 2017.indd 1

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HOME003

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02/02/2017 16:39 02/02/2017 16:14:10

Tony Bowman managing director etyres

How family support will strengthen your franchise framework Running a franchise can take a lot of work, which is why it’s a good to have your family in your corner

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tarting a new business is rewarding and hugely because they will share the ups and downs satisfying but sometimes it can also put a great strain on that come with being self-employed. relationships within a family. To begin with, the launching For example, while you might be willing of a venture usually involves assuming more active responsibility to make sacrifices in the early stages of for family finances, which can be stressful in itself. The possibility establishing your business, your partner of working longer hours can also place an additional strain on and family also have to be on board family life, as does the pressure to succeed. A very useful method with the idea. It could be anything and for combatting these difficulties is for the new franchise to become everything from skipping your usual annual a family enterprise, sometimes with children and extended family holiday to not making it home for dinner involved as well. with the kids every night It’s an accepted fact and no surprise to us that because you want to fit in You have to be small and medium-sized enterprises run as family more work. certain you have businesses have a higher success rate than those that An experienced franchisor your family’s full aren’t. They also generally make for a much happier will recognise and understand working environment as well. In our experience, these interpersonal dynamics backing because partnerships work very well – including husband-andand use them to the best they will share the wife and father-and-son teams – especially when the advantage for franchisees. We ups and downs that encourage our franchisees to people involved have complementary skills. One may be a very practical and hands-on sort of person, while come with being have the active or emotional the other has organisational and clerical skills. support of their families, self-employed Also, younger family members are often more ideally both, and to be accustomed to using social media than their parents, confident they are not just which enables them to contribute to the new venture. Writing going along with it to keep you happy. regular Facebook posts and Instagramming great photos are both This is why a lot of emphasis should be powerful marketing tools, ones that cost nothing but can have a big focused not just on making sure you have a impact on raising brand awareness and boosting sales. strong relationship with your franchisor but At the very least, even if your family isn't actively supporting that your family are standing alongside you your venture, you have to be certain you have their full backing as well as behind you.

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05/07/2017 16:54

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The Detective Project

The mystery manufacturer With The Detective Project, Jenny Williams gives children and adults the opportunity to play CSI

BY ERIC JOHANSSON

G

iven the popularity of detective dramas like Luther and Sherlock, it’s no surprise that many people fancy themselves amateur sleuths. Fortunately The Detective Project, the franchise organising CSI-like parties, provides an opportunity to become just that.

However, given that the company has grown to include several franchisees, it may be surprising to hear that founder Jenny Williams never really intended to launch a business. “I had no entrepreneurial aspirations at all,” she says. Instead she was happy working as a police detective at the London Metropolitan Police , although that changed with the birth of her children and her decision to take a career break. “I took a marketing job and it opened my eyes to the world of selfemployment,” she says. “I realised that I liked setting my own targets, working my own hours and not being told what to do.” That was the push she needed

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to leave the force and try launching her own business.

But Williams didn’t know what her new venture would be until she planned her son’s eighth birthday party. “I framed it like a crime scene with a pretend body and told the kids to solve the mystery,” she remembers.

“And they loved it.” The children celebrating her son’s birthday weren’t the only ones: the parents really liked the concept too. “That was the lightbulb moment when I realised that this was my thing,” Williams says. Not one to rest on her laurels, she quickly set herself upon the task of making her vision a reality.

Rather than funding the launch with bank loans, the budding entrepreneur bootstrapped the company. “I’m very lucky to have a very understanding husband,” she says. Thanks to the support from him, Williams was able to start out on a modest salary and to invest any revenue back into the

Fortunately it was a quirky company that people didn’t mind spreading the word about company. “I set myself a target of paying myself £15,000 in the first year and when I hit that I thought, ‘okay, what’s next?’” she says. “That really kickstarted my entrepreneurial side.”

To attract customers Williams began doing some low level marketing like building a website and investing in local advertising. But the founder

05/07/2017 16:55

found the best way to promote her business was to rely on word of mouth. “Fortunately it was a quirky company that people didn’t mind spreading the word about,” she laughs.

After three years of providing fun events to both grownups and kids, Williams decided that it was time to grow the business. “I looked at several different models but kept coming back to franchising,” she says. One of the benefits that particularly convinced her was that it would allow her to scale the business rapidly by recruiting franchisees who were enthusiastic entrepreneurs in their own right. “Rather than having to subcontract or take on more staff, I could simply train others to replicate what I was already doing,” she says.

Determined to make the new franchise model as robust as possible, Williams hired two franchise consultants to help her. “It was a really steep learning curve for me because I didn’t

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know what I didn’t know,” she says. Fortunately the consultants were able to lead her through the franchising process, get the legal documents in order and write the franchise manual. “It was really a matter of getting everything out of my head and onto paper,” says Williams. Once she’d dotted all the Is and crossed every T, the new franchise was launched at the Franchise Show at the ExCel in 2013.

While satisfied with her efforts to ensure the franchise had a replicable recipe, finding the right people would prove easier said than done.

“Your first franchisee is usually a big mistake,” says Williams. “Lots of franchisors don’t know what they’re letting themselves in for and end up having to get rid of their first one.” That was certainly the case with the first person to join her network. “In hindsight, my big mistake was not realising that he was looking to buy himself a job and not a business,” she says. “Some

05/07/2017 16:56

The Detective Project

people don’t understand that work won’t just fall in their lap but that they have to work for it.” Even though the two eventually had to part ways, the experience taught her to always ensure new franchisees are willing to do the hours and have the essential grit to run a company. Having learned her lesson, the business leader is now more particular about the people that she recruits.

And that is sorely needed, as a vast number of prospective franchisees regularly apply to the company. “Most of them are either in it just to make money, don’t have any presentation skills or aren’t credible,” Williams says. This goal to find candidates with the right authenticity has meant that she has turned down a lot of interested people. At the moment most of her franchisees either come from a policing, science or presenting background. “I’m not exclusively looking for these types but for now they seem to be what works for the company,” she says.

Once accepted, each franchisee is provided with thorough training to bring them up to speed. “It’s in everyone’s best interest that they know what they’re doing,” she says.

The preparation includes three days at the head office in Bristol where new franchisees learn how to manage marketing, accounting and how to find new customers. They’re also provided with the chance to shadow Williams at one of her events and for her to help them on theirs. And it doesn’t stop with the initial training: franchisees are also provided ongoing support via weekly Skype calls, annual meetings and further training as needed.

“This ensures they’re happy and confident,” says Williams.

The only downside is that the extensive training has slowed down the growth of the network. But while The Detective Project currently only has four franchisees, this may soon change. “I aim to add three to five

new franchisees every year,” Williams says. “So far this year I’ve recruited three more but I hope to reach five by the end of 2017.”

And it isn’t stopping there: Williams has even grander plans for the network and what it could eventually be capable of. “I’d like to get up to 20 or 25 franchisees,” she says. “Then we’d be able to cover a better proportion of the country because at the moment we’re spread quite thinly for the amount of work we’re asked to do.”

And she’s not just got an eye on locations on these shores. “My long-term goal is to take it overseas but I know I have to walk before I can run,” says Williams. But keeping her cool has proved to be a challenge: interested parties from countries like the US, Canada, Australia and the United Arab Emirates have already reached out and asked about the possibility of bringing The Detective Project to those nations. “I really have to sit on my hands and stop myself from being led down there,” she says. “It would be an entirely new ball game and I would need an awful lot of money to do that. But ask me again in a year and I may have changed my mind.”

Thinking back on the last seven years, Williams couldn’t be happier about her decision to leave the Met. “It has been an absolute adventure, given that I launched the company without knowing where I wanted to take it,” she concludes. “I’m really excited to see where else I can push it and very proud about what we’ve achieved so far.”

Your first franchisee is usually a big mistake

36 elitefranchise | JULY 2017

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The greater good

40 elitefranchise | JULY 2017

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SOCIAL FRANCHISING

Thanks to the rise of social franchising, everything – from charities to social enterprises – is able to grow faster and change the world for the better

BY ERIC JOHANSSON

hether it’s providing care for the meaning of the phrase has changed slightly, even if the focus country’s elderly or teaching children on helping others has remained. “Today social franchising new and important life skills, plenty means taking commercial franchising practices and using of UK franchises are improving the lives of them in an NGO setting to help those less fortunate,” says many people around Britain. But commercial Seid. By adopting the practices of big franchising networks businesses aren’t the only ones using franchising like McDonald’s, social enterprises and non-profits can scale as a way to replicate their success and change the faster, cheaper and provide social good to more people than lives of others: over the past few decades social they would have been able to if they’d gone it alone. Even if franchising has enabled a growing number of the term is reasonably new, social franchising has not only organisations to have a positive social impact in enabled non-profits to deliver healthcare and fresh water Britain and across the world. to poverty-stricken parts of Africa but has also However, while the history of empowered charities and social enterprises in commercial franchising on these the UK. For instance, the Foodbank charity has shores dates back to British breweries provided meals to people who cannot afford food licensing their products to pubs in and Tatty Bumpkin, the baby yoga class franchise, the 18th century, social franchising has helped new mothers back to work. “Franchises is a much more recent invention. are able to do things in a much more consistent, One of the earliest mentions of the sustainable and replicable way,” says Seid. phrase dates back to the 1990s, when But with such a wide range of organisations brands like Disney, Gap and Dunkin’ using the model to scale, it’s important to Donuts opened outlets in American remember the one thing that unifies them all. inner cities. “I’m talking about poor “Ultimately we’re all interested in doing good neighbourhoods that people would for the community,” says Dan Berelowitz, chief Dan Berelowitz, International drive through without stopping,” executive and founder of the International Centre Centre for Social Franchising says Michael Seid, chair of the for Social Franchising (ICSF), the organisation International Franchise Association’s supporting the growth of community-changing Social Sector Task Force and co-author of initiatives through franchising. And while there technically Franchising For Dummies. Opening stores in is no one single definition of what a social franchise is, the these areas served two purposes for the different wish to do good in society is the overarching feature that brands: it enabled them to access an untapped distinguishes these initiatives from commercial franchises. customer base and to provide a social good for the “If they’re catering to shareholders and acting like a people living around the new stores. “It brought commercial business in every other way I’d say that they are jobs and opportunities into neighbourhoods less likely to be a social franchise,” he says. But prioritising where they had never existed,” says Seid. impact over profit isn’t the only way in which social Fast-forward to the modern day and the franchising differs from regular franchising.

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Ultimately we’re all interested in doing good for the community

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SOCIAL FRANCHISING

Today social franchising means taking commercial franchising practices and using them in an NGO setting to help those less fortunate Michael Seid, International Franchise Association’s Social Sector Task Force

Another key difference from commercial franchises is that social franchisees aren’t always necessarily people. “Sometimes local organisations that have their own local identity become franchisees,” says Nick Temple, deputy CEO at Social Enterprise UK. He explains that this has to do with the overall collaborative nature of social enterprises in general.

“If there’s a great organisation in Liverpool that’s working in the same field, then most of us would wonder if we could work together instead of opening a competing brand down the street,” he says.

That being said, the qualities of

a good social franchisee are not particularly different from the ones you find in more commercial franchises. “They have to have the right mix of being entrepreneurial and able to work within the framework at the same time,” says Temple. In other words, the people within the network should be bursting with ideas on how to take on the local market but still not stray too much from the model.

“The only difference really is that franchisees have to be very aligned with your social mission,” says Temple.

“If you’ve got someone with a different set of values then it just won’t work.”

But despite having gained in

popularity over the past decade, social franchising is still reasonably small on these shores. In a report from 2012, the ICFS estimated that there were less than 100 social franchises in the UK. “It may be a few more out there now but I still think that we are in the tens rather than in the hundreds,” says Temple. Comparatively, there were 930 franchisors in the UK in 2013, according to the bfa. A part of the reason for the low number is that social franchises still don’t enjoy the help that their peers in the commercial sector do. “You don’t see the same supportive infrastructure around social franchises as commercial franchises,” says Temple.

Thanks to its long successful history, commercial franchising is seen as a safe bet for banks to invest in. But because social franchising is still in its infancy, it means that many of the ventures in the social sector may find it challenging to raise funds. According to Social Enterprise UK, most social franchises are either funded by trusts and foundations or from the organisation’s own reserves. And given that the European Social Franchising Network estimates that the average cost of building a social franchise is around €150,000, it’s hardly surprising that few organisations have established sustainable social networks. While there are initiatives like the ICSF’s new social-franchise accelerator and several programmes out there aimed at helping non-profits build their networks, they are – much like the sector itself – still in their early days. “Social franchising has immense potential but we need the infrastructure and funding,” says Temple. “There have been a few bits and bobs ticking away and being developed but there’s nothing like what we could’ve hoped for. So there’s room for improvement.”

Nevertheless, it’s encouraging to see that the transformative power of franchising is being adopted by social enterprises and non-profits.

And given the success of commercial franchises and their impressive ability to scale, we’re willing to bet that social franchising is soon going to be a force to be reckoned with.

42 elitefranchise | JULY 2017

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Doing it in style After coming out of a tough transitional phase, Danish fashion brand Noa Noa is taking off in the UK under the stewardship of franchise development manager Søren Kok Jacobsen

BY MARIA BARR

Founded in 1981 by Danish brothers Harald and Lars Holstein as a wholesale fashion brand, Noa Noa has become an international retail franchise with a presence in 20 countries. After expanding into nearby Sweden and then other European countries in the 1980s, it adopted the franchise model in the 1990s to enable an even bigger global push. It also moved away from its wholesale roots to create its own line of clothing that its retail outlets stock exclusively. But while Noa Noa’s name may mean ‘simple and harmonious’ in Tahitian, the franchise’s journey hasn’t been without a few bumps in the road.

When Søren Kok Jacobsen joined the company in 2014 as franchise development manager, Noa Noa was in a state of flux. Since 2006, it had been under the management of a private equity firm but when private owners bought the business in 2014, it underwent some big changes. “It’s a huge advantage having private owners because they’re more engaged with the business,” says Jacobsen. “The transition allowed us to return to the heart of what the brand is about: being true to yourself and allowing women to express their personalities rather than chasing what’s in fashion.” To this end, Noa Noa hired a new head designer

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NOA NOA

who was charged with capturing a feminine, romantic look that’s both bohemian and modern. And in keeping with its ‘be true to yourself’ philosophy, the brand also developed a stronger sense of its own unique style.

“Rather than designing things based on what we see elsewhere, we have more confidence in our own designs,” Jacobsen adds.

Unfortunately, steering Noa Noa through these changes has meant Jacobsen was forced to watch as both franchisor-owned and franchiseeowned stores were closed. Under the previous management, there was an emphasis on rapid growth but unfortunately not all the new stores were generating a healthy profit.

The new private owners knew that the situation wasn’t tenable and the stores that weren’t performing had to be shut. Two franchise outlets in the UK have closed shop since 2014, along with others around the world. “Saying goodbye to our franchisees wasn’t fun but it was necessary,” Jacobsen reflects. “Although it was tough, it allowed us to do some clearing up and have a fresh start. We now have a healthy turnover.”

And while having to admit something’s not working is never easy, it has allowed Noa Noa to fine-tune its strategy and identify which areas it could improve. For one thing, it invests heavily in identifying the right franchisees and then giving them the training they

need. You don’t have to be clad in designer togs or be a fashion expert: you just need a decent understanding of the fundamentals of business and a willingness to learn.

“We recognise that the whole point of a franchise is that franchisees can expect to get help,” Jacobsen says. “It’s almost impossible to find the ideal franchisee so we’ll always help them where it’s needed.” To achieve this, the franchise creates a personalised support package, based on a person’s strengths and weaknesses. So if they don’t have much experience in the fashion industry, for example, they’re Saying given help with hiring staff who goodbye do and choosing which pieces from the collection to stock in to our shop. To help with this and franchisees their keep franchisees in the black, a wasn’t fun new local sales manager for the UK has been hired to regularly but it was travel across the country and necessary visit stores.

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NOA NOA

Noa Noa has also become a lot pickier when it comes to the location of shops.

“There have been times in the past when we’ve not chosen the right place so today we’re really strict about where we open,” says Jacobsen. “Things have changed in retail as well: whereas ten years ago people might have been willing to go a little out of their way to find an independent shop, these days you have to be very close to where the customers are. Location is a much bigger factor now than it ever was.”

Acknowledging that the British high street is a tough place to operate right now, Jacobsen believes that as well as a strong location strategy Noa Noa has something else in its favour: its Danish roots. Whether it’s the national obsession with the concept of hygge, binge-watching The Killing or an interest in the country’s fashion labels, Brits seem to have an insatiable appetite for Danish exports.

“We haven’t done much to localise

There have been times in the past when we’ve not chosen the right place so today we’re really strict about where we open the branding,” says Jacobsen. “We’ve picked up on the interest in all things Danish and, as a nordic brand, we find that we’re relevant all over the globe.

We only design one collection that’s sold in all markets.” As for what’s behind international interest in his culture, Jacobsen can only hazard a guess. “Perhaps it’s because Danes are generally very relaxed and people see that in the products we create,” he says. That being said, not everything

that sells well in Denmark works in the UK so franchisees get total control over what items from the collection they stock.

What’s more, while many of the large high-street retailers are falling over each other in a race to copy the latest catwalk trends faster and cheaper, Noa Noa is happy to sit things out and do its own thing. “We deliberately don’t follow fashion trends and customers like that,” Jacobsen says. He points to the company’s production standards as one example: Noa Noa’s clothes are made in factories that pay workers fairly and it’s proud to be a member of the Business Social Compliance Initiative, which encourages sustainable supply chain policies. “We can’t compete with big chains that mass-produce clothes and we wouldn’t want to,” he says.

And this strategy appears to be working. “Now we’re in this new phase we’re looking ahead and have some very exciting plans,” Jacobsen says.

Globally, the franchise opened five shops in 2015, four in 2016 and is well on track to add 14 more to the network by the end of this year. In the UK, it has nine franchised shops up and running, having just added the ninth in Edinburgh in June. At least two more UK shops are set to open this year in Inverness and Colchester and Jacobsen believes that ultimately the network could have as many as 50 franchisees on these shores. “Even if we reach that target we’ll never have a huge market share but being small is our advantage as it allows us to offer something unique,” Jacobsen concludes. “There will always be a place in the market for brands that are a bit different.”

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VIBE001

The Family Holidays Franchise

HOW MUCH YOU COULD EARN FROM TRAVEL?

If you like travel and holidays then that’s all we need.

The rest we can teach. We set up our holiday business on £6,000 and now we sell over £20m holidays each year. And the best bit? We will be able to show you how to do the same!

When you join the Family Holidays Franchise you will receive all the training you need to set up a lucrative travel business from home. And it doesn’t need to just be family holidays. We can help mould your business to your travel interests and those of people in your local area.

UK consumers spend over £13bn on overseas travel each year and so it’s no surprise that a number of our sales staff book over £100,000 of holidays a month.

The running costs are very low and so get in touch so we can show you how to do the same!

To find out more call Dale Randle today on 0121 200 5561 Or visit us at www.familyholidaysfranchise.com

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ADVERTISING FEATURE

Managing your franchise in the cloud Keeping everyone on the same page starts with giving your franchise network easy and secure access to the information they need

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loud-based systems have become increasingly popular in recent years among franchises that want to manage all aspects of the franchise network from one centralised, secure system.

Franchise Infinity is the all-in-one tool that allows you to manage critical aspects of your franchise – such as compliance and communication – securely and efficiently.

It’s been built by experienced practitioners who understand the intricacies of running a franchise.

This is achieved through effectively addressing the biggest franchisor and franchisee pain points.

When it comes to managing a large network spread across multiple locations, upholding consistent standards requires high levels of organisation. Giving your franchisees and operational support teams easy access to data in the cloud through a smart device drives higher levels of operational efficiency. This means you spend more time working on your business and not in it.

Franchise Infinity can be downloaded onto an Android or iOS phone and used on any desktop or iOS device. The platform is also 100% customisable so you can brand it with your logo and colour palette. You can customise the modules, choosing what each one contains, how it operates and who can access it.

Every franchise is unique in its setup, so it’s important that the tools you use to keep everyone on the same page are customised to your needs. Franchise Infinity offers a comprehensive suite of franchise tools to assist both the franchisor and franchisee. These include compliance audits and checklists, operational support team access and support, learning management systems,

cloud storage, task management and analytics measuring performance at all levels.

Thanks to the cloud, franchise management is becoming easier, more efficient and, importantly, scaleable.

Using the software as a service model, subscriptions to Franchise Infinity can be taken out on a per person basis so you only pay for what you need. To find out more, email sales@franchiseinfinity.com or register your interest at www.franchiseinfinity.com

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Tracking franchisees’ financials

Holding the purse strings Gaining an objective handle on how a franchise network as a whole is performing has become much easier in the age of digital accounting

By Glen Murphy, client relationship manager, Dennis & Turnbull

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s with any business, a franchise’s finances must be closely and carefully managed to ensure its continued success and survival. All stakeholders in a franchise should be aware of its financial situation and performance and have a drive to improve. By its nature, franchising is a business model that has been developed into a replicatable system for delivering a product or service for a monetary return. It should therefore in theory be straightforward to measure and manage a network of franchisees, as they are all supposedly following the same business model.

However, while there are many cross-network similarities and benefits, every franchisor knows that each franchisee is different. It certainly

isn’t a case of one-size-fits-all. A generally held ratio is 20:60:20, where the top 20% of franchisees are flying, 60% are doing okay and the bottom 20% are struggling.

Not all franchisors agree their network falls into this split in terms of performance but it’s indisputable that some franchises are more profitable than others and sometimes underperformance happens for a variety of reasons.

Monitoring and maximising revenue from franchise operations is therefore a vital issue for franchisors.

Financial data should be tracked and analysed on a regular basis to draw effective and insightful conclusions on performance and inform future development. SMART targets should be set based on data and current results.

However, particularly in large networks, it can be complex and time-consuming to find, measure and evaluate all the necessary financial data needed. Efficient and consistent

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Tracking franchisees’ financials

measuring and tracking of financial activity within your network is the key here. But what’s the best way to measure financial performance across a franchise network?

First and foremost, having all franchisees on a common accounting and bookkeeping system makes monitoring your network’s information a great deal easier. With a single network accountant managing your franchisee’s accounts, all the financial data is held in a consistent, standardised format and you can manage it together as a whole. Financial quirks of the business model can all be handled centrally and compliance can be more easily ensured for the whole network, giving both franchisee and franchisor peace of mind.

A network accountant is not only likely to save franchisees money but also provide a higher level of service and support to each individual franchisee. After all, each franchisee will have their own reasons for their current level of performance.

An accountant will be able to use insights from the data to monitor the effect of franchisees’ current financial performance and see how best to respond to it. It could be the franchisor must provide targeted support or change and update a system currently in place. Manually looking at each franchisee in isolation to work out exactly how they are performing, what they need and how they can be supported can be an incredibly laborious and difficult logistical challenge for a franchisor to manage, especially in a timely manner.

Performance tracking and

dashboards are incredibly useful here. A franchise dashboard will combine all your and your franchisees’ data, then create one complete network-wide view. This gives you real-time management and financial information, all in one place. You can integrate your network-wide data across every franchisee and analysis of the network will reveal trends, gaps,

Monitoring and maximising revenue from franchise operations is a vital issue for franchisors strengths and weakness. A dashboard allows the franchisor to understand exactly what financial activity is going on where and when in their network.

They can then monitor this and if necessary put measures in place or ensure the best use of the resources available to support and drive performance. The franchisor benefits from financial vision and clarity, while the franchisee benefits from targeted guidance and support at the right time to maximise performance. With some skilful and well-directed input from you, informed by the information

in the dashboard, most franchisees can be fired up and re-energised to improve their performance.

The government’s current plans to make tax digital will mean that digital accounting will soon become a necessary requirement for all businesses. Some franchisees might already be managing their accounts online; others might still use spreadsheets or bookkeeping manually. It’s tricky to compare results like-for-like if they are in different formats. Consistency is key for effective comparison and analysis. If your business is already using cloud accounting software such as Quickbooks or Xero, you’re likely to be sitting on a goldmine of data already. You can use this data to create graphical representations, produce reports and view the bigger picture, with everything in context. The results of viewing and acting on the data in this way are happier, better-performing franchisees who are making more money. The benefits are targeted support, improved performance and simple efficiency – the keys to financial success in business.

In summary, the main tools for measuring financial performance across a franchise network are, without doubt, a consistent accounting system and a network accountant. Once these are in place, the information is all there at your fingertips. With the plethora of reporting options, you’ll find what works best for you in tracking your franchise’s financial data and can use this to maximise performance and monitor financial information.

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ADVERTISING FEATURE

Clean up with a Techclean franchise If you’re looking for a business opportunity that is affordable, offers flexibility and isn’t dependent on any one market sector then Techclean could be the ideal choice

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ith an established pedigree in cleaning IT equipment dating back to the 1980s, Techclean provides a specialist cleaning service for workplace desktops, communication centres and computer data rooms. Current customers range from big names like EDF, Disney and Porsche to universities, hospitals and the Public Service Ombudsman in Wales.

Research shows that there are 200 times more bacteria on a computer keyboard than on a regularly cleaned toilet seat – in fact in many offices you’d be better off working with pen and paper in the ladies or gents than at your own desk. Additionally, the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that up to 80% of all infections are spread by hand contact with contaminated surfaces and direct human contact.

According to the 2016 CIPD Absence Management Report, absenteeism costs British businesses an average of £522 per employee per year.

That’s around 140 million days lost to sickness absence across the UK in 2015 with colds, flu and gastric illnesses topping the table of causes. If

you combine this with the statistic that says 33% of people with contagious symptoms struggle into work rather than stay at home, it’s easy to see why providing a hygienic workplace is so important to productivity.

General office cleaners may flick a duster over the keyboards and wipe around the desk but they can rarely achieve the level of cleanliness that is essential to keep bugs at bay and extend the life of the equipment. It takes the skill of Techclean’s specialist service to properly clean and sanitise desktops, telephones and communal electronic equipment such as photocopiers and printers.

No previous experience is necessary to become a Techclean franchisee as full training is given. You just need to be good with people and have an aptitude for sales and marketing.

Philippe Lafon has been running Techclean mid-Anglia for over 20 years.

After a career spent in sales traveling all over the country, he was looking for a job nearer to home that involved technology. He heard about Techclean, liked the sound of it and hasn’t looked back since. “I hadn’t even thought about a franchise but after visiting the

Techclean head office I could see the potential,” he says. “I found the team to be really down to earth people I could work with and trust so I signed up.

Techclean territories are generous –each catchment area includes at least 10,000 business. No premises are needed, making the franchise a perfect business to run from a home office with minimal outlay.

And a Techclean franchise can slot in at any stage of your working life. Former teacher and mother of four Susan Davies set up Techclean South Wales three years ago after her youngest child went to university.

She was looking for a new challenge and wanted to grow a business that she could run from home but still get out and about to interact with others. “I just love the diversity of it and meeting different people,” she says. “It’s very satisfying work. We go into an office and in a just few hours we make such a big difference to the working environment. I have a small team of people working with me I call the ‘dream team’ – and customers are always delighted with the end results.”

Costing just £19,500 plus VAT, a Techclean franchise stands head and shoulders above other low cost franchise opportunities. Techclean franchisees can expect to achieve a net profit margin of over 50% within the first year of trading.

Contact: Emma Downes t: 01530 513300 e: edownes@techclean.co.uk Total Cost: £19,500 + VAT

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Tech

Techclean are proud to provide a comprehensive range of specialist system cleaning solutions to a diverse range of customers from FTSE 100’s to government to local businesses, charities, schools and even medical establishments amongst others.

Who does Techclean need? + ‘People people’ + Disciplined and well organised + Prepared to put in the hard work to build a business + Able and willing to follow a business system + Good communicators and enjoy building relationships with customers

Support includes: As your franchisor, we believe in supporting you fully in your marketing efforts, The Bardon Group have years of experience creating excellent marketing tools, programmes and collateral, that are effective and practical for franchise owners to follow – alongside the other demands of the business. This activity is backed up by regular email marketing, a comprehensive range brochure, product leaflets and other relevant collateral.

DETAILS: Investment level: £19,500 +VAT Business type: Specialist system hygiene Franchise contact: Emma Downes Techclean Unit 2, Cartwright Court, Cartwright Way, Forest Business Park, Bardon, Coalville, Leicestershire, LE67 1UE Tel: 01530 513300 Email: edownes@thebardongroup.co.uk Web: www.techclean.co.uk

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FRAN008 02/06/2017 09:17

Customer loyalty

The latest in loyalty

BY MARIA BARR

Over 20 years after Tesco launched its Clubcard, how are marketers keeping customers coming back time and again?

I

n the mid-1990s, when Tesco’s then-chairman Lord MacLaurin was given a presentation about the supermarket’s new loyalty card programme, he told the team working on it that “what scares me about this is that you know more about my customers after three months than I know after 30 years”. Officially launched in 1995, Tesco’s Clubcard was a game-changer when it came to customer loyalty and the use of data. Tracking how people shopped and giving them points in return gave the retailer an unprecedented level of customer insight, allowing Tesco to stay on top of consumer trends and become one of the dominant supermarkets. It knows its customers so well one Mumsnet user claimed the retailer would offer her discounts on tampons just days before her period arrived. But, over 20 years later, how have customer loyalty schemes evolved and how are franchises persuading buyers to return?

For one thing, the British public might be starting to become immune to the power of loyalty cards. A Nielsen study published in 2016 found that although British shoppers are the second most likely in the world to have a loyalty card – after Finland – they’re among the least likely to make use of the benefits. What’s more, only 51% of British loyalty card holders said they’d choose one retailer over another because of their loyalty scheme, all other

factors being equal. For Jason De Winne, general manager at ICLP, the customer-loyalty agency, the basic philosophy behind the Tesco Clubcard – that customers are given something useful to reward their repeat custom – is still largely relevant. But he also thinks that today’s customer wants something more. “Loyalty programmes have moved on from being about earning points over time: these days retailers are using data to make the customer feel valued and appreciated,” he says. “That emotional feeling is what ultimately drives loyalty.”

As a result, retailers in the franchise world and beyond are scrambling to be more creative when it comes to rewards. Pizza franchise Domino’s Piece of the Pie campaign gave people the chance to get stocks in the company in return for showing their love for the brand on social media.

And Waitrose offers all loyalty card holders a free cup of tea or coffee – although it recently reeled in the promotion slightly by stipulating that customers have to buy something to qualify.

Meanwhile, doughnut franchise Dunkin’ Donuts recently announced a partnership with Waze, the community-based traffic and navigation app, to allow members of its loyalty programme in the US to place their order in advance and beat the queue. In a statement at the time, Scott Hudler, chief digital officer at Dunkin’ Brands, said using the latest technologies helps the brand “stand apart for valuing our loyal guests and providing them with exciting and innovative new ways to purchase Dunkin’ Donuts food and beverages as quickly and seamlessly as possible”.

De Winne welcomes these moves, so long as it’s what the customer wants. “Whether it’s a more seamless checkout process or a complimentary coffee, it has to be valuable to customers and make

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Customer loyalty

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CUSTOMER LOYALTY

their experience better,” he says. “There are lots of a sense of community. “The fun, open, community feel is a examples of brands that use technology for its own very important part of what makes customers loyal to us,” sake.” This means that if a franchisor chooses to says Andrew Mower, franchisee of F45 Farringdon. “Our pilot a new loyalty-building initiative, the franchisee flexible approach actually makes people more loyal and less on the ground has a huge role to play when it comes fickle because they don’t feel pressured.” The franchise does to gathering feedback on how it’s actually being encourage people to buy bundles but believes that the main received by customers. reason people come back is the personal attention they get And thanks to the swathes of data available to from trainers and the encouragement and support they get franchises these days, delivering these kinds of from other regulars. experiences doesn’t necessarily Having a strong brand identity throughout have to be about solely rewarding your network that people can connect with There’s no top-tier customers. For a long time, can also be an important driver of loyalty. For loyalty schemes have been inspired Riverford, the organic fruit and veg delivery real substitute by the idea that 80% of a successful franchise, customer loyalty is intimately for having company’s business comes from wrapped up with how people feel about its about 20% of its customers. So when franchisees that brand. “There’s a lot of pressure on marketers to it came to loyalty schemes, the more customers offers or discounts but that’s not nurture personal give you shopped the more you were what we’re about,” says Grace Carter-Cavalier, rewarded. But it can be a bit of a slog the franchise’s head of loyalty. “Our brand relationships to earn enough points to benefit. is perhaps what we’re strongest on and it’s with customers “Thanks to advances in technology, important that customers see that we’re being retailers can offer customers perks true to our commitment to being a sustainable and get to know sooner and they can offer them and fair business. That’s what creates loyalty.” them over time to even more people,” says De Instead of price incentives, Riverford aims to Winne. For example, restaurant give people experiences that bring the brand Grace Carter-Cavalier, Riverford chain Wagamama claimed to have to life and create a connection. It plans popup “reassessed the whole notion of supper clubs, bringing together thousands of loyalty” with its loyalty app, Wagamamastars. The customers in various locations around the dining table. “It’s app rewards all diners, including first-timers, a great way to get to know our customers in person and allow repeat customers and ad-hoc guests, with tailored them to enjoy chatting to each other,” says Carter-Cavalier. rewards like a free dish next time they visit.

“People get a sense that they’re part of something.” Riverford But it’s not just a matter of offering freebies: the has also found that these offline brand experiences pay off reasons why somebody comes back to a brand when it comes to retention rates: its analysis shows that not are more complex. F45 Training, the fitness only are customers who attend a supper club more likely to franchise, takes a very different approach to shop with Riverford again but they also shop more frequently retaining customers and, unlike many gym chains, and spend more. doesn’t even try to encourage people to commit to And franchises may be in a particularly good position annual contracts. Instead, its focus is on creating to create experiences that delight and unite, given franchisees’ high level of local customer knowledge. While in the future technology might be able to arm offline shop assistants with data insights on a shopper’s preferences so they can deliver a more tailored service, many franchises are already able to develop that knowhow naturally. “There’s no real substitute for having franchisees nurture personal relationships with customers and getting to know them over time,” says CarterCavalier. “Thoughtful things like knowing where a certain customer likes to have their box left and going above and beyond is what makes customers happy, which is what loyalty means to us. And other brands that aren’t using the franchise model aren’t always able to compete with that.”

60 ELITEFRANCHISE | JULY 2017

Be Part of a Great Franchise Team • Excellent return on investment • Exceptional individual local launch package • Dedicated ongoing mentoring and support • A much loved brand • Enviable work-life balance • Luxurious product • Proven business model • Excellent bespoke systems Determine your own destiny while being part of a supportive and successful group of motivated and experienced individuals and part of our much loved brand.

Quality. Pure & Simple

Contact Carole Stubbs 07912 771 149 carole@bluebirdcare.co.uk bluebirdcarefranchise.co.uk

01202 233744 franchise@justshutters.co.uk www.shutter-franchise.co.uk JUST002 T2690 JS Franchise 80x245 July17.indd 1

03/07/2017 14:24

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ADVERTISING FEATURE

How the ecommerce revolution has blown the retail sector wide open Platinum Business Partners reveals the real opportunity that the ecommerce market presents

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ore people than ever before have a very exciting opportunity to capitalise on the growing explosion of online retail.

Gone are the days when the only option to buy something was to walk to the local High Street or visit a local shopping centre. Not that long ago, we were apprehensive about buying products over the phone, via Teletext or TV shopping channels, but most of us did it – eventually.

Now, the majority of us do shop online (four out of five Britons in fact). The choice, convenience and costeffectiveness of buying over the internet is remarkable and a true game-changer.

In the last few years, the online retail sector has exploded with choice, enabling you to purchase anything from your weekly food shop and clothes to expensive electricals and rare collectable items and everything in between.

In the past it used to be more aggravation than alleviation – think of traipsing to the post office to return things and having to pay to send things back! Well that’s history. You can now order and get goods the next day, collect or return items at any local shop or have a courier come and collect it

from an address of your choice - and often at no extra cost to you.

The fact is, this trend just isn’t going away and the UK is now the third largest ecommerce marketplace in the world after China and the US respectively. By 2020, the value of ecommerce sales are estimated to quadruple to $4 trillion.

We’re talking double digit growth here and it’s highly likely these figures will not be shrinking anytime in the foreseeable future.

This is all really compelling stuff, but why should you care?

Well from a consumer point of view, which is what we all are in the main, there are opportunities for us to have our own retail businesses too.

The bonus is that online retail businesses require next to none of the start-up costs associated with a traditional retail business. You don’t need physical premises. You don’t have to pay business rates or the cost of a lease or mortgage. You don’t need to fork out thousands of pounds to outfit and decorate a shop and you don’t need to be there during the hours that a potential customer would want to shop (even when they might not show). This means that any one of us could be selling products online.

Almost without consumers noticing, the internet has democratised the business of ecommerce, removing the old-style inaccessible ‘class systems’ surrounding new revenue streams and business models. It’s no longer a marketplace open to just those with huge amounts of capital and time.

This is a global business that can be built and operated from anywhere in the world and it’s not just the big brands that are cashing in.

Think about the last thing you bought

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online? A ‘classic’ purchase – a book or CD? Or maybe a beauty product, kitchen utensil, dog lead or in-car phone charger? The possibilities are, of course, virtually limitless. Whatever it was, did you make a note of whom you bought it from?

Maybe it was through a well-known ecommerce site such as eBay, Etsy or Amazon for example, but did you know that there are hundreds of millions of small brands and individual sellers online that use these types of platforms to reach their customers; so that whatever you bought may have been sold to you by someone just like you? Not by some big corporate retailer with an established online presence but a small start-up with a global reach that may be being run from a laptop on the kitchen table? That could be you.

Sounds easy? Well, at one level, it really is. But there is also more complexity to online selling than meets the eye.

This is why Platinum Business Partners has a tried and tested model

for you to follow to make money online.

Our step-by-step training programme, which is delivered online, offline and one-to-one, will teach you how to source products that are already being mass-produced by manufacturers and private label them with your own brands. We will also teach you to sell and market them via established ecommerce sites, like Amazon while also Building a valuable business that will become a sellable asset for the future.

These are just four of the hundreds of steps involved in building a successful online retail business. But with Platinum Business Partners, you’ll also join more than 100 other people who are currently taking advantage of the explosion of online shopping and selling 300+ uniquely branded products to 100,000 online customers globally.

And this business opportunity is even more unique. As well as not needing physical premises or staff, you won’t have to manufacture, store or ship a single product.

Our core promise is to help you turn £20,000 of working capital into a monthly net income of £2,000 to £4,000 – much more is possible and already being achieved, but we prefer to under-promise and over-deliver.

Ultimately, you’ll be in control. How much you earn and how much time you commit to your business will be entirely up to you, as will deciding how much and how fast you want to grow your business.

Find out more about how this business works and how it can work for you.

Contact our team to get your free ‘How to Make Money Online’ guide.

T: 01202 652 103 E: info@platinumbusinesspartners.co.uk W: www.platinumbusinesspartners.co.uk

JULY 2017 | elitefranchise

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Extra Help

A rewarding franchise opportunity with all the support you need to succeed

Flexible Hours * A Rapidly Growing Market * High Earning Potential * Simple to Manage * Immense Job Satisfaction Extra Help is a national home-help and domestic cleaning franchise network that provides assistance with a variety of day-to-day tasks, such as cleaning, gardening, dog-walking, meal preparation and mother’s help services.

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03/03/2017 17:34

Keeping the peace

BY ERIC JOHANSSON

Every minute franchisees spend arguing with each other is more money wasted. Fortunately there are plenty of things franchisors can do to avoid conflicts from flaring up

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Franchisee conflicts

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rom arguing about territories to disagreeing about how the business should be run, there are plenty of reasons why franchisees may end up at odds with each other. But no matter how arguments blaze up, without fail they’re bad for business.

“Conflicts are very time-consuming and always unnecessary,” says Rik Hellewell, managing director and founder of Ovenu, the oven-cleaning franchise.

Whether or not the issue is so serious that it requires lengthy litigation or only necessitates the franchisor to display some savoir faire, the end result of conflicts is always the same.

“They distract from what you’re trying to achieve,” says Louise Harris, franchise director at Wilkins Chimney Sweep, the chimney-sweeping franchise. “Franchisees are in it to build their business.” However, every second they and their franchisor spend resolving internal spats is a second not devoted to boosting sales, building a stronger customer base and improving the situation for everyone in the network. “Stopping conflicts means that you’re stopping internal stupidity,” says Harris.

Fortunately, there are plenty of things a franchisor can do to avoid franchisees squaring up to each other, starting with recruiting the right people to the network. “We always ask ourselves if we like them and if our customers would like them,” says Harris. She argues that likability serves as a good litmus test for candidates’ suitability for the

role and how well they’ll get along with other franchisees in the network. This approach has served Wilkins Chimney Sweep in good stead and kept conflicts to a minimum. “Our franchisees aren’t confrontational,” she says. “They’re actually grownups and behave like it.”

Nevertheless, while following your gut instinct may be a good way to filter out bad candidates during the initial stages, it’s still important that franchisors do due diligence in their recruitment process. “We try to get sensible and straight-thinking franchisees,” says Hellewell. “To ensure this, we do proper background checks to see if they’ve been involved in things like the National Front or heavy amounts of trade-union activities. Basically we try to figure out if they’re shitstirrers.” For Ovenu this includes checking if candidates have been disruptive in previous roles and looking at social-media profiles to ensure a good fit. “Never be afraid to look a bit deeper if you think someone is prone to whinging and moaning about

Stopping conflicts means that you’re stopping internal stupidity Louise Harris, Wilkins Chimney Sweep

everything,” says Hellewell.

However, satisfying yourself about franchisees’ suitability is only the first step toward protecting your franchise against future conflicts.

The second is to not only ensure that your franchise agreement is watertight but also make sure that franchisees thoroughly understand it. “Make it blindingly obvious to franchisees from the get-go,” says Hellewell. Franchise agreements are complicated, legally binding contracts outlining everything from accepted supply chains to whether or not territories are exclusive. Given the complexities of these documents, ensuring that franchisees fully comprehend them not only makes sure they enter into the partnership with their eyes open but it can also protect the network against undesired internal squabbles brought on by simple misunderstandings. In other words, it’s not enough to just post the agreement on your website. Instead you must sit down and thoroughly explain the rules to new members and, vitally, what the sanctions are JUY 2017 | elitefranchise

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for breaking them. “Make it really obvious what happens if they’re a naughty boy or girl,” says Hellewell. Being clear will hopefully discourage most franchisees from breaking the rules and instigate unwanted conflicts.

If someone still breaks the rules it’s important that the franchisor responds accordingly. “You need to send out a really strong message,” says Hellewell. “It doesn’t matter if they’ve poached another franchisee’s customers or done something else inappropriate: the franchisor needs to show that it won’t be tolerated.” The severity of the transgression determines the appropriate sanction: some may only require stern warnings or the wrongdoer paying a fine.

That being said, more severe cases could force franchisors to take the rule-breaking franchisee to court. “It’s not necessarily the best way to do things and it sure isn’t the cheapest but sometimes you need to make an example out of somebody,” says Hellewell.

While the nuclear option could definitely deter indiscretions in your network, Harris argues that establishing a collaborative culture could be just as effective. “Franchisees are dependent on one another for their welfare,” she says.

Helping franchisees understand the strength of pulling in the same direction has enabled Wilkins Chimney Sweep to establish a culture where the people in the network openly share and seek advice. By recognising that they are in it together and that when they collaborate they can grow

It’s not necessarily the best way to do things and it sure isn’t the cheapest but sometimes you need to make an example out of somebody Rik Hellewell, Ovenu

their business, the franchisees become less likely to waste time squabbling. “Collaboration and kindness means that everyone can support each other to reach that bigger goal,” says Harris. And the establishing a collaborative culture also means that difference of opinion won’t be something to dread. “You can turn a conflict into a positive discussion,” says Harris. One example she gives is when Wilkins Chimney Sweep had to upgrade one of their certificates. For years the franchisees had been satisfied using an older document that their clients signed on an iPad. However, when one of the franchisees raised concerns that it needed to be updated half of the network agreed, while the other half wasn’t as enthusiastic about the changes because of the cost. “But the nature of the discussion and the end result was really positive,” says Harris. “They talked with and convinced each other what the best solution was.”

And even if conflicts do arise, having established a collaborative culture enables the franchisor to turn the issue into a constructive conversation rather than a full-blown row.

“If you take the opportunity to discuss things as a grownup it can be very rewarding,” says Hellewell. If the franchisor provides a safe space and leads the discussion, a potentially heated argument can mean that franchisees themselves comes up with a solution that benefits the whole network.

And clearing the air could help ensure that things go back to normal. “But the franchisor should step in if it looks as if they might start taking lumps out of each other,” he says.

Ultimately, establishing and growing a franchise is all about teamwork. If the franchisees all pull together in the same direction they can accomplish great things. So keeping the peace is definitely good for business.

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ADVERTISING FEATURE

Finding a familyfriendly franchise After leaving a successful corporate career, Lorraine Gannon realised that what she needed was to leave the office politics behind and spend more time with her young family by owning her own business

B

efore becoming a franchisee at procurement franchise Expense Reduction Analysts (ERA), Lorraine Gannon had an impressive career in the public and corporate sectors and had also co-owned a chain of hotels and restaurants. But there came a point where she realised something had to change. “I'd worked in the corporate world all my life by the end I hated it,” she says. “In fact, I when I was made redundant I found myself actually feeling a bit glad. After that, I went into the public sector, becoming a chief accountant at a government animal health agency. But I wound up being miserable there too. Red tape, office politics and a seemingly constant change of management meant you never knew where you were from one day to the next.”

And the last straw for Gannon came after she was promoted. “I was given the promotion on the Friday and went home and celebrated, as you'd expect,”

she recalls. “But I then found out the following Monday morning that there was another new financial director and my promotion was reversed. It was heartbreaking and infuriating.”

Gannon and her husband have two young children, Charlotte and Ben. Ben suffers from a disability and needs extra care and supervision. As he gets older, the level of care required and the support he'll need will only increase.

It was this fact, alongside Gannon’s desire to escape a job in which she felt frustrated and unfulfilled, that led her to consider owning her own business.

“I realised that living with Ben’s disability was going to get harder,” she says. “As he gets older, there will be more appointments to attend and things will generally become more complicated. What's more, my husband is a police officer so has very little flexibility. It was obvious that something would have to change and it was at that point that I realised I needed to find an opportunity that would benefit us all.”

Having already had previous business ownership experience as the co-owner of a chain of hotels and restaurants, Gannon knew that starting a business from scratch would be difficult. But while doing her research, she learned more about how franchising can be a way for people to own their own business. The more she read, she saw that, with a proven model and support team, a franchised business was much more likely to be a success.

“Starting my own accountancy business would have been the most

obvious thing to do but I wanted something with more of a corporate focus because that’s what I was used to,” Gannon says. “So I started looking at white collar opportunities in the franchising sector.”

It was at that point that she came across ERA . “It was a perfect fit for me,” she says. “The consultancy angle ticked all the boxes. But what attracted me most was its approach to growth. The head office team made it very clear that ERA already had an

I realised I needed to find an opportunity that would benefit us all

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established network, so it wanted to help its franchisees grow their businesses rather than keep growing the number of franchisees in the network. And as franchisees earn a higher income, it also becomes more profitable. That appealed to me.”

ERA franchisees across the UK and Ireland are expertly trained in helping organisations save money and boost their performance through effective procurement, improved supplier management and smarter spending habits. Its award-winning programme of training and support is designed equip you with all the knowledge and confidence you need to successfully launch and run your business, whatever your skills or background.

New franchise partners undertake a tailored, five-week course consisting of classroom and hands-on learning at the ERA Academy. “I got my first client one week after I completed the training because I followed the model to the letter,” says Gannon. “The ongoing support is great and they're always more than happy to answer any questions you have. Depending on what my challenge is, I pick from a range of business workshops or I chat to other people in the network to get new marketing ideas. Your franchisor can’t do everything for you but they certainly try to make sure you have all the tools and support you might need.”

When you join ERA, you join a network of over 150 consultants, each

I would never go back to working for someone else. I love being able to implement my own strategy an expert in their own field. Access to this combined knowledge ensures that your business isn’t confined to one or two cost centres or even your own area of specialism. ERA's franchise partners work together to maximise opportunities for collaboration, expansion and guidance.

Many franchisees also find themselves excelling in new and sometimes surprising areas. “I’ve been most surprised to discover that despite the fact that I'm from a numbercrunching background, I’m good at things like sales and marketing,” says Gannon. “It’s been a real revelation. I thought I'd be a project specialist but as it turns out, I’m on sales full-time now and loving it.”

And being part of the ERA network is about more than just being in business with the best, as Gannon found out in 2014. “A personal highlight of being part of the ERA family was when the head office team approached me to ask if they could do something for my son,” she recalls. “I was a bit overwhelmed, to be honest. People got together and did a charity bike-ride from Edinburgh to Southampton to raise money. I was

so touched. As a result, we were able to buy an off-road wheelchair for Ben that can go on the beach. It’s amazing.”

With her initial goals well and truly smashed, Gannon has her sights set on building a business that will act as both a pension pot for her and a legacy for her children. “I would never go back to working for someone,” she concludes. “I love being able to implement my own strategy and grow.

I always wanted that direct relationship between how much effort I put in versus how much I earn. And now I have it.”

For more information, why not get in touch: T: 023 8082 9737 E: franchiseteam@erauk.net W: http://erafranchise.net

JULY 2017 | elitefranchise

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SARAH RICHARDSON

Building a business with pedigree

BY MARIA BARR

Sarah Richardson thought earning a living caring for cats and dogs was too good to be true but, 14 years after launching her Petpals franchise, she’s become one of the network’s top performers

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ike many 11-year-old girls, Sarah Richardson dreamed of owning a pony.

But unlike most 11-year-olds, she got her pony by presenting a well-researched business plan, complete with costings for feed and potential savings that could be made – to her parents. “My dad was so taken aback by how detailed my plan was that he gave in,” she recalls. And so stables were installed and a pony was chosen to join her guinea pig as the second family pet.

Five years later, this flair for business led to her working as a clerical apprentice at British Steel and pursuing a degree in business. After graduating, she went on to get a position as a trainee business analyst at a mail-order company, working her way up for 18 years to become a senior executive.

“I loved everything about my job,” she says. “I got to learn about every aspect of the business, from marketing to buying.” However, when competition from online retailers started to threaten the mailorder industry, the company went though a difficult period and Richardson found herself ready for a change. “I was constantly having to restructure my team and make people redundant, which became a bit soul destroying,” she says. “I started asking myself what I was good at and what I really wanted to do.”

Richardson convinced her employer to make her redundant and actively started looking for new opportunities. And when her financial advisor

suggested she consider franchising, Richardson began combing through case studies on the bfa’s website. One stood out in particular. “When I came across Petpals on the bfa’s website I had an instant feeling in my gut that it was right for me,” she says. “It seemed too good to be true: I could spend all day with animals and build a business at the same time.” Given that she’d been too busy to have a pet dog and was still getting over the death of her cat, for Richardson the cat- and dogsitting franchise seemed like the ideal solution.

But savvy businesswoman that she is, Richardson did her homework before making a commitment. She sent off for an

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Are you dreaming of owning your own photographic business?

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Good work life / balance Initial training in your own home Excellent 24/7 support systems One to one mentoring Network forum All equipment and marketing materials included

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SARAH RICHARDSON

Whenever I get the chance to meet all the franchisees in our network I inevitably come away thinking ‘I might try that’

information pack, signed up to an introduction to franchising course run by the bfa and, acting on the organisation’s advice, made a concerted effort to look into other franchises and compare the figures. “After doing everything by the book, I was more convinced than ever that, with the right training from the franchisor, I could build a viable business that would eventually leave me with a saleable asset,” she says. “I approached it as a head decision but in my heart of hearts I knew Petpals was the one.” With her due diligence process completed, Richardson used her redundancy money to become the company’s franchisee in Stockport – and the 18th in its network.

From the start, Richardson has received extensive support from her franchisor. And as luck would have it, her first few client enquiries started appearing while she was still in the midst of her induction training. “That meant the franchisor was able to walk me through everything step by step, from setting prices to

fulfilling orders,” she says. What’s more, the franchisor came to Stockport to help her set up her office and accompany her on her first dog-walking job. The help continued after that, with monthly and then annual check-ins with an appointed operations support manager to make sure things were on track.

It wasn’t long after launching that Richardson got a sense that she was going to be very busy soon.

Other than her online listing on the Petpals website and putting up a few posters locally, she didn’t have to invest a huge amount of time in marketing her business, as word-of-mouth referrals from happy clients did the job for her and enquires started pouring in. “It was obvious that the business was going to grow quickly so within about a year I’d started to employ staff,” she says. “Besides, I knew from the start that I wanted to run it as a managed franchise and be able to take a step back.”

Hiring staff presented a new set of challenges though. “Employing people has been the hardest aspect

of the franchise because, for whatever reason, people can let you down,” she says. “It can be tough when you’re already up against it and people are not where they should be.” There have been many a time when Richardson has had to fight fires by shuffling shifts but has always tried to ensure her clients never got wind of any staffing shortages she might have had. Thankfully, things have become easier over time as the franchisee discovered what it takes to attract the right people and keep them motivated. “The key is to learn what’s really driving people to work for you,” she says. “I’ve now got employees who have been with us for a long time, so I must be doing something right.”

Despite having built a team around her, Richardson admits that in the first few years she had to sacrifice her personal life to get the business off the ground. People often need help with their pets over the holidays or during the working day, which makes it a 365-days-a-year sort of business that doesn’t allow for much time off. “In the early days I wasn’t always able to see my friends or go on holiday but I’ve had more balance in the last eight years and if I plan things far enough in advance, I can make it work.” So while spontaneous weekends away might still be off the cards, the franchisee can at least step away from the business knowing her staff can handle things in her absence.

And 14 years on from launching her franchise, not only has Richardson found a work-life balance that suits her but she’s grown the business as much as she’s comfortable with. “I don’t want to grow any more than this so it’s really about maintenance,” she says. This means she’s got a bit more time to give back and has now taken on the role of being the operations support manager for the northern region, visiting other franchisees to check in on their progress and using her experience to help them. That’s not to say she’s averse to learning something herself from newer franchisees though. “Whenever I get the chance to meet all the franchisees in our network I inevitably come away thinking ‘I might try that’,” she says. “Franchisees all follow the same standards but we have our own ways of doing things and there’s always something new to learn.”

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BUSI002 24/03/2017 11:42

Leasing property

Get lets together When leasing or licensing a property, the most important thing is to ensure that both the franchisee and franchisor are part of the conversation

By Kate Legg, CEO, Komerse

F

ranchise networks come in all shapes and sizes and their requirements in relation to business premises are equally diverse. For some, all that’s needed is a space at home big enough to sit a laptop.

For others, location is crucial and may mean the difference between success and failure. In light of this, it’s important to consider the legal ins and outs of leasing or licensing property.

Franchisor’s involvement Most franchisors will offer at least some guidance on the selection of suitable premises. However, the extent of their involvement will largely depend on how important the premises are to the success of the business. The franchisor will have far more relaxed requirements in a network where the

premises are little more than an office and some storage space for stock than in say a retail business where the location, fit out and decor of the premises are crucial.

Where premises are less important, the franchisor may offer guidance on the size and nature of the premises that will be appropriate and will specify the signage that must be displayed at the site but is unlikely to be concerned with the terms of the lease itself. Franchises in the retail sector or where the premises are central to the operation of the business will take a more robust approach. In that case, the franchisor is likely to want the option to take over the premises itself in certain circumstances so that it doesn’t lose a prime location if the franchise agreement ends.

There are two main ways that the franchisor can secure this.

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Leasing property

Head lease and sublease The first is that the franchisor takes a lease of the premises and then grants a sublease to the franchisee.

This way, if things don’t work out with the franchisee or if the franchise agreement expires for any reason, the franchisor is able to terminate the sublease but retain the premises via the head lease. Typically, the franchisor will mirror its obligations to the landlord under the head lease in the sublease. This ensures that any obligations imposed on the franchisor by the ultimate landlord are passed down to the franchisee.

This approach has been popular in the past but can be risky for franchisors. If the franchisee’s business fails, then the franchisor is left with the ongoing obligations to the ultimate landlord. This means that the franchisor could be left not only with the obligation to pay rent but also obligations in respect to the repair and maintenance of the property for the remainder of the term. In view of the risk to franchisors, this approach has become less common in recent years and tends to be reserved only for networks where the premises are especially critical or where significant sums are invested in the acquisition and fit out of the site.

Property options If the franchisor doesn’t want to risk being left with ongoing obligations to the ultimate landlord, an alternative is to include an option to acquire the premises from the franchisee if the franchise agreement is terminated.

This gives the franchisor the flexibility to choose to take over the property if it’s in a particularly good location but without the obligation to do so if it doesn’t want to.

Whilst this approach is less risky, it also offers less robust protection for the franchisor. This is because whilst the franchisor and franchisee can agree to transfer the premises to the franchisor, the transfer will be subject to the ultimate landlord granting his consent to the transfer. There is always a risk that the landlord may withhold consent or may only agree on terms that are unacceptable to the franchisor.

Another consideration with this approach is that the lease will have been negotiated between the franchisee and landlord. This means that the franchisor stands to inherit a lease that was negotiated without their involvement. In view of this, the franchise agreement will usually include an obligation for the franchisee to obtain the franchisor’s approval of the terms of the lease before it’s completed. Although the franchisor won’t be directly involved in the negotiations, they will be able to ensure that the lease doesn’t contain anything too onerous, just in case the franchisor takes it over.

The franchisor is likely to want the option to take over the premises itself so it doesn’t lose a prime location if the franchise agreement ends

Rolling licences An increasingly popular trend is for premises to be occupied on the basis of rolling licences rather than a formal lease. The obligations on the franchisee under a licence will be far less onerous than under a lease. Typically there are no repair or maintenance obligations and the franchisee usually has the right to terminate at any time with a very short notice period. This gives the franchisee significant flexibility but this can also be the biggest drawback, since the franchisee has no guaranteed right to remain at the site beyond the current one to three-month period.

Term and obligations No matter how the premises are occupied, a key consideration for franchisees is to ensure that they can vacate the property when the franchise agreement ends. Where the franchisee owns the freehold, they will have their choice of how to deal with the property moving forwards. Options could include granting a lease to an incoming franchisee – if their business is sold – selling the freehold or letting the premises to an independent third party.

Equally, if the premises are occupied on the basis of a rolling licence, termination of the franchise is unlikely to be a concern. The biggest challenge is with leasehold premises. The franchisee should ensure that the lease contains a break clause or termination date that coincides with the expiry of the franchise agreement. This is to avoid a situation where the franchisee must continue to pay rent on a property that they can no longer use following termination of the franchise.

Evidently there is plenty for a franchisee and franchisor to consider before they sign on the dotted line and take on a new lease. However, with a little thought and planning, there is plenty that can be done to secure the best deal for all involved.

JULY 2017 | elitefranchise

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Franchise Resales

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Call us today for a confidential chat: 0800 0188 297 or visit us at www.taxassistfranchise.co.uk

North Manchester

An opportunity has arisen to purchase one of our franchises based in North Manchester.

Investment: TBC Established: 2007 Turnover: TBC

The franchisee started in 2007 and operates from a prominent shop front location so any purchaser would be walking into a readymade business with a fully fitted shop, complete with furniture, IT and telephone systems along with experienced, well qualified staff. The business has Gross Recurring Fees of circa ÂŁ170K and services around 175 clients.

The training has been very good and the initial training allows you to form excellent relationships with other new franchisees. Having more than one visible shop front increases the growth potential significantly.

This represents an excellent foundation upon which a new franchisee can further develop an already established business. The business has enjoyed regular growth with the majority of new clients coming from recommendations, walk-in business and inbound leads generated from the support centre.

Phil Marriott - Franchisee

The Franchisee is selling the business because he is wishing to retire.

The business is offered as a successful going concern within the TaxAssist network and the purchaser will become part of that network of accountancy practices.

TAXA001

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05/07/2017 14:55

FRANCHISE RESALES

Making a decision to better control your future? Our franchisees did, they now care for life.

Be part of the most experienced care franchise in the UK Please contact Carole Stubbs our current resale opportunities.

bluebirdcarefranchise.co.uk carole@bluebirdcare.co.uk 07912 771 149

BLUE003

Call us today for a confidential chat: 0800 0188 297 or visit us at www.taxassistfranchise.co.uk

North London

Investment: £650,000 Established: 1998 Turnover: £500,000

The market is very competitive. However, thanks to a lot of hard work, dedication and the support from head office, I never feel alone in the process of developing my business.

Lloyd Evans - Franchisee

A resale opportunity has arisen in one of our franchises based in North London.

The franchisee started in 1998 and operates from a prominent shop front location.

The business services around 1100 clients and enjoys gross annual recurring fees of circa £500,000.

With an established shop, complete with furniture, IT and telephone systems, any purchaser would be walking into a ready-made business. This represents an excellent foundation upon which a new franchisee can further develop an already substantial business in the lucrative North London area.

The business has enjoyed regular organic growth with the majority of new clients coming from recommendations, walk-in business and inbound leads generated from the support centre.

For a franchise re-sale you only pay us a half franchise and training fee as we recognise that you will also be investing in purchasing the business. You will of course benefit from the training and support that a new franchisee would expect.

TAXA001

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FRANCHISE FOCUS

Bluebird Care

Enjoy a fulfilling career you have always dreamt of, by supporting your local community.

Are you searching for a tried-and-tested business opportunity, which gives you the opportunity to create a work/life balance, Bluebird Care offers you that and more. One of the UK’s leading providers of domestic homecare to the elderly and those with specialist needs. Experience in the care industry is not essential as full training and support is given, franchisees manage a team of highly-trained carers to provide Bluebird Care’s renowned care services.

• Leading the sectors digital revolution • Growth market • Over 200 businesses across our network • A scalable business model • The UKHCA’s largest member • Created in the UK for the UK market

07912 771 149 Carole@bluebirdcare.co.uk www.bluebirdcarefranchise.co.uk BLUE003

Business Doctors

It is well documented that buying a franchise is cheaper, quicker and safer than self-start but choosing the right franchise is a very important decision. Business Doctors is a business support network, dedicated to helping small and medium sized businesses achieve their vision.

We have helped over 7,800 businesses with our ‘hands on’, ‘no-nonsense’ approach.

This rewarding opportunity provides business professionals with an opportunity to use their experience to give something back.

• Full suite of marketing collateral • Lead generating website • Ongoing training and support • Collaborative network • National PR opportunities on a weekly basis • Social media managed by head office • All included in the price - no hidden fees!

01744 833778 franchising@businessdoctors.co.uk www.businessdoctorsfranchise.com BUSI002

Century 21

Join CENTURY 21 UK and become part of one of the world’s largest residential estate agency organisations. Reap the benefits of our global estate agency network which spans 78 countries and comprises over 6,900 offices worldwide. Receive comprehensive training, help with launching your business and ongoing strategic marketing support.

Seize your opportunity to become an estate and letting agency professional with unlimited earning potential today.

• Benefit from global brand exposure • Continuous support and industry advice • 1,500+ days worth of training per year • Access to all of the major UK property portals • Your own website • Tailored marketing strategy • Additional earning opportunities through the SDL Group

0115 902 1002 opportunities@century21uk.com www.estate-agency-franchise.co.uk

UNITED KINGDOM CENT004

ChipsAway

Join ChipsAway, the brand leaders and originators of SMART car body repair technology, and get the lifestyle you’ve always wanted.

Part of Franchise Brands plc, ChipsAway gives its franchisees unrivalled training, with no experience necessary. Furthermore, through our national advertising schemes, franchisees benefit from national TV advertising, and circa £75,000 worth of enquiries annually as a result.

Contact ChipsAway today and find out more.

• Proven demand • Fantastic earnings potential • Expert knowledge from Franchise Brands plc • Regular national advertising (TV, SEO, PPC etc) • Unrivaled training and ongoing support • Brand leader as confirmed by YouGov statistics • Management expansion opportunities

Kathryn Painter 0800 731 6914 www.chipsaway.co.uk

Investment Level: £29,995 FRAN003

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05/07/2017 15:09

FRANCHISE FOCUS

ERA UK

ERA UK is a recession proof, business strategy and supply chain management franchise.

ERA is an award winning B2B consultancy franchise, working with organisations from a range of sectors to reduce their outgoings, improve supplier relationships and manage contracts on an ongoing basis to deliver measurable savings. We are looking for 10 -12 individuals of outstanding calibre, experienced in business, strategy or supply chain management, to combine their existing talents with our business system.

• Award winning B2B consultancy franchise • Use your existing experience • Are you experienced in business, strategy or supply chain management?

• Become a specialist consultant • Earn a six figure sum • Join a network of peers with skills that supplement your own

Contact Matt O’Neil on 02380 829737 m.oneil@erauk.net erafranchise.net EXPE003

Extra Help

Do you want to run your own business offering valuable home-help and domestic services to your local community? Extra Help offers cleaning, shopping, meal preparation, gardening, dogwalking and more, to elderly and vulnerable people, new and working parents, busy professionals and just about anyone who needs a helping hand.

Extra Help’s comprehensive package enables franchisees to easily manage a recession-proof business within a huge growth market, which comes with the added bonus of helping others.

• Flexibility to provide a wide range of services • A rewarding, profitable business • A proven, successful yet simple business model • No employees’ PAYE or NI to manage • Peace of mind with full training and ongoing support • Full or part time hours to suit your lifestyle

0845 618 2904 info@extra-help.co.uk www.extra-help.co.uk EXTR001

Filta Fry

FiltaFry Plus describes our line of innovative services that inherently preserve the environment wherever food is fried.

There’s an altruistic reason why everyone should care about eco-sustainable services; there’s an ever mounting attention towards reducing our footprint and impact on the environment. Now, what if you could help foodindustry businesses achieve that while saving them money, reducing injuries and enhancing food quality at the same time?

• Internationally recognized • Franchise is yours to resell any time you like • Mobile, can be based from home • On-going support & advice • Environmentally-friendly • Exclusive territory(s) • IFA and AFA member

0500 060706 dslater@filtagroup.com www.filtafryplus.co.uk THEF002

Gallone’s Ice Cream Parlour With over 100 year’s of history behind it, Gallone’s Ice cream parlours comes with a rich heritage and brand story that cannot be replicated by newer businesses. Are you looking for a fun, exciting new business? As well as amazing ice cream, coffees and desserts, Gallone’s parlours have a strong party trade.

Full training will be given in all aspects of the business and we pride ourselves on our support network.We are a rapidly growing, fun, family business. Get in touch today and find out more.

• A proven business model with over 130 years experience • Continuous support and experienced industry advice • Tried and tested products direct from the manufacturer • A fully equipped parlour with a strong residual income • Catering and hospitality background ideal • Collaborative network

07808 014455 franchise@gallonesparlours.com gallonesfranchise.com GALL001

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05/07/2017 15:10

FRANCHISE FOCUS

Jackson Fire & Security

Do you want to be in a situation where the harder you work, the more money you earn?

Want to be a self-motivated business owner where you’re in control?

Jackson Fire & Security works with a rapidly growing base of franchisees providing fire protection and safety equipment throughout the UK. These business owners manage their own jobs, set their own schedules and generate their own money, fully supported by a system that is proven to work.

• Receive on-going training and support • Make a real difference to your customers • You’re free to get on and do the work you love • No experience required • Sales and networking background ideal • Work in an industry with constant demand • Can earn up to £10,000 per month

01352 755866 franchise@jacksonfire.co.uk jacksonfire.co.uk/franchise JACK001

Just Shutters

Just Shutters have earned an enviable reputation and true brand affection and we would like motivated individuals to join us and be part of our success story.

We offer our franchisees an excellent launch, training, marketing package, ongoing support and mentoring. This is a great opportunity for fantastic return on investment while being part of a much loved brand with like-minded individuals.

• Enviable work-life balance - lifestyle • Luxurious product • Excellent return on investment • Exceptional individual local launch package • Dedicated ongoing mentoring and support • Proven business model • Excellent bespoke systems

01202 233744 franchise@justshutters.co.uk www.shutter-franchise.co.uk JUST002

Home Xperts

The innovative HomeXperts franchise model enables you to start your own estate and letting agency working from home or a small serviced of ce. You will be trained to industry standards, whilst receiving continuous, comprehensive support and receive access to the award- winning HomeXperts Franchisee Hub. By working hard and following the proven franchise model, you could secure your nancial future by earning more than £25,000 in invoiced commissions in a month.

• Industry leading training package • iPad, Wide-angle lens camera, Digital measurer • 24/7 access to the award winning HomeXperts Hub • Access to all of the major UK property portals • Local website and a national branch page • Full back of ce support

01905 678853 franchise@homexpertsuk.com www.home-xperts.co.uk HOME003

Mathnasium

Join the fastest growing children’s education franchise. Make Money - Make a Difference!

With over 800 centres worldwide our unique membership-based learning programme produces outstanding results with dramatic changes in attitude, confidence and school progress, helping children catch-up, keep-up and stay ahead in maths.

Proven business model developed over 40 years; strong branding and striking high-street premises - a unique opportunity to build a rewarding business on many different levels.

• Over 800 franchised centres • Simple, proven business model • Guidance with property acquisition • Personalised business plans • In person, online and in-centre live training • Proprietary management software system • No maths or teaching experience necessary

0161 791 0686 andrea.white@mathnasium.com www.mathnasium.co.uk

Investment Level: £40,000 MATH001

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05/07/2017 15:10

FRANCHISE FOCUS

McDonald’s

Have you ever considered what a life-changing opportunity a McDonald’s franchise could offer?

Being a McDonald’s franchisee means owning your own business – working for yourself, but not by yourself. It’s about setting your own goals, managing your own restaurants and reaping your own rewards.

McDonald’s franchisees are hands-on, businesssavvy and ambitious people who are ready to make a long term commitment to a business.

“I didn’t know anything about the food industry, so coming in and getting all that training gives you a lot of confidence and comfort.”

Jane Blackwell - McDonald’s franchisee, Banbury

www.mcdonalds.co.uk/franchising MCDO002

Oscar Pet Foods

A family business, founded in 1990, our expertise in launching and growing successful OSCAR franchises has evolved for almost two decades, perfecting training programmes and product development.

Continued support from experts in the field of business, with veterinary, behavioural and nutritional experts to help you every step of the way.

• Proven system • Comprehensive training • Ongoing support package • Exclusive territory • Unique brand • Repeat business • Flexible franchise package

With a comprehensive range of quality pet food and accessories you can have a unique product that will take you to the countries 13 million pet owners.

01772 647909 discover@oscars.co.uk www.oscar.co.uk/franchise OSCA001

Platinum Business Partners

Platinum Business Partners (PBP) has a proven business model for creating a successful ecommerce business selling products online without having to make, handle or ship them.

Our franchise model gives you a unique blend of expert training and support and all the tools you need to start and grow a profitable and enjoyable business of your own. Earn £2,000 to £4,000 per month, net profit - much more is possible, but we prefer to under-promise and over-deliver.

• Replace or supplement your income • A tried, tested and proven system • Work where you want, when you want • Extensive one-to-one mentoring • Benefit from ongoing training • Build your business into a sellable asset

01202 652 103 info@platinumbusinesspartners.co.uk platinumbusinesspartners.co.uk PLAT003

TaxAssist Accountants

TaxAssist Accountants is the UK’s largest network of accountants servicing the needs of small businesses and the self-employed. TaxAssist takes on both accountants and business/ finance professionals as franchisees can employ accountants while they concentrate on building their business. With an established brand and known for breaking with tradition in an industry that has not experienced this before, TaxAssist Accountants stand out from the crowd operating from highly visible and welcoming shop front premises.

• 5 star franchisee satisfaction award for four years running • Awards from franchise and accountancy arenas • Accountancy fee banks are a saleable asset • In demand services • 1st class support and training

0800 0188297 daren.tillson@taxassist.co.uk www.taxassistfranchise.co.uk TAXA001

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05/07/2017 15:11

FRANCHISE FOCUS

Techclean

Are you ambitious to run your own business?

Customer driven and well organised?

Can you follow a proven business system?

This is an ideal opportunity to own a business with access to a huge and growing market Techclean territories are generous –each catchment area includes at least 10,000 business.

No premises are needed, making the franchise a perfect business to run from a home office with minimal outlay and low operating costs.

Current franchisees report net margins of 55%-65%

• Marketing and promotion tools • Group purchasing power • Internet and web support • Business management and planning • Ongoing marketing programmes • Day to day troubleshooting

01530 513300 edownes@techclean.co.uk www.techclean.co.uk

Investment Level: £19,500 THEB002

The Family Holidays Franchise Our business has been created by travel professionals to open up this exciting industry to those with a passion for travel, who want the freedom of running their own business.

We are here to support you and your business to be as successful as you want to be.

So if you have a passion for helping families create lifelong memories, whilst being able to travel the world yourself, a travel franchise is the perfect option.

Tutor Doctor

At Tutor Doctor, we believe that success isn’t just measured by profit – it’s also about making a difference.

If you’re a motivated, people-oriented person who wants to own a business that enables you to have more flexibility in your life, work from home, make a difference in your customers’ lives and have control over your income, then we want to talk to you!

Join the #1 one-to-one tutoring franchise in the world and the fastest growing educational franchise in the UK!

• Latest technology and forward thinking • Award winning agency • Support network • Access to over 200+ suppliers • Uncapped earnings • No previous experience necessary • Fast growing market

0121 200 5561 opportunities@familyholidaysfranchise.co.uk familyholidaysfranchise.com THEF005

• Low start-up cost • Minimal overhead • Ability to generate income in 60 days • Comprehensive training, tools, systems and support • Excellent earnings potential • Work from home • Provide a rewarding service to your community

020 8133 3525 http://franchise.tutordoctor.co.uk/ TUTO001

Zero Dry Time

Join a Zero Dry Time Franchise and join a business community that earns you money.

A flexible way to make a real income is on offer with Zero Dry Time. We offer a sustainable business model with fantastic prospects running and managing your own Dry Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning Company.

You will build a fantastic business “Providing dry carpet, upholstery & hard floor cleaning solutions that deliver a fantastic service whilst giving great value” to the home & business owner alike.

• Fantastic earning potential • Low running costs • Management options • Regular loyal repeat customers • Carpet Club creating a residual income

0191 270 9202 info@zerodrytime.com zerodrytimefranchise.com ZERO001

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05/07/2017 15:11

DISCOVERY DAYS

Would you love to run your own business providing valuable services to your local community?

We can put you on the road to tried-and-tested success with an Extra Help franchise.

Helping companies improve their bottom lines

Extra Help’s comprehensive franchise package enables you to easily manage a recession-proof business within a huge growth market, which comes with the added bonus of helping others.

Why invest in an Extra Help franchise?

• A rewarding, profitable business within a huge growth market • Proven yet simple business model • Takes away the pain and uncertainty of starting your own business • Peace of mind with full training and ongoing support • Full or part time hours to suit your -lifestyle/commitments • Immense job satisfaction with a -healthy return on your investment

Discover more about the benefits of an ERA franchise at a FREE Discovery Day ERAF RANC HIS E . NE T

Book your place at one of our discovery meetings today to find out if Extra Help is the right opportunity for you.

For more information or to reserve your place, contact us on: tel: 023 8082 9737 email: franchiseteam@erauk.net

0845 618 2904

info@extra-help.co.uk

EXTRAHELP

TM

a helping hand

www.extra-help.co.uk

EXTR001

EXPE003

To find out 100% of the information about the award-winning HomeXperts model, book your discovery meeting by emailing franchise@homexpertsuk.com.

A discovery meeting will explain the innovative franchise model in full, helping you to decide if HomeXperts is right for you.

Discovery meetings are held around the country on a weekly basis, including London, Manchester and Worcester.

If you have any initial questions, call the HomeXperts Franchise Recruitment Team on 01905 678853.

Phone: 01905 678853 Email: franchise@homexpertsuk.com www.home-xperts.co.uk HOME002

franchise@jacksonfire.co.uk

01352 755 866

JACK001

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DISCOVERY DAYS

Discover how to MAKE MONEY and MAKE A DIFFERENCE! Mathnasium is one of the world’s fastest growing education franchises with over 800 centres worldwide.

Manage your own profitable and fun maths-only learning centre in the local High Street. It could be the most rewarding move you ever make!

No maths or teaching experience necessary Simple, effective and proven system Low investment, great returns “A Mathnasium franchise seemed like a perfect fit. This is such a rewarding business and you can’t put a price on the feeling that you get from helping a student succeed. I now know the difference between a job and a career.”

Matrice Williams, Owner and Centre Director Join us for a discovery day and experience the Mathnasium Method and Model, held in Manchester and Hertfordshire, call now to book your place 0161 791 0686 or email andrea.white@mathnasium.com www.mathnasium.co.uk

MCDO002

taimoor milktaimoor sheikh milksheikh I am a franchisee & this is my McDonald’s

‘The best part of being a franchisee is the responsibility that comes with a large workforce.

Ilooking am aafter & franchisee & Giving local people a chance to this is their McDonald’s my McDonald’s develop skills, grow in confidence, progress their career – it’s something I find part of being ‘The best being aa franchisee franchisee really rewarding.’ is the responsibility that that comes comeswith with Taimoor, operates four restaurants looking after a large workforce. in South East London workforce.

Giving local people aa chance chance to to develop their their skills, develop skills, grow grow in in confidence, progress confidence, progress their their career – it’s something I find career – it’s something I find really rewarding.’ rewarding.’ really Taimoor, operates operates 4four restaurants Taimoor, restaurants in South South East East London in London

Come and talk to us at our Insight Day in London 14th July 2017 www.mcdonalds.co.uk/franchising

Come and talk to us at our Come to us at our Insightand Daytalk in Elstree Insight Day in Elstree

045116-250x148-CityAM.indd 1

Feeding your Future... ...the ...the perfect perfect opportunity opportunity to get to know to get to know OSCAR OSCAR at at aa relaxed and informal relaxed and informal meeting. meeting.

Discover Discover OSCAR OSCAR The The door door is is open open to to aa variety variety of of backgrounds and life skills, backgrounds and life skills, guiding guiding you you towards towards aa new new career career –– working working for for yourself yourself with with flexibility flexibility and and choice. choice.

Discovery Discovery meetings meetings at at many many locations locations around the UK. Please around the UK. Please call call for for details. details.

0800 068 1106 discover@oscars.co.uk discover@oscars.co.uk www.oscar.co.uk www.oscar.co.uk

MCDO002 30/06/2016 09:50

Are you dreaming of owning your own photographic business?

take that exciting step now!

Discover more about our franchise at our 1-2-1 meetings in the comfort of your home.

Samples of our products will be provided along with all you need to know about becoming a franchisee.

0800 622 6008 For more information about 1-2-1 meetings, please call Jan Massey 01207 299500 OR 07826841224

OSCA001

www.photographyforlittlepeoplefranchise.com

PHOT001

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DISCOVERY DAYS

Your Discovery Day Invitation Build your own online business following our proven franchise model

Butcher, baker and cabinet maker... our franchisees come from all works of life!

But they all have one thing in common. They all wanted to take control of their own destiny and become their own boss.

“The teams that perform the cleaning tasks are always very thorough, professional and quick.

I would certainly recommend using them” Fund Management group

Discover how to turn £20,000 of working capital into a successful & sustainable online business at one of our Discovery Days: 6 July - Platinum Park, Bournemouth 13 July - Hilton Hotel, London Heathrow 3 August - Hilton Hotel, London Heathrow …hurry… limited places at each day…

Register your interest:

Call us to learn about our Discovery Days

Why choose Techclean? + We have been in business since1983 so have experience and credibility. + Franchisees can work from a home environment. + The operating cost base of the business is very low, consequently profit margins are high with current franchisees are making 55%-65% NET MARGIN. + We operate in a huge and ever growing market.

t: 01530 513300 e: edownes@techclean.co.uk w: www.techclean.co.uk

01202 652 103

platinumbusinesspartners.co.uk info@platinumbusinesspartners.co.uk

THEB002

PLAT003

WHY NOT RUN YOUR OWN TRAVEL BUSINESS? Our ‘Designer Day’ is a relaxed informal day where we can get to know each other more. There is no sales pitch, we simply provide you with the information needed to ensure you can make an informed decision and we can start to build on our understanding of your aspirations.

Spaces are popular and we only have limited availability so we ask attendees to pay a small reservation fee of just £10.

This is then refunded on the day you are with us.

Following the Designer Day. If you want to come back in to see us again that’s not a problem, we encourage you to spend as much time as you need with us.

As well as holding our own events we also exhibit at large franchise shows across the country.

Are you ready to be your own boss?

Franchising in the UK today offers you security and piece of mind that your investment is on a tried and tested business model.

Zero Dry Time franchise offers you this stability that not only is your money well invested but you can build a sustainable business for the future with endless earnings.

Zero Dry Time provide dry carpet, upholstery & all hard floor cleaning solutions that deliver a fantastic service whilst giving great value to the home & business owner alike.

Think our franchise is for you?

Then contact us, come and see us in Newcastle and see how it’s done.

To see our upcoming events please contact us: www.familyholidaysfranchise.com opportunities@familyholidaysfranchise.co.uk

THEF005

0191 270 9202 info@zerodrytime.com

ZERO001

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by some of the UK’s most successful franchisors SAVE £20 on the cover price delivered free to your door. Subscribe to the print edition and enjoy free access to the digital edition every month.

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05/07/2017 09:47

Jane Maudsley founder & managing director Little Voices

Changing with the times While it’s not always easy to have the confidence to make significant changes as a franchisor, it’s important to keep updating your model to meet the requirements of your market

I

thrive off learning and as a result this drives development in my business. I'm absolutely committed to constantly looking for better ways to do things, tightening up areas that are too loose and working with our network to find the best answers. “If you ask better questions, you get better answers” – I regularly refer to this saying from Tony Robbins when faced with challenges.

I learnt a long time ago that in business you need to be constantly reviewing good practice and not only when something happens that forces that review. So at Little Voices the rule of thumb is to either annually review everything and make changes as necessary or review after an incident to prevent recurring problems and ultimately form a better structure.

Therefore policies are constantly under scrutiny and review so that we get better and more streamlined in what we do, from health and safety policies, safeguarding and equal opportunities to behaviour, social media, breaches and recruitment.

A policy is written as a direct need in the business arises. There needs to be a benchmark that everyone works to and provides consistency and fairness to all. I often find that the painful part is before a policy is introduced, when there is a grey area. Once I have found the answer and the way that we are going to handle an occurrence in the business then suddenly it's not as painful anymore.

It’s a pleasure to just say ‘refer to the relevant policy’: the grey area disappears and everyone is very clear on what the procedure is.

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Change not only comes when the business faces new challenges but it’s also brought about by the changing world around us. When I was a child there certainly wasn’t anything like Facebook or Twitter and few companies would've had a social-media policy.

The technology didn’t exist so a policy would have been irrelevant and unnecessary. However, spot the foolish company now that doesn’t have one in place. It is imperative that employees know what is tolerated and what isn’t on social media. Franchisees know how to run in line with the brand and your customers need to feel the culture of your business clearly and precisely through social-media channels.

After the horrific fire in London’s Grenfell Tower at the beginning of June, it is with some certainty that I predict policies will be scrutinised and significant change will occur surrounding the way that tower blocks are built and maintained. And rightly so. However, I would advise you to constantly review structures and policies within your business and not just wait for disaster to strike.

I will be very honest: I have sometimes been afraid of making too radical a change as a franchisor. I am much better at it now but there was a time when I didn’t want to ruffle feathers by

There was a time when I didn’t want to ruffle feathers by bringing in change and making huge revisions to policies and procedures bringing in change and making huge revisions to policies and procedures.

But I am not as concerned with that now and neither should you be as a leader in your business. It is universally known that people do not like change: once you accept that you are less concerned with the backlash that can sometimes occur. One franchisor once told me that he knew every year at the national conference when there was a new announcement or something changed that at least one franchisee would decide that the company wasn’t for them any more. He was comfortable with that and, these days, so am I. You cannot stand still: gosh if I had stood still I would still be teaching singing in

a battered little room and only have a handful of pupils.

Development, change and reflection happen all around us. As the election season has come and gone, there is a period of time for all of the political parties to reflect and rejuvenate to embrace the changes ahead.

Immediately in front of us are the implications and deals surrounding Brexit: no doubt there will be a lot of reflection and going back to the drawing board that needs to be done on all sides. Businesses will need to keep up with whatever the outcomes are and in turn review and develop their policies and procedures as a result. I don’t want to get into a political debate about whether leaving the EU is the right or the wrong move but I merely wish to say that the only way to get through the outcome is to embrace all of this as positively as you can and through every threat find an opportunity, through every weakness find a strength. Remember that if you ask a better question, you will find a better answer.

This should not be a daunting task.

The way you approach it will help enormously: have the right mindset and see that development and change is good. Let’s face it: if you make a mistake you need to deal with that and then ensure that it never happens again.

And my top tip for implementing change in the fast-paced world that we live in is education. Educate those around you: educate your customers, your staff, your franchisees and your suppliers. Help them to understand why change is necessary. Remember, its good to tweak things, its good to evolve, it’s good to trial and innovate new ways of doing what you do best. Change keeps you at the top of your game and that is where we all want to be. Otherwise there is no point being in business.

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Reach out for renewables The renewable market in the UK has a predicted value set to reach £50 billion by 2020 and the sector presents fantastic opportunities for entrepreneurs who want to establish a new business in a rapidly growing market.

Green Square is looking for like-minded people to join their team and experience a business model that is in high demand from domestic and commercial customers looking towards greener alternatives for practical renewable energy solutions for the future. to work in an ethical environment and penetrate a ring fenced business area, while minimising the risks associated with starting out alone, with a sales potential of over £1 million in three years.

• Exclusive products • in renewable technology • Quality Management system for microgeneration technologies in place (MCS) • Supported by legislation • Reasonable franchise fee • Bespoke software allowing full system design and calculations for complex installations • Full marketing support: website, launch event and marketing campaigns • Turn-key business concept

For further information please visit our website, or to express

franchise@greensquare.co.uk

T: 0845 263 7474

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