FREE Franchise Magazine ( Franchising Magazine - Franchiseek, October 2022 )

CEO Foreword

By Joel Bissitt

Welcome back to another issue of Franchiseek Magazine, the magazine of the Quality Franchise Association, run by volunteers for the benefit of the franchising sector.

Franchising is a fantastic choice for anyone looking to get into business ownership. This month, we’re delighted to share news from Screen Rescue who have welcomed another franchisee to their growing network of commercial windscreen repair franchisees Also this month, the Quality Franchise Association is celebrating 150 franchisor members to the UK’s fastest growing franchise association, and Julie Taylor discusses the components that make up the franchise investment when it comes to franchising a business, in part two of ten of a regular “Franchising My Business” series by the team at Runo. As usual this issue includes many exciting franchise opportunities from children’s fencing and football to cat sitting and paint restoration We hope you enjoy this issue and look forward to welcoming you to the world of franchising very soon.

Latest Franchise Members

Please Welcome…

Run your own Pakistani food franchise with flavours from the East and West, including Chai Tea, Parthas and Naans freshly baked.

Run your own Portuguese burger franchise with Dooh Ponto

Run your own children’s photography franchise with DE Photo – exciting new franchise opportunity now available nationwide

Green Cleen supplies our Franchisees with market leading water recycling bin cleaning equipment, and a business they can be proud of.

Low cost, high profit potential, being your own boss. What more could you want? Discover The Drain Guys

Discover an exciting new contemporary, unique and fun brand targetting gen z, millennials and young families

ENTRIES CLOSING SOON

ENTRIES CLOSE OCTOBER 28th 2022

The Quality Franchise Association are delighted to announce that entries are now open for the Virtual Franchising Awards of 2023.

Back for its third year, the past two events have attracted hundreds of nominations, year on year challenging our panel of judges with many fantastic franchises and businesses each and every one worthy of an award.

However, only eight finalists will be chosen for each of the eight categories of excellence, and at the awards premiere, three finalists will be announced the winners of their category.

Nominate a Business

THE CATEGORIES

The Quality Franchise Association is Celebrating its 150th Franchisor Member Milestone

The Quality Franchise Association (QFA) is celebrating its 150th Franchisor member joining the organisation

The not for profit trade association which was set up in 2018 with the mission to grow franchising through inclusivity and education, provides access to resources to help franchised businesses grow and individuals that are interested in franchising to start their own business

Joel Bissitt VFP, CEO, QFA commented:

“The QFA is accessible for all franchised businesses both large and small with a low cost single tier membership which provides multiple benefits including advertising, resources, free educational courses, networking opportunities plus awards. Our membership has doubled in the past two years and our goal is now to become the largest franchise association by franchisor members.

Achieving this critical mass means we can support and promote franchising at an even higher level including proactive government lobbying.”

Triple Two Coffee has been confirmed as the 150th QFA member. David Hodgetts, Managing Director of Triple Two Coffee confirms:

“For us joining the QFA means we can access independent support and resources to help us continue to grow our franchised operation. The QFA is run on a voluntary basis and so fees are low, and the extensive benefits mean joining is incredibly good value We are looking forward to capitalising on our partnership with the QFA as we continue growing our franchise operation”

Joel Bissitt continues:

“Franchising is an unregulated industry and the only way to raise standards is through education. Most issues arise because of lack of knowledge, and we are able to offer impartial advice We also offer free training courses for prospective franchisees and for franchisors about how to franchise a business successfully, as well as offering promotional opportunities in our magazine and on our associated sites.

We are also expanding abroad and through our network of trusted partners will soon be able to offer similar services overseas in North America, Western Europe, Saudi Arabia and Dubai It means we can help organisations avoid the common mistakes and we can support and promote franchising as an industry at the same time ”

Enabling our Customers to get on the Road Delivering for their Business Metro Rod Guilford and Metro Rod Reading

Getting the right van and set up for your business is so important Not only coordinating the internal set up but making sure that the external branding is good quality and weathers the challenges of daily life

The team at Capital Fleet Solutions has been working with the Guilford and Reading Metro Rod franchises for the last couple of years to supply and finance nine vans for its fleet.

Most recently Chris and his team sourced and fitted out two Ford Transit 350 L3H2 FWD 2 0 EcoBlue 130ps Leader Vans.

Graeme Tulloch, Director of the franchises commented: “Working with Chris is so easy I just let him know what I want and he sorts it everything from kitting out the vans, wrapping them and arranging the jetters On top of all that, he also secured us a great finance deal.”

“As we cover the whole of Reading, Guilford and the surrounding areas, making sure our vans are set up

correctly makes life much easier for the engineers and helps us deliver a top rate service to our customers We also need to look professional; this is key for us and something Capital Fleet Solutions really understands All our vans adhere to corporate branding requirements, look great and consistent, stand out and reinforce our reputation.

“Choosing Capital Fleet for our van services was a no brainer for us, as the support we’ve been given is outstanding. They know the drainage sector and have experience working with other Metro Rod franchises, so know exactly what our needs are.”

If you’d like to know more about what we can do for you here at Capital Fleet Solutions, visit our drainage pages, contact our sales team on 01329 756 373, or email: sales@capitalfleet co uk

FRANCHISING

BUSINESS

Month Programme with Julie Taylor

Creating a franchise model from an existing business is very simple but definitely not easy. The costs alone can be really daunting but strategic planning leads to great success However, franchising is not just about your business do you have what it takes to become a franchisor?

Over the next 10 months, i’ll be walking you through the 10 steps of

your business

this issue,

be discussing the

and Investment Read on to learn more about

have any questions about the

covered in this

please do not

to

Step Two

UNDERSTANDING WHAT YOU ARE SELLING

Understand what it is you are selling you are selling the rights to run a replica of your business, using your brand and using your knowledge

How do I work out what to charge for my franchise? This is a question I get asked on a regular basis

It’s not as simple as looking at what your competitors are charging and just charge a bit less You need to be more strategic than that

Do not fall into the trap of thinking you must include everything in the initial franchise fee It is nice though to give them something tangible to take away with them from the induction training

Before you even start you need to do your research Do have a look at what your competitors charge and look at what franchises at the same stage as you in their network growth are charging Be aware that franchises that are new often have lower prices for their first few franchisees Which is great as long as there is a plan to increase the price as the brand becomes more established

Once you have a broad range of prices it’s a good idea to make a list of what your franchisee will get as part of the initial set up and put a price on everything Remember to include things like training especially if you are buying it in, any software they will need What about uniforms and any marketing collateral The cost of any initial marketing and the cost of the launch of the business

Once you’ve done that you need to consider which items you want to include in your starter pack and which items need to

be included in the franchisee profit and loss forecast (P&L)

If any of the items, you have costed make the initial fee too high you can simply remove them from the list and add them as start up or ongoing costs in the franchisee P&L

Let’s just go back to my mention of the price being lower for the first few franchisees If you are going to keep the price low to start with there are a couple of things to think about

Firstly, when you reduce the price, wherever possible you need to reduce the cost If you have costed in your time for the training, this might be something that you can include for free for a short time as it doesn’t necessarily affect your bottom line

Secondly make sure you know your numbers and you know where you need to up the price to make the whole thing work properly

The pitfalls

One of the biggest mistakes franchisors make in the early days is to give too much away to incoming franchisees Putting too much into the initial fee can have a detrimental effect on your business particularly if it’s changing the numbers in your forecasting

Consider the fact that if the franchise fee is too cheap it’s not going to hurt if the franchisee can’t be bothered and decides to leave If it’s too much and the banks aren’t lending much against your model yet, it takes potential franchisees out of the running

in partnership with

How to use Global Entrepreneurship Week to boost your sales

How to use Global Entrepreneurship Week to boost your sales

So how do you go about it? Here are four top tips from our PR partners JournoLink and a special offer to help you win a PR generated sales boost

Using a specific event when the media will be paying particular attention to small business is one of the best times to catch the eye of journalists.

Why is that important? Because 9 out of 10 of us make our buying decisions based on trusted reviews, and over half of us trust journalists more than anyone else in providing those reviews.

Global Entrepreneurship Week, from 14 to 20 November this year, is one of the top annual events to make the most of.

Here are four top tips:

• Create news not an advert

Journalists look for something that will interest their readers. Telling a compelling story is a must.

• Craft a captivating headline.

You need to capture the eye of the journalist in just a few seconds The headline is the most important part of a press release.

• Add an irresistible image

A relevant image that will draw the eye of a reader into an article will often be the difference between getting picked up and getting overlooked Make sure you add the killer image.

• Target the right journalists

Finding and making sure that the journalists who are most likely to be interested in your story are the ones that you target will boost the chances of winning media coverage.

The special Global Entrepreneurship Partner Offer is a three month supported package to help you start using PR to grow your sales for just £150.

And here are more details about the QFA PR Hub with weekly updates, PR templates, more advice, free webinars and additional offers.

Webinars

Free PR Templates

New to the world of PR? JournoLink templates make getting your first franchise release out easy

Interested?

If you’re a Quality Franchise Association member looking to benefit from the discounts on the JournoLink platform, plus access the many free PR resources via the QFA JournoLink hub, get in touch today. Not a QFA member? Join today from less than £1 a day!

Request Hub Access Join The QFA

A wealth

from the JournoLink team

Glenn Bowker Lands on his Feet with Screen Rescue Birmingham

Jaime Hilario, founder, and franchisor of Screen Rescue is delighted to announce the launch of former aviation engineer, Glenn Bowker who is the latest owner operator franchisee to join this award winning Commercial Windscreen Repairs B2B growing network.

We catch up with Glenn to chat about his route to becoming a Screen Rescue franchisee.

Q1: What is your business background?

I have an applied chemistry degree and a 25 year business background in technical sales and marketing management, the last 10+ years of which have been spent in the aviation maintenance sector.

I feel this gives me a solid background in terms of the technical requirements for repairing a wide range of windscreen and glass damages and also in the determination, persistence and tenacity required to generate the new business and client numbers that will be required to make the business successful.

Q2: What made you decide to run your own business?

Following a period of career uncertainty caused by the global impact on the aviation industry from COVID 19 it was time to make a final decision on where my future lay.

After deciding that I had no desire to return to my previous background in the corporate sales world, running my own business was a great option, assuming I could find a corporate business that fitted my skillset

Q3: Given the current uncertainty in world economics, why now?

Following detailed due diligence and my own market research, I felt that the market for commercial windscreen and glass repairs within the Birmingham postcode area was sizeable, somewhat protected due to its commercial nature and should be able to ride out any short term national or global economic instability.

Q4: Why did you choose a Screen Rescue franchise?

I was looking for a van based franchise and reading about Screen Rescue's market niche pricked my interest.

I then conducted some good old fashioned market research and talked to key decision makers in the sector and discovered that the market for these services within the Birmingham postcode area was sizeable and not necessarily well serviced between the national competitors and the local man in a van provider.

Then, when I met both franchisors at their Cambourne Open Day in Cambridge, this reinforced my decision.

Q5: How have your family supported you in this decision?

My partner is naturally a more cautious person than I, so did have some reservations of me moving from a solid salary to running my own business That said, she does see that the Screen Rescue franchise will give us the opportunity we were seeking to gain financial security and independence, plus a better work life balance in the mid to long term.

Q6: What sort of assistance have the franchisors provided in the start-up process?

They were there every step of the way to support me in everything from helping me write the business plan, to conducting market research and sourcing the finance required.

I could not have asked for more professional help and support.

Q7: How easy is it to contact the franchisors?

Very easy. They are always available on the telephone and respond to emails/messages very quickly.

Q8: What skills and attributes do you think you need to make a good Screen Rescue franchisee?

I think you need to be friendly and open to attract and retain clients, but you also need to be tenacious, persistent and be able to accept rejection as selling and delivering any service in this day and age can be challenging .

Q9: Why did you choose to invest in a franchise business and not start-up on your own?

Being realistic, any new business, each day, week and month will provide you with lots of ups and downs to negotiate and learn from.

To me, investing in a successful franchise means you have the support and know how from franchisors who have tried, tested, and perfected the business model and this makes it a significantly lower risk investment than attempting to go it alone.

Q10: How will you maintain the quality of your own client and (their) customer services?

I think this is a very simple and relatively old fashioned process even in this modern world Work hard, go the extra mile, treat clients, their customers and other stakeholders with respect. Give a quality repair service but most importantly deliver on your promises to the client first time and every time.

Q11: Where do you see your business 6 months/ 12 months from now?

Within six months I would like to see a steady cashflow coming in from regular clients and by 12 months it would be nice to set my sights on the assignment of a second van within the territory

Q12: What milestones do you hope to achieve first?

Signing my first client will of course be a big relief, and from there it will be about ensuring I quickly build a regular stable of clients, which allow the business to pay for itself while still allowing me more time to develop a larger and more diverse customer base

Q13: What are your family goals?

To achieve financial security so that I can afford a few of the nicer things in life for my partner and kids, and to be able to get a good work life balance, which allows me to attend things such as our children's events, which I often have had to miss in the past.

Q14: You’ve got a solid business background, who is your business mentor in life?

I don't think I have a specific mentor. I’ve just tried to take the best traits from people I have worked with over the years and made a conscious effort to ensure I don't pick up any of the less desirable traits I have witnessed.

Q15: Where is your favourite meal out?

We love Gauchos in Birmingham finest steak in the Midlands alongside excellent ambiance and service

Q16: What book did you read last?

The Ink Black Heart the latest instalment in the Cormoran Strike series written by J.K.Rowling.

Q17: Who do you support (football/ other sports)?

I’m a big West Bromwich Albion fan for my sins, I also love watching international cricket.

Q18: If you could speak to the 25 year old Glenn, what advice would you now give him?

I’d say, have a little more patience, play workplace politics more intelligently and don't so overtly expect others to have the same level of intensity and energy that I deliver myself!

Could You Be The Next Screen Rescue Franchisee?

If you like what you’ve read and can see yourself following in Glenn’s footsteps by becoming a Screen Rescue franchisee in your area, get in touch with the team today to request more information.

The Importance of Great Technical Support for Franchisee’s Website Clients

activ is a digital marketing franchise with franchisees operating across the UK and Ireland. In addition to digital marketing clients, there are currently around 1000 live website clients across the network.

Unlike many website hosting services, activ offers a hands on, personalised, and bespoke hosting support service to all website clients via our franchisees. To be more specific, those hands belong to our Technical Support Manager, Richard Griffin.

Richard has been with activ since its inception in 2008, known among the team as our technical king! Over his tenure with the business, he has launched thousands of new websites for clients and franchisees alike as well as managing their ongoing maintenance. Alongside our wider technical team, of course.

In our latest interview with our technical wizard, Richard is highlighting why activ should be the franchise of choice for budding digital marketing entrepreneurs. Here’s why…

As a franchisee why is technical support so important?

We have so many franchisees that have little knowledge of website hosting, servers, or domain management. This shouldn’t mean they can’t run a business selling website and hosting services. The beauty of a franchise is that budding entrepreneurs can still offer websites and marketing services, without being a technical expert. Not

only that, given the length of our technical support, they can rest assured that we know what we are doing!

What kind of server reliability and uptime scores does activ offer?

The reliability of our WordPress servers are excellent, we have monitoring software on all our servers which report any issues, uptimes are between 99.99% and 100% on all servers.

What range of hosting do you offer?

We can offer hosting for any brochure or eCommerce website, however, if franchisee’s clients required a larger project, we could certainly cater for that.

What does the hosting package include?

All franchisees have access to our hosting packages for their clients which include:

• Ongoing security checks

• Nightly backups

• SSL certificates

• Web application firewall

• Plugin management

• Regular updates

• Dedicated technical support from myself

• Access to a team of experienced website developers

An interview with Richard Griffin, Technical Support Manager at activ Franchise.

What is activ’s downtime history?

Over the last 2 years for example, we have had very little downtime, when issues do occur, we have a reporting system where we can monitor our servers and because we have server support any issues are resolved instantly

What is activ’s backup policy?

We back up all our networks of websites daily and we also take additional backups of the live websites weekly We are extremely risk averse!

Do you allow add-on domains?

Yes, of course, we do allow additional domains if clients own more than one address

What kind of security features does activ offer?

We use a range of security plugins to monitor the websites and network, we use a Web Application Firewall, and we also monitor for Viruses and Malware We maintain a suite of tools in our armoury to protect against other potential issues too no website goes unprotected

How many customers are on each server?

We choose to restrict our WordPress servers to a maximum of 100 sites, this ensures we never experience slow loading speeds and that client’s website visitors always have a good website user experience

What is your level of technical experience?

Extremely high if I do say so myself! I have been Technical Support Manager for activ since 2008, launching and managing thousands of websites and domains for thousands of Franchisee’s clients There’s nothing I haven’t seen in my tenure We also have a team of highly skilled technical project management and website developers on hand for any clients wishing to develop their sites in the future

How responsive is your customer service and tech support?

We are extremely responsive There are no call centre queues to sit in to wait for a response Pick up the phone and talk to me directly or send me a message via our franchisee management platform, and either myself or one of the team will respond with a fast turnaround

Who would I speak to if I had an issue as a franchisee?

Me! We are a very hands on team; no problem is too big or small for me to investigate I also draw on the team’s knowledge and support to solve problems and keep everything ticking over Call me any time you have a concern

What’s it like to manage multiple client’s hosting service at activ?

For me, it’s no problem, if it was, I may not have decided to stay at activ since 2008! Every job has its busy days, but knowing we have the technical experience, knowledge and fast customer service response times is what keeps clients coming back to us time and again for the website development and hosting support

What are the main benefits of activ’s hosting support for franchisees?

Apart from everything we’ve already discussed, here are the main points to remember for prospective franchisees who may want to join us:

• Our servers boast a 99% uptime

• Our portfolio of WordPress websites have NEVER been hacked

• Our approach is personalised no call centres

• Daily maintenance and backups

• Weekly plugin updates

• Strict security protocols

• Affordable pricing based on website size

• Access to our team of developers for redesign, enhancements, integrations, and bespoke features

If you’d like more details on how to become an activ franchisee, please get in touch with our team

Ready to Join the UK’s Longest Running Digital Marketing Franchise?

Become a Franchisee

PARTNERSHIP WITH

About Musketeers Education

Established by Olympic fencer James Beevers, Musketeers Education offers a variety of fun and inclusive kinesthetic programmes for children in Years 1 6. Through a mix of games and exercises, Musketeers Education directly addresses children’s core executive functions, improves their self esteem, and their social emotional skills to better equip them to thrive in life.

The UK's No. 1 dedicated primary school fencing programme

Endorsed by the world's most recognised cognitive developmental neuroscientist

Created by Olympian James Beevers

Model

The Franchise Opportunity

Here at Musketeers Education it is our aim to provide all our Licensees with the opportunity of running a highly successful profitable business with clear, achievable objectives in an enjoyable and flexible environment. Successful Licensees could even see a gross revenue well in excess of £50,000 in their first year of trading.

Low Initial Investment

Flexible Starter Packages

Exclusive Licensee Prices

Comprehensive Training & Support

State of the Art Curtanna Platform

If you are an energetic, enthusiastic

for a fresh start then becoming a Musketeers Education Licensee could be the perfect business opportunity for

Our wide ranging products have, over the past 10 years, proven extremely popular with primary school children Thousands of children already take part in

activities on a daily basis in hundreds of schools across the country They instantly appeal to a child’s sense of play and provide a constant level of intellectual and physical stimulation There has been no better to time to join this rapidly growing enterprise

Interview with ‘Head Footicub’ Declan Friel

Footicubs is an exciting new football club franchise for children aged 18 months to 5 years The business is exclusively unique, in that all coaches are intensively trained by full time primary school teachers that specialise in football as their primary focus in physical education

1 Who are you and what is your role with Footicubs?

Founder, director and head coach at Footicubs Early Years Football

2 What does Footicubs do?

We are an early years football provider for children aged 18 months to 6 years!

3. Why is Footicubs a smart investment for entrepreneurs?

Firstly and most importantly, we put a smile on many little people’s faces! and secondly, ALL our ‘’stadiums’’ run at a profit and being part of ‘’The Footicubs Family’’ is a very enjoyable and rewarding place to be!

4 What do you look for in a potential franchisee?

We are looking to work with individuals who possess the following attributes:

• A strong personality! This is a must as you need to be a leader!

• An ability to interact with children as young as 18 months

• An ability to interact and communicate with parents and carers

• Outstanding communication skills (Adult and child!!)

• Self-motivation – this is key as you must have "drive!“

5 How many franchisees do you currently have?

We currently have 8 Franchises across both England and Wales.

6 Please tell me how Footicubs supports its franchisees?

We are a ‘’family’’ and as a family, we support one and other through the rollercoaster journey that Footicubs can be. All our franchisees work directly with the owner of the company as opposed to a manager so they should be confident that they are getting the best service for their investment

7 What are your plans for growth over the next 5 years?

We always take our time when taking on board new franchisees but also carefully plan month by month

We are in no rush to grow and welcome anyone that feels they can contribute to our unique ‘’family’’ to get in touch in order to see what we’re all about!

8.What has been your best achievement in the past year?

Seeing all our little ones back scoring goals and developing post covid! It’s such a pleasure to see them back in action and enjoying Footicubs again

RUN YOUR OWN EARLY YEARS FOOTBALL FRANCHISE

BE YOUR OWN BOSS

Footicubs is an exciting new football club franchise for children aged 18 months to 5 years. The business is exclusively unique, in that all coaches are intensively trained by full time primary school teachers that specialise in football as their primary focus in physical education.

Due to soaring demand across the country by both parents and children alike, Footicubs are seeking motivated individuals to be a part of their growing success and to bring the Footicubs family to their local area. Enquire below to find out more.

WHAT’S INCLUDED?

Vehicle sign writing

Footicubs coaches uniform

Children’s kits, water bottles & more

Central website and social media setup

Ongoing franchise support

Exclusive territory

Stationery and marketing materials

Rights to use the Footicubs brand name

Full training in all areas of the business

Comprehensive start up package

Full equipment package

RUN YOUR OWN UNIQUE PAKISTANI CAFE FRANCHISE

THE NAAN STAAP OPPORTUNITY

Established in 2018, Naan Staap is an exciting, traditional but modern, Pakistani theme based café with 3 locations in East London. As the name suggest the café is all about Stuffed Naan, Cakes, Cookies and Desi Karak Chaah (Chai). We believe in serving fresh food therefore all our food is freshly baked inside our kitchen once we receive an order

Naan Staap franchisees can expect a ROI in under 2 years and an Indicative Annual Turnover of £700,000+ Can you see yourself running a Naan Staap franchise? Get in touch to learn more about this booming food and drink franchise.

IN LEARNING MORE?

To

MORE

OVER 200 STORES SOLD IN 2021!

JOIN THE BUBBLE TEA REVOLUTION

Due to the overwhelming success of the CUPP

franchise, there are

remaining:

store

store deal)

store

store deal)

Are you ready to take the next steps and explore becoming a CUPP franchisee?

ThinkingAboutBecominga CatSitter?

Here’sWhatYou Needto Know

By Sandra James, Founder of The Cat Butler

So, you’ve decided to become a cat sitter It's understandable if you're a lover of cats becoming a cat sitter is a great opportunity to get paid to spend time with them!

Unfortunately, it’s not all play time and cuddles. In fact, if you do happen to get it wrong, then your feline customer may have some complaints about the service!

You might wonder, what does it take to be a great cat sitter and what skills are required when caring for our feline friends?

There are a few things you need to know before you dive into your new venture Let’s take a look at the below questions to ask yourself to make sure you have what it takes for the job:

Are You Experienced?

Cat sitters most often tend to be cat owners, but in some cases are die hard cat fans who for any reason are unable to have a cat of their own, perhaps due to a partner with allergies or their living arrangements.

While it is not a requirement for you to have qualifications or any experience in cat sitting professionally to become a cat sitter, your customers will expect you to have had some experience in cat care.

This includes caring for a friend or relatives cat. So, before you look to become professional, consider offering your services to friends and family first. That

way you can get some experience but also get a feel for what you will be doing.

Do You Have the Time?

A cat sitter can care for multiple cats at different addresses throughout the working day, and all cats require a visit at least once a day.

At these visits, a good sitter will see the cat’s needs are met by feeding, watering and letting them out if permitted, administering any medications, clearing up any mess and that all important kitty fussing and play time.

If the pet owner has requested, you may also need to do security checks around the house such as turning lights on, opening and closing curtains and sorting out the bin collections

Are You Flexible?

Being flexible and able to step in at very short notice is a huge benefit as a pet sitter.

Life happens, last minute, urgent and unavoidable events crop up and people need someone to look after their pet, that’s where their flexible cat sitter comes to the rescue.

Knowing what your schedule and availability looks like ensures you can work closely with your clients and their needs meaning are able to cat sit without much advance notice.

Are You Reliable, Responsible & Respectful?

Cat sitters are required to be reliable people to ensure that cat is cared for and to ensure the safety of the home Whilst cat sitting you are entrusted with your client’s keys to their home and you are being trusted to lock up when you leave the premises. So, it is imperative that you are a trustworthy person

You will be required to follow the house rules given to you by the pet owner, where the cats are allowed, if they can go outside or on the furniture. What they can eat, are they allowed treats, or on a special diet? Stick to these guidelines precisely

The pet owner will also need to be updated with updates on kitty by sending videos and pictures of their feline friend having a great time, this ensure the owners a peace of mind knowing their precious cat is being cared for

Can You Follow Instructions Precisely?

Research suggests that any changes to a cat’s routine can cause stress and as cats are creatures of routine, it is important their normal routine is stuck to Consistency is key for cats; visits should be scheduled and consistent from one day to the next.

You will also need to know certain things about the house and cat:

• Does the cat’s medication pill need to be wrapped in something tasty?

• Is there a specific way to unlock the door a lock code on the gate for the bins?

• Do you know where all the food and supplies are kept?

All our Cat Butlers have a meeting with their clients before a sitting to go over all of this information. You will need to ensure you make a note and bring it with you to the visits!

Are You Familiar with Cat Behaviours

As with humans, some cats can be tricky customers and be hard to please

When caring for animals it comes in handy to understand how they communicate their wants, needs, when and why they do certain things.

Would you know what to do when faced with a nervous kitty, or one that tries to escape every chance they get? Keep in mind that you are an intruder in their home, it may take some time for the cat to get used to you.

Are You a Cat Lover?

Being a cat lover, you will of course be better placed when it comes to caring for and giving the cat attention as we know cats have different personalities and preferences. A cat sitter is on hand to give out loving chin rubs, head and neck scratches and a lap cuddle.

Being a cat lover means you offer the cat genuine love able to bond with the cats easier. understand how cats behave and how to make their lives more comfortable over all

Have you considered becoming a Cat Butler?

If you're committed to a career in cat care and sitting, you may find that franchising and owning your own cat sitting business is the right path for you

When choosing to join a franchise you gain the experience and guidance from a franchisor already successful in this business.

There are a great benefits to joining The Cat Butler franchise over going it alone:

• Use of an established and reputable cat sitting brand

• A ready made website for your franchise area optimised with local search engine.

• Access to effective marketing collateral

• An established system with tried and tested methods and processes

• Become a cat expert, just like us, with full training and support

• Support to source finance as part of a franchise system

With immediate access to everything you need to start and run your own successful Cat Butler business, plus ongoing support throughout your business journey, The Cat Butler franchise option offers exceptional value to ambitious individuals.

The

From Employment To Buying A Franchise? Here’s How You Do It…

You might be reading this article because you have fallen into the ‘employment trap’ and now need to remove yourself from it. You have decided that a guaranteed regular income and the perks that come with a job are no longer sufficient for you, after all, sometimes it is not just about a great salary is it, post pandemic behaviour has taught us that hasn’t it!

However, what are the steps from moving where you are right now, to purchasing a franchise? This short article is just for you!

There Are Three Ways To Owning A Business

For completeness these are: starting your own business, literally from scratch, you could even buy an established business, or you can buy a franchise. When you see it like this, everything seems so much simpler don’t you think?

Each of these options will get you the outcome you need to be able to morph out of employment, and each one will have it’s very own set of challenges, for now, we shall focus on franchising, which, by the way, can be a brand new franchise, or an established franchise, often referenced to as a ‘franchise resale’.

Why Look To Buy A Franchise?

The fact is, the whole point of a franchise is that it is a proven model, and you might well want something that you know has a much higher chance of success than going out there on your own.

Check the facts for yourself, there is very little else that has a higher chance of success than franchising can bring you, it is fair to say though that there does still need to be some further checks on the modelling to ensure it will be appropriate for where you want to operate, however, this can often be done with some mutual market research, which will satisfy not only yourself but the franchisor too.

How Will You Fund Your Franchise Purchase?

Look at the initial cost to purchase, should you be ‘awarded’ with the franchise opportunity There will be initial and ongoing costs to consider, this is just part of what financial outlay you can expect, but what about behind the scenes?

How much cash do you personally need to carry on with everyday life, you must factor this in now, failure to do so might mean you will put undue pressure on not only yourself, but your family and then of course on the very business itself, and under funding any business entity will never end well!

Weigh Up The Pros and Cons Now

A new franchise will be lower cost, quite simply, the franchisor will be looking to recoup the cost of getting you started at your expense, as well as covering their own costs to provide ongoing assistance, they do incur costs, and this is often initially recouped by way of a ‘franchise fee’

A franchise resale, on the other hand, will be a much higher cost, this is because the current franchisee has started this usually from scratch, spent some time developing the franchise in their given territory, and you can simply pick this up from where they are leaving it, think of this as your way to leap frog all those early years learning, and costs that come with it! In exchange you will have to expect to pay the previous owner for the benefit of all the goodwill of that learning curve By the way, this article does not discuss any form of business in distress, that is an article for another day!

How much does the new or existing franchise need to be able to grow? Now you will have to think about advertising and marketing costs, the franchisor will assist you so you can have ideas on where this is best spent to achieve some returns to ensure it is all repeatable and scalable

Can You Do This On Your Own?

Only you know the answer to this question!

The things to consider should include:

Do I have the personality trait to follow a system? Some people do not, this is not all bad by the way, but you might not be best suited in having a franchise.

Can I commit for the longer term? There are many franchises that could well be a five or ten year renewable term, does that suit your circumstances? You do not want to enter in a franchise agreement if you think this will simply be something to do whilst you find a job

Do I have the initial and ongoing funds? There are many businesses out there that are great businesses, they are even profitable, but fail, often they fail because they simply run out of cash, this is not good news for you in business life in any event, certainly not with a franchise.

How To Find The Right Franchise For You

You might well be in the right place just by reading this article, there are many franchise directories, such as where you have found this article that list many franchise options, so why not see what matches either your investment level or business type, whether you see yourself wanting a part time or lifestyle franchise or full time of course, and quite often you can select these fields as a starting point for these portals to select what they think might be a match for you

From this you should make your enquiry, and just like when you are in a franchise, the process from here is pretty well systemised by the people you are making your enquiry with, follow the process and you will be in a good hands

The franchise community is also very friendly, ask anyone for an opinion, I’m sure they will be only too happy to assist!

Article by Richard Pakey

in the following

The pros and cons of ad-hoc franchise territory design

If you’re thinking of growing your business through franchising, you’ll want to ensure that your franchise territories are optimised for future success

This starts by ensuring that they are designed in the right way and offer the same opportunities to every franchisee that joins your franchise network After all, you don’t want some of them to really struggle to make sales whilst others have more demand than they can deal with!

But franchise territories can be designed in a number of different ways, although some methods can prove to be less effective and actually cause damage to your business in the years to come

In this article, we’re going to look at the pros and cons of designing territories on an ad-hoc basis, one at a time whenever you receive interest from a potential franchisee.

This approach may seem the easiest and most cost effective way to build a franchise network across regions or the country, but is it really the best way to go? As experts in location intelligence

and optimisation, we’ll share our impartial expertise on the subject

For ad hoc ‘do it yourself’ territory design

1 If you are tailoring a territory to meet the needs of just one potential franchisee, you can design it exactly how they want (often based on their home location).

2. Concentrating on franchise territories one at a time can feel easier, less time consuming, and less overwhelming than trying to create a cohesive network covering a large region or a whole country.

3. You may also feel it is easier to feed vital information into the territory planning process and to take into account insight from the potential franchise holder, who may have more experience of the selected area than you do.

4. In addition, you can feed in information about your business because you know it best (although the better professional franchise mapping companies do this too)

5. You may think that working very closely with a potential franchisee on designing their territory is more likely to lead to them coming onboard and ‘buying’ the franchise area from you

6 If you do decide to work with a professional mapping company such as Tech4T on an ad hoc basis, the initial investment will be lower as you will only be paying for one or two territories at a time, whenever a potential franchisee shows interest

Against ad hoc ‘do it yourself’ territory design

1 Oversized territories are the most common problem Tech4T sees when businesses have already designed ad hoc territories themselves and then turn to us for help. It’s tempting when designing franchise territories individually and without a strategic plan to think that bigger is always better.

But if territories are based on the wrong information for example in the UK on counties instead of postcodes, or on postcode districts instead of the more granular postcode sectors territories can end up being far too big for your franchisees to cover effectively, stretching their resources and meaning they are missing sales opportunities. This can also allow a competitor to gain a foothold in the part of the area which has been neglected, posing a threat for the future Creating larger territories at the start could also restrict the number of franchise holders you can take on in the future, limiting your future revenue.

2. When you design territories at different times, they are unlikely to end up being equal in terms of sales opportunities. Potential customer numbers will vary widely, or staff or customers may have to travel much further in some locations, meaning the chances of success are far from equal

3 You could find yourself spending much of your own time helping struggling franchisees at the expense of your other work, with some of them becoming frustrated and regretting their decision to become a franchise owner in the first place

4. As well as comparing their performance against that of more successful franchise owners, franchisees’ unhappiness can negatively impact the reputation of your brand

5 Franchise territories can be designed based on the wrong criteria or without proper analysis of the market opportunity For example, whilst a territory may seem attractive because it has a large population, it may contain very few people or businesses who are part of your target audience and likely to become customers And despite your and your franchisees’ experiences, without current, relevant data on target markets, logistics, and geography, you may find it difficult to decide who your target market actually is and where there are high concentrations of them.

6. Even if you are clear on your target audience, you may find it extremely difficult to know how many territories to have to maximise the success of your franchise network

7 If your franchise territories are designed one by one, you are likely to end up with a very disjointed overall franchise structure And over time you may end up with parcels of land too small to make into new territories, which can lead to competitors gaining a toehold in these areas, threatening the success of your franchisees

8 If you are working with a professional mapping company, adding territories over time will likely cost more than mapping out a whole region or country in one go.

9. Working on an ad-hoc basis on your own, you may find it difficult to share territory and demographic information with potential franchisees, or print digital or paper maps for them or other stakeholders.

10. You may also have difficulty explaining to potential candidates the commercial basis of your territory mapping decisions and their potential income

Franchising mapping experts such as Tech4T work with the latest, most robust demographic and business data to help business owners make the right location intelligence decisions. To understand more about planning your franchise network, talk to us today

Professionally

Meet Emad

Color Glo Franchisee West London

1. Please tell me about your role with Color Glo?

As a franchisee with Color Glo, I am a Leather specialist, technician and operator covering part West London area.

2. What made you consider investing in a franchise business?

Practicality and creativity with my passion to work with my hands was a great opportunity for me.

Interestingly my neighbour in my home country has Color Glo operations in Sweden, and was fully aware of the benefits Color Glo offers.

3. How do you feel being your own boss and running your own business?

I look forward in gaining more experience with the business opportunities available, and potential future progress. Having the flexibility of owning my own Color Glo business has unlocked new opportunities.

4. What has been your best achievement in the past year?

The ability to enjoy returns for diverse work done over the year. This inspires me to achieve greater returns, and I’ve enjoyed this thoroughly throughout the year.

5. Is the business model like you expected? Are you earning what you expected?

Yes, the franchise is meeting expectations Thanks to the type of business model that Color Glo is, the earning level for what we do is very rewarding. Over the next few months and years, I am looking forward

to earning more, as the business grows.

6. What difference are you making to people in your local community?

Recycle, convenience and cost. Color Glo is a unique business model, and these 3 things are really disrupting the market in my local area.

7. Please tell me how beneficial you feel the support is within the franchise network?

Great communication and support from my Head Office has been very beneficial to my operations. Having this support on hand whenever I need it, was one of the factors that made me choose investing in a franchise to become a business owner.

8. What have you learnt most in the past 12 months?

Lots of daily experience from everyday knowing the product more. Becoming a business owner and going down the franchising route with Color Glo has taught me many things Even though franchising offers a “business in a box”, there is still plenty to learn and the team at Color Glo make it enjoyable throughout the entire journey

9. What goals do you want to achieve in the next 12 months?

I am looking forward to expanding the business and I am currently building on plans for my own workshop

10.What are your interests/hobbies?

Besides loving what I do at Color Glo, my hobbies outside of the business involve Football and swimming

Interested in learning more?

If you’d like to know more about becoming a franchisee with Color Glo, click below to learn more about franchise opportunities with leading specialist in upholstery and colour restoration

LEARN MORE

My part-time travel franchise means I don’t have to risk it all to start a business

For business graduate and serial trip planner Paul Mellor, 31, starting his own part time travel agency with The Travel Franchise was an absolute no brainer.

As someone who loves planning trips, it was an easy way to get paid for doing something he already enjoys doing in his spare time.

“In lockdown I satisfied my urge for travel by planning a few trips to Costa Rica and America,” he says. “It was only when I returned from another trip to Sri Lanka that I realised I didn’t want to go back to a normal job.”

Returning from holiday, Paul looked around and found The Travel Franchise ‘Lite’ option. It meant he could create his own ABTA bonded agency for a lower upfront cost and manageable monthly subscription

Because it wouldn’t entail a dramatic lifestyle change or financial commitment, Paul felt confident to get started in just 5 days.

Based in Essex, Paul’s already loving life as a part time Personal Travel Consultant. Combining working in digital marketing with his new agency, Paul says he likes that he can grow the business at his own pace He says: “Right now I plan to grow organically and not put too much financial pressure on the business. I want to enjoy it! I’m

still working in digital marketing it couples up quite nicely ”

But that doesn’t mean he’s taking things easy.

Specialising in adventure travel and more complicated itineraries, he’s already fielding lots of enquiries and making bookings for friends and family to Sri Lanka and other far flung countries.

He’s also had the chance to meet head office staff and other franchisees who’ve helped him early in his journey.

“The induction training was really good, as is the ongoing support,” he says. “I also attended the conference in June and the sense of community was impressive. I was able to meet people much further along in the journey They were only too happy to impart words of wisdom. And they were living proof that you can definitely succeed. You need to work hard, be consistent & patient, and have confidence ”

His advice to others who want to start something new without risking it all is all about taking positive action

“Do your research. But don’t be afraid to push yourself out of your comfort zone because you might find the rainbow.”

a Prospectus

Request a Prospectus

be a part of the

with SMART FBA

How do cleaning franchises work?

Recently cleaning franchises have seen an enormous rise in popularity among aspiring entrepreneurs suggesting now might be the time to invest in one of these exciting cleaning franchise opportunities. If you are interested in learning more about cleaning franchises and how they work, keep reading this article to find out everything you need to know about cleaning franchises before taking the plunge and investing in one of them

How a cleaning franchise works

When you buy a cleaning franchise, you will receive training & support from your franchisor You are also provided with a proven business model and a trusted brand name to trade under. Sometimes, you can even be given your own website or app to use to promote your cleaning services in your local area, depending on which cleaning franchise you choose to purchase.

The main reason cleaning franchises have become so popular is because you get many valuable resources provided after you pay the initial franchise fee and monthly fees to continue trading under that company’s brand name. If you would like to learn more about the fees you will need to pay as a new franchisee, consider reading our guide about the different kinds of costs that come with a franchise.

What types of cleaning franchises are available?

There are many different types of cleaning franchises available, but we will list below the most popular and common types of cleaning franchise opportunities available to start in the UK:

Commercial cleaning franchises

These types of franchises are contracted to carry out cleaning services in many different company premises and often require more tools and equipment from day one to facilitate and expedite the cleaning process to get through projects as soon as possible.

Contract cleaning franchises

This type of cleaning franchise would have a scheduled cleaning session with their client each week

or month, depending on their contract with the cleaning company

Residential cleaning franchises

Residential cleaning franchises, also known as domestic or household cleaning franchises, would clean their customer’s homes These types of franchises usually come with a lower franchise fee as they require less equipment and resources.

These are the most common and popular cleaning franchises available in the UK, but if you want to browse more cleaning franchises in different fields, we recommend you browse our cleaning franchise directory, helping you find your ideal cleaning franchise

How much do cleaning franchises cost?

Now you know what a cleaning franchise is, how it works, and the most popular cleaning franchises. You may be wondering how much a cleaning franchise costs The average cost for a cleaning franchise varies from £10,000 to £35,000, depending on which franchise you choose

Other expenses come with franchises, such as franchise royalty fees Even though the most significant fee you will usually pay for a franchise will be the initial fee, you need to make sure you do not spend all your money on the initial fee with no room for your monthly fee; otherwise, if you continue to trade under that brand’s name and do not pay the monthly royalty fee your franchise agreement will be terminated

FRANCHISE RESALES

Kick start your future with an already trading franchise business for sale

Browse a range of franchise resale opportunities with Franchise Entrepreneur

5 reasons on why buying an established franchise is so beneficial:

The business is already up and running All the groundwork has been done for you, all you need to do is pick up the reins where the previous owner left off, allowing you to immediately start generating revenue.

The business has a proven track record One huge benefit is that there will already be existing contracts, brand recognition, a reputation and revenue to build upon.

It can be easier to obtain funding With the performance history of the business, the banks may look more favourably at lending money; making it easier to fund your new business venture than if you were to start from scratch.

Staff – Existing staff can bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to a new owner; they can help ensure a seamless transition from one owner to another.

Support and Training The franchisor will provide you with resources, connections, training and continuous support, which will help you avoid mistakes that might cost your company time or money! Furthermore, with a network of franchisees available to draw support and ideas from, you are not alone in your new business venture.

Agency Express Franchise Resales

Opportunities Available Across the UK

Join The UK’s Largest National Estate Agency Board Franchise

At any one time there are approximately 1.5 million estate agency boards displayed on the streets of the UK and Ireland.

Agency Express franchisees and their vehicles are responsible for serving over 60% of UK estate agency offices.

Franchising for over two decades, Agency Express is a ‘bfa HSBC Franchisor of the Year ‘and ‘ESTAS Estate Agency Supplier of the Year’ multi award winner.

As a result of this, the next owner of these resales will be able to take advantage of the support that a successful franchise model can offer.

Agency Express resale opportunities would suit a self motivated, practical, and driven person who enjoys meeting people and working outdoors. There is also excellent potential to expand this business into a multi van operation.

Interested?

Click below to request more information about taking control of one of the two resale areas available.

Request Info

Agency Express

Location: Offers Around: Kent £POA

A unique opportunity has become available to join the highly successfully Agency Express franchise in a select number of areas across Kent

Do you have a desire to run your own business and to benefit from a better work life balance? Are you self motivated, practical and do you enjoy working outside? If the answer is YES then the Agency Express van-based franchise could be perfect for you!

Request Info

Agency Express

Location: Offers Around: Bucks £POA

Due to relocation a rare opportunity has risen to acquire a well established van based franchise, located in Buckinghamshire with Agency Express, the UK’s largest provider of professional estate agency board services. This franchise resale is an owner operated, single van business, covering Aylesbury and the surrounding towns and villages The next owner will benefit from being able to service a strong portfolio of existing clients. Due to the current franchisee boasting an excellent reputation within the local area, this business is ready to continue running in a successful manner

Request Info

Agency Express

Location: Offers Around: Essex/Suffolk £POA

A rare opportunity has risen to acquire a well-established van-based franchise, located in either Suffolk or Essex with Agency Express, the UK’s largest provider of professional estate agency board services. This franchise resale would be sold as a single van business, covering the areas of Northern Essex or Southern Suffolk. The current franchisee is the owner of two territories and wishes to scale back to one