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what-franchise.com
ISSN 1744-6988
9771744 698037
06
PAGE
14 INSPIRING THE
NEXT GENERATION
Award winning education
opportunity launches in UK
PAGE
98 SURVIVING THE
STORM
British Franchise Association
vows to be industry anchor
PAGE
60 BE YOUR
OWN BOSS
7 steps to finding the
right franchise
POWERBRANDS
5-page special
CLEANING &
RESTORATION
FRANCHISES
LITTLE
CAESARS
SEEKS AREA DEVELOPERS
AROUND THE WORLD
PAIN,
POSITIVITY,
PASSION
What franchisors look for
in would-be franchisees
3 FEATURES OF WEALTHY
FRANCHISEES
Common traits of the top
performers
I CHANGED MY
CAREER PATH
Meet 29-year-old mum of one
Georgina Burman
ESSENTIAL LEADERSHIP
SKILLS
10 ways to energise your team
WHAT FRANCHISE 16_6 master_WHAT FRANCHISE 29/01/2021 08:22 Page 2
WHAT FRANCHISE 16_6 master_WHAT FRANCHISE 29/01/2021 08:22 Page 3
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WHAT FRANCHISE 16_6 master_WHAT FRANCHISE 29/01/2021 14:32 Page 4
WHATFRANCHISE.COM 5
Clean & Restore
Franchises
Our PowerBrands
report showcases some of the
brands profiting in an industry
seeing a surge in demand following
the coronavirus outbreak
I'm a Franchisee
Under 30
YogaBellies’ Georgina
Burman explains why she invested
in a proven concept, how she
overcame her biggest challenge and
her plans for 2021
Stand Out From
The Crowd
Franchisors look for
a range of qualities in prospective
franchisees. Here’s what you need
to know to shine during the
selection process
CONTENts
HIGHLIGHTS
COVER STORIES
14 INSPIRING THE NEXT
GENERATION
Award winning education opportunity
launches in UK
34 LITTLE CAESARS
Pizza brand seeks area developers
around the world
36 FEATURES OF WEALTHY
FRANCHISEES
Common traits of the top performers
60 BE YOUR OWN BOSS
7 steps to finding the right franchise
90 ESSENTIAL
LEADERSHIP SKILLS
10 ways to energise your team
98 SURVIVING THE STORM
British Franchise Association vows to
be industry anchor
OPINION
11 TREND SPOTTING FOR
THE YEAR AHEAD
Predictions following a turbulent
12 months
12 DON’T GAMBLE WITH
YOUR FUTURE
Picking the right franchise can
radically reduce the odds of failure
FRANCHISE
OPPORTUNITIES
29 SYSTEMS, TRAINING,
SUPPORT
Ian Christelow of ActionCOACH UK
explains why you should start a franchise
39 A PEST CONTROL FRANCHISE
WITH A DIFFERENCE
Peter Higgs of PGH Beegone tells us
about this unique pest control and live
bee removal business
40 TECHNICIAN TURNS BOSS AT
REVIVE! BIRMINGHAM NORTH
It was an opportunity on our
doorstep we couldn’t miss out on,
Paul Morris says
42 700% PROFIT INCREASE FOR
OUR BUSINESS
Action Coach James Burke helped
transform the fortunes of a female
fashion brand
49 A DESIRE TO HELP OTHERS
Home Instead provides the very best of
care and companionship
58 ESSENTIAL SERVICE
DELIVERS HOPE
OSCAR Pet Foods explains why
teamwork and staying local promises
continued success
63 TASTING SWEET SUCCESS
Kaspa’s Desserts is a fast growing brand
with nearly 100 restaurants in the UK
66 POSITIVE RESPONSE TO THE
PANDEMIC
Cafe2U has risen to the biggest
challenge in the company’s history
73 YOUR FUTURE COULD
START TODAY
Want to start your own business?
Now’s the time, TRIB3 says
86 WHEN THE GOING GETS
TOUGH
FASTSIGNS certainly got going at the
start of the COVID-19 pandemic
17 52 74
87 MOVING BEYOUND EXPECTATIONS
Meyers Estate Agents helps property owners sell
quickly with more affordable costs
95 FROM CARE ASSISTANT TO
FRANCHISEE
Buying a Bluebird Care business is an absolute
dream for me, Allen Vanderwyk-Coyne says
INSIGHT
50 WE HELP FRANCHISES THRIVE
Tap into our business planning and funding
advice, James Thomas at d&t says
80 START-UP TO SCALE UP
Ambitions to build a multi-unit business?
Franchising can help achieve your goal
82 IF IT’S TIME TO SELL
It’s time to talk to Franchise Resales and take
advantage of a special offer
96 TOP TIPS FOR TAKING ON STAFF
The essential elements to consider if you want to
become an excellent employer
36
WHAT FRANCHISE 16_6 master_WHAT FRANCHISE 29/01/2021 08:22 Page 6
GLOBALFRANCHISEMAGAZINE.COM 7
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12,580 January-
December 2019
INDUSTRY
CONTRIBUTION
WINNER
British Franchise
Association
Professional
Affiliate and Supplier
Awards 2019
FROM
THE EDITOR
n 2020 there
was a sharp
increase in the
number of people
researching the business
opportunities franchising
could provide them, as the
possibility of redundancy and
recession loomed large.
Because of this, franchisors
currently have a larger pool
of candidates to choose from,
which means that for aspiring
franchisees it’s even more
important to stand out
from the crowd.
Franchises are not
merely given, they’re
awarded to investors who fit a franchisor’s profile. Most
franchisors aren’t looking for prior experience in their industry.
Instead they seek individuals who are self motivated, resilient,
disciplined, possess good communication skills and can follow a
proven system, among other things.
So how can you shine during the recruitment process? We’ve
outlined how you can appeal to a franchisor on pages 74-77,
along with highlighting some of the biggest mistakes would-be
franchisees make plus some tips from established owners.
Many cleaning and restoration franchises are reporting a leap in
demand for their services because of COVID-19 and the fact people
have been forced to spend more time in their homes than usual
during the past 12 months.
If you think you’d be suited to this type of business, turn to
page 17. The franchises featured service both commercial and
residential customers and are among the most established names
in the UK franchise industry.
According to a recent report, health and well-being is a sector
that’s popular among people wanting to be their own boss. It
certainly appealed to Georgina Burman, who we’ve
interviewed for this issue.
She became a YogaBellies franchisee in 2019. Following
her time spent in fashion as a garment technologist,
she decided to change career and now teaches yoga to
woman. Despite a hugely testing 2020, she describes the
move as the best decision of her life.
In the article, Georgina talks about the benefits of
buying a franchise, the challenges of being a franchisee
under 30 and the plans she has in 2021.
It provides a useful insight into life as a franchisee.
We also hope it encourages you to follow in Georgina’s
footsteps and set up your own business backed by
an established brand. With around 1,000 franchises
operating in the UK, there are plenty to choose from.
Just remember, it’s not simply a case of demonstrating
to a franchisor that you have sufficient funds to buy into
the company. They’re also looking for astute long-term
partners who can play an integral part in the plans they
have for their brand. And competition is particularly
keen at the moment.
Jeff James
Editor, What Franchise
editor@what-franchise.com
I
what-franchise.com
@whatfranchise
linkedin.com/company
/what-franchise
facebook.com/whatfranchise
MASTER, REGIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL FRANCHISING
globalfranchisemagazine.com
Franchise
Global INSIDER
INFO
Franchisor of FASTSIGNS
and NerdsToGo
5 AREAS OF
OPPORTUNITY TO
EMERGE FROM
THE PANDEMIC
INTRODUCING
PROPELLED BRANDS:
Central American
franchising
e biggest markets in this
emerging region
From the U.S. to
Canada and back again
How to capitalize on
cross-border developments
PAGE
21 SCOTT
GREENBERG
Closing the franchisee
performance gap
JACKIE
LOBDELL
Making international
development pain-free
PAGE
56
PAGE
88 BETTE
FETTER
Tackling the master
franchising model
Your essential guide to hotels, real
estate, and flexible workspaces
PROPERTY
FRANCHISING
7 WAYS TO
STRENGTHEN
FRANCHISE
RELATIONSHIPS
FROM THE
PUBLISHER OF
NEXT ISSUE
ON SALE:
March 25
ADVERTISING DIRECTOR
Richard Davies Tel: 01323 471291
Email: richard.davies@aceville.com
SENIOR ACCOUNT MANAGERS
Rachael Wenham. 01323 471291
rachael.wenham@aceville.co.uk
Luke Elliott. 01323 471291
luke.elliott@aceville.co.uk
Matthew Gilley. 01323 471291
matt.gilley@aceville.com
Millie Hall. 01323 471291
millie.hall@aceville.co.uk
CIRCULATION MANAGER
Joseph Gibbons Tel: 01206 505912
SUBSCRIPTIONS
Tel: 01795 414667
PUBLISHER
Matthew Tudor
HEAD OF CONTENT (FRANCHISING)
James Fell
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Sue Carr Tel: 01206 505903
EDITOR
Jeff James
DESIGNERS
Adam Barford & Luke Rogers
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74
8 WHATFRANCHISE | ISSUE 16.6
Facts and figures from the world of franchising
In the know
Number
crunching
That’s the amount of franchise locations Engineering
For Kids estimates it could have operating in the UK by
the end of 2025. Get the lowdown on pages 14-15.
100-150
HAVE YOU SIGNED UP TO THE
WHAT FRANCHISE WEEKLY
NEWSLETTER YET?
Dedicated to providing budding business owners
and entrepreneurs with a weekly digest of insightful
content, we have a dedicated team that carefully
compiles the What Franchise newsletter to ensure it
covers topics every new or current franchisee should
know about.
Themes alternate every week and can cover
everything from how to obtain funding to start your
business to what franchisees must ask a franchisor
before investing.
There’s also an enlightening dose of inspirational
stories of business owners who took the plunge and
made a huge success of their franchise, plus a round-up
of proven investment opportunities.
Sound like your cup of tea? Head towhat-franchise.
com/newsletterto sign up today.
“What gives wealthy
franchisees their edge
are three powerful
behaviours that you can
replicate to achieve the
same results.”
Find out more in Scott Greenberg’s
feature on pages
36-37.
QUOTE ME ON THAT
WHAT-FRANCHISE.COM 9
Popular start-up
sectors revealed
Health and well-being is the
most popular sector among
people who want to be their
own boss this year, according
to The UK’s Start-up Appetite
report by small business
support network Enterprise
Nationandgovernment backed
fundingschemeStart Up Loans.
It’s followed by manufacturing,
tech and business services,
suggesting that the lockdown
exercise phenomenon has had
an impact, while fears for post-
Brexit shortages has led to an
ambition to make something in
the UK.
20 per cent of UK adults
want to start a businessin
2021, according to the study.
However,12 per centsay they
needhelp to get it o the ground.
Emma Jones, founder of
Enterprise Nation, says: “This
research suggeststhe start-
up spirit in the UK is still
going strong, but alsomakes
clear there’s an unmet need
forprovidingearly stagesupport
and educationor signposting
what’salready out there.”
Home fitness
franchise
launches
Send Me A Trainer will open its
first UK franchise in Glasgow in
the next few months.
It follows rapid expansion
in the USA, where in 2020 - its
first year of franchising - the
business awarded franchises
in 10 territories and received
multiple requests from potential
master franchise partners in
other countries.
Company co-founder Muhssin
El-Yacoubi says: “The data
around the huge boom in home
fitness is staggering.
“Industry experts indicate
that the total addressable
market of the home fitness
industry has increased
by$10 billionannually due to
COVID-19 driving consumers
away from fitness clubs.
“Also, monthly Google search
volume for ‘at home fitness’ is
up over three times compared
to pre-pandemic levels. This
is causing a huge increase in
demand for Send Me A Trainer
and home fitness solutions
that oer the convenience of
working out from home.”
50TH UK
RESTAURANT
FOR GERMAN
DONER KEBAB
The fast-casual brand has
opened in Peterborough -
its 50th restaurant in the
UK. German Doner Kebab
established 13 outlets in total
in 2020.
CEO Imran Sayeed says:
“Reaching 50 restaurants in the
UK is a huge moment in our
story and represents a huge
achievement for everyone in the
German Doner Kebab family.
“We’ve found ourselves
in very challenging times.
However, we’ve remained
agile and responsive to a fast
changing landscape, reaching
our customers in new ways and
developing new products.”
Prepared in front of
customers, the company’s
kebabs are made using premium
meats and local vegetables,
served in handmade, toasted
breads and accompanied by
signature sauces.
NEWS IN BRIEF
NEW FLEXIBLE
FORMATS FROM
PIZZA BRAND
Papa John’s has announced
the introduction of new
franchise formats suitable
for holiday parks, stadiums,
leisure attractions and other
‘non-traditional’ venues.
Justin Gilbert, director of
business development Papa
John’s UK, explains: “We’re
adding further flexible
franchise options relevant
for a variety of operators.
“They will already have
a complementary business
with an existing customer
base and be looking to add
a quality hot food option
through an established
global brand.”
Papa John’s non-
traditional franchised
outlets generally have a
slightly dierent business
model compared to its high
street stores.They may
be collection-only or have
reduced or seasonal opening
hours, a pizza slice oer or a
flexible menu.
Keep up to date with the latest
news at what-franchise.com
Follow us on Twitter
@whatfranchise
Indulge
Yourself in
a Premium
Bakery
CONTACT US TODAY
www.paul-uk.com/franchise
Andy Hulbert, Franchise Recruitment Manager
Mob: 07766 027562 | Email: franchise@paul-uk.com
WHAT FRANCHISE 16_6 master_WHAT FRANCHISE 29/01/2021 13:54 Page 10
WHAT-FRANCHISE.COM 11
Trend spotting for the
year ahead
Here are my predictions following a turbulent 12 months
or many of us, closing
the chapter on 2020
will feel cathartic.
It was a year that
will live with us all in our memories
for its challenges and the changes
we’ve been forced to make in
our personal and working lives.
Separated from family, friends,
colleagues, partners and clients -
it’s a strange thought that this time
last year most of us had no idea
what was about to hit us.
But now we look forward to 2021,
which has showed no sign of let-up in
terms of political upheaval, financial
uncertainty and ongoing battles with
the coronavirus pandemic.
As is normal for me, at this time
of year I’ve been keeping an eye on
predictions in terms of trends for
the months ahead.
The world has changed in many
ways and it remains to be seen
which of these changes will stay
with us, which will transpire to have
been temporary and which will, in
turn, lead to further changes.
Below I’ve listed what I think
are some of the things to watch
out for in 2021:
Remote working
to continue
With the pandemic on the
rise again and the UK back in
lockdown, I believe that it might
be some time before much of the
workforce returns to offices.
This will mean that employers
F
THE AUTHOR
Pip Wilkins is CEO of
the British Franchise
Association
need to decide whether they are
‘remote friendly’ in the short term
or if this now represents a new way
of working for the long term and
is actually more about becoming
‘remote first’.
More flexibility across
roles and disciplines
As businesses and organisations
strive to pivot in agile ways, staff
and employees are increasingly
finding themselves out of their
comfort zones.
As a result, they’re now often
sitting across multiple roles,
taking on new responsibilities and
learning new skills and systems.
Increasing focus on
well-being
With isolation and long days at
home can come many challenges
around keeping positive and
healthy, both in body and
mind. We understand now that
these two work together and
are equally important to us as
human beings.
On an individual level, I think
that people are taking more
personal responsibility around
this. But we are finally seeing a sea
change in the way organisations are
approaching this too.
In all honesty, it’s very difficult to
make any calls about the way this
year will turn out and these are just
a few thoughts.
For many, it will be a time of
uncertainty in their professional
lives and, as such, it may well be
that franchising is the next step, as
it’s a sector that’s had a failure rate
of less than five per cent for more
than 20 years.
If you’re considering investing in
a franchise, I can assure you that
the industry will welcome you with
open arms.
WORDS BY PIP WILKINS
OPINION
“Staff and employees are
increasingly finding themselves
out of their comfort zones”
WHAT-FRANCHISE.COM 11
OPINION
Don’t gamble with your future
While buying a franchise doesn’t guarantee a favourable outcome, pick the
right one and it should radically reduce the odds of failure
t the start of every
year, there’s a renewed
interest in franchising.
Despite the challenges
of COVID-19 and Brexit, 2021 is
no different.
Buying a franchise is not a
guarantee of success, but pick the
right one and it should dramatically
improve your odds. Why? In a
nutshell, someone has already built
a viable business, created a strong
brand, proven the business model,
documented the relevant systems
and procedures and then, for a fee
and an ongoing royalty, will provide
you with comprehensive training,
ongoing support and everything you
need with which to replicate their
success in a new location.
That’s the theory, of course, but if
you want to own your own business
why not just start one and save
yourself the upfront fees, ongoing
royalties and restrictions? It’s a
good question and one with multiple
parts to the answer.
Impressive statistics
In 2018, NatWest and the British
Franchise Association produced
their most recent report on the
health of the UK franchise industry.
It revealed the sector’s £17.2 billion
turnover and the fact that 93 per
cent of franchisees reporting
profitability, a third operate
multiple units, 18 per cent are under
30 and 30 per cent are females.
Given that a substantial number
of start-ups close their doors
before the end of their
second year, 93 per cent of
franchisee owned units
reporting profitability is
an impressive statistic.
Due diligence
Franchising is all about
the replication of a
successful business,
but how do you know
which one is right
for you?
Figures vary, but
it’s widely accepted
that there are at
least 950 franchises
operating in the UK.
Choosing the right one
takes time, planning,
research and honesty from
everyone involved, including
you, the franchisor and even
your partner or family.
Whichever sector you
choose, one key part of your
due diligence will be attending
a discovery day, which is likely to
be online for at least a good chunk
of the year.
A
THE AUTHOR
Suzie McCafferty
is CEO of franchise
consultancy
Platinum Wave
These early meetings are about
fact finding, but also about building
mutual trust. You’re entering into
a business partnership, which is
expected to last a minimum of five
years. It’s therefore important
that you like, respect and trust the
franchisor and vice versa.
Don’t be afraid to ask searching
questions, either. A franchisor
should be able to answer them all,
unless there are valid reasons, such
as company confidentiality, which
might preclude disclosure of
certain information.
Talk to franchisees
Also, while it will be trickier to do
this year, speaking informally to
existing franchisees about their
experiences is invaluable. But
be respectful of the franchisor’s
guidelines - they are likely to want
to at least know you are semi-
serious before they let you disturb
their franchisees at work.
Every franchisor and franchisee
will have their own story to tell
about how they’ve coped in the last
12 months and the changes they’ve
likely had to make.
One thing is almost certain
though: they will all feel lucky
to have been part of a franchise
network rather than left alone to
fend for themselves. There’s a lot of
strength in numbers and in shared
experience. Remember, franchising
is the ultimate opportunity to be in
business for yourself, but not
by yourself.
WORDS BY SUZIE MCCAFFERTY
“Franchising
is the ultimate
opportunity to
be in business for
yourself, but not
by yourself”
12 WHAT FRANCHISE | ISSUE 16.6
WHAT FRANCHISE 16_6 master_WHAT FRANCHISE 29/01/2021 08:22 Page 13
INTERVIEW
14 WHAT FRANCHISE | ISSUE 16.6
Canadian EdTech company LaunchLife International added a second children’s
education franchise to its portfolio when it purchased Engineering for Kids in
2020. CEO Darryl Simsovic gives us the inside track on its latest acquisition
hy did LaunchLife International
decide to purchase the Engineering
For Kids business?
Education is the main focus of our investing
strategy. Education is an important industry. It’s large,
recession proof and always growing. But most importantly,
a business in education gives the satisfaction of impacting
many lives. By owning an education company, you have the
opportunity to give back to your community. It’s one of the
most rewarding services you can provide.
In education, the business model we believe in is
through franchising.
From a central point of view, franchises are more
efficient to handle processes, marketing, curriculum and
technologies. Franchisees are closely connected to their
own community and therefore more efficient to provide a
bespoke service of the highest quality.
Engineering For Kids is that type of operation, focusing on
education and operated through a network of franchisees
across the globe. Also, the science, technology, engineering
and maths (STEM) space is an important one and it creates
synergies with other brands we are currently operating,
such as School is Easy, which offers one-to-one tutoring.
Tell us about Engineering For Kids
Engineering For Kids offers fun and interactive activities to
help kids learn science, technology, engineering and maths.
The company delivers afterschool programmes,
camps, parties and workshops, inspiring kids aged four
to 14 to explore engineering concepts in a fun, engaging
environment. Engineering For Kids has become a leader in
STEM education, earning several awards and accreditations.
Learning maths and science while building problem
solving skills through robotics, technology and coding
activities not only opens the possibilities of the in demand
future careers in coding and engineering, but also improves
essential communication skills and overall confidence.
What plans do you have for the brand in the UK?
The UK is one of the main markets where we’re focusing
our growth.
First, we have Pitman Training, which is a 180-year-old
brand that is well recognised and well established. Second,
the UK is a market that welcomes education brands. We
have witnessed this with the recently launched School is
Easy franchise, which launched during the beginning of the
pandemic and has so far witnessed meteoric growth.
Engineering For Kids is a fantastic brand with 85-plus
locations and a presence in 30 countries. We plan to
initiate campaigns to attract potential investors to become
franchisees in the UK.
Why’s now a good time to invest in a children’s
education franchise?
With a growing market demand for franchises focused on
education, proven business models like Engineering For Kids
provide a recipe for success.
Our franchisees share an enormous amount of satisfaction
from inspiring the next generation of engineers and helping
children succeed, all while owning their own business.As the
effects of the pandemic will soon start to dissipate, investing
in the education of children will become an important and
rewarding venture.
What type of franchisee are you looking to recruit?
Investing in an Engineering For Kids franchise does not
necessarily require a background in education or STEM.
The Engineering For Kids home office provides extensive
training to our franchisees to ensure their curriculum is
delivered at the same high level at every location.
Franchisees will hire qualified teachers, while focusing on
building their Engineering For Kids business. What is shared
across our network of franchisees is a passion for education and
enriching children’s lives, along with a strong desire to succeed.
W
THE UK IS A MARKET
THAT WELCOMES
EDUCATION BRANDS
WHAT-FRANCHISE.COM 15
“Our franchisees share an
enormous amount of satisfaction
from inspiring the next
generation of engineers and
helping children succeed, all
while owning their own business”
How much does it cost to
become a franchisee and what
do you get for your investment?
Compared to other franchise
operations, the initial investment
is low at around £30,000-£45,000.
This business can be
operated from home, with
no need for an initial venue.
Franchisees typically partner
with local schools and
community organisations to
provide Engineering For Kids
programmes in their facilities.
With the franchise fee, the
operator will receive training,
exclusivity to a market of
up to 100 primary schools
and equivalent institutions,
marketing support and,
more importantly, access to
almost 500 hours of unique,
engaging and fun curriculum
in STEM fields.
Can you give us an idea of earnings potential?
The earnings potential will vary tremendously, based
on the individual performance of the franchisee.
There are multiple revenue streams, such as
afterschool programmes, camps, parties, events and
workshops.We can have discussions with prospects to
assist them to make an informed decision whether or
not Engineering For Kids is a good investment for them.
How big is the market for this type of business
in the UK?
All numbers point to a very lucrative market. The size
of the childcare sector, which includes children 12
and younger, is estimated to be worth £5 billion. And
with the trend of both parents working, the need for
afterschool programmes keeps increasing.
According to the UK government website, in 2019-
2020 there weremore than 24,000 schools in the
UK serving an estimated population of nine million
pupils. STEM programmes provide both education and
fun activities, so we’re confident that these types of
initiatives will capture an important part of the market.
Where do you see the brand in five years’ time?
The size of the UK market allows for 200 to 300
Engineering For Kids franchisees.
We anticipate that in the coming five years we will
see an important growth and penetration between 25
to 50 per cent, which implies we may see more than
100 to 150 locations in the UK by the end of 2025.
MARCEL PORTMANN
Global Development
+1 (305) 853-8065 | mportmann@duckdonuts.com
+44(7756) 759326 (UK)
DWAYNE HOFFMAN
VP of Franchise Development
+1 (610) 551-5452
dhoffman@duckdonuts.com
www.duckdonuts.com
WHAT FRANCHISE 16_6 master_WHAT FRANCHISE 29/01/2021 08:22 Page 16
CLEANING AND RESTORATION POWERBRANDS
MAKE TIDY PROFITS IN AN INDUSTRY SEEING A SURGE
IN DEMAND FOLLOWING THE CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK
CLEANING AND
RESTORATION
FRANCHISES
POWERBRANDS
WHAT-FRANCHISE.COM 17
CLEANING AND RESTORATION POWERBRANDS
leanliness and hygiene
have never been more
important than they
are now. For companies
in all sectors, attention to hygiene
is vital. Getting it wrong can
mean losing customers or staff,
which can close the business.
Meanwhile, people at home
are prioritising home cleaning
and restoration projects and
making more use of their
gardens as ‘outside rooms’.
It’s all having significant effects on
cleaning and restoration franchises.
So is it time to consider investing
in a business in this sector?
HOW ARE CLEANING
AND RESTORATION
FRANCHISES
PERFORMING?
Emma Chappell, franchise sales
manager at the ServiceMaster
franchise support centre, is in a good
position to deliver an overview, as
ServiceMaster offers four franchises
that deliver a wide range of cleaning
services to domestic and commercial
markets, including disaster
restoration and office cleaning. Many
franchisees run two or more of the
group’s franchises simultaneously.
Emma says: “At the beginning of
the pandemic, domestic customers
were initially cautious about
cleaners entering their homes,
but things are recovering and we
continue to offer in-home cleaning
services in a COVID-safe way.
“Our cleaners focus more closely
on high touch areas such as door
handles to keep homes sparkling
clean, but also hygienic.”
In the commercial environment,
ServiceMaster has seen
increased demand for services
in some industry sectors.
“Many commercial clients
are now requesting an extra
cleaning slot during the day, so
as to further protect their staff
and customers,” Emma says.
“We have also undertaken high
volumes of sanitisation cleans
following confirmed COVID
cases, so clients can continue
trading with minimal delay.”
ServiceMaster expects to grow
its franchisee network this year.
“We have a number of new
franchise partners looking to launch
this year and existing franchisees
who expect to expand their
cleaning businesses,” Emma says.
There are territories available
for ServiceMaster Clean Contract
Services, ServiceMaster Clean
Residential, ServiceMaster Clean
Commercial, ServiceMaster
Restore and domestic cleaning
franchise Merry Maids.
The Neighbourly group of five
home services brands includes
domestic cleaning franchise Bright
& Beautiful, whose franchisees
provide eco-friendly cleaning,
tidying, laundry and ironing.
C
Cleaning and restoration franchises look a good long-term
bet if you’re considering becoming your own boss this year
THE AUTHOR
Linda Whitney writes
about franchising for
the Daily Mail, What
Franchise and many
other publications
YOUR
OPPORTUNITY
TO CLEAN UP
WORDS BY LINDA WHITNEY
18 WHAT FRANCHISE | ISSUE 16.6
Liz Bosley-Sharpe, managing
director of Bright & Beautiful,
says:“Despite the challenges
last year, our network of 70
Bright & Beautiful franchisees
experienced an unprecedented
demand for professional cleaning
services resulting from more
people working from home and a
heightened focus on hygiene.
“Enquiries from prospective
franchisees have seen an increase
of 25 per cent over 2019. They can
see the clear opportunity within
the domestic cleaning sector.”
Richard Bryan is general
manager of the Wilkins Chimney
Sweep franchise, one of the
brands owned by Taylor Made
Franchising, which also owns
mobile vehicle cleaning franchise
PVC Vendo and Thomas Cleaning.
Richard says: “Demand for
chimney sweeping leapt during the
pandemic, as families remained
at home and spent money on
their property rather than
foreign holidays and treats.
“In November 2020, the
Wilkins Chimney Sweep network
recorded their highest takings
since records began.”
BROADENING MARKETS
The increased focus on cleaning and
hygiene has meant new markets have
opened up for some franchises.
Chemex managing director Michael
Graham says: “Our franchisees have
POWERBRANDS
CLEANING AND RESTORATION POWERBRANDS
been delivering cleaning, hygiene
and infection control products,
expertise and advice for decades,
mainly to the hospitality sector, but
now every business is interested in
hygiene and demand is increasing
from all kinds of sectors, including
offices and manufacturing.
“Meanwhile, businesses in the
hospitality sector have dramatically
increased their cleaning regimes
to protect customers, increasing
demand for our products and
services in their traditional markets.”
The move to socialising
outdoors has also broadened the
market for garden services.
David Truby, managing director
of Greensleeves Lawncare, says:
“The lockdowns have deepened
people’s appreciation of the
mental and physical benefits to
be derived from spending time in
their gardens, so more people are
looking at them as an extra room.
“Customer numbers are increasing
and almost all our new leads
3 REASONS WHY WE NEED CLEANING
AND RESTORATION FRANCHISES
1Food. The Food Standards Agency estimates that
around 2.4 million cases of food-borne illness
occur every year in the UK. Eating out accounts for an
estimated 37 per cent of all food-borne norovirus cases,
with takeaways at 26 per cent.
2
Fires. There were 36,283 dwelling fires in the UK in
2018-19, according to Home Office statistics.
3
Floods. Figures from Rainbow International
Restoration indicate that around 2.4 million people
live in immediate flood risk areas in England. Overall, one
in six homes in England are at risk of flooding and you’re
statistically more likely to get flooded than burgled.
mention that they want to make the
most of what they have at home.”
However, even people who have
gardening skills often feel the need
to bring in a professional to restore,
treat and maintain their lawn and
the demand for Greensleeves’
services is growing as a result.
WOULD A CLEANING
OR RESTORATION
FRANCHISE SUIT YOU?
There are scores of cleaning,
restoration and sanitising franchises
available, ranging from lower
cost, van-based businesses where
you deliver the service yourself,
often with the option to expand
by adding more vans, to higher
cost management franchises that
typically involve running a team
of technicians from day one.
Either way, there’s a lot more
to running a successful franchise
in these sectors than simply
delivering a cleaning service. You
will need a variety of skills.
Whether you’re going to be visiting
clients to deliver the service yourself
or running a team of people who
provide the service on your behalf,
you need good communication skills.
“The Chemex franchise is not
just about delivering cleaning
fluids,” Michael Graham says.
“Our franchisees also provide
customers with cleaning plans,
hygiene control programmes and
reviews, procedural training for
staff and dishwasher health checks.
They aim to be seen as experts in
cleaning and hygiene, so they need
good communications skills.”
“You don’t need pre-existing
gardening skills to be a Greensleeves
franchisee - we train you - but
you need high customer service
standards,” David Truby says.
“Two thirds of our new customers
come from personal recommendations
and our franchisees work hard
to maintain high ratings on
Trustpilot because prospective
customers check ratings online.”
WHATFRANCHISE.COM 19
“Many commercial clients are now
requesting an extra cleaning slot
during the day, so as to further
protect their staff and customers”
THE FILTHY TRUTH,
ILLUSTRATED
“Chop a £10 note into 10,000
pieces, take one piece and chop
it into 10,000 more. That’s the
same size as the piece of faecal
matter that can spread norovirus,”
says Chemex managing director
Michael Graham.
Techclean, whose franchisees
supply specialist IT equipment
cleaning services, points out:
• A computer mouse typically
harbours 1,600 germs per square
inch, yet 36 per cent have never
seen any type of cleaning product.
• The average keyboard has three
times more bacteria than a public
toilet seat.
It’s no wonder that cleaning,
sanitisation and restoration services
are in demand.
20 WHAT FRANCHISE | ISSUE 16.6
CLEANING AND RESTORATION POWERBRANDS
Retired fireman Robin Mainstone is
now the Greensleeves Lawncare
franchisee in East Lothian.
He says: “I’m seeing more
customers looking for lawn
treatment and restoration. For
many I carry out scarification,
hollow tine aeration and
treatments and I also provide
restoration where a lawn is
suffering neglect, disease or soil
pests. No lawn is beyond help.”
Robin’s also seeing more
demand for lawn restoration
before houses are marketed
for sale: “Recently I worked
on a property where the front
lawn was covered in moss and the
tennis court was in poor condition.
“After repeated visits over
six months, they finally looked
magnificent on the estate agent’s
website. It makes me proud to
know I did that.”
Robin says he loves working
outdoors, but his business isn’t
just about practical work: “Many
customers ask questions about
lawn health and you must be
confident enough to give
them advice.
“Building relationships with
customers enhances your
reputation and results in more
customer referrals, which is where
most of my business comes from.”
“Now every business
is interested in
hygiene and demand
is increasing from all
kinds of sectors”
Robin
Mainstone,
Greensleeves
Lawncare
Maintaining
the ‘outdoor
room’
Adrian Steel,
Wilkins Chimney Sweep
How I swept to business success
Demand for chimney sweeping is
rising, bringing in more business
for Wilkins Chimney Sweep
franchisees such as Adrian Steel.
Accounting and finance graduate
Adrian, who had previously worked
in sales, bought his first Wilkins
franchise in 2012. He now owns
three territories and employs
two sweeps, with three vans on
the road.
Adrian says: “I wanted to start
a business, but to hit the ground
running, and the Wilkins business
model allowed me to do that. If I’d
started on my own, this wouldn’t
have been possible. By buying into
the franchise, I was able to learn a
new trade and start up in a
different industry.
“The Wilkins model is based
on repeat bookings from
customers, with excellent
cash flow and a low debt level,
which really appealed.”
Adrian describes the
practical training as
“interesting”, adding: “I had no
idea how much physical effort
it takes to sweep a chimney -
but the work is fun.
“You must be physically fit,
patient and a problem solver, as not
all chimneys are straightforward.
Honesty and the ability to build
rapport with customers are vital.”
Wilkins also provides training in
administration, its database booking
system and accounting software
and ProSweep, the company’s app-
based customer relationship
management system.
WHATFRANCHISE.COM 21
POWERBRANDS
Kevin and Anna Riley,
ServiceMaster Restore
Riding to the rescue in our yellow vans
CLEANING AND RESTORATION POWERBRANDS
Mike Bird, Chemex
A franchise helped me change career
Former quantity surveyor Mike Bird was keen to take over an established business in which his
wife Karen, a health care professional, could also become involved.
So in 2012 he bought a Chemex franchise in County Durham when the existing
franchisee retired.
Mike says: “I wanted the peace of mind of investing in a proven, profitable business with
an existing customer base, so new customers would be an additional bonus rather than a
necessity. The outgoing franchisee was also very supportive in introducing me to customers.
“As a freelance surveyor, I was selling my time. I was attracted to Chemex because it
meant selling a product as well as a service, so
it was not solely dependent on my availability
or health.”
It was a big change of sectors, but Mike
says: “The support service was invaluable
regarding training, product knowledge support
and admin back-up. Chemex also supplies a
telesales service for each franchise.
“The best part is being my own boss
and organising my workload to achieve an
enjoyable work-life balance. To succeed you
must maintain a positive attitude, give great
customer service, keep on top of admin and
remember that results and rewards are only
generated by hard work and commitment.”
Kevin and Anna Riley own the
ServiceMaster Restore franchise for
Southampton and Portsmouth.
Kevin explains: “As the Restore
franchisee, I’m often the first to arrive
at a property following a fire or flood,
having been called in by an insurance
company. I go out to assess the
damage myself.
“Property owners can be calm or
panicky, but it’s vital to listen to their
needs and then prioritise the action that
must be taken before I call in a team to
start the clean-up and restoration work.
“You have to react fast and things can
get very busy. One year we had about
40 call-outs in 48 hours. A surge of rain
or thunderstorms can result in at least
10 jobs in a day.”
Kevin runs the business with Anna,
who says: “You never know what will
happen, so you must be adaptable and
able to think on your feet. Your day can
change with just one phone call.”
The couple also own a ServiceMaster
Clean and a Merry Maids franchise.
“Owning several ServiceMaster
franchises means we can cross-sell
services and it gives us multiple income
streams,” Kevin says.
“At first, domestic cleaning dropped
off during lockdown, but we got a
contract from the council to sanitise
a building for use as a COVID testing
centre and we’re now called in to
sanitise council homes between
tenants. 2020 was our best year ever.”
BEHIND THE BRAND: PARTNER CONTENT
22 WHAT FRANCHISE | ISSUE 16.6
hen I was 19, my father
bought a specialist
cleaning franchise.
He turned it into a
really great business, so with
no other specific career path in
mind I joined him. We built two
businesses in the end that we sold
after getting a very good offer.
I decided to put my franchising
knowledge to good use and became
a franchise recruitment consultant,
matching great people to great
franchise opportunities. This was
perfect for me because I’m definitely
a people person. That was when
I first discovered Right at Home.
You might say I was in an excellent
position to recognise a really
great franchise when I saw one.
PERFECT OPPORTUNITY
FOR ME
I introduced two people who
went on to become Right at Home
franchisees, but it wasn’t long
As a consultant who specialised in finding people
their perfect business, Christopher Tansley knew the
benefits of franchising. He explains how in 2013 he
found his own calling: to deliver outstanding rated
homecare services with Right at Home
AT A GLANCE
RIGHT AT
HOME UK
Established: 2010
Number of franchised outlets: 67
Location of units: England, Scotland and
Wales
Investment range: £120,000-£130,000,
including working capital
Minimum required capital: £40,000
Contact: Kate Dilworth
franchising@rightathomeuk.com
0151 305 0755
rightathomefranchising.co.uk
Wbefore I realised that Right at
Home was actually the perfect
franchise opportunity for me too.
Once I approached the team,
things moved quite quickly because
I already knew so much about the
business. However, I know that in
normal circumstances things move
at a very controlled pace; Right at
Home will only allow someone to
join the network if they are 100
per cent the right person to take
the territory on. It’s actually quite
flattering when they say yes.
The training was great - it’s a
very serious process, but they try
not to make it too pressurised. I
suppose when you consider the
service we provide, there really
isn’t any room for mistakes, so they
won’t let you loose on your business
until you’re absolutely ready.
GETTING THE
MESSAGE OUT
The next stage is promoting your
business and I loved that bit, as
it played to my strengths. The
first few months were all about
networking locally and getting
the message out about what I
could offer the community as
Right at Home Nottingham.
I think it’s important that you’re
the kind of person who’s confident
enough to be a real ambassador
for the brand - after all, you’re
asking people to buy into you,
as someone competent enough
to care for their family member
or even themselves, so you need
to be able to convincingly get
across the message of why they
should choose Right at Home.
You’re also focused on
recruitment from the beginning. It’s
just as critical for me to pick the
right care manager and CareGivers
as it is for Right at Home to pick the
right franchise owners. As much as
it’s a challenge, it’s also incredibly
rewarding when you get it right and
testimonials for your team start
coming through from the clients.
Thanks to the amazing
calibre of franchise owners
around the country, word gets
around that Right at Home is a
great employer, so we get some
fantastic people looking to move
to us from our competitors.
There’s no doubt that getting
the business off the ground was
incredibly hard work, but I set
myself high targets and I know a
lot was expected of me because
of my business background, but
I genuinely smashed my year
one target and I’ve continued to
grow at pace each year since.
A WHOLE OTHER LEVEL
OF JOB SATISFACTION
The biggest reward though has
always been the serious difference
you can make to people’s lives. I
think it was near the end of my first
year that I took one of our clients
to a football match and that was
the first time he had been out of
his house in three years. I don’t
think I’ll ever take those kinds of
moments for granted - it’s a whole
other level of job satisfaction.
The other great thing is how
much you get to evolve personally.
Playing to my
strengths
WHAT-FRANCHISE.COM 23
Behind the Brand - XxxxxxxxxxxBehind the Brand - Right at Home UK
In the beginning, you’re very
much buying into the training,
the proven business model and
day-to-day support, which is
indispensable for anyone planning
on succeeding in this industry.
But for me now, it’s the power of
working in numbers, surrounded
by people who share the same
vision and work together to make
the business into an even greater
force for good in the industry.
Right at Home has always been
committed to understanding
and raising awareness about
dementia and several franchise
owners in our network have had
an incredible individual impact
on how dementia care is viewed
and discussed nationally.
Inspired by that, I now chair
the Nottingham Dementia Action
Alliance, which means not only am I
able to bring the very best practice
to my team and our clients, but
I can help drive a commitment
from our local community to
become more dementia friendly.
The ultimate acknowledgment
of quality in our business is
being awarded a CQC rating
of Outstanding and we’ve now
achieved that. I couldn’t possibly
be prouder of our whole team,
because to operate at this level
takes complete commitment from
everyone. It’s the combination of
so many individual efforts that
ultimately leads to providing that
outstanding care to our clients,
who of course deserve nothing less.
There’s no question I made
the right choice to do this. I’ve
built a very successful business,
developed an incredible team
of people who love and excel
at what they do and I can help
shape the industry I work in for
the better, as there will always
be lots more to do. I’m not sure
you can ask for much more than
that from a franchise, can you?
WHAT-FRANCHISE.COM 23
“You might
say I was in an
excellent position
to recognise
a really great
franchise when I
saw one”
James Turner Photography
Cafe2U has emerged from 2020 stronger
and more resilient than ever. While it would
have been easy to batten down the hatches
in these difficult times, the popular coffee
franchise successfully rolled out its new
branding and app, while still attracting new
franchise partners.
It has also strived to make sure its franchisees
have remained supported and well-equipped
throughout the current challenges we face,
so it’s no surprise this fantastic company
continues to thrive and be an attractive
business prospect.
WHAT FRANCHISE 16_6 master_WHAT FRANCHISE 29/01/2021 08:22 Page 24
WHATFRANCHISE.COM 25
Behind the Brand - FranScape
BEHIND THE BRAND: PARTNER CONTENT
Keep your
cutting edge
When it comes to technology, franchisors deserve
better, Theo Millward, co-founder and CEO of FranScape
and managing director of Swimtime, says
f I hear another person tell me
I need to innovate to survive
in the ‘new normal’, pivoting
post-COVID or any other vomit
inducing term for this current economic
black hole, I’m going to scream. Sound
familiar?
For most, knowing change is needed is not
news. The challenge is how. The hardest step
to answer that question is to look at your
franchise brand and accept the cold, hard
truth: it isn’t unique.
Yes, you read that right. I might as well
have just told you your child is ugly, but sadly
it’s what franchisors need to hear. Trust me,
I am one.
SIMILAR PROCESS
To illustrate my point, let’s take a fast
food brand:
1. A hungry customer arrives.
2. They choose something from a menu.
3. They receive the food.
4. They leave.
It doesn’t matter whether you have golden
arches above your door, were founded by a
colonel from Kentucky or you sell foot-long
sandwiches, the process is basically the same.
Look at it another way. We all use either a
Mac or PC, while our smartphones are virtually
either Apple or Android. Most companies
use one of a handful of accounting platforms
because successful businesses don’t reinvent
the wheel when they don’t have to.
When considering technology in franchising,
this is one of the key challenges
a franchisor must overcome. By
accepting that what you do isn’t
unique means you can free yourself
from the concept that you need some
expensive bespoke platform cut just
for you like a Savile Row suit.
There are, of course, certain
companies that do, but it’s an
expensive, complex path fraught with
risks. Chief among those is the speed
of innovation in technology; no sooner
is something commissioned, it’s out
of date. It may have security flaws and
become a never-ending money drain.
AWARD WINNING
AUTOMATION
When Swimtime, one of the UK’s
largest learn to swim providers, was
purchased from the founders in
2016, the system in place was holding
it back.
At that time, what was available on
the market was not fit for purpose,
so the leadership team, which had
previous experience at blue-chip
firms such as IBM, London Life
and Grant
Thornton,
built their own
by utilising their
decades of experience.
This brought the
kind of cutting
edge automation to the brand that
is often associated with corporate
giants. The strategy worked and
resulted in no less than six major
award nominations.
Some key achievements included:
• Allowing clients to book online in
60 seconds, 24/7.
• Taking management service fees
at source.
• Full visibility of the entire
network.
Fast forward to 2020 and this
groundbreaking franchisor
technology, called FranScape, is now
available for brands big and small.
With clients in the children’s
activity, education and pet care
sectors already signed up, FranScape
delivers some of the latest capabilities
for just £35 per franchisee per month
(with no fees for onboarding or
support), allowing networks to take
advantage off the shelf right now,
knowing they have a technology
partner that will continue to evolve.
So to answer the question of how:
contact my team. At the very least, we
can give you some inspiration about
what is possible, no matter what
route you chose.
I
“This groundbreaking
franchisor technology,
called FranScape, is now
available for brands big
and small”
AT A GLANCE
FRANSCAPE
Established:
2020 (in use since 2018)
Contact:
hello@franscape.io
franscape.io
BEHIND THE BRAND: PARTNER CONTENT
26 WHAT FRANCHISE | ISSUE 16.6
here’s no getting away
from how hard things
have been of late. Not
only did we have to deal
with Brexit, but then came one of the
worse moments in our history - what
we were told was going to be once-
in-a-lifetime actually happened.
Yet despite all this upheaval,
franchising in general has remained
uniquely resilient. Sure, there
have been winners and losers, but
in general food franchises have
managed to stay open in most
parts of the country and actually
thrive due to the fact they’re
able to deliver their products.
Uncertainty creates opportunity
and with more and more empty
units becoming available across
the country investors can
capitalise on these opportunities
to start a new franchise.
You might be interested in the
nine ways to get into our franchised
business, whether it’s via a single-
unit franchise or maybe you want
to scale more quickly by way of a
multi-unit franchise or bigger still
as an area developer, where you’re
The future of franchising is finally here, Des Pheby of
Pheby Food Concepts Group says
AT A GLANCE
PHEBY FOOD
CONCEPTS GROUP
To request a franchise prospectus on any
brand contact Richard Pakey:
Email: richard@limelicensinggroup.co.uk
Mobile/text/whatsapp: 07904 697591
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/richard-pakey-
vfp-0b46ab147
limelicensinggroup.co.uk/franchise-
consultants-in-cambridgeshire
Richard is a franchising expert and regional
director for the award winning Lime
Licensing Group. He’s retained as Pheby
Food Concepts’ consultant to deal with
any franchise enquiries.
Toffered an entire region, for
example, with the potential to open
multiple locations simultaneously.
Options don’t stop there,
either. You might be overseas
looking at inward investment
into the UK, which can be hands-
on or hands-off. One thing’s for
sure: we have a single or cross-
brand franchise to suit you.
You might even want to
franchise your own business.
If that’s the case, talk to us. At
the very least, we can be your
final check and advise whether
we believe that option will work
for you and your business.
FOUR FRANCHISE
BRANDS YOU CAN
BE PART OF NOW:
1. Wok&Go. The UK’s fastest
growing noodle bar franchise
Wok&Go was established in
2008 and franchised a few
years later to some 26 units
currently, mainly in the UK, but
also with stores in Portugal.
Last year Wok&Go sold 1.3 million
noodle boxes and has a further 100
stores and agreements signed to
roll-out over the next five years.
2021 should be our best year by far.
Wok&Go is a very flexible
franchise, with our usual bricks
and mortar store options. They
can be large or small, such as a
concession, with franchise fees
as low as £20,000, as long as you
are at least 50 per cent liquid.
The total investment required
is typically around £150,000.
franchiselife.co.uk/listing/
wokgo-franchise
2. Crepe Delicious Urban Café.
World’s largest crepe franchise
You can also be a franchisee for
the hugely popular Crepe Delicious
Urban Café. Established since
2004 and operating in Canada and
North America with no less than 70
stores, the international roll-out
has proven to be very successful,
with multiple countries across the
globe accepting terms. The first
stores in the UK will open in 2021.
And it’s not just sweet and savoury
crepes either: coffee, sandwiches
and gelato are all on offer.
Food &
beverage
franchises
available now
“Investors can capitalise on
these opportunities to start
a new franchise”
WHAT-FRANCHISE.COM 27
Behind the Brand - XxxxxxxxxxxBehind the Brand - Pheby Food Concepts Group
The Crepe Delicious Urban
Café franchise investment is
low for a coffee shop - offered
at turnkey £100,000, with a
requirement of you to be liquid
to the tune of 50 per cent.
franchiselife.co.uk/listing/
crepe-delicious-franchise
3. Corner Store. Coffee
and doughnuts
Coffee shops are always popular
in franchising and Corner Store
is no different because we are
a nation of coffee addicts - and
who doesn’t love a doughnut?
Already successfully piloted in
Chester in 2020, why don’t you
come and join us as a franchisee
in this huge growth area.
Further details are being
released, but again Corner Store
franchises have low franchise
fees and low total investments.
4. Dough Dough. Authentic
Neapolitan pizza - our
latest concept
Dough Dough is about to be
launched as one of our newest
franchises. Already piloted
across multiple sites and with
further company owned stores
planned for 2021, they will be
available as small and large
square feet sites. With eat-in,
takeaway and delivery options,
we can ensure you achieve a very
healthy return on investment.
Further details can be
provided on request.
WHO ARE WE? WELCOME
TO PHEBY FOOD
CONCEPTS GROUP
Founded by Des Pheby in 2008,
Pheby Food Concepts Group is a
growing hospitality powerhouse
consisting of six successful
brands: four dark kitchens and
two restaurants, including an
international franchise.
Known as ‘The Franchise
Entrepreneur’ after his popular
business podcast, Des has
disrupted and reinvented the
world of franchising with his
modern, forward thinking and
an eye for opportunity.
With an excellent operational
team, Pheby Food Concepts
Group is able to move fast
in the current changing and
challenging environment.
Privately owned, the company
offers franchisees the best
options to be able to maximise
their investment. Pheby Food
Concepts Group’s aim is
solely to create more food and
beverage entrepreneurs.
WHAT-FRANCHISE.COM 27
Des Pheby: founder of Pheby
Food Concepts Group
WHAT FRANCHISE 16_6 master_WHAT FRANCHISE 29/01/2021 08:22 Page 28
WHATFRANCHISE.COM 29
Behind the Brand - ActionCOACH
BEHIND THE BRAND: PARTNER CONTENT
Systems,
training,
support…
Ian Christelow, ActionCOACH UK co-founder, explains
why you should choose to start a franchise over starting
a new business
t ActionCOACH, we see
many people have an
‘entrepreneurial seizure’
and decide to launch a
business and work for themselves.
Many of these entrepreneurs have
the skills and expertise to do the job,
but lack a critical piece of know-how
on how to run a successful business.
That’s where ActionCOACH can
make the difference between
success and failure.
PROVEN FRAMEWORK
But, back to franchising in general,
most reputable franchise organisations
offer a structure for launching,
operating and growing a successful
business. The franchisor will deliver
the entire framework around which
the business is built.
Franchisors create
comprehensive systems and will
put you through an initial training
programme that covers all aspects
of business, including marketing,
operations, selling, technology and
other areas that are specific to their
business model.
And then there’s the ongoing
support you’ll receive throughout
the ownership of your franchise.
HIGHER RATE OF SUCCESS
It’s a fact that franchises have a
much higher rate of success than
start-up businesses.
Michael Gerber shares in his
seminal work, The E-Myth Revisited,
that in their first five years 75 per
cent of franchises succeed, whereas
only 20 per cent of non-franchised
businesses survive.
You will also find it easier to secure
finance for a franchise and it will cost
significantly less in time, effort and
money to reap the rewards of owning
your own business.
NUMEROUS BENEFITS
Perhaps for many the biggest
reasons to choose a franchise are
the credibility of a franchise’s brand,
its income producing strategic
alliances, the shared learnings of
a network of franchisees, the
personal development and the
opportunity to make friends for
life with like-minded people in the
franchise’s community.
A
“In their first
five years, 75 per
cent of franchises
succeed, whereas
only 20 per cent
of non-franchised
businesses
survive”
AT A GLANCE
ACTIONCOACH
Established:
1993 in Australia. 2001 in UK
Number of franchised outlets: 200-plus
in the UK
Location of units: UK-wide
Investment range: £69,000
Minimum required capital: £20,000
Contact:
If you want to be influential in helping
business owners transform both their
lives and businesses and you’re the kind of
person who:
A. Loves learning and helping people;
B. Has enjoyed success in your career,
business or a sport; and
C. Is willing to invest if you see substantial
returns can be made…
Then find out more by watching the
overview video at
actioncoach.co.uk/overview
BEHIND THE BRAND: PARTNER CONTENT
AT A GLANCE
PAUL UK
HY HAS THE
BRAND DECIDED
TO IMPLEMENT
A FRANCHISE
MODEL AND WHAT
BENEFITS DO YOU FEEL
IT WILL BRING?
PAUL has been operating in the
UK for 20 years and has a strong
customer base in London that
trusts us and appreciates the
quality of our products.
Over the last few years we’ve
developed what we believe is an
enticing franchise model, which will
enable us to grow the brand outside
London. We will continue to look for
growth opportunities in London, but
with the right partner will look to
grow the brand outside the capital.
We have two key models we
believe will provide prospective
franchisees with investable
propositions.
PAUL Express, which we have
developed in recent openings,
is focused on grab and go while
offering eating in as well as
takeaway. We also have PAUL le
Cafe, which will have more seating
and offer great coffee, small treats,
sandwiches, cakes and bread.
We have focused on improving
our website, our ecommerce
platform and delivery opportunities
while we’ve been operating through
this pandemic and, as a result, feel
we now have the means to offer
customers our artisanal bread and
baked products at home and in our
PAUL locations.
PAUL BAKERY HAS AN
ILLUSTRIOUS ARTISANAL
BAKERY HISTORY. HOW
WILL THIS EXPERIENCE
PAIRED WITH ITS STRONG
BRAND AWARENESS HELP
FUEL ITS FRANCHISE
EXPANSION EFFORTS?
With our artisanal bakery history
and the credibility that affords us,
we’ve developed our positioning as
your neighbourhood bakery. This
has stood us in good stead through
the pandemic, when customers
have been able to rely on us and
our products, while we’ve invested
significantly in PPE and operational
best practice to ensure our
customers feel safe when visiting
our stores.
Our challenge is that we are not
present in neighbourhoods outside
London - and we still have plenty of
local neighbourhoods we can open
and operate in the capital. We’re
looking for franchisees who are
interested in developing in regions
where they’re based, so that they
are able to fulfil this role of the
neighbourhood baker.
WHAT ARE YOUR
GOALS WHEN IT
COMES TO FRANCHISE
DEVELOPMENT?
We clearly want to develop the
brand in the UK outside London
and believe there are plenty of
opportunities to grow.
However, at this stage it’s not
about specific store numbers. It’s
more important for us to find the
right partners who are passionate
about the brand, who believe in the
brand story and who want to play
a part in the brand’s continuing
journey. If we can find the right
partners and provide the structure
and support to enable them to grow
and flourish, store numbers
will follow.
The important point is to find
the right partners. From initial
discussions with interested parties
since we first announced that we
were interested in franchising,
we feel encouraged that there are
some very capable, knowledgeable
businesses that have the people,
the financial means and the
interest in the brand.
As our discussions progress, we
would hope and expect them to
result in bringing franchisees on
board and we then look forward to
helping them grow.
Location of units: UK
Investment range: £350,000
Minimum required capital:
£500,000-£1 million
Contact: Andy Hulbert
franchise@paul-uk.com
paul-uk.com/franchise
30 WHAT FRANCHISE | ISSUE 16.6
Bakery brand
invites you to
get on board
PAUL Bakery is looking for partners to take the
business outside London and grow it within the UK.
We spoke to CEO Mark Hilton to find out more
W
WHAT-FRANCHISE.COM 31
Behind the Brand - PAUL UK
ARE THERE ANY KEY
CITIES OR TERRITORIES
YOU WISH TO GROW
THE BRAND’S PRESENCE
IN PARTICULAR?
It makes sense for us to grow
in regions where there is
potential scale for prospective
franchisees and obviously larger
cities in particular provide that
growth opportunity.
When we were looking at
establishing this franchise
opportunity, we looked at a
number of cities across the
country - from Edinburgh to
Manchester, Cambridge to
Guildford - cities with differing
populations, geographies,
different levels of competition and
differing location opportunities.
We believe the brand would work
well in all these cities, so eventually
we see the brand growing
successfully across the country.
From a logistics perspective,
it would make sense to open in
concentric circles, radiating out
from London. While strategically
that would make the most sense,
the key to a successful franchisor
is having the right franchisees,
so our focus will be on the
prospective franchisee rather
than a specific geography.
DOES PAUL BAKERY
EMPLOY A FRANCHISE
MODEL ELSEWHERE
IN THE WORLD? HOW
SUCCESSFUL HAS
THAT PROVEN?
PAUL has been operating in France
for 130 years and today operates
in over 50 countries around the
world, with company stores in
France, the UK and Singapore and
franchise stores across the other
countries and markets. It opened
its first franchise stores in Spain in
1985, so has a long and successful
history of franchising.
The largest franchise partner
is Azadea, an outstandingly run
business that operates the PAUL
brand across the Middle East. We
also have numerous partners across
Asia and North and South America.
In Europe, the brand has franchise
partners across the continent.
There are obviously still
numerous countries where the
opportunity to franchise still exists,
but one of the biggest gaps in this
opportunity was the UK and this
move is intended to address this.
WHAT KIND OF
FRANCHISEE ARE YOU
LOOKING FOR?
Ideally, the franchisee will have
experience of the bakery sector
or restaurant sector. It would be
interesting if they have experience
in operating or franchising other
brands, though not essential.
We would like them to be able to
demonstrate that they have a track
record in operating retail or multiple
location businesses and have
the financial means to invest.
All these aspects are measurable
and quantifiable.
Over and above this is that little
bit of magic - their passion and
interest in the brand, the desire to
engage with the brand and their
drive to build a successful business
with the brand. If we can find that
profile, we will find some very good
franchise partners.
WHAT WILL A FRANCHISEE
GET IN RETURN FOR
THEIR INVESTMENT?
For any investor, making a financial
return on their investment is the
main reason to invest and
we would expect and welcome
any investor in PAUL to have
this expectation.
But over and above any financial
return, we would also like to believe
that prospective franchisees are
investing in the brand for more
that financial reasons - that they
believe, like and value the brand,
that they believe in the PAUL
story and want to be part of the
future journey.
We believe the brand allows
them to position their business
as the neighbourhood bakery
and so help establish a presence
in the communities in which
they operate. We think they will
become part of the PAUL family
and help write the new chapters
for the next 20 years that the
brand will operate in the UK.
WHAT MAKES THE PAUL
BAKERY INVESTMENT
PACKAGE DIFFERENT
FROM OTHER BAKERY
FRANCHISE CONCEPTS?
There are many fine brands and
bakeries out there and no doubt
some of them offer franchise
opportunities. We respect and
admire these brands and hope
they’re all navigating their way
as best they can through this
pandemic, so that the sector
and industry thrives again once
we start to get back to a level
of normalcy.
We do think though that PAUL
provides a unique opportunity, a
chance to partner with one of the
leading global bakeries, a French
artisanal bakery that has been
operating for over 130 years that
has built a strong and enviable
reputation wherever it operates
and now provides the chance for
its prospective franchise partners
to take the brand outside London
and grow it within the UK.
BEHIND THE BRAND: PARTNER CONTENT
Behind the Brand - Footlights
Day in the life
Anna Morgan, director of Footlights Sale, gives us an
insight into her Saturday morning routine
y Saturday mornings
usually begin around
8.45am. I arrive 45 minutes
before the start of our first
class to set up and make sure all rooms
are ready for the students. It’s important
to me that our reception area looks
welcoming and professional to make
that good first impression to free trials
and existing students.
FIRST JOB AND CATCH-UP
My first job is to get the kettle on, of
course! Then I check all the rooms.
Once the teaching teams arrive
around 9.20am, we have a catch up. I
brief them on the students, that day’s
free trials and any additional needs.
THE SCHOOL COMES ALIVE
Our youngest group arrives at 9.30am
and are signed in. During non-COVID
times, I chat with parents and
carers, fulfil any merchandise
requirements, such as sales and
orders of hoodies or t-shirts,
and wait for the main school to
arrive at 9.45am. It gets very
busy and the building comes
alive with activity - it’s the most
wonderful experience and you
find yourself going from 0-100 in
under an hour.
It’s all go from this point.
Ideally, we have all main school
students (7-18 years) together for
a huge group warm-up until 10am,
when we break off into smaller
groups by age.
There are three groups - F1
(7-8 years), F2 (9-11 years) and
F3 (12-18 years) - and the groups
then rotate between acting,
singing and dance.
TIME FOR A BREAK
We have a 15-minute break at
11.50am where I sell toast, drinks and
general tuck items and catch up with
what’s been going on in their lives. It
gives me the chance to really get to
know my students and clients.
The teachers also get the
opportunity to have a break and an
essential catch-up with each other
on progress in classes, to ensure
we’re all on track for the show or
end-of-term presentations.
Following the break, it’s back to
class and at the end we join together
to present ‘Star of The Week’ and
sign all our students out.
COVID-19 guidelines have meant
adapting the routine slightly,
keeping the groups separate for
warm-up and ‘Star of the Week’ to
limit the contact during the morning.
This has worked well in maintaining
a safe environment.
In times of lockdown, our classes
have moved online via Zoom.
These run live exactly as they do
on Saturday mornings, with the
exception of having conversations
with parents and carers.
DEBRIEF, SOCIAL MEDIA
AND ADMIN
Once the students leave, I have a
debrief with the teachers, check
all the rooms and tidy up where
necessary - we’re hiring someone
else’s building after all. Then I’m in
the car for 1.20pm.
When I get home, I have a well
earned nap or cup of tea. I’ll post
photos on social media that day, so
it has the best impact.
On Monday I’ll do all my admin
work, but this could be done on
Saturday or Sunday if you prefer.
It includes following up free
trials, record keeping, banking
and reconciliation and placing
any merchandise orders. Then
that’s it for the week, apart from
marketing and social media, until
Friday when the madness starts
again with preparations for
Saturday school!
AT A GLANCE
FOOTLIGHTS
Established:
2005
Number of franchised outlets:
14
Location of units:
predominantly north west and Midlands
Investment range:
£3,995 (plus VAT) to £13,250 (plus VAT)
Minimum required capital:
£2,000
Contact:
Jo Fisher.jfisher@footlightstheatre.co.uk
franchise.footlightstheatre.org
M
“It’s the most wonderful
experience and you find
yourself going from 0-100
in under an hour”
32 WHAT FRANCHISE | ISSUE 16.6
WHAT FRANCHISE 16_6 master_WHAT FRANCHISE 29/01/2021 14:51 Page 33
BEHIND THE BRAND: PARTNER CONTENT
34 WHAT FRANCHISE | ISSUE 16.6
rom a single store to
a global chain, Little
Caesars Pizza charted a
path to global success,
starting in 1959 when founders
Mike and Marian Ilitch opened their
first restaurant in Michigan, USA.
By 1962 the brand began
franchising and by 1969 it went
international. Today, the brand
is the third largest pizza chain in
the world1 and there’s no denying
that Little Caesars is doing
something right.
RESTAURANTS ON
FOUR CONTINENTS
Little Caesars has become a
household name and is currently
Little Caesars, the world’s third largest pizza chain,
is seeking area developers around the world
AT A GLANCE
LITTLE CAESARS
PIZZA
Established:
1959
Location of units: restaurants in 27
countries and territories worldwide
Investment range: $350,000-$395,000 per
store (plus freight and taxes)
Minimum required capital: $1,500,000
Contact: Mike Therrian, Director of
International Development
O +313 471 6259
C +1 (248) 214 8482
mtherrian@LCEcorp.com
international.littlecaesars.com
Foperating in 27 countries and
territories worldwide, with
aggressive expansion plans to
bring the iconic pizza brand
to more countries around the
world. With restaurants on four
continents, Little Caesars is known
for its value, convenience and its
quality tasting pizzas and has been
named ‘Best Value in America’ for
13 years in a row2.
With a dedicated global team
supporting its franchisees,
Little Caesars has doubled its
international presence in the
last seven years. The franchising
opportunity is tailored for operators
with multi-unit experience, access
to highly preferred real estate and a
long-term vision for developing
the brand.
Mike Therrian, Little Caesars’
Director of International
Development, says: “Pizza is
beloved throughout the world and
Little Caesars delivers great tasting
pizza at a real value that is more
affordable than other options.
“We have seen Little Caesars
become an attractive alternative
to other quick service restaurant
options in every market we
enter and expect that to
continue as we continue our
international expansion.”
STRONG COMMITMENT
TO TECHNOLOGY
AND INNOVATION
Little Caesars also has a strong
commitment to technology and
innovation. In 2004, the brand
launched its Hot-N-Ready model,
which allowed customers to walk
in the door and pick up freshly
made pizzas and side items
without waiting and with no need
to order in advance.
And then, most recently in
2018, the company revealed a
breakthrough device called the
Pizza Portal, the first heated,
self-service mobile order pick-
up station in the quick service
restaurant industry.
Using the mobile app,
customers place their custom
orders and then use the Pizza
Portal at the store to receive
their hot, freshly prepared order
in a completely contactless
experience. By using a QR code
or three-digit code, customers
retrieve their order from an
individual, warmed compartment
in the Pizza Portal.
Excited to
expand into
new markets
of store layout options to
ensure the concept works in
their market. Plus they offer
a variety of layout options for
areas with small footprints -
the possibilities are many!
Little Caesars has achieved
its rapid growth around the
world because of a great brand
and its dedicated franchisees.
As consumers’ affinity for pizza
continues to grow in the multi-
billion-dollar pizza industry, Little
Caesars is excited to expand into
new markets around the world
with new, exceptional franchisees.
Behind the Brand - XxxxxxxxxxxBehind the Brand - Little Caesars Pizza
SEEKING AREA DEVELOPERS/MULTI-UNIT FRANCHISEES
FINANCIAL/IDEAL INVESTOR:
• Minimum $1,500,000 net worth under an area development agreement, with
additional minimum requirements for liquid/cash assets. Minimums may vary
depending upon the number of stores to be developed.
• Demonstrated enthusiasm, drive, passion and a proven record of success in the
restaurant/retail industry.
• Comprehensive understanding of the local culture, real estate and trade area in the
territory to be developed.
• Dedicated, locally-based, full-time support staff for developing the Little Caesars
brand in the territory.
• Sufficient liquid assets and capital to support an aggressive store development
schedule, while sustaining a strong advertising programme.
• Multi-unit restaurant/retail management experience as owner and/or operator.
TECHNOLOGY ALLOWS
FOR CONTACTLESS
EXPERIENCE
In a time where customers are
looking for safe, contactless ways
to get their food, the powerful
combination of mobile app and
Pizza Portal technology are the
next evolution of convenience for
customers. The Pizza Portal makes
purchasing an affordable, great
tasting pizza at an unmatched value
easier than ever. The technology
is currently in the United States,
Canada and Mexico - and will be
rolling out to new international
markets in 2021.
GREAT TASTING PRODUCT
- INCREDIBLE VALUE
Through all the transformations,
Little Caesars’ top priority has
steadfastly remained creating
a great tasting product at an
incredible value.
Pizza is made with fresh, quality
ingredients, including dough that
is made fresh in stores daily, sauce
that is fresh-packed and never
frozen and a signature cheese
blend combining mozzarella and
Muenster cheese. A simple menu
ensures the ability to provide
quality products at a low cost,
ready when the customer arrives.
INTERNATIONAL
GROWTH
Most recently, Little Caesars
continued its international
growth into new markets. In 2019,
they opened in Spain, India and
Barbados and in 2020 continued
their expansion into Colombia.
There is no doubt that Little
Caesars is an exceptionally high
growth company with 60-plus years
of experience in the $145 billion
worldwide pizza industry.
Little Caesars is continually
looking for franchise candidates
with an entrepreneurial spirit
in the franchise system and
experience in multi-unit
restaurant/retail management.
The company is committed to
supporting its franchisees with a
dedicated team around the globe in
all necessary disciplines, including
supply chain, marketing, training,
operations and architecture.
Approximately 65 per cent of the
brand’s international franchises
have been a part of the system for
more than 10 years.
Additionally, Little Caesars
offers its franchisees a variety
WHATFRANCHISE.COM 35
1. Third largest pizza chain in the world - based on net number of stores in 2019.
2 ‘Highest Rated Chain - Value for the Money’ based on a nationwide survey of national quick service restaurant customers conducted by Sandelman
& Associates, 2007-2019.
INSIGHT
The three characteristics of
wealthy franchisees
These powerful qualities can help you replicate the same results as
some of the top performers in the industry
W
WORDS BY SCOTT GREENBERG
hen you meet enough
top ranked franchisees
across many industries
and brands, you see
what they have in common. My work
has allowed me to do just that.
For more than a decade, I was a
multi-unit franchisee with Edible
Arrangements. For many years since
I’ve been speaking and coaching in
the franchise industry. Before every
franchise presentation, I interview
each brand’s highest performers and
I’ve identified the common traits
that enable them to become
‘wealthy franchisees’.
To be ‘wealthy’ as a franchisee
means you meet three criteria.
The most obvious is good income.
That’s relative to your investment,
your expectations and where you
live. But generally speaking, given
what you’ve put into the business,
you’re getting good return on
investment.
The second criterion is being
in control of your time. Two
franchisees might earn the same
income, but if one does it working 20
hours per week and the other works
80 they’re not equals.
Time is precious. You’re only
going to have less of it. Wealthy
franchisees are not slaves to their
business. They travel, they’re home
for dinner and they have time to
run additional businesses - if
they choose.
The third criterion is quality of
life. Your business should enhance
the way you live, not just by how
much you earn, but by how your time
is spent and how it makes you feel.
You should enjoy what you
do with minimal stress and
maximum fulfillment.
A well run franchise can allow
its owner to check all three boxes.
I meet these people all the time.
But their success is by design. And
they have a lot more going for them
than a decent location, consistent
marketing and hard work.
Those things aren’t the secret to
success; they’re the prerequisite.
What gives wealthy franchisees their
edge are three, powerful behaviours
that you can replicate to achieve the
same results.
1Wealthy franchisees
keep a clear head
A franchise isn’t just a business
- it’s a lifestyle. That means you
don’t just run the business, you feel
it. It’s an emotional journey. The
ups, downs, payoffs and problems -
they mess with your head. Wealthy
franchisees feel the same emotions
as their peers, but they’re experts at
keeping their heads clear and their
emotions in check.
I remember one Edible
Arrangements franchisee telling
me he didn’t want us to run
television commercials.
He explained: “There are
already too many Edible
Arrangements franchises
in our city. If we advertise,
it’ll make more people want to
open locations. There’ll be more
competition.”
His idea for marketing our
brand was to keep it a secret. His
opinion wasn’t based on data. He
was driven by fear.
When you’ve quit your job,
taken out loans and invested
your money in a business,
you have a lot on the line.
The stakes are high. It’s
easy to succumb to your
emotions. That leads to bad
decisions. Wealthy
franchisees
monitor their
thoughts to
ensure every decision is rational and
driven by data.
Many I talk to have habits to
manage their heads. Some meditate.
Others take walks. Some organise
peer groups to talk through business
issues and get other perspectives.
They all have their own way to get
there, but all of them operate not
from negativity, nor from positivity,
but from a point of clarity.
2They stick to the
system
The most successful
franchisees are not creative.
In buying a franchise, they’ve
outsourced the innovation.
They’ve paid their
franchisor to do the
THE AUTHOR
Scott Greenberg
speaks, coaches and
writes about the
franchise industry and
is the author of The
Wealthy Franchisee:
Game-Changing
Steps to Becoming
A Thriving Franchise
Superstar
36 WHAT FRANCHISE | ISSUE 16.6
“I’ve never met a
franchisee who climbed
to the top by going rogue”
research, development and
testing. As franchisees, their job
is to execute.
Many franchise owners try to
outsmart the system and suffer
for it. They believe, based on their
background or local perspective,
that they know better than their
corporate team. They deviate from
company standards. Not only does
this weaken the brand - franchises
are based on consistency - but it
increases their exposure to risk.
When you buy a franchise, you’re
investing in a proven concept
managed by an experienced team
with the most information. They’ve
WHAT-FRANCHISE.COM 37
tested and replicated the system in
a variety of markets. They’ve proven
the concept, which reduces the
risk. Deviating from their system
subjects you to the very risk you
paid to mitigate. I’ve never met a
franchisee who climbed to the top
by going rogue.
When wealthy franchisees
have new ideas or concerns, they
collaborate with the corporate office
to determine what’s best for the
entire network. They understand
they’re part of something larger
than their own location. As the
brand improves, that not only
helps their location, but it
increases its value.
3They use their
business to
improve the lives
of everyone it touches
There’s a boomerang effect of
putting value out into the world.
Wealthy franchisees are deliberate
about making a positive impact on
everyone and that comes back to
improve their business.
First, they don’t just manage
employees. They actively develop
team members into leaders.
They give them skills. They
give them inspiration.
They instill in them a
sense of purpose. They ensure employees feel
forward progress in their own personal growth.
These benefits engage employees more
effectively than mere financial compensation.
Growth leads to motivation and loyalty. And that
leads to better customer service.
Wealthy franchisees are obsessed about the
customer experience. They don’t just provide
products, services or solutions. They use the
transaction to emotionally elevate people. They
understand that what the customer gets matters
less than how the customer feels. Making people
feel good leads to better reviews, more word-of-
mouth and more repeat business.
Wealthy franchisees also serve their
communities. They don’t wait to ‘give back’. They
give first. They volunteer. They donate products
and services. They sponsor causes. They’re out
there in the community making a difference. That
goodwill feeds their soul and ultimately grows
their business.
Wealthy franchisees aren’t extraordinary
people. They’re normal people executing
extraordinarily well. And you can be among them.
It requires a clear head, devotion to the proven
system and a desire to improve others’ lives. If
you own a franchise, doing these three things
might be the best way to improve your own.
WHAT FRANCHISE 16_6 master_WHAT FRANCHISE 29/01/2021 08:22 Page 38
WHAT-FRANCHISE.COM 39
Behind the Brand - PGH Beegone
BEHIND THE BRAND: PARTNER CONTENT
A pest control
franchise with
a dierence
Peter Higgs, founder and managing director of
PGH Beegone, tells us about this unique pest
control and live bee removal business
HAT SETS PGH
BEEGONE APART?
With PGH Beegone, you
get two brands in one:
PGH Pest Control & Prevention and
Beegone Live Bee Removal.
No other pest control franchise
out there at the moment offers
franchisees the chance to make a
real difference to the environment
by actually saving honeybees. Not
only does this make PGH Beegone a
genuinely unique proposition, it also
provides unrivalled earning potential
in this niche market.
WHAT’S YOUR
BACKGROUND?
At age 18 I enrolled on The Prince’s
Trust Enterprise programme, which
gave me the business knowledge I
needed to form my first company, PGH
Pest Control & Prevention, in 2008.
Shortly after, I started Beegone
Live Bee Removal after realising the
importance of honeybees and the
serious problems occurring in the UK
as a result of them being killed. We
were the only live bee removal service
in the UK at that time.
The highlight of my career so far
has got to be showing honeybees
saved by us to HRH, The Queen in
2016, closely followed by hitting £1
million turnover in 2019.
WHY HAVE THE
BUSINESSES BEEN
SO SUCCESSFUL?
Due to the way we go about problem
solving - we take a holistic approach
by including proofing work to prevent
the issue from recurring. This provides
our 8,400 customers with a long-term
solution and value for money.
Customer service is at the
heart of everything we do and
we’re consistently highly rated on
Trustpilot and Checkatrade. We
offer the widest range of services
in the industry, quick response
times, a 24-hour call centre
and professional, friendly and
knowledgeable technicians.
The pest control and live bee
removal industries have shown
themselves to be both COVID and
recession-proof.
WHAT DOES A
FRANCHISEE GET FOR
THEIR INVESTMENT?
Franchisees will be granted access
to their own exclusive territory and
given an extensive guide to running
their business.
We will support them on every
step of their journey by providing
intensive initial training, access
to high-tech systems, invaluable
industry expertise, a dedicated
Support Centre point of contact, first
class marketing and ongoing training
and development - including direct
mentoring from myself and free
business coaching for their first year.
HOW WILL YOUR
FRANCHISEES BE
REWARDED?
Our franchisees have the potential
to earn beyond their wildest
dreams due to the inclusion of the
live bee removal business, which is
extremely specialist and therefore
attracts a far higher price tag.
The fact that the two brands
are included in one also offers
unprecedented cross-selling and
upselling opportunities while on site.
WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING
FOR IN A FRANCHISEE?
We’re looking for people who enjoy
working outdoors and problem
solving, are passionate about
wildlife conservation and relish the
thought of making a difference.
Customer focus is fundamental,
along with natural sales ability.
Being business-minded, results-
focused and having the drive to
succeed is also important.
Our ideal franchisees are able
to absorb procedures and systems
with ease, are disciplined and have
a can-do attitude.
AT A GLANCE
PGH BEEGONE
Established:
Core businesses - 2008. Franchise - 2020
Investment range: £43,000-£73,000
(depending on franchise model)
Minimum required capital: £15,000
Expected revenue after 2 years:
£220,000 plus
Contact: Caroline Szeremeta
opportunity@pghbeegone.co.uk
01483 387414
pghbeegonefranchise.co.uk
W
“The highlight
of my career
so far has got
to be showing
honeybees saved
by us to HRH,
The Queen”
BEHIND THE BRAND: PARTNER CONTENT
Behind the Brand - Revive! Auto Innovations (UK)
Technician
turns boss
at Revive!
Birmingham
North
It was an opportunity on our doorstep we just
couldn’t miss out on, Paul Morris says
hen technician Paul
Morris turned up eight
years ago to repair a
customer’s car bumper,
little did they both know how life-
changing the visit would turn out to
be. It was love at first sight.
Now the couple have two sons
and are planning a wedding in
summer 2022. They have also
gone into business together,
becoming the new owners of Revive!
Birmingham North following
its resale. Paul is managing the
business day-to-day and Leanne,
with her background in financial
services, is managing the finances
and marketing.
Having worked as a Revive!
technician, Paul knew how
successful owning a Revive!
franchise could be. He trained to be
an automotive refinisher at college
and then worked at several body
shops before joining Revive! in 2014.
AMBITIOUS MOVE
But he didn’t want to be a
technician for the rest of his life.
With a growing family to support
and an ambition to be his own boss,
when the opportunity to buy Revive!
Birmingham North came up Paul
and Leanne jumped at the chance.
Both grew up within the territory,
so know the area well.
Paul explains: “As I was already
working as a Revive! technician, I
had a good understanding of how
the business works.
“It’s an industry I’ve always been
in. Revive! is a renowned brand, so it
was an opportunity on our doorstep
we just couldn’t miss out on.”
Commenting on the completion of
the resale, Cathryn Hayes, Revive!
franchise director, says: “Paul had
already been identified as one of
our top technicians, so to have a
new owner with such experience
and long-serving commitment
to the Revive! vision and values
couldn’t be better.
“Paul and Leanne impressed us
right from the beginning of this
process with their complementary
business skills and shared desire to
grow Revive! Birmingham North into
a much bigger business. We welcome
them to the Revive! network and
wish them every success.”
POWER OF TECHNOLOGY
The resale of Birmingham North
straddled the outbreak of the
pandemic and subsequent lockdown,
but this didn’t hold up the process.
“The power of technology enabled
us to complete the process with
no issues,” Paul says. “Having
interviews with the directors over
Zoom was great, as it meant we were
still able to ‘meet’ the team and go
through the process smoothly.”
Training too was all ‘virtual’, but
as Paul had already completed the
full training as a Revive! technician
this was not an issue.
“The sessions have always been
at a time to suit all parties and
everyone has been great,” he says.
“Each person we spoke with is
so knowledgeable and extremely
helpful - they went out of their way
to make sure we had the information
required to be a success.”
The couple currently have three
vans on the road, with plans to
add a fourth as soon as they have
recruited another technician. Their
aim is to add a van to the fleet
each year for the next two years to
extend their service across their
large territory.
Leanne says: “We want to expand
the service to reach every corner of
our territory. The business has so
much potential for growth, our aim
is to get our name and reputation
known across the area.”
AT A GLANCE
REVIVE! AUTO
INNOVATIONS
(UK)
Established:
2004
Number of franchised outlets: 60
Location of units: nationwide
Investment range: £32,000
Minimum required capital: £15,000
Contact: franchising@revive-uk.com
revivefranchise.com
W
40 WHAT FRANCHISE | ISSUE 16.6
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BEHIND THE BRAND: PARTNER CONTENT
42 WHAT FRANCHISE | ISSUE 16.6
uring the pandemic,
when business owners
were forced to consider
the best course of
action to tackle the challenges,
a huge number turned to their
local Action Coach for guidance.
James Burke at ActionCOACH
Manchester had been working with
one particular client for just six
months when COVID-19 hit the UK.
Ruby & Daisy is a fashion
business based in the north west,
providing clothing to women of all
Action Coach James Burke has helped transform
the fortunes of a female fashion brand based in the
north west
AT A GLANCE
ACTIONCOACH
Established:
1993 in Australia. 2001 in UK
Number of franchised outlets: 200-plus
in the UK
Location of units: UK-wide
Investment range: £69,000
Minimum required capital: £20,000
Contact:
If you want to be influential in helping
business owners transform both their
lives and businesses and you’re the kind of
person who:
A. Loves learning and helping people;
B. Has enjoyed success in your career,
business or a sport; and
C. Is willing to invest if you see substantial
returns can be made…
Then find out more by watching the
overview video at
actioncoach.co.uk/overview
Dsizes. Owners Helena and Louie
have always prided themselves
on their authenticity. But as
their growing social media
presence sent enquiries through
the roof, the pair were forced
to have a serious conversation
about getting some help.
Helena says: “We both noticed
something had to give. It got to
the point where, if we’d tried to
carry on managing the demand, we
would have just burnt out. We toyed
with the idea of getting a business
coach for almost 18 months and it
was only when we were at breaking
point that we took the plunge.
And thank goodness we did!”
In their initial meeting with
James they instantly clicked,
so with little persuasion
needed their weekly sessions
began in September 2019.
FINDING A DIFFERENT
PERSPECTIVE
“Over time, we had
diversified the business quite
drastically,” Helena says.
“Almost immediately, James
recognised the best course of
action was to strip things back to
the bare foundations and focus
on what the business was about.
He was very knowledgeable about
the behaviour of customers and
showed us how to bring them
in as a part of our journey.
“We ensured our messaging
was consistent throughout all
aspects of our marketing - this
helped us to connect with our
customers on a deeper level,
so we could fully understand
and respond to their needs.
“It always felt as if we were
running slightly behind our growth.
James explained to us the only way
to go big was to stop thinking small.
“To accommodate the influx
of enquiries, we relocated to a
larger warehouse space. Making
this move injected our whole
team with new enthusiasm
700% profit
increase for our
business
Left to Right: Helena,
Antonella and Louie
WHAT-FRANCHISE.COM 43
Behind the Brand - XxxxxxxxxxxBehind the Brand - ActionCOACH
and determination to go bigger
and better than before. Almost
overnight, our outlook shifted.”
DESTINED TO SUCCEED
“James is a huge advocate for
us and this positivity means not
only do we achieve our goals each
time, but we completely smash
through them. We’re naturally
competitive and hungry to
succeed, so we’re always looking
to beat our own targets.
“One of the best things about
getting an Action Coach is being
held accountable for our actions.
We would never dream of turning
up to a coaching session without
completing our homework,
because we know it’s what we
need to do to improve - it’s
entirely for our own benefit.”
Within three months of working
with James, Ruby & Daisy saw
record weekly sales. Perhaps the
most significant growth was when
the COVID-19 pandemic sent the
UK into a national lockdown,
causing the doors of their retail
outlet to shut. Helena, Louie and
the team were ready to respond.
“We’d always had online sales,
but as soon as people couldn’t come
into the store, everyone logged on
to place their orders,” Helena says.
“Our online figures were up
by 500 per cent and we were
rapidly approaching a point where
those sales were equal to our
in-store numbers. Thankfully,
because of James and his ability
to keep us calm and ensure we
kept our heads above the water,
we weathered the storm.
“After working with James for
almost nine months, our turnover
was just shy of £1.3 million and
our gross profit increased by 700
per cent. It’s a world apart from
the position we were in the year
before and we’re forecasting our
turnover to exceed £4 million
for the next financial year.
“We’ve always had a clear vision
and belief, wanting to be the
number one easy-wear clothing
brand in the UK - we’re determined
for Ruby & Daisy to become a
household name. We believe, by
just being ourselves, we can relate
to everyone and continue to grow
by being a passionate, enthusiastic
and transparent business.”
WORKING WITH THE BEST
James isn’t just recognised by
his clients for his commitment
to them - his inspiring story
has seen him win awards too.
He started his career as a
boxer, but his dreams were
crushed prematurely following
a life-changing injury, resulting
in him being homeless and
destitute at the age of 16.
While at his lowest, James was
always looking up and ahead,
and his journey from rock bottom
to successful entrepreneur saw
him crowned as Next Generation
Franchisee of the Year at the 2020
British Franchise Association
HSBC British Franchise Awards.
“When I was 23, I decided
enough was enough,” James says.
“I ensured I was healthy and
started looking at how I could
get myself back in the game.
“I got a job as an estate agent
and quickly progressed to branch
manager, before becoming a
regional director. But that wasn’t
enough and I was inspired by
Simon Sinek, the famous author
and motivational speaker, to
strive for something bigger.”
That’s when James created
his mission to make a difference
to a million people by 2030. By
launching ActionCOACH Manchester,
he gave himself the platform to
turn his dream into a reality.
With the release of his very own
book,A Journey to Wealth and World-
Class Mindset,which documents his
inspirational rise to success,this
award-winning franchise partner
isn’t showing any signs of slowing
his meteoric rise anytime soon.
WHAT-FRANCHISE.COM 43
“Within three months of
working with James,
Ruby & Daisy saw record
weekly sales”
James Burke coaching clients to
success at one of his GrowthCLUBs
BEHIND THE BRAND: PARTNER CONTENT
44 WHAT FRANCHISE | ISSUE 16.6
ore than 50 years ago,
American founder
Dave Thomas opened
the first Wendy’s
restaurant with an unwavering
commitment to serve fresh, high
quality food, at a fair price, in
a comfortable atmosphere.
Dave knew he wanted to run
the best restaurant in the world,
a dream he set for himself as an
eight-year-old boy. Restaurants
were Dave’s passion. He studied
menus, observed how food was
served, how it tasted, and he noted
whether a restaurant and its staff
were welcoming and friendly.
From that young age, Dave was an
expert at understanding what role a
restaurant can play in a customer’s
life, and what they expected.
He focused on quality and
innovation from the very beginning,
Abigail Pringle, President, International and Chief
Development Officer for The Wendy’s Company, explains
Wendy’s rich heritage in franchising and why the brand is
well positioned to enter the United Kingdom
Mwith Quality is Our Recipe as a
core value from day one. He was
known for thinking differently
and developed groundbreaking
new innovations like the pick-up
window, which changed the face
of the quick service restaurant
industry. And he didn’t stop there.
Dave introduced the franchise
business model to Wendy’s. It was
his idea to partner with franchisees
interested in owning Wendy’s
restaurants across entire cities and
regions, rather than owning single
units. This enabled Wendy’s to open
a record 1,000 restaurants in the
first 100 months of operations.
Today, Wendy’s remains
committed to honour Dave’s long-
standing legacy and is proud to be
among the top tier of quick service
restaurants. The global restaurant
company, famously known for
its square hamburgers (because
Wendy’s does not cut corners)
has more than 6,800 restaurant
locations across 30+ countries
and territories with plans for
significant international expansion.
We had the great pleasure of
speaking with Abigail Pringle,
President, International and
Chief Development Officer for The
Wendy’s Company, to talk more
about Wendy’s highly anticipated
entry into the United Kingdom.
Abigail shared: “No matter
where you find us, quality will
always be our recipe. We look
forward to bringing our fans
in the United Kingdom food
customers love, using fresh, high
Quality will always
be our recipe
Abigail Pringle, President,
International and Chief Development
Officer for The Wendy’s Company
“Our vision is to become the
world’s most thriving and
beloved restaurant brand -
and we are well on our way”
AT A GLANCE
WENDY’S
Established: 1969
Number of franchised outlets: 6,350+
Location of units: 32 countries, including
USA, Canada, Asia, Middle East
Investment range: £1m+
Contact: Steve Lampshire
steve@platinumwave.co.uk
wendys.com
Behind the Brand - XxxxxxxxxxxBehind the Brand - The Wendy’s Company
quality ingredients that deliver
on taste and value every time.”
FIRST QUESTION: WHY
IS WENDY’S ENTERING
THE UNITED KINGDOM?
Our vision is to become the
world’s most thriving and
beloved restaurant brand - and
we are well on our way.
The United Kingdom is an exciting
frontier for Wendy’s, serving as the
foothold to drive growth across this
region. We plan to enter the United
Kingdom with Company owned
and operated restaurants in the
first half of 2021, and in our second
phase, we will launch in priority
areas with the country’s finest
multi-unit franchisee operators.
The QSR burger market offers
huge growth potential and we
know that other U.S. brands are
already performing well in the UK.
We will challenge those brands
with a truly differentiated, high-
quality customer experience
that only Wendy’s can offer.
WHAT MAKES
WENDY’S MARKET
ENTRY DIFFERENT
FROM WHEN YOU
PREVIOUSLY ENTERED
THE UNITED KINGDOM?
A lot has changed in the last few
decades, and we are of course
using the lessons learned from
our prior experience in the
market to inform our playbook.
We have built a new
infrastructure and invested in our
people capabilities, both in the UK
and globally, to raise the bar on how
we bring our brand and customer
experience to fans in the UK.
We have also established
strong partnerships to navigate
this market on a national and
local level. Most importantly, this
time, we are incredibly excited
to establish new franchisee
partnerships to help us quickly
scale and expand our presence in
the right way across this region.
WENDY’S HAS MORE
THAN 50 YEARS
OF EXPERIENCE IN
FRANCHISING. WHAT
QUALIFICATIONS DO YOU
LOOK FOR IN FRANCHISE
PARTNERS AND WHAT
ARE YOU LOOKING FOR
SPECIFIC TO THE UK?
We are looking for franchisees to
grow with us. We are focused on
building long-term relationships
with partners who share our
values, our commitment to
quality, and our passion for
fast food done the right way.
We are excited to be developing
Company restaurants in the UK,
and we are seeking world-class,
experienced multi-unit franchise
partners with strong operations
experience, local development
expertise and a proven track record
for growing brands within the UK.
Financial strength is critical.
We are not looking for a single
master franchisee, rather we are
aiming to create a collection of
multi-unit franchisee partners to
help drive regional development
over the next five to ten years.
HOW ARE YOU
SCOUTING PROSPECTIVE
FRANCHISE PARTNERS?
We want to attract a more diverse
profile of franchisee leaders
The first Wendy’s
restaurant opened
on 15 November
1969 in downtown
Columbus, Ohio in
the United States
Wendy’s first
restaurant located
in Reading
WHAT-FRANCHISE.COM 45
BEHIND THE BRAND: PARTNER CONTENT
that reflect the communities
in which we operate, and more
importantly, our customers.
We are working with some of the
best UK lenders, suppliers and legal
partners in the business, and these
partners play a vital role in helping
to inform how we are approaching
our franchise recruiting plans.
For example, we have formally
engaged with Platinum Wave, an
independent consultancy and
recruitment firm with 20 years
in the franchise industry and a
reputable partner of the British
Franchise Association. We are also
building strategic alliances with
other third party organisations,
associations and affinity groups
who can counsel us in local
employee recruitment and training.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS
OF BEING A FRANCHISE
PARTNER WITH WENDY’S?
Our prospective franchisees in
the UK will be backed by an iconic,
well-established and beloved global
restaurant brand with more than
50 years of success in the quick
service restaurant industry.
While we are new to the market,
we certainly are not new to
franchising. That’s why we are
entering the United Kingdom
by starting with a Company-
owned model to lead by example,
set the standards, help build
brand awareness and ensure we
are executing against our high
brand standards. This will also
allow us to lean into growth and
achieve scale more quickly.
We have an aggressive, yet
disciplined, international strategy
to accelerate growth with our
multi-unit franchisee partners
across the United Kingdom, as
there is a vast amount of white
space to build new restaurants in
the best trade areas available.
From day one, our franchisees
will receive support from our
talented team of local and global
operations, development and
marketing experts. They will also
benefit from our world-class supply
chain and valued partnerships,
including some of the world’s most
reputable and recognizable brands.
WHAT MAKES WENDY’S
DIFFERENT FROM
OTHER AMERICAN
HAMBURGER BRANDS?
Our commitment to the core values
established by Dave Thomas serve
as the foundation for all we do.
Everything is grounded in the
Wendy’s Way, with a focus on
delivering great tasting, high
quality food at competitive prices,
fast and friendly service that brings
customers back, and a place people
love to go for fast food done right.
At the heart of our brand are
great people. We understand that
people want to have fun where they
dine, and where they work. That’s
why our employees are encouraged
to bring their authentic self to work,
creating a fun, diverse and vibrant
environment within our restaurants.
Another thing that differentiates
Wendy’s is the support we provide
our franchisees and the focus we
put on ensuring that we maintain
strong relationships with all our key
stakeholders, including franchisees,
employees and suppliers.
Many of our franchise partners
across the globe are continuing
to invest in the brand, despite a
challenging environment, because
they have faith in the future of
Wendy’s. Together, we are stretching
our creativity and turning the
disruption we are currently facing
into opportunity, as we know
this environment provides us an
amazing chance to do big things!
DO YOU THINK UK
CONSUMERS WILL
FANCY SQUARE
HAMBURGERS AND A
FROSTY® DESSERT?
Absolutely! We have conducted
research with thousands of
consumers in the UK to really
understand what they think about
Wendy’s and what is driving
strong appeal for the brand.
We used these insights to
inform and validate our core
menu offerings for this market,
including our made-to-order
square hamburgers, using fresh,
100 per cent British Beef, fresh
salads prepared daily, natural-cut
sea-salt fries, our signature chili
and baked potato, and of course
Wendy’s iconic Frosty® dessert.
We also added localised items to
our menu that are tailored for UK
consumers, while staying true to our
brand DNA of using fresh, honest
ingredients. We are excited to unveil
these new menu offerings at launch!
FINALLY, WE ARE EAGER
TO KNOW…WHAT IS
YOUR FAVOURITE
WENDY’S MENU ITEM?
This might be your hardest
question!
It is tough to pick just one. I
am a big fan of the Spicy Chicken
Sandwich, which has been on our
menu for 25 years! I also fully
appreciate fresh beef. I grew up
on a cattle farm in Maine, and my
family dined at the only Wendy’s
in town because my father loved
the brand. So, Wendy’s has always
been special to me and my family.
Dave Thomas,
American founder
of Wendy’s
Wendy’s is famously known for their social media presence on Twitter
46 WHAT FRANCHISE | ISSUE 16.6
WHAT-FRANCHISE.COM 47
Behind the Brand - International Franchise Show
BEHIND THE BRAND: PARTNER CONTENT
Prepare your
rapid response
plan
Recovery and growth requires a strategy that drives
revenue, Joshua Christopher, marketing manager
at Comexposium, organiser of the International
Franchise Show, says
he turmoil of 2020 has
caused a major strain
on the bottom line of
many companies. While
some businesses may have the urge
to hibernate, now isn’t the time to sit
back and do nothing.
It’s been encouraging to see so
many of us overcome the challenges
we’ve faced and continue to operate
during these trying times. In the
franchise industry, many businesses
have adapted under lockdown
restrictions, operating virtually,
on a take-out or click and collect
basis or adopting new social
distancing measures.
SENSE OF HOPE
The roll-out of the coronavirus
vaccine has given many people a
sense of hope that society may soon
return to normal.
So now is a good time to
formulate a rapid response plan
in order to recover and grow,
with sales and marketing teams
working strategically to deliver
business goals.
Lots of franchises will be
repositioning themselves through
digital channels in order to reach
new and existing target audiences.
The difficulty is responding to
the adoption of a digital footprint
with new and creative ideas that
makes your brand stand out from
the crowd. It helps if your franchise
already has a unique selling
proposition or a niche market
to avoid getting lost among the
competition.
CORE ELEMENTS
Management consulting company
McKinsey suggests the most effective
leaders approach rapid recovery with
a set of five core elements that are
needed to drive revenue at a scale
that makes a difference and are built
around the SHAPE model:
• Start-up mindset. To deliver
action over research and testing
over analysis. A risky motive,
but certainly a rewarding one
that delivers tangible results in
minimal time.
• Human at the core. Changing the
company’s operating model to
work around how people work
best will help to drive rapid action.
• Accelerate digital, tech and
analytics. Quickly adopting
digital offerings will certainly
help in getting your brand
noticed and drive sales.
• Purpose driven customer
playbook. A customer first focus
has always been a long established
principle for many businesses
prior to COVID-19. However, a
refocus on the customer journey
and an understanding of how
to affect the customer buying
process is crucial in targeting
campaigns effectively.
• Ecosystems to drive adaptability.
Disruptions in supply chains and
offline buying channels have
made adaptability crucial for
survival, but for long-term
strategies businesses need to
think about new partnerships
and collaborations in order to
drive success.
INCREASE AWARENESS
When pivoting their business,
franchise owners will need to
consider how they increase
awareness, conversion and
customers’ lifetime value
through a combination of digital
avenues designed to drive
growth and profitability.
It’s no doubt important that
going digital is crucial for survival,
but ultimately nothing beats the
face-to-face trust and engagement
you gain at an event.
For over 11 years the International
Franchise Show has helped
thousands of individuals start
their journey towards owning a
business with a proven concept.
As Britain’s biggest franchise
exhibition, the 2021 edition has
never been more important.
AT A GLANCE
INTERNATIONAL
FRANCHISE SHOW
When:
October 1-2
Where:
ExCeL, London
thefranchiseshow.co.uk
T
“It’s been
encouraging to
see so many of us
overcome
the challenges
we’ve faced”
WHAT FRANCHISE 16_6 master_WHAT FRANCHISE 29/01/2021 08:22 Page 48
WHAT-FRANCHISE.COM 49
Behind the Brand - Home Instead
BEHIND THE BRAND: PARTNER CONTENT
A desire to
help others
Home Instead provides the very best of care and
companionship for our older generation
ast year brought its
challenges in more
ways than one,
but Home Instead
continues to look forward with a
positive outlook for the future.
Home Instead welcomed 20 new
franchise territories last year, all
keen to join the UK’s number one
franchise company, from as far
north as Dunfermline to the New
Forest in the south, with more
joining the network in 2021.
Home Instead offers the most
amazing business opportunity,
which is making a difference to
the lives of its franchise owners
by giving them the opportunity to
flourish. But also allowing others
to flourish - their teams, caregivers
and, of course, their clients.
CARING FOR OTHERS
Franchise offices provide the very
best of care and companionship
for our older generation. Incredible
caregivers and key workers provide
a friendly, familiar face, safely caring
for their clients and allowing them to
continue living in their own homes.
Home Instead also supports its
wider communities by working
alongside other businesses,
organisations, schools and
individuals.
Giving back is important, so
the company organises different
initiatives to provide education
on subjects such as dementia and
scam awareness, as well as setting
up memory cafés and other support
groups for older people.
It’s also important to Home
Instead to provide care and support
for their franchise owners.
The ‘Home Instead Franchise
Journey’ was introduced to support
franchisees to be the best they can
be through a programme of ongoing
operational and well-being support.
BEING RECOGNISED
This was recognised in 2020 with
a number of awards and accolades
for both the care it provides and the
support given to franchise owners.
The company was named the
2020 Gold Franchisor of the Year at
the British Franchise Association
HSBC British Franchise Awards,
the pinnacle in franchising. Home
Instead was acknowledged for its
ethical approach to franchising.
It’s also the number one most
recommended home care company
in the homecare.co.uk Top 20
Home Care Groups award winners
in the UK.
This is praise indeed, as it’s based
directly on the reviews from the most
important people - the clients they
care for.
JOIN THE NUMBER ONE
UK FRANCHISE
There is a huge and increasing
demand for home care across
the UK, which provides a
wonderful opportunity to make a
difference. No previous care sector
experience is necessary, as this is a
management franchise.
If you have a caring nature and
a passion to help others, strong
leadership skills and a willingness
to embrace Home Instead’s proven
business model, this could be the
franchise for you.
There are a number of
territories available in the
UK, including a few resale
opportunities for those who prefer
to buy an established business.
AT A GLANCE
HOME INSTEAD
Established:
2005
Number of franchised outlets: 224
Location of units: UK
Investment range: £100,000-£110,000
Minimum required capital: £41,000
Contact: Imogen Clarke. 01925 730273
homeinstead.co.uk/franchise
L
“The company
was named
the 2020 Gold
Franchisor of
the Year at the
British Franchise
Association HSBC
British Franchise
Awards”
BEHIND THE BRAND: PARTNER CONTENT
Behind the Brand - d&t
We help
franchises
thrive
Tap into our business planning and funding advice,
James Thomas, commercial manager at d&t, says
he recession as a
result of the pandemic
presents an unusual
and unique situation
compared with other downturns.
Unlike previous recessions,
wages have been supported via the
furlough scheme and grants and
interest free loans have been made
available, along with various other
measures, to prop up businesses and
ensure they’re in the best possible
shape to survive the crisis.
Lockdowns have forced many
operations to close temporarily,
so - apart from delivery orders
- there have been few ways for
people to spend their money. One
of our sources in the banking
sector recently confirmed levels of
consumer saving has never been
higher. Potentially, this could mean
that the light at the end of the tunnel
could be very bright indeed.
As we’ve learned in the past 12
months, it’s impossible to predict
the future, but it’s just possible
that the moment the
economy can get going
again safely consumers
will have the means and
desire to spend big.
TAKING
ADVANTAGE
OF THE UPLIFT
Franchises need to
be able to take
advantage of this
uplift. The good
news is that as well
as cash reserves,
people have had
plenty of time to
rethink their career
choices.
For some brands, it
could be the perfect time
to consider expanding and
taking on more franchisees.
If so, plan ahead. How
many new prospects
would you like to take on? What’s
gone right and wrong in the
past? Now’s the time to fix
these processes.
It’s also time to re-evaluate
and plan rationalisation strategies,
particularly in relation to suppliers.
One of the biggest challenges
faced by franchisors is having
enough time to support their
network. Therefore, bringing
services under one roof can save
time and budget.
For example, a single provider
such as d&t, which offers everything
from financial health checks for
franchisees, business planning
and broker finance to bookkeeping
and accountancy services, can
relieve some of the pressure
faced by franchisors.
We get to know the franchise,
so can answer some of the many
questions a prospective franchisee
may have.
We put support documents in
place and reinforce its benefits to
the prospect by providing access to
all the facts and figures. Knowing
the accountancy side of the
franchise inside out means we
can offer a level of support not
found elsewhere.
ADDING VALUE
This recession will result in more
business casualties, but largely they
will be the ones that were struggling
before the crisis.
Our aim is to help franchises
thrive through careful and detailed
business planning and providing
access to the necessary funding.
At d&t, our friendly, experienced
business planning and funding
sourcing teams are always happy to
advise and help navigate the best
way forward for individual franchise
owners and franchisors.
Our team add value not just
numbers and are trusted to
provide the most appropriate
advice dependent on individual
circumstances.
AT A GLANCE
d&t
For more information visit
team-dt.com
T
“We can oer a level
of support not found
elsewhere”
50 WHAT FRANCHISE | ISSUE 16.6
WHAT FRANCHISE 16_6 master_WHAT FRANCHISE 29/01/2021 12:55 Page 51
INTERVIEW
I’M A 29-YEAR-OLD MUM
OF ONE AND A CERTIFIED
YOGABELLIES TEACHER IN
WEST NORFOLK.
I joined YogaBellies in September
2019 and since then I’ve been
actively teaching YogaBellies
classes, working around my little
boy, Leo, who’s now aged two.
Before joining YogaBellies,
I worked in the fashion
industry as a full-time garment
technologist in London and Asia
for around six years. I studied
retail buying at university and
went on to work for various
clothing suppliers and retailers.
It wasn’t until I became pregnant
that I decided to change my
career path. That’s when I found
YogaBellies. I signed onto their
training programme while I was
on maternity leave and never
went back to my previous role. I
can honestly say it was the best
decision of my life and I wouldn’t
change it for the world now.
I DECIDED TO BECOME
A FRANCHISEE
BECAUSE IT PROVIDES
YOU WITH THE
OPPORTUNITY TO RUN
YOUR OWN BUSINESS
WITH THE HELP AND
SUPPORT OF A LARGER
COMPANY THAT HAS
A PROVEN FORMULA
FOR SUCCESS.
While becoming a franchisee
requires more investment
initially, you get what you
pay for in that you’re joining
a brand with an established
reputation that would take
years to build if you were
starting out on your own.
When you become a YogaBellies
franchisee you get ongoing
business support, a mentor,
training and access to ready-
made online systems and tools
- everything you need to run a
successful, ethical business.
52 WHAT FRANCHISE | ISSUE 16.6
“I quickly realised my age
didn’t matter at all”
Georgina Burman is among a rising number
of people under 30 who’ve bought their own
franchise. Here the YogaBellies franchisee
explains the benefits of investing in a proven
concept, how she overcame her biggest
challenge and her plans for 2021
“While becoming a
franchisee requires more
investment initially, you
get what you pay for in that
you’re joining a brand with
an established reputation”
WHAT-FRANCHISE.COM 53
YOGABELLIES SUPPORTS
AND EMPOWERS WOMEN
AT PIVOTAL TIMES IN
THEIR LIVES, WHICH
I ABSOLUTELY LOVE
AND FEEL EXTREMELY
PASSIONATE ABOUT.
Well-being is at the centre of what
YogaBellies does, not only teaching
yoga to women, but offering a safe,
nurturing place where they can heal
and grow their bodies and minds.
Having worked in a job where
well-being wasn’t high on the list
of priorities, I knew that it had
to be in my next adventure. With
my passion for yoga and holistic
health, YogaBellies instantly felt
like the right fit for me. You don’t
have to be an experienced yogini,
as it’s more about your passion to
support women in your local area.
The YogaBellies franchise offers
the whole package. They actively
support, mentor and guide you on
your journey as a franchisee and
help you create the business of
your dreams.
The best part is when you join
you become part of a collective of
like-minded women. It’s actually
more like a family encouraging and
supporting each other in running
your business.
I FUNDED THE PURCHASE
OF THE FRANCHISE WITH
PERSONAL SAVINGS
AND FINANCE.
The good thing about YogaBellies
is they can provide finance to
help you start and grow, which
is ideal if you want to start your
own franchise, but don’t have the
initial capital. This was a major
deciding factor for me when
becoming a franchisee.
I PERSONALLY TEACH
ALL MY CLASSES.
I have an accountant who manages
my books because I’m useless at
all that stuff and want to solely
focus on teaching and earning an
income. The most I do in this area
is update QuickBooks.
On a day-to-day basis, I handle
the running of the business,
including organising advertising
campaigns, processing bookings,
dealing with enquiries and posting
on my social media.
I DIDN’T ACHIEVE HALF OF
WHAT I INTENDED TO IN
2020, BUT I’M GRATEFUL
TO STILL BE HERE, LIKE
MOST SMALL BUSINESSES.
I launched my business in
January last year and managed
three months of teaching before
being shut down due to the
COVID-19 pandemic.
However, being part of a
franchise like YogaBellies meant
that everyone came together to
support one another. Head office
quickly adapted and came up
with an online offering, so that
we could continue to teach.
Teaching this way put me
out of my comfort zone, but I
knew I had to do it to protect my
business and provide support
to my clients during a difficult
time. With all the obstacles
we’ve faced in 2020, it has been
a steep learning curve for many
businesses, let alone one that
was in its first year of trading.
THE BIGGEST BENEFIT OF
JOINING A FRANCHISE
IS BECOMING PART
OF A COMMUNITY OF
FRANCHISEES.
Some have been running their
businesses for 10 years, while
others, like me, have only been
franchisees for a short time and
are in need of tips and tricks to
help them develop.
For me, one of the main
benefits of becoming a YogaBellies
franchisee was that you get a
mentor and support from other
teachers in the network. We’re like
one big happy family and offer only
“I quickly realised my age
didn’t matter at all”
INTERVIEW
54 WHAT FRANCHISE | ISSUE 16.6
positive support and advice when
it’s needed, which is important
especially in times like these where
businesses are having to either
close or adapt.
I wouldn’t have made it
through the last year if it wasn’t
for the support of YogaBellies
headquarters, our founder,
Cheryl MacDonald, and the other
incredible teachers.
THE GREATEST TEST
FOR ME WAS BELIEVING
IN MYSELF, BECAUSE
I’M PRETTY YOUNG
COMPARED TO YOUR
AVERAGE YOGA TEACHER.
IN FACT, I’M THE
YOUNGEST TEACHER
AT YOGABELLIES.
Initially, it did affect my confidence,
but after teaching class after class
and getting positive feedback
from clients, I quickly realised my
age didn’t matter at all, only my
knowledge and expertise did.
I imagine my clients are a little
surprised when they meet me for
the first time in the studio, but
no one has ever said anything or
walked out the door.
Now I find myself feeling
confident and assured. After all, I’m
a mother just like my clients, going
through the same life challenges,
so can relate and support them
during their YogaBellies journey
as best as I can.
MY ADVICE TO
SOMEONE CURRENTLY
RESEARCHING
FRANCHISES WITH A
VIEW TO BECOMING
A FRANCHISEE WOULD
BE TO FIND OUT
HOW MUCH SUPPORT
THE FRANCHISOR
PROVIDES AFTER THE
INITIAL TRAINING.
You can’t expect a franchisor to
run your business for you, but
you don’t want to be left in the
dark once you’ve completed your
training. You ideally want the
best possible start to launching
your new business in order to
make it a success.
For example, YogaBellies offers
‘business goddess’ training, which
includes all the need-to-know
basics of setting up and running
your own business. They also offer
ongoing franchise support, which
includes regular business reviews
to help achieve your business and
marketing goals for the next year.
Without the proper support
along the way, it’s going to be hard
for you to keep your business
moving in the right direction and
maintaining momentum when
times are tough.
AT THE END OF 2020,
I FOCUSED ON A BIG
JANUARY LAUNCH.
January is typically a busy time of
year for YogaBellies, as we usually
have an influx of new clients, so
I ran an advertising campaign in
the lead-up to it and introduced a
couple of classes for new mums in
my local community.
I’m currently studying to
become a fertility yoga teacher
with YogaBellies so I can extend
my current offering. I’m aiming to
complete this before baby number
two arrives in March, so that I can
launch the classes when I return
from maternity leave later on in
the year.
I’m also studying to become
an aromatherapist and once my
training is complete I’m planning
on topping this up with additional
training in prenatal, postnatal
and fertility massage therapy, so
that I can offer additional holistic
therapies for women in Norfolk.
“I can honestly say it was
the best decision of my life
and I wouldn’t change it
for the world now”
WHAT-FRANCHISE.COM 55
Behind the Brand - BabyBallers
BEHIND THE BRAND: PARTNER CONTENT
Getting a kick
out of child
development
BabyBallers franchisees teach kids how to learn through
play in a safe, fun and engaging environment
abyBallers is a fast growing
children’s football franchise,
with over 50 clubs in the UK,
17 in Belgium and expansion
plans to Australia in 2021.
The company puts its growth down
to the low investment level needed, the
amazing financial success its franchisees
are having and the ease and speed with
which you’re able to launch a club.
WHAT IS BABYBALLERS?
BabyBallers provides football focused
sessions for children aged 16 months to
five years old, with all sessions focused
on learning through play.
BabyBallers’ founder Richard
Elms says: “Imagination runs wild at
BabyBallers classes and there is never
a shortage of fun filled action for our
amazing superstars. This is achieved
through constant training and ongoing
franchisee support from head office.”
THE AIM
BabyBallers isn’t about just kicking
footballs. Classes help children build
confidence, form friendships, start an
educational journey and have lots of
fun in the process. It’s all about fun,
development and preparing children
for life at school and beyond.
HOW HAS BABYBALLERS
DEVELOPED SINCE 2016?
Since 2016, when the first BabyBallers
club sold out before it had even
opened, followed by the first
BabyBallers franchise launching with
similar results in 2017, the brand has
gone from strength to strength.
“The franchise growth has mainly
been through word of mouth and then
in September 2020 an area developer
snapped up most of Belgium and
opened 17 clubs, all of which were in
profit before anyone had kicked a ball,
which was a very proud moment for
us,” Richard says.
“The BabyBallers journey has
also gained recognition on national
television, as well as endorsements
from ex-professional footballers
and celebrities alike, which has only
helped the brand develop further.
THE OPPORTUNITY
BabyBallers has become a proven,
profitable franchise model, which
boasts over 80 per cent of clubs at
capacity. In addition, at the last count
the company had 990 children on its
waiting lists across its UK clubs alone.
Chris Elms, BabyBallers’ business
development manager, says: “Since
the first BabyBallers session, we’ve
created the complete franchise
opportunity that covers every detail
of running a successful business.
“Our product, brand, customer
service, online booking systems,
digital marketing presence and back-
end franchisee portals ensure every
franchisee has what they need at
their fingertips.
“We aim to keep things as simple
as possible to launch your first
club and run the business, from an
easy-to-use booking system and
franchise portal to an online training
programme and access to constant
session plans, which give franchisees
the freedom to run their business
successfully.”
BabyBallers also gives franchisees
access to marketing strategies and
ongoing support from its dedicated
support manager, meaning a
franchisee is never alone.
WHAT MAKES A
GREAT BABYBALLERS
FRANCHISEE?
Whether someone is looking for a
career change, a part-time job or
has plans to scale the business,
BabyBallers can provide this
opportunity. However, the company
has a selective process when
choosing the right franchisees.
BabyBallers requires franchisees
to be reliable, hard-working,
adaptable and willing to learn, as
well as having the ambition to
continue to grow the brand.
AT A GLANCE
BABYBALLERS
Established:
2016
Number of franchised outlets:
67
Location of units:
UK and Belgium
Investment range:
£9,000-£10,000
Minimum required capital:
£4,500
Contact:
0330 124 4770
babyballers.com
B
“We’ve created
the complete
franchise
opportunity that
covers every
detail of running
a successful
business”
56 WHAT FRANCHISE | ISSUE 16.6
BEHIND THE BRAND: PARTNER CONTENT
t all started with Mr Jeff in
2015,” explains Carlos Vidal,
vice president of enterprise at
Jeff. “That’s the concept that
kick-started everything. It was like the
Uber of laundry.”
When Mr Jeff was first introduced to
the world, it solved a very simple problem:
the fact that 78 per cent of people think
that washing and ironing is one of the
worst household chores. The solution?
A revival of the laundry industry, with a
groundbreaking app handling the pick-up,
processing, and subsequent return of a
customer’s laundry.
Realising early on that simply acting as
an aggregator didn’t allow for consistent
Jeff’s investment opportunities are connecting
the physical and digital worlds
AT A GLANCE
JEFF
Established:
2015
Number of franchised outlets:
2000+
Location of units:
LATAM, EMEA, APAC
Investment range:
From $250,000
Minimum required capital:
From $250,000
Contact:
Carlos Vidal, carlos.vidal@mrjeffapp.com
franchise.wearejeff.com/enterprise
Iquality control, the Mr Jeff team soon
pivoted to a franchise model. “We
used franchising as a distribution
method to grow our brand and keep a
close, direct control on the processes
and procedures; overall, boosting
the customer experience,” says
Vidal. “Since then, we have scaled
worldwide, and now operate in over
40 countries with more than 2,300
units sold.”
THE START OF
SOMETHING SPECIAL
Having established Mr Jeff as a
leading international concept, the
team behind the revolutionary service
started looking for something new.
Something bigger. The next step, it
turned out, was based entirely on
the lessons and infrastructure
honed by almost half a decade of
continuous growth.
“It was around a year ago when
we decided: why not apply our same
philosophy to other industries,
in which there is no clear global
leader?” says Vidal. “We could use our
experience and build our technology
layer into the offering. So we created
a new vision for the company – to
create a new ecosystem of services,
with access to different industries
under the same platform and proven
branding; all of which customers
could access through their phone.”
Off the back of this brainstorming
came three complementary brands,
which all contributed to the
exponential growth of the Jeff name:
Beauty Jeff, Fit Jeff, and Relax Jeff.
All took advantage of the convenient
business-in-a-box model perfected
by Mr Jeff, and are supported by
the group’s proprietary business
management software, Jeff Suite.
INTRODUCING SMART
BEAUTY
The first of these, Beauty Jeff, is built
on the idea of smart beauty; that
is, bringing the digital and physical
worlds together through the use of
one single, full-service app. The Jeff
app allows Beauty Jeff customers
to check available slots, and then
request a ‘turn’ in the salon. Not
only does this keep the experience
seamless for the customer, but it
allows Beauty Jeff franchisees to run
a streamlined, efficient operation.
“This is a very fragmented industry,
and there’s no clear international
leader. That’s what we aim to be,” says
Vidal. “It starts with a philosophy of
putting a focus on the customer, and
not on the stylist. We only include
the most popular services in our
Join a
tech-driven
ecosystem of
brands
“
Behind the Brand - XxxxxxxxxxxBehind the Brand - Jeff
offering; that way, we are able to
specialise, standardise, and optimise
our concept. It offers value for money
for the customer, and that, paired
with our technology layer, is a real
differentiator in the beauty market.”
By only offering the most
frequently used services at Beauty
Jeff, the concept is able to remain
timely and adaptable; each centre’s
offering is aligned with user data
and feedback obtained through
the Jeff app.
“It’s similar to a restaurant; if you
just depend on your chef, you won’t
be as efficient as if you depend on
proven processes and systems,
and the standardisation of
your ingredients.”
Relax Jeff, the organisation’s
relaxation and wellbeing brand, is
similarly driven by digital feedback.
Four main massages are available
– focusing on back/neck, head, leg/
foot, and full body – but these are
specialised so that only the most
demanded services are provided.
Sessions are also kept at 20 to 30
minutes, which not only minimises
wasted time, but allows customer
retention to remain at the forefront of
business strategy.
“It’s not about having huge salons;
it’s about efficiency,” says Vidal.
“The common denominator across
our brands is our smart investment
model. We’re very considered when
asking entrepreneurs to invest
different amounts of money, because
we don’t want to waste any dollars.
That way, we can offer a higher return
on investment.”
PUTTING COMMUNITY
FIRST
With Jeff’s fourth investment
opportunity, Fit Jeff, much thought
has been put into ensuring that
customers aren’t just attracted to
classes, but that they become long-
time fans of the brand.
“Small group training and
boutique fitness concepts are very
successful, and also moving toward
specialisation,” explains Vidal. “The
big-box gyms where people were
working out independently are
appealing to a small proportion of the
population. But the people that don’t
typically go to the gym? That’s the
group that we’re really interested in
and it’s where the opportunity lies.”
Designed as an oasis in the city,
Fit Jeff locations are typically 75
square metres and require only one or
two employees. Classes are kept small
and community-focused, and a
lack of machinery keeps investment
and maintenance costs down
for franchisees.
“It’s easy for fitness concepts to
attract people, but it’s much harder to
ensure that they stay for a lengthier
period of time,” says Vidal. “That
sense of belonging is what makes
people stick around, so customer
retention increases.”
NO EXPERIENCE
NECESSARY
Across the entire Jeff ecosystem,
the group is looking for
knowledgeable multi-unit
investors who recognise the benefits
of joining a tech-enabled platform.
Specific experience in fitness,
beauty, massages, or laundry isn’t
required, because of Jeff’s “plug-
and-play” model. What is needed
is a passion for customer service,
and the ability to scale-up a
business once Jeff’s proven
model takes hold in a franchisee’s
respective market.
“We are a 100 per cent franchising
company, so our success is completely
tied to our franchisee’s success,” says
Vidal. “But in order to be successful, we
need to be really good at empathy, and
putting ourselves in the franchisee’s
shoes. We only make money if our
franchisees do; we only grow when
they do.”
“Bringing the digital and physical
worlds together through the use of one
single, full-service app”
WHAT-FRANCHISE.COM 57
BEHIND THE BRAND: PARTNER CONTENT
Behind the Brand - OSCAR Pet Foods
Essential
service
delivers hope
OSCAR Pet Foods explains why teamwork and staying
local promises continued success for 2021 and beyond
ccording to home
delivery franchise
OSCAR Pet Foods, the
challenges of 2020
gave the company’s franchisees
the confidence to look forward to
a bright and successful future.
A winning combination of pet
care being an essential business
and franchising maintaining its
long-held reputation for being
resistant to recession provided
a positive start to the COVID-19
pandemic for the brand.
GROWING PET
POPULATION
Annual figures released by the Pet
Food Manufacturers’ Association
revealed a dramatic rise in pet
acquisition, highlighting the
important role pets now play in
the well-being of many individuals
and families.
With self isolation and work-
from-home routines stimulating
further desire for much
needed companionship, an
already thriving pet population
continues to increase.
REWARDING CHALLENGE
For OSCAR, reaching new
customers was a rewarding
challenge. Its franchise network
demonstrated its passion
and drive, looking after every
customer in their own local area,
assisted by reliable back-up
and support from head office.
COVID-19 definitely reinforced
the business’ teamwork.
OSCAR also learnt new ways of
keeping in touch with customers
and franchisees while staying
socially distanced.
It remained focused on planning
deliveries, as although online
purchasing helped speed up
ordering, everyone appreciated a
little bit of normality.
So with its specialised local
business model, OSCAR continued
to manage safely distanced
deliveries, while also providing pet
owners with valuable nutritional
and behavioural advice.
SUPPORTING LOCAL
BUSINESSES
Unexpected changes often produce
new and better ways of living and
customers have experienced the
rewarding nature of supporting
local businesses - enjoying its
benefits (both financially and
emotionally) in a personal way.
OSCAR is enjoying continued
growth. Its willingness to adapt to
whatever comes the company’s way
means its future is bright.
AT A GLANCE
OSCAR PET
FOODS
Established:
1994
Number of franchised outlets: 100-plus
Location of units: nationwide
Investment range: from £8,995 (plus VAT)
Minimum required capital:
£8,995 (plus VAT)
Contact: Janet Walmsley.0800 068 1106
oscar.co.uk
A
“OSCAR
continued to
manage safely
distanced
deliveries, while
also providing
pet owners
with valuable
nutritional and
behavioural
advice”
58 WHAT FRANCHISE | ISSUE 16.6
Do you want to work around your family life?
Do you have a passion for children and young people?
Do you
dream of
running your
own business?
Why not join our network of franchisees at
multi award-winning Footlights
and be part of our SUPPORTIVE team?
Did you know you can now open your franchise
in the UK for as little as £5,000 with a working
capital of only £2,000?
Why not set off on the road to success in SEPTEMBER, start your training in February,
with a view to trading in the lucrative Summer Schools in August?
For more information, download our prospectus at: www.footlightstheatre.co.uk
WHAT FRANCHISE 16_6 master_WHAT FRANCHISE 29/01/2021 08:22 Page 59
ADVICE
60 WHAT FRANCHISE | ISSUE 15.5
INSIGHT
How to select the right
franchise
If you’re contemplating become a franchisee, follow these seven steps to
finding your perfect partner
o you’re considering
investing in a franchise,
but how do you choose
the right one out of the
hundreds operating in the UK in a
multitude of sectors? We’ve got it
covered with these top tips:
1
Do something
you’ll enjoy doing
Choose a job you love and
you’ll never have to work a day in
your life, someone once said. It’s
a maxim prospective franchisees
should take note of.
Is there an industry you’ve
always wanted to work in? What
skills or experience could you put
to good use in your own business?
With a tried and tested
franchise, you can turn a passion
into substantial profits, whether
you choose a management
model, a hands-on role, operate
in the business-to-business or
business-to-consumer sectors or
work from home.
2
Check out the
market
Is it growing or in decline?
Seasonal or all year round?
Is your chosen franchisor an
established market leader or a
disruptor new to the industry?
Does the product or service it
offers have longevity? How does
the competition compare?
These are all questions you
must answer before you make a
financial commitment.
3
What can
you afford?
Franchising is not a get rich
quick scheme, so don’t fall into
the trap of being underfunded
during the start-up stage. While
93 per cent of franchisees claimed
profitability in 2018, according
to the latest British Franchise
Association NatWest research, not
many franchises guarantee profits
from day one.
Make sure you get your sums
right. As well as a franchise fee, in
many cases you’ll also be required
to pay a management services
fee and contribute to a marketing
fund. Other costs to take into
account could include equipment,
initial stock, staff and property
costs and working capital.
Because of franchising’s
successful track record in the
UK, banks such as Lloyds, HSBC
and NatWest will consider
funding up to 70 per cent of the
start-up costs of your franchise,
although all require security,
Ssuch as a charge on your home,
against the loan amount.
4Could you work
well with the
franchisor?
The franchisor-franchisee
relationship is crucial to a
franchise’s success, so you must
be satisfied you can work with
the team at head office and the
franchisor’s support staff on a
long-term basis.
In the early days, the
franchisor’s support will be
invaluable. Once you become
established, the franchisor will
help you achieve your goals,
hence the phrase ‘in business
for yourself, but not by yourself’,
which is often used to describe
franchising and is one of the
business model’s biggest benefits.
5Do your homework
You must satisfy yourself
that all the information
provided by the franchisor about
its business is credible.
Take advantage of the vast
amounts of information available
on the internet, attend online
discovery days that are currently
being organised by franchisors
and speak to existing franchisees
about their experiences of
running their businesses.
In addition, Companies House
is a good source of financial
information, as is the British
Franchise Association, if the
franchise is a member of the body
that protects and promotes good
franchising practice in the UK.
“Franchising is not a get rich quick
scheme, so don’t fall into the trap
of being undercapitalised during
the start-up stage”
60 WHAT FRANCHISE | ISSUE 16.6
6Ask the experts
As part of your due
diligence, pay an
accountant to take a look
at the figures provided by
the franchisor that detail
turnover and earnings
potential during the lifetime
of the franchise agreement.
Getting a lawyer who’s
familiar with franchising
to check out the franchise
agreement you’ll be expected
to sign before you become a
franchisee will also be money
well spent. They may not be able
to alter the contract, but will be
able to explain to you what your
obligations are and highlight
anything unusual within the
agreement. 7Go with your gut
Don’t be rushed into making
a decision when it comes to
investing in a franchise.
You’ll be spending a large
sum of money and committing a
significant amount of time to the
partnership - at least five years
and sometimes longer.
Once you’ve completed your
due diligence on the franchise
you want to invest in, go
with your gut feel about the
business. And if you feel it’s too
good to be true, it probably is.
THE SIZE AND SCALE OF
THE UK FRANCHISE SECTOR
• There are around 900 franchises in existence.
• Nearly 40 per cent of franchises can be run from home.
• An estimated 48,600 franchise units operate.
• The industry turns over £17.2 billion annually.
• 710,000 people are employed in the sector.
• 93 per cent of franchisees say they’re profitable.
• 60 per cent of franchises turn over more than £250,000.
• Around 33 per cent of franchisees run multiple units.
Source: 2018 British Franchise Association NatWest franchise survey.
WHAT-FRANCHISE.COM 61
WHAT FRANCHISE 16_6 master_WHAT FRANCHISE 29/01/2021 08:22 Page 62
WHAT-FRANCHISE.COM 63
Behind the Brand - Kaspa’s Desserts
BEHIND THE BRAND: PARTNER CONTENT
Tasting sweet
success
Kaspa’s Desserts is a fast growing brand with nearly
100 restaurants in the UK
aspa’s Desserts is a UK
market leader within the
dessert parlour industry,
serving hot and cold
desserts with a full range of hot
drinks, coffee and cakes, among various
other products.
The company was founded in 2012.
The first store opened in Croydon and
quickly became a huge success. This led
to the expansion of Kaspa’s Desserts as
a franchise model, stretching to nearly
100 restaurants.
Global expansion has also started
within Pakistan and the UAE region,
with more to follow in 2021.
Kaspa’s Desserts appeals to - and
caters for - a wide demographic, among
which are families, students and
professionals who may be looking for
something different each time they
visit - from a pleasurable and
memorable celebration to a lunch
break or special treat.
With an appealing retro design,
Kaspa’s Desserts establishments
and the Kaspa’s brand are instantly
recognisable all over the UK.
IS IT THE RIGHT TIME
TO START A FRANCHISE
WITH KASPA’S DESSERTS?
Definitely. Many successful new
businesses started during difficult
times, when only those with a vision
can see the opportunities.
At present:
• Responding promptly to the
challenges of COVID-19, Kaspa’s
Desserts has devised new
formats and delivery opportunities
with flexible investment
requirement levels.
• This has led to the brand
winning the Deliveroo Best
Dessert-Only Restaurant Award
in 2019 and 2020.
• Kaspa’s Desserts has been voted
among the ‘Top 100 Franchises’ in
the UK.
• This company is a fast growing
brand within the gelato and
dessert market, which has
experienced significant growth
in the last decade.
• Interest rates are at their lowest
point for years and asset finance
is available to most Kaspa’s
Desserts franchisees.
• Landlords are keen to take on
as tenants franchisees from
national brand franchises like
Kaspa’s Desserts.
• Kaspa’s Desserts achieves one
of the highest profit margins in
the food industry.
WHY CHOOSE A KASPA’S
DESSERTS FRANCHISE?
The company sees franchisees
as partners who share Kaspa’s
Desserts’ passion for hospitality.
It strives to achieve mutual
success and improve what it
does with shared benefits.
Unlike other restaurant franchises,
Kaspa’s Desserts has developed:
• Direct core products production.
These are the company’s
trademarked, family personalised
recipes for higher and most
consistent quality.
• Direct distribution of most
goods through the Kaspa’s
Desserts warehouse and shipping
infrastructure for a punctual and
reliable supply chain.
• Full training programmes.
• Full design and site searching
support.
• Business coaching for maximum
optimisation of formats, operations
and management.
• Business formats to suit small,
medium and multi-site investors
with investments into Ghost
Kitchens, Mini Kaspa’s and
Classic Stores.
• Business collaborations with
multinational brands, such as
Reese’s, Hershey, Thorpe Park
and Paramount Movies, amongst
others.
KASPA’S DESSERTS IS THE
DELIVEROO 2019 AND
2020 BEST DESSERTONLY
RESTAURANT AWARD
WINNER
Kaspa’s has adapted to the
current climate and the challenges
through changes in its sales model to
concentrate on delivery and takeaway.
Kaspa’s has achieved great success
in sales while working with the
delivery platforms, which has resulted
in being awarded the Best Dessert-
Only Restaurant 2019 and 2020 by
Deliveroo, which was voted by the
public.
This adaption shows vision and
forward thinking to ensure the brand’s
growth and success for its future.
AT A GLANCE
KASPA’S DESSERTS
Established:2012
Number of franchised outlets: 78
Location of units: nationwide
Investment range: £40,000-£295,000
Minimum required capital: £15,000
Contact: franchise@kaspas.co.uk
kaspas.co.uk
K
“The gelato and
dessert market
has experienced
significant growth
in the last decade”
BEHIND THE BRAND: PARTNER CONTENT
64 WHAT FRANCHISE | ISSUE 16.6
large number of
businesses have created
franchise opportunities
- at any one time there’s
something like over a thousand
opportunities out there. Franchises
are sold by governments, large
PLCs, small and medium-sized
enterprises and even non-VAT
registered micro businesses.
There are very few business
formats that can’t be franchised,
but as Andy Cheetham, managing
director of Lime Licensing Group,
says: “Not all good businesses
make good franchises and some
good franchises are ruined by bad
advice at the outset.”
PREMIUM SERVICE
12 years ago he formed Lime
Licensing Group to specialise
in assisting entrepreneurs and
Lime Licensing Group specialises in assisting
entrepreneurs and business owners to
create franchise opportunities
AT A GLANCE
LIME LICENSING
GROUP
Contact: 01274 662001
limelicensinggroup.co.uk
business owners to create franchise
opportunities. Through the 1990s
and early-2000s Andy owned
five different franchise brands,
which collectively had over 300
franchisees trading.
In between each one he would
often advise and work with other
franchising entrepreneurs to help
them excel as franchisors. Several
of Andy’s clients grew to market
leading positions and multi-million
pound valuations.
“Lime Licensing Group was
formed in preference to just trading
as ‘Andy the franchise consultant’,”
he says. “I wanted to create a brand
that made franchising simple and
one that offered a premium service
based on the successful strategies
that had worked for me and various
others over the years.”
The time came when demand
outstripped Lime’s capacity to
take on additional clients and the
company now works through a
network of offices around the UK
and as far away as Canada.
As you might expect, each
office is run under a franchise
arrangement. Each Lime regional
director is a graduate of its unique
elite training programme, which is
the most comprehensive franchise
training system available in any
developed franchise economy.
As a result, Lime’s executive team
can advise any franchise brand
on best practice and draw upon
decades of hard-earned experience.
It’s that direct experience of
franchising in dozens of different
markets and at every price point
that Lime builds into each new
franchise launch.
Knowing what works and what
doesn’t from practical experience
gives the company’s clients the
ability to avoid all the common
pitfalls and mistakes.
To date, Lime has sold over
2,500 franchises worth over £100
million in revenue, a figure that is
increasing as every week goes by.
PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE
Designing franchise systems and
recruiting franchise partners at
scale requires a high degree of
practical experience.
Richard Pakey joined Lime three
years ago to head up the company’s
Cambridgeshire office. He believes
that one of the key issues that gives
rise to underperforming franchisors
and franchisees is the fact that the
process of franchising a business
can often be more profitable than
the business itself. This encourages
companies into the franchise
market, chasing franchise money
when they still have work to do on
their core model.
Richard says: “The mistakes they
make are long lasting, expensive
and can be catastrophic for the
franchisees who fail. A by-product
of engaging with one of Lime’s
advisers is that these types of
mistakes are dealt with prior to the
franchise even being launched.”
A key member of Lime’s
team is Kevin Thomas, who is
the regional director for South
Wales. Kevin has worked within
a licensed environment for
“To date, Lime
has sold over
2,500 franchises
worth over
£100 million
in revenue”
A fresh
approach to
franchising
A
Andy Cheetham: managing
director of Lime Licensing Group
Behind the Brand - XxxxxxxxxxxBehind the Brand - Lime Licensing Group
many years and was also a very
successful food and beverage
franchise owner. As a result, his
direct experience as a franchise
owner brings a unique affinity
with prospective franchisees.
Kevin says: “By fully understanding
the issues that genuinely impact the
well-being of a franchisee means that
Lime’s team are better able to create
franchise opportunities that work for
all parties.”
UNIQUE SET-UP PROCESS
Lime’s franchise consultants follow
a unique eight-week set-up process
that often begins with intellectual
property work and ends with a
carefully designed franchise launch.
Each Lime consultant will
typically consider around 40
separate modules that go into that
eight-week process, covering every
aspect involved to create a robust
franchise proposition that doesn’t
need to be chopped and changed
down the line.
By taking the time to get things
right first time, Lime’s clients
usually outperform the industry
norms. The company’s team often
then take an active role in helping
to recruit the franchise partners.
There’s no shortage of poor
franchise advice out there, the
recipients of which usually
withdraw from the franchise
industry as quickly as they arrived.
Mike Smith, regional director for
Manchester, says: “There’s simply
no way a franchise proposition can
be rolled out on a budget of a couple
of thousand pounds. I know this
because I paid a cheap consultant
to help me franchise my own
business a few years ago.
“I then came across Lime, who
totally transformed the way I was
going about it. I was so impressed I
ended up speaking with Andy about
representing Lime in the north
west and now manage a number of
very successful franchisors, all of
whom are replicating Lime’s elite
franchise blueprint with my help.”
SECURING FINANCE
Financing any franchise is a hurdle
all franchisees need to get over to
a greater or lesser extent. With the
average cost of a new franchise
running into tens of thousands of
pounds, raising sufficient capital can
often make or break a franchise sale.
Lime’s regional director for
London is Patrick Burge, who for
many years has been instrumental
in securing finance for many
entrepreneurs. In addition to
conventional routes, he helps
investors to secure their capital
via the government start-up loans
scheme. This, alongside his role
within Lime’s advisory team,
provides a complete solution to
most of the issues franchisors are
likely to face.
NORTH AMERICA
In addition to Lime’s UK-based
team, the company has recently
welcomed Steve Collette in
Canada, who as an experienced
franchisor himself is now helping
Lime’s clients access the world’s
largest franchise markets in
North America.
By providing practical guidance
to its clients, Lime is often seen as
carrying out a franchisor’s role to
its franchisor clients, guiding them
and educating their own team in
the process.
Franchising is often a new
department within an existing
business and as Andy says: “No one
knows what they don’t know.” That’s
where Lime comes in.
WHAT-FRANCHISE.COM 65
BEHIND THE BRAND: PARTNER CONTENT
Behind the Brand - Cafe2U
Positive
response to
the pandemic
Mobile coffee franchise Cafe2U has risen to the
biggest challenge in the company’s history
ith NHS and other
frontline heroes going
the extra mile every day
to keep the public safe
and secure, Cafe2U decided to do its
bit to give something back.
The UK’s number one mobile
coffee franchise has more than 90
vans across the UK and has seen
a number of its drivers changing
their routes to make sure frontline
workers get their daily coffee boost.
GOING THE EXTRA MILE
A number of franchisees have gone
the extra mile themselves too, with
more than 15,000 free cups of coffee
being donated to NHS workers.
This is all in addition to the
stringent COVID safety measures
and precautions that are in place
as part of the service offered by
franchisees. These include a socially
distanced service with contactless
payments only (where possible) at
every stop.
On top of this, Cafe2U baristas
have now started placing pop-up
tables a safe distance from their
vans and adorning them with
complimentary hand sanitiser and
copies of the Cafe2U menu to help
keep both themselves and their
patrons two metres apart.
The baristas will continue to
practice regular hand washing and
post-service antibacterial cleaning
after every purchase.
Also, Cafe2U is encouraging
customers to download its
free app, as it offers users the
opportunities to conveniently book
a mobile coffee van and pre-order
drinks, ultimately helping speed up
the service and minimise
social contact.
EXTREMELY PROUD
Speaking of the efforts by the
Cafe2U franchise network, CEO
Martyn Ward says: “I’m extremely
proud of our company’s response
to the pandemic and the brilliant
work of the wider franchise
community to adapt and endure
in what has historically been our
biggest challenge.
“Whether it was through our drive
to provide focus and clarity for our
employees, supporting the well-
being of our franchise partners or
the unique opportunities to do
more for others, I felt humbled by
the grit and determination of
our franchisees.”
SERVING KEY WORKERS
Notable mentions go to Cafe2U
Preston North West, Castle
Donnington, Belfast East, Lichfield
and Stockport North, which have
given up their time to serve key
workers such as NHS staff, fire
service personnel, care home
workers, supermarket employees
and teaching staff.
And just this week Cafe2U
Bromsgrove served coffee to the
homeless and those sleeping
rough as part of Worcestershire’s
homeless appeal.
AT A GLANCE
CAFE2U
Established:
2004
Number of franchised outlets: 90-plus
Location of units: nationwide
Investment range: as low as £15,000
(subject to status)
Minimum required capital: £10,000
(subject to status)
Contact: Teresa Fowler
cafe2u.co.uk
W
“I felt humbled
by the grit and
determination of
our franchisees”
66 WHAT FRANCHISE | ISSUE 16.6
Behind the Brand - Russo’s New York Pizzeria & Italian Kitehcn
BEHIND THE BRAND: PARTNER CONTENT
Grab a slice of
Italian heritage
Russo’s New York Pizzeria & Italian Kitchen
invites you to join the family
he son of first-generation
Italian immigrants, chef
Anthony Russo, grew up
in a New Jersey home
where the kitchen was the centre of
family life. Cooking and baking often
took place in the comfort of home, and
many of the ingredients came from the
family garden, just the way Grandpa
and Nonna Russo used to do back in
Avellino, Italy. “[My first restaurant]
was 800 square feet,” says Anthony
Russo. “I had a pizza oven, a dough
mixer, and two tables. That’s it. I could
only sit eight people.”
Using the family recipe for hand-tossed
dough, sauce made from fresh-crushed
California vine-ripened tomatoes, and
imported Italian cheese blends, Anthony
became the sole owner and chef of his
first restaurant, Russo’s Pizza, in the
early ’80s. A few years later, he created
Anthony’s Pizzeria, located in Clear
Lake, Texas, and a move to Houston
allowed him to grow his small family-
style restaurant concept.
For almost a decade, Anthony
refined his menu using classic
Italian family recipes and honed
in on the perfect New York-style
pizza. Meanwhile, he developed his
kitchen concept to maintain a casual
dining experience while having less
overheads. In 1992, Russo’s New York
Pizzeria & Italian Kitchen opened in
downtown Houston, Texas, and proved
to be a model for franchising success.
THE PIZZA INDUSTRY
IS TEEMING WITH
OPPORTUNITY
Only Russo’s has captured all four key
revenue segments in the fast-casual
market. Four important income
streams flow together, to capture
more revenue:
• Delivery - Pizza delivery is part
of the soon-to-be $200bn online
food delivery industry. Russo’s
services allow customers to call in
or, increasingly, place their
order online
• Takeout - Approximately 20 to
45 per cent of Russo’s customers
prefer takeout, making this service
the most popular and profitable. It
offers the same quick convenience
as delivery, but reduces overhead
labor cost
• Dine-in - Russo’s classic pizzeria
and Italian kitchens allow
guests to experience traditional
atmospheres while enjoying fresh,
made-to-order pizza, pasta,
and salads
• Catering - Large family events
are what Italians do best. Bringing
Russo’s recipes to a guest’s large or
small event, whether corporate or
private, allows the brand to bring a
piece of its family to theirs
Italians are famously emotional
about their cooking, and that
feeling is what makes pizza so
loved by people the world over: it’s
a social food, meant to be shared
and exclaimed over, with a sense of
occasion. More, now than ever, home
delivery sales are on the rise with an
AT A GLANCE
RUSSO’S NEW
YORK PIZZERIA &
ITALIAN KITCHEN
Established:
1992
Number of franchised outlets:
46
Location of units:
U.S., Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah
Total investment:
$395,000 - $750,000
Minimum required capital (international):
$1m (liquid capital), $2m (net worth)
Contact:
1-855-9RUSSOS
nypizzeria.com/franchise
T
Founder Anthony Russo
with giant 28” party pizza
Anthony in his first kitchen
“My first restaurant was
800 square feet. I had a pizza
oven, a dough mixer and
two tables. that’s it. I could
only sit eight people”
[Left] Anthony in his first kitchen. [Right] Russo family gathering.
—Anthony Russo
WHAT-FRANCHISE.COM 67
BEHIND THE BRAND: PARTNER CONTENT
estimated $82bn in terms of
gross revenue.
By having delivery already built
into Russo’s restaurant concept
options, each of its locations are
able to remain flexible with the
ever-changing requirements the
food industry may go through.
For example, during the COVID-19
pandemic, dine-in only restaurants
reported record lows, while those
with delivery options in the QSR
industry held the top spots.
Russo’s franchises offer the full-
service experience, depending on the
day or guest’s needs, but our delivery
and takeout concepts maximise all
sales potential for every square foot
of space your store has available.
LABOUR, FOOD, AND
STARTUP COSTS ARE
WHAT SET US APART
Our conceptual approach is a huge
factor in having a lower than average
labour cost, while our fresh, from-
scratch recipes keep food costs below
the average as well.
All of our locations are custom
designed to fit your market, giving
you a competitive advantage over
other pizza concepts in today’s
marketplace. Your total initial
investment will vary based on the
number of seats, design, and
square footage.
• Square footage ranges 1,500–
3,500 sqft.
• Startup costs range $395,000–
$750,000 (international figures)
• Multi-unit and single-units
are available
• Build in malls, strip centres,
lifestyle centres, and more
• Domestic or international
locations (request separate
information for
international breakdown)
OUR BEST
INGREDIENT IS YOU
We have spent years developing
a business strategy and initial
investment that is one of the
lowest in the comparable
category within the casual dining
restaurant industry.
These are estimates only. If you
have any additional questions please
do not hesitate to contact us.
During the qualifying phase, our
team will evaluate your financial,
character, and experience. Here’s
a quick glance at what we’ll be
looking for:
• Candidate suggested to have at
least $1m in liquid capital (for
international locations)
• Candidate suggested to have
at least $2m in net worth (for
international locations)
• Good credit standing
• A sound background in
business development
• The ability to work independently
within the Russo’s brand
• A good standing within
the community
• Financing information available
upon request
GROWTH
OPPORTUNITIES
AROUND THE WORLD
No matter the market you’re looking
to break into, our team will help you
grow Russo’s name all over the world.
Tell us your first preference during the
application phase and we’ll review the
territorial boundaries with you.
For more information about building
internationally, please get in touch with
our franchise development team. They
would love to provide you with details
about specific abroad markets and
requirements.
STEPS TO OWNERSHIP
We’re excited to have your passion
for entrepreneurship join the Russo’s
family passion of serving quality,
authentic family recipes. With these
few steps, you’re well on your way to
becoming part of the family!
1. Apply and qualify - Fill out
the confidential, non-binding
application as part of the qualification
process. During this time, our team
will review your financial status and
interview you about your previous
experience and expectations of your
new store.
2. Location search - Once
qualified, you’ll visit the team at
the corporate office to sign all
documentation and discuss your
requested location’s demographics,
region, and marketplace.
Location specification
• 1,500sqft – 3,500sqft
• Minimum 15ft store frontage
• Minimum finished 12ft ceiling height
• In-line or end-cap
• Excellent street visibility
• Outdoor seating if available
Demographics
• Average household income
$60,000 and above
• Daytime population 35,000 within
three-mile radius
Inside a Houston, TX
Russo’s location
Floorplan of a Russo’s location
OUR FDD NUMBERS SPEAK
FOR THEMSELVES
23% average labour costs 21.1% average food costs
19.2% average net income
68 WHAT FRANCHISE | ISSUE 16.6
Behind the Brand - Russo’s New York Pizzeria & Italian Kitchen
• Residential population 50,000 to
75,000 in a three-mile radius
Location type
• Strip centres
• Lifestyle centres
• Regional power centres
• Street retail
• Campus sites near schools/colleges
• Family-friendly neighbourhoods
3. Construction and design
- We offer support on floor plan
development, kitchen layout, and
interior design including all furniture
and fixtures. We’ll assist you during the
entire journey
4. Training and development - Your
comprehensive training plan will be
scheduled in Houston, Texas. During
this time, we will train you for six to
eight weeks in front of house and back
of house operations, processes,
and procedures
5. Pre-opening and opening - Our
operations team will be
on-site to support you with all aspects
of your new store opening. From
delivery to kitchen set up and training
your staff, we’ll be with you all the way
to the grand opening
6. On-going Support - Our operations
and marketing teams are available for
all franchisees to help support their
store’s growth. In an ever-expanding
world of communication, keeping up
to date with the latest trends in digital
and print advertising is essential.
Maintaining brand awareness is at the
forefront of our marketing goals. We
love allowing our franchisees to market
at their own pace and price point.
Whether it’s reaching your audiences
via email, social media, or couponing,
we work with each store to be sure
you’re reaching as many guests and/or
potential guests as possible
HEAR FROM THE FAMILY
Family is the cornerstone of the
Italian experience. We’re happy to
support its family in their endeavours
and proud to share in their success.
“I really like the business concept. It
generates great returns because there
are multiple sources of revenue.”
- Sam Farouz, single-unit owner
since 2006
“From the moment customers walk in,
they know they’ve come somewhere
special. They’re getting a true slice
of New York.” - Guillermo Medellin,
multi-unit owner of four locations
since 2010
JOIN US AT THE TABLE
We have confidence in our legacy of
Old Country cooking and don’t need
to dress it up with a lot of overpriced
‘foodie’ artifice and excess. We put our
money where our mouth is, in fresh
flavour and a fresh approach to the
pizzeria and Italian kitchen business.
We want the passion of our new
family to match our passion for food.
With a hunger for innovation and
inspiration of Italian traditions, the
only thing missing in our recipe
book is you.
Exterior of a Dubai, UAE Russo’s location
Sam Farouz
Guillermo Medellin
Call Russo’s today!
1.855.9RUSSOS
Or visit
nypizzeria.com/franchise
for more information
WHAT-FRANCHISE.COM 69
BEHIND THE BRAND: PARTNER CONTENT
A taste of the
Outer Banks
From the sandy beaches in the Outer Banks of North
Carolina, Duck Donuts is expanding its warm, delicious
and made-to-order donuts worldwide
hat started on a whim in
the small beach town of
Duck, North Carolina, has
quickly grown into one
of the nation’s fastest-growing donut
franchise companies. With nearly 100
donut shops operational in the United
States and internationally, Duck Donuts
is loved and adored for its warm,
delicious, and unique made-to-order
donut experience.
In 2006, Russ DiGilio, Duck Donuts
founder and CEO, was on a mission to
solve a family vacation problem. “Our
family wanted a place to buy warm,
delicious, made-to-order donuts, and
when we couldn’t find one, we decided
to start our own,” said DiGilio.
By 2011, Duck Donuts had expanded
to four Outer Banks locations and the
donut business was so successful that
DiGilio was continuously approached
about franchise opportunities by
fans who begged for a Duck Donuts in
their community. The first franchise
opened in Williamsburg, Virginia,
in 2013, and there are now 98 open
franchise locations in 19 states
and more than 145 additional
contracts in 27 states. Internationally,
Duck Donuts has one operating
location in Dubai, and master
franchise agreements in three
additional countries.
Through the unique experience,
customers can create their own
donut combination, starting with a
vanilla cake donut and then choosing
from a variety of coatings, toppings,
and drizzles, including traditional
favourites such as chocolate icing
with sprinkles and more adventurous
creations such as maple icing with
bacon. The family-friendly stores offer
a viewing area where children and
adults alike can watch their donuts
being made from scratch to finish.
Another aspect guests enjoy is the
everchanging introduction of new
limited-time flavours, such as Key
lime and orange icing, and a chopped
apple topping. With a strong focus
on product innovation, in recent
years, the company has also added
menu items including vegan donuts, a
chocolate cake-based donut, a donut
breakfast sandwich, donut sundaes,
espresso beverages, and milkshakes.
To date, Duck Donuts’ growth has
been organic, with much franchise
interest stemming from personal
experiences at the original locations
in the Outer Banks of North Carolina,
or along the East Coast. In order to
continue the momentum of one of
the fastest-growing donut franchises,
the company is looking at a more
aggressive approach to selling
franchise agreements domestically
and internationally, with a strong
focus in tourist and resort areas, as
well as non-traditional locations.
SWEET INTERNATIONAL
EXPANSION
Despite the overall challenges of
2020, Duck Donuts continued to see
positive growth both domestically
and internationally. In June, the
company opened its first location
outside the mainland of the United
AT A GLANCE
DUCK DONUTS
Established:
2006 (franchising since 2013)
Number of franchised outlets:
98 (1 corporate-owned)
Location of units:
U.S., Puerto Rico, UAE, Kingdom of Saudi
Arabia (in development), Australia (in
development), Canada (in development),
Egypt (in development)
Total investment:
$353,000 - $573,000
Franchise fee:
Subject to territory and number of units
Contact:
Dwayne Hoffman, dhoffman@
duckdonuts.com (U.S.), or Marcel
Portmann, mportmann@duckdonuts.com
(international)
duckdonuts.com/about-us/
W
70 WHAT FRANCHISE | ISSUE 16.6
Behind the Brand - Duck Donuts
States in Bayamón, Puerto Rico,
to much fanfare. Most recently,
the brand also celebrated an
international milestone with the
opening of its first store in Dubai,
one of the world’s fastest-growing
and most dynamic markets and
tourist destinations.
“Entering new territories such as
the competitive market in Puerto
Rico and the tourist hub in Dubai,
officially kicked off our global
expansion,” said DiGilio. “Having a
presence in an international hub
for tourism such as Dubai will open
up opportunities as we continue
to strategically grow and develop
the brand in international areas
of interest.”
Later this year and into 2021,
Duck Donuts will begin expanding
its presence in the Kingdom of Saudi
Arabia and Australia.
As Duck Donuts continues its
global expansion, the company is
now offering a flexible footprint
that still remains true to its core
brand focus, being able to serve
warm, customized donuts, in a
family-friendly atmosphere. Flexible
footprints range from 400-1,500
and coffee. Since the official launch
in February 2020, the company has
secured nearly 100,000 downloads,
generating more than $1m in sales.
“The goal for our loyalty
programme is to increase customer
frequency, drive consumer
behaviours and continue to grow
brand awareness,” said Betsy Hamm,
Duck Donuts COO. “In less than a
year, we have already received strong
consumer-driven data that gives
us a better insight into our target
audiences, allowing us to best meet
the needs of our loyal guests.”
As consumer behaviour shifted
during the pandemic, it brought to the
forefront of the restaurant industry
that brands need to keep customer
convenience in mind. Duck Donuts
continues to evaluate the ways it
offers convenience to its customers
in order to best meet their needs.
“Our family wanted a place to buy
warm, delicious, made-to-order
donuts, and when we couldn’t find
one, we decided to start our own”
square feet, and have demonstrated
to be a proven business model for
non-traditional locations such as
food trucks, airports, and stadiums.
Duck Donuts is prepared to keep
striving towards achieving its
mission of serving an edible ring of
happiness around the world.
CONSUMER
CONVENIENCE
Duck Donuts significantly invests in
technology in order to provide the
best platforms for its franchisees,
as well as provide a seamless and
convenient customer experience.
Ahead of the COVID-19 pandemic,
Duck Donuts launched its first
system-wide mobile app point-based
loyalty programme, Duck Donuts
Rewards. Available to download on
the Apple Store and Google Play, the
app is designed to work seamlessly
with Duck Donuts’s existing point-of-
sale technology.
As a Duck Donuts Rewards
member, guests can order ahead in
the app and skip the line, or scan the
app in-store to pay. Customers earn
five points for every dollar spent that
unlock sweet rewards as the status
levels increase, including free donuts
WHAT-FRANCHISE.COM 71
BEHIND THE BRAND: PARTNER CONTENT
Fortunately, before coronavirus began to
impact the United States, Duck Donuts
already had a few initiatives active,
such as its online ordering platform and
mobile app.
DUCKS THAT FLOCK
TOGETHER, STAY TOGETHER
As the coronavirus began to impact
the United States in March 2020, Duck
Donuts corporate team quickly prioritized
internal communication with franchisees
and began sharing critical operations
and marketing next steps. Duck Donuts
franchisees immediately took preventive
safety measures in an effort to mitigate
the in-store risk of exposure to the
coronavirus, such as eliminating seating
to promote social distancing, encouraging
online and mobile orders through Duck
Donuts’ website and the Duck Donuts
Rewards app, expanding the option for
curbside service, amending store hours to
allow for employee relief, additional deep
cleaning, and disinfecting procedures,
and moving the self-serve coffee bar
behind the register.
“Our doors may have been temporarily
closed, but our warm donuts were still
available as we aimed to provide a comfort
treat to families in the communities we
serve,” said DiGilio. “Our corporate team
and franchisees remained committed
to demonstrating to our guests that we
take great pride in delivering on our
purpose statement – guaranteeing every
customer a clean, courteous, family-
friendly, fun and scrumptious experience.
It is important we provide this quality of
service now more than ever.”
As sales quickly began to drop across
the industry, Duck Donuts started to
think outside the box in order to survive.
In addition to the safety measure put
in place, the company launched a
Duck Donuts Decorating Kit, serving
as a unique and fun activity for those
staying home and giving families the
chance to become an official donut
topper. Since the start of the pandemic
in the U.S., many locations have
resumed experiencing positive growth,
including same-store sales.
During the second quarter of 2020,
franchisees also continued to live
out one of the company’s core values
of being integrated with their local
community. Many franchisees donated
donuts as a way to thank frontline
and essential workers in healthcare,
groceries stores, mail clerks, and more.
“As we pushed through the
pandemic together, I could not have
been more proud of our corporate
team and group of franchisees who
demonstrated what it takes to be
resilient, persistent and sprinkle
happiness during a time of a global
crisis,” said DiGilio. “Working alongside
our franchise owners during a difficult
time only further strengthened our
relationship and trust.”
CORPORATE SUPPORTS
THE FLIGHT
Duck Donuts Franchising Company
has a team of experienced experts
ready to assist franchisees during
their journey. From the process of
market research to site selection,
construction, and design to
operations, training, and marketing
support, the corporate team
works closely with each franchise
owner to help them succeed. The
dedicated team ensures franchisees
are prepared to run and grow a
profitable Duck Donuts business.
The global donut market is
expected to reach $63bn by 2025.
The donut category continues
to experience growth due to the
accelerating habit of looking for
comfort foods and changing lifestyle
in urban cities, and makes a great fit
for multi-franchise owners looking to
round out their portfolio.
Duck Donuts is ready to transition
from emerging to an established
brand and is looking for franchisees
to be a part of the company’s growth.
72 WHAT FRANCHISE | ISSUE 16.6
WHAT-FRANCHISE.COM 73
Behind the Brand - TRIB3 International
BEHIND THE BRAND: PARTNER CONTENT
Your future
could start today
Ever thought about starting your own business? Here’s
why now’s the time, according to TRIB3
hile this is no doubt an
unprecedented period
in our history for the
changes the COVID-19
pandemic has wrought on our way
of life and the ensuing economic
pressures, if we cast our minds back
to the 2008-2009 UK recession and
the period of recovery that followed
there was one area of note that
boomed in the wake of the downturn:
entrepreneurialism.
When faced with challenging
circumstances in which businesses
are downsizing workforces and
employees are facing increased
pressure, many people will naturally
take the time to reassess and reset.
A recent study by Enterprise Nation
found that 2021 is no different.
ECONOMIC LIFT
According to the research, one in five
Britons wants to start a business this
year, with speculation that a new
wave of entrepreneurs may help lift
the economy.
Interestingly, it seems the current
economic climate isn’t creating these
ambitions, but catalysing them, with
37 per cent of those who said they
plan to start their own business
stating they had always wanted to do
so. Only 14 per cent stated they were
pivoting due to loss of employment
or being placed on furloughed leave.
The study also found that the most
popular area of industry for potential
business founders was health and
well-being, reinforcing the spotlight
that has been placed on this sector
since the pandemic took hold.
Throughout the crisis, the
enduring message has been that
being physically active is vital.
England’s chief medical officer,
Chris Whitty, stated very early on
in the first lockdown that: “There
is no situation, there is no age and
no condition where exercise is
not a good thing.”
There are a few different ways
to start your own business, but
for budding entrepreneurs looking
to de-risk the process or enter
into an industry they perhaps
haven’t had hands-on experience
with, franchising is a tried and
tested approach.
FITNESS FRANCHISING
TRIB3’s chief development officer,
Karl Dietrich, says: “Fitness
franchising allows for efficient and
fast growth of this vital sector and
allows people who are wishing to
start their own business to do this
with less risk and more support.
“While budding business owners
may be anxious about the impact
of COVID-19 safety measures on
their ability to operate a successful
fitness facility, it’s important to note
that boutique operators, like TRIB3,
are able to implement physical
distancing efficiently into the
model, as class-based fitness is
already built around capacity
management and zoning.
“Likewise, because TRIB3 offers
a unique volume boutique model
in which we can, in a standard
class, offer over 48 spots per session
with a model that is commercially
viable at super achievable occupancy
levels, a franchisee is able to break
even quickly and deliver strong
results, even with distancing
measures reducing overall capacity.
“Plus, you don’t need to be from
the fitness industry to start your
TRIB3. The wider support team and
I have decades of experience in the
sector to support you. In fact, our
CEO and founder Kevin Yates was
one of the pioneers of the UK
boutique fitness market.
“All you need is a passion for
bringing people together and
providing exceptional customer
experience and, now more than
ever, the drive to be part of an
industry that is providing
essential and pivotal services.
If that excites you, get in touch -
your future could start today.”
AT A GLANCE
TRIB3
INTERNATIONAL
Established:
2016
Number of franchised outlets:
5(of12outlets)
Locations of all outlets:
Sheffield, Leeds, Bristol, Helsinki, Moscow,
Madrid: Cuzco, Basilica and Goya,
Guangzhou, Edinburgh (opening Q1 2021),
Manchester x 2 (opening Q12021)
Master franchisee investment level:
£59,000 plus bank funding
Contact:
franchise team.franchise@trib3.co.uk
trib3.co.uk/franchise
W“Our CEO and
founder Kevin
Yates was one of
the pioneers of
the UK boutique
fitness market”
Karl Dietrich, TRIB3’s chief
development officer
ADVICE
74 WHAT FRANCHISE | ISSUE 15.5
INSIGHT
How to shine during the
selection process
Franchisors require a variety of qualities in prospective franchisees, not just
whether they have sufficient funds to invest. Here’s what you need to know
to ensure you stand out from the competition
hreats of redundancy
and recession mean
many more people
are applying to
become franchisees. As a result,
competition among prospective
franchisees is rife.
So here’s what you need to know to
boost your chances of being selected:
It’s not just about
the money
You’d not always know it from
the adverts, but franchisors don’t
just check that you have got the
necessary funds and then say yes
to your application. They turn down
far more prospective franchisees
than they accept.
Pam Gordon, a franchise
recruitment and development
consultant at The Franchising
Centre, who helps franchisors
recruit franchisees, says: “Many
prospective franchisees don’t
realise that they face competition
to become a franchisee. Many
applicants do not expect that.”
How do you make yourself
appealing to franchisors? Pam
identifies the most common things
franchisors looks for:
Pain
By this, Pam means you need a
reason to make a change in your life.
She says: “It could be
dissatisfaction with your present job
or lifestyle, feeling bored, stagnant
or just ready for a change. Ask
yourself: are you really ready for
this change now?”
Franchisors will be checking your
motivation, so think about this
before contacting them.
Change may be forced upon you
if you’ve been made redundant, but
nevertheless ensure you really do
want to go into business.
Franchisors want franchisees
who are business partners,
not employees, so if you’re
considering investing in
a franchise because you
cannot find a job, think
carefully. Launching
a business, even as a
franchisee, is vastly
different from getting
a job.
Positivity
Franchisors look
for people with a
positive mindset.
“Some
applicants seem
defensive from
the start and
ask negative
questions
such as:
‘Am I going
to earn
enough?’
Pam says.
T
WORDS BY LINDA WHITNEY
74 WHAT FRANCHISE | ISSUE 16.6
THE AUTHOR
Linda Whitney writes
about franchising for
the Daily Mail, What
Franchise and many
other publications
WHAT-FRANCHISE.COM 75
“Many prospective franchisees fail the selection
process because they don’t understand the level
of commitment required”
WHAT-FRANCHISE.COM 75
Positive questions are things like:
‘What’s the highest level of turnover
I could reach?’ and: ‘How soon is it
before your franchisees typically
start to expand?’
Preparation
Research what the franchisor is
looking for. This can be harder than
it first appears.
Franchise adverts and websites
typically give a list of qualities they
seek in prospective franchisees. They
often feature terms such as ‘ambitious’,
‘hardworking’, ‘people skills’ and
‘business-minded’. But what do these
actually mean in practice?
It can be hard for someone who
has not run a business before to
recognise these skills and qualities
in themselves, let alone know how
to prove they have them.
This lack of specifics in franchise
recruitment adverts means many
prospective franchisees are just
guessing that they might be suitable
- an approach that can mean
wasted effort for both franchisees
and franchisors.
The way to find out what
franchisors really want can be
to look at what their franchisees
actually do.
“Check their website for
franchisee profiles and ‘day in the
life’ stories that explain what the
franchisees do,” Pam says.
They may refer to sales calls,
marketing activities, team meetings
and admin, as well as more obvious
activities such as delivering pet
food or providing business services.
If you’ve done similar things
before, this is the kind of
experience franchisors will look for.
You will usually be able to work
out what the franchisor is looking
for - and those are the skills and
qualities you should mention to
the franchisor.
Pragmatism
“Many prospective franchisees
fail the selection process because
they don’t understand the level of
commitment required, in terms of
time and effort,” Pam says.
For instance, if a franchise
requires you to work full-time, don’t
apply if you can only commit to
part-time hours. Franchisors need
you to understand what to expect.
Differing expectations between
franchisors and franchisees
increase the risk of business failure.
Planning
Plan your approach to the franchisor.
Research the franchise, its
market, what franchising is and
what you will be expected to do.
Have a list of questions for the
franchisor and then call them. Many
like to speak to applicants on the
phone initially, so they can see how
you come across in conversation.
People
Almost all franchisors require
franchisees to have ‘people skills’.
This is the ability to communicate
comfortably with all types of people.
Good communications skills
enable you to form relationships
with customers. This is essential
if you want them to buy goods or
services from you, which
forms the basis of any business.
Being a ‘people person’ also
makes you more likely to work
well with the franchise head
office team and other franchisees
in the network.
Highlight evidence of your
communication and people skills
when approaching franchisors.
Purpose and passion
Franchisors look for people who
demonstrate purpose and passion
for the business.
“If you’re enthusiastic enough
about a franchise to tell friends and
family about it, it’s a good sign that
you’re passionate about it,” Pam
says. “If you’re embarrassed to tell
them, you’re probably not.”
Franchisors want to see this
because operational skills can
be taught, but enthusiasm for a
business cannot.
Ask an expert
If you’re unsure about how to
approach franchisors in a way
that makes you more likely to be
accepted as a franchisee, consider
speaking to a franchise consultant
who recruits franchisees on behalf
of franchisors.
“Franchise consultants who
include franchisee recruitment
among their services, like me, can
help you identify what you have
to offer franchisors, what kind of
franchises might suit you and help
you shortlist possibilities,” Pam says.
“Call the consultant. Most, like
me, offer an hour consultation
free of charge.”
INSIGHT
76 WHAT FRANCHISE | ISSUE 16.6
Barbara Burnett, Just Cuts
Identifying my transferable
skills helped me get a franchise
When Barbara Burnett lost her
husband out of the blue, she was
devastated. She also knew she faced
another huge challenge.
“My daughter has severe learning
difficulties and various other medical
conditions, so she needs specific
personalised care 24/7,” Barbara says.
“I had been in a full-time senior
management role in the charity sector
and my husband and I had achieved
a good balance between us and the
carer I employed to enable Lauren’s care
needs. It was impossible to continue
working full-time and still give my
daughter the emotional and physical
care she needed.
“I realised that setting up a business
was the only feasible way I could care for
Lauren and still have financial security.
“I needed a business where I did
not have to be on site - ideally, a
franchise. My knowledge of the charity
sector would not help me, but I had
strong transferable skills in marketing
and people management. I needed
a franchise that could be run from a
distance, with an essential USP that
attracted customers.”
Barbara researched franchises online,
attended conferences and exhibitions
and finally found the perfect fit.
“Just Cuts fitted all my criteria and
they fitted mine - a perfect match,”
she says.
Barbara now has a Just Cuts salon in
Stevenage and another in Leeds.
She advises: “Before I applied, I listed
my soft skills, the kind that franchisors
usually look for.
“For me that meant marketing, team
management, strategy, analysis and
communications - basically, finger-
on-the-pulse business management.
Then I drew up a CV crafted to suit the
franchise and listed my transferable,
relevant skills on page one.
“It helps franchisors to see your
strengths and the areas in which you
could need their help - and it worked
for me.”
“Franchisors will be
checking your motivation,
so think about this before
contacting them”
THE 5 BIGGEST
MISTAKES WOULD-BE
FRANCHISEES MAKE
1
Assuming that just
having the funds required
will automatically get you
accepted as a franchisee.
2
Skimping on research.
As well as online research,
speak to some franchisees and
attend virtual discovery days.
3
Assuming a meeting
with a franchisor is
like a job interview. It’s
a discussion between
potential business partners.
4
Underestimating the
amount of work involved.
5
When talking to franchisors,
focusing solely on the
money you could make.
WHAT DO FRANCHISORS LOOK FOR?
Chris Wootton, managing director of
domestic cleaning franchise Poppies, says:
“Franchisors in the service sector want to
ensure that you recognise both good and
bad service and may ask you for examples.”
They also look for confident - but not
arrogant - communicators who have
the ability to listen, but also hold a
balanced conversation.
“They will be listening for this from your
initial phone call,” Chris says.
They want people who are willing to take
responsibility for business issues and
deal with problems effectively.
“They may ask for examples,” Chris says.
In the cleaning sector, they will look for
people who can get on with clients and
cleaners -often different types of people.
“Some kinds of experience are
particularly helpful, such as hotel
housekeeping, where you have managed
staff and dealt with clients while under
time pressure, or in retail management,
where you have worked with customers,
but also had experience of working within
budgets and deploying staff to maintain
profits,” Chris says.
He also recommends reading case
studies of existing franchisees
before calling the Poppies head
office: “Our discovery days include
a self-discovery quiz that’s designed
to show you if it’s worth pursuing
your application.”
David Mathie, UK general manager of
hairdressing franchise Just Cuts, says:
“Our website deliberately doesn’t list
any qualifications or qualities we seek
in franchisees, but we do say that they
need no hairdressing skills.
“We want franchisees to work on the
business, not in it. They employ team
leaders and stylists to work in the salons.”
However, he does look for experience of
managing a team in a customer service
environment: “We want franchisees
who appreciate that stylists are creative
and who have a positive and uplifting
attitude, because that affects their
whole business.”
Unlike most UK-founded franchises, Just
Cuts, which is headquartered in Australia,
expects prospective franchisees to
supply a CV and the recruitment process
includes personality tests that reveal
applicants’ suitability for the franchise.
Becky Sagar, Poppies
Look at the skills, not the sector
“I hate cleaning, but I love my Poppies
cleaning franchise,” Becky Sagar, from
Exeter, says.
Becky was working in her father’s hot
air ballooning company after graduating
when she met the founder of the Poppies
franchise.
“They knew I wanted to work for myself
and suggested I think about becoming
a Poppies franchisee,” Becky says. “I
thought: ‘Cleaning? Not for me!’.”
But when she researched what was
required of franchisees, Becky saw it
suited her existing skills. Ballooning needs
high levels of organisation and attention
to detail, careful planning and good
communication skills for dealing with
pilots and customers.
“Then I spent time with some existing
franchisees and learnt that the skills are
about communicating with customers
and your teams of cleaners, organising,
problem solving and delivering high
service standards,” Becky says.
“I invested in the franchise 13 years ago
and I still love it.”
She advises prospective franchisees:
“Look beyond the label. Research the
skills that the franchise really requires.”
WHATFRANCHISE.COM 77
SHOULD I SEND MY
CV TO FRANCHISORS?
Only if you tailor it to the
franchise. Investing
in a franchise is not like
applying for a job.
Most UK franchisors don’t
ask prospective franchisees
to send a CV, so supplying the
same one you’ve previously
used to apply for jobs may
be of little value, unless it
already includes plenty of
evidence of the kind of skills
the franchisor is looking for.
Sending your usual CV may
even give the impression
that you’re looking to ‘buy a
job’, which franchisors don’t
like because they’re looking
for people who want to build
their own business.
On the other hand, a CV
tailored to suit the franchise,
which highlights the kind
of skills the franchisor is
looking for and gives practical
evidence of the results
you’ve gained from using
them, could make you more
attractive to franchisors.
Pam Gordon, a franchise
recruitment and development
consultant at The Franchising
Centre, says: “In 20 years of
helping franchisors source
suitable franchisees, I’ve
only seen about two CVs
effectively tweaked to target
the franchisor.
“If you can do this, it could
really help you stand out.”
BEHIND THE BRAND: PARTNER CONTENT
Behind the Brand - Swimtime UK
Become part of
the solution
Swimtime is looking for enthusiastic, passionate
and business driven people to help tackle
children’s health issues
ne in three children
leave primary school in
the UK unable to swim
25 metres.
The next generation are facing
unprecedented challenges, including
technology addiction, rising mental
health issues and general inactivity.
In being a Swimtime franchisee,
you’re part of the solution by tackling
children’s health issues, which makes
it one of the most worthwhile things
you’ll ever do.
Established in 1998, Swimtime is
the UK’s market leading franchise-
based swim school business,
teaching tens of thousands of people
to swim every week across
hundreds of pools.
As well as being proud of its
culture and high standards, the
company is proud of its cutting edge
technology, which has transformed
the business and the businesses of
Swimtime franchisees.
WHY CONSIDER A
SWIMTIME FRANCHISE?
Swimtime holds its values close to its
heart and believes:
• Family is everything.
• In being socially responsible.
• In raising the standard.
• In engaging with its communities.
The company is looking for
enthusiastic, passionate, business
driven, like-minded people to take on
this scalable franchise.
WHAT DOES A
FRANCHISEE DO?
As a Swimtime franchisee, you work
your own business plan, set
your own targets, manage
your own profit and loss
and focus on developing
your business at your pace,
achieving the balance you
want between home and
work life.
Swimtime’s software
provides the tools for the
job, with information at your
fingertips available 24/7 and
support and guidance from
the central support team
every step of the way.
WHAT MAKES
SWIMTIME SPECIAL?
The past year has taught
Swimtime many things,
as it has many people.
One thing the company’s
franchisees have said is that
Swimtime is great in a crisis. From
day one of the pandemic lockdown,
its central support team went into
overdrive in supporting franchisees:
• Swimtime’s unique technology
enabled it to respond quickly
with rolling lockdowns, ensuring
clients were not charged, which
built trust. Almost all customers
left credit with franchisees,
which preserved cash flow for
the network.
• The company deployed a national
communication strategy to its
network, which directly reduced
client contact to a minimum. This
gave the network breathing space
from clients who were looking
for information by providing it
centrally online.
• Swimtime lost less than 0.5 per
cent of network customers, a
fraction of what was lost across
many other schools.
• It launched an ecommerce
offering to raise the brand’s
profile when pools were closed.
• During lockdown, Swimtime’s
in-house team of experts created
bespoke risk assessments and
delivered over 50 hours of
training.
• Business support is always
available to anyone that
needs it and during lockdown
this did not stop. Swimtime
made sure franchisees knew
what grants and funding were
available to help their businesses
survive lockdown and the
company helped support them
with insurance claims.
• This culminated in Swimtime
being awarded Team of the
Year at the UK Business
Awards 2020.
AT A GLANCE
SWIMTIME UK
Established:
1998
Number of franchised outlets:
30
Location of units:
UK
Investment range:
from £20,000 (plus VAT)
Minimum required capital:
£30,000 (dependent on individual)
Contact:
franchise@swimtime.org
swimtime.org
O
“As well as being proud
of its culture and high
standards, the company is
proud of its cutting edge
technology”
78 WHAT FRANCHISE | ISSUE 16.6
UK FRANCHISE
INCENTIVES AVAILABLE
NOW
RICHARD@LIMELICENSINGGROUP.CO.UK
WHAT FRANCHISE 16_6 master_WHAT FRANCHISE 29/01/2021 13:21 Page 79
INSIGHT
Franchise fast-track: go from
start-up to scale up
If you have ambitions to build a multi-unit business, franchising can help
achieve your goal. But a strategic approach is essential for success
T
WORDS BY PAM GORDON
“For the franchisee,
there is a danger of
becoming overextended
when it comes to
resources and finance”
he story of franchising
is a complex one when
you start to discuss
multi-unit franchising.
The franchise industry’s
fundamental belief is that being a
hands-on franchisee will develop
and grow a business to greater
levels and to a better standard and
quality than an employee.
The paradox of multi-unit
franchises is that often they’re
operated on a day-to-day basis
by an employee and not the
franchisee directly.
However, multi-unit franchises
do seem to work and benefit
the hands-on employees, the
franchisees (multi-unit owners)
and the franchisor. As a result,
we often see this strategy being
used by master and global
franchisors.
Profile of a multi-unit
franchisee
A would-be multi-unit franchisee
is often an ambitious individual
or a group of investors, family or
friends coming together to invest
and pool their experience and skills
to start their own business and see
franchising as a quicker route
to returns.
They may have more funds to
invest and more equity to secure
finance, so are able to consider
larger investment franchises or
development agreements with
multi-site openings.
In many cases, the franchises
that attract multi-unit franchisees
are those with management
structures in place, so that the
franchisee doesn’t have to be
hands-on from the off.
These businesses may have
been developed to support more
investment-style franchise
models, so the employees within
the franchise units also get the
benefit of a strong support structure
and training programme from
the franchisor.
In many management franchise
models, the franchisee starts directly
within the business, but very much
in a management role. The model
allows for the growth of a staffing
structure around them to build
themselves out of the day-to-day
operation.
Some franchisees even start
as multi-unit owners, as some
franchises operate a development
agreement model - often
in the quick service
restaurant/food sector - where
a franchise agreement says the
franchisee has to open a number of
units within a particular time period.
Some franchisors want to ensure
the franchisee has access to the
capital to fund the agreed number of
outlets from the start and others will
plan the growth within the business
planning, so knowing that when
unit one gets to a certain size
it should be able to fund
the investment in unit
two and so on.
In other networks,
multi-unit
franchises
THE AUTHOR
Pam Gordon is
franchise recruitment
and development
consultant at The
Franchising Centre
80 WHAT FRANCHISE | ISSUE 16.6
are more organic and weren’t part of
a strategic plan.
They often came about because
of an ambitious individual who
had grown their original business
substantially and had built a
team that allowed them to take
on a neighbouring area or buy an
additional business, either from
within the franchise network or
an independent one that was
brought under the umbrella of the
franchise brand.
This can only be done with
the agreement and support of
the franchisor and the franchise
network and also at a time when
the franchisee and their team are
ready. In my experience, it has to
be planned and the timing has to
be right, as the first unit needs to
be able to have the franchisee less
hands-on.
In sectors such as fast food,
an outlet might be open
24/7, meaning the
WHAT-FRANCHISE.COM 81
franchisee can’t be there all the
time, so already a structure of staff
delegation to managers is in place,
allowing the franchisee to be less
directly involved in the business.
In other sectors, it might take
more time to build that team
structure and get to a point where
the business has a manager in place,
allowing the franchisee to think
about another location or unit.
What can often happen is that
neither the new unit or the existing
one grow as the set-up wasn’t right
or the timing wasn’t planned.
So a franchisor ideally will be
looking to work with the franchisee,
providing advice about the plans,
and expect the franchisee to present
their proposal for growth, rather
than just ‘selling’ them another area.
This approach makes for longer-
term stability for both parties to
support the expansion.
Multi-unit franchising
from a franchisor’s
perspective
Multi-unit franchisees can be
easier to manage from a franchisor’s
point of view.
As an example, rather than having
200 franchisees, having 100 with
two units each means benefiting
from potential economies
of scale when it comes to
support, training and
communication.
The financial
institutions, such as the
major banks, view multi-unit franchising in
a positive light too.
The initial investment may be higher
than a hands-on franchise, but for them
there are cross-selling opportunities for
loans, asset finance, payroll support
and business insurance.
In addition, many lenders will consider
loaning money to multi-unit franchisees
who have a portfolio of investment across
different or complementary sectors, such
as gyms and beauty or therapy businesses,
because it reduces their risk.
Potential pitfalls
Multi-unit franchising looks like a great
way to build a sustainable business that
benefits from economies of scale. But,
like many things in business, there are
potential pitfalls.
For the franchisee, there is a danger of
becoming overextended when it comes
to resources and finance or not having
the right staff in place that allows for the
successful management of both trading
and new locations.
On top of this, a multi-unit franchisee
may have put all their eggs in one basket
and become reliant on one sector and
one franchisor.
A strategic risk to the franchisor is if a
franchisee ends up owning a significant
proportion of the network.
During my time in the industry, I’ve
witnessed the management service fee that
was paid by a franchisee who owned five
sites become a significant amount of the
franchisor’s income, which started to give
them not only power and influence,
but became a risk if the business
failed or the franchisee sold up.
Also, some franchisees
in fast food chains have
formed collectives and
opposed decisions
made by the franchisor,
leading to conflict in
the network.
In summary,
multi-unit franchising
can be a great way
to run a business from
both a franchisee and franchisor
standpoint, as long as it’s strategic,
planned and monitored.
36%
The number of franchisees who own more than
one unit, up seven per cent since 2015.
Source: 2018 British Franchise Association NatWest
franchise survey.
BEHIND THE BRAND: PARTNER CONTENT
Behind the Brand - Franchise Resales
If it’s time
to sell…
It’s time to talk to Franchise Resales and take
advantage of a special offer
re you a franchisee
looking to capitalise on
your investment by selling
your business? Then get
in touch with Franchise Resales and
enjoy the bonus of a special deal.
It could be that the coronavirus
pandemic has encouraged your move,
an unexpected alternative business or
career opportunity has cropped up or
you have decided to retire.
Alternatively, you may simply want
to take a break, but having loved the
benefits of running a business backed
by an established brand you haven’t
ruled out buying another franchise at
some time in the future.
ACT NOW
Whatever the reason, Franchise
Resales, with its great track record of
guiding everyone from the newest to
the most seasoned franchisee every
step of the way, says it’s easy to get
the ball rolling.
There’s also a particularly good
reason to act now - the company
is waiving its upfront fees for the
duration of the current lockdown.
Franchise Resales director Michael
Bohan says: “Another reason to
consider selling now is the fact that
so many people have unfortunately
been made redundant due to the
current health crisis and they’re
thinking about what to do next.
“It’s a well known fact that, once
over the initial shock, many people
who have lost their jobs in this way
decide to work for themselves.
“Some may have wanted to go self-
employed for years. Redundancy is
the catalyst that encourages them to
take the plunge. Taking a franchise
gives them the backing of a tried and
tested brand.”
MAXIMUM EXPOSURE
For the franchisee looking to sell,
there’s a staged procedure to follow.
But the first question on your
mind will be: “How much is my
business worth?”
If your accounts are in order and
you’re eager to get started, Franchise
Resales is ready to help you.
“Your first port of call is to get
in touch with our listings and
relationship manager, who will
start by doing an appraisal of your
business, which will take into account
all the different aspects, including its
size, sales and the number of people
you employ,” Michael says.
“From this, we will draw up a sales
prospectus, which will show your
franchise in a positive light. Once
this is agreed, we can start marketing
it on the Franchise Resales website
and other selected third-party
websites to give your business the
maximum exposure.”
Franchise Resales’ upgraded
systems mean you can be confident
that your business opportunity
can be seen around the clock at
franchiseresales.co.uk. The FR24
portal also gives you fast access to
your account manager.
Franchise Resales is happy to
deal with all sales enquiries,
irrespective of whether or not you
bought your original franchise
through the company.
AT A GLANCE
FRANCHISE
RESALES
Contact: Michael Bohan
Tel: 01522 246811
Email: info@franchiseresales.co.uk
franchiseresales.co.uk
A
“We will draw up a sales
prospectus, which will
show your franchise in a
positive light”
82 WHAT FRANCHISE | ISSUE 16.6
WHAT-FRANCHISE.COM 83
SMALL BUSINESS
WORKSHOP
What Franchise’s
resident business agony aunt
Angie Coates, founder and CEO of Monkey Music,
answers your business and entrepreneurial conundrums
I CAN’T DECIDE WHETHER TO
OPEN A RETAIL BUSINESS ONLINE
ONLY OR COMBINE IT WITH A
BRICKS AND MORTAR STORE.
WHAT WOULD YOU ADVISE?
This is a huge question. And even
more challenging without knowing
your product/service or target market.
Irrespective, my instinct is ‘stick to what
you know’, minimising new learning
while you get up and running.
While online-only may appear attractive
because of the potentially lower cost
base, it’s a competitive, fast moving and
increasingly sophisticated space. As such,
if your background is in bricks and mortar
it may be better to launch in a familiar
environment and while learning about online.
Although the additional running costs
of a physical store can be significant (rent,
rates, additional staff, etc) these do bring
advantages. For example, your storefront
provides powerful advertising opportunities,
you may benefit from the current ‘shop
local’ movement and returns are likely to
be lower and customer loyalty higher.
If your background is digital, you’ll
already know the challenges of creating an
engaging online customer experience and
how to drive and convert traffic through
social marketing and organic/paid search.
Time invested learning the ropes
of bricks and mortar is time not spent
competing online as, although there
may be overlap in operations between
the two parts of the business, each
has separate elements that offer no
economies of effort. For example, the
in-store and online customer experiences
need to be developed independently.
The question is: does the benefits of bricks
and mortar outweigh the costs and extra
work? Building a good face-to-face customer
service and creating a stand-out shopping
experience are harder than many imagine.
Of course, there are exceptions and if
you’re buying a franchise the franchisor
may offer templates, guides, training and
other support that reduce or eliminate
many of the unknowns and risks.
Whichever route you choose, be
realistic about how much time everything
takes, what your costs are going to be
and what revenues you can achieve.
IS THERE A FORMULA FOR SETTING
COMPETITIVE PRICE LEVELS FOR
MY PRODUCTS AND SERVICES?
Sorry, no, there is no magic formula. A
product or service is worth whatever
people will pay for it and determining that
is a combination of art and science.
However, it’s worth getting it right,
as many businesses fail due
to poor pricing strategy.
Here’s how I’d approach it:
• Do your market research. What
are your competitors charging?
What do they offer for that?
• Calculate annual sales. Be realistic.
Break annual sales down into units
per month or week.
• Work out your costs. Include alldirect
costs (development, etc) and the variable
costs of production (materials, packaging
and labour). Work out what percentage of
your fixed costs (overheads such as rent,
rates, etc) the product needs to cover. Add
these together and divide by the volume to
produce an initial unit break-even figure.
• Add on a margin. Put a margin onto the
cost per unit and you have a sales price.
• Benchmark your sales price. Use your
market research and, if appropriate,
revisit your costs and/or margin.
• Watch the market. Regularly review
your pricing strategy, as your costs,
customers and competitors will change.
At some point you simply have to
commit. If you’re really unsure, consider
a ‘product launch offer £x, normal price
£y’ strategy to test the water without
devaluing the product. But remember,
price is only one factor that affects sales.
WITH ANGIE COATES
Have a question you wish to ask Angie?
Email editor@what-franchise.com
Check out Angie on Instagram:
@angiecoatesmusic
WHAT-FRANCHISE.COM 83
84 WHAT FRANCHISE | ISSUE 16.6
ALAN WILKINSON WRITES:
When a franchisor recruits
franchisees, it will have a set profile of
the type of skills, experience and
personality required to be a successful
franchisee of its brand. The
recruitment process should identify
each element of the franchisee’s core
skill set and relevant experience
before a decision is made to offer that
individual a franchise.
In some cases, there will be a perfect
match of the required attributes.
However, in some cases there is a
‘close enough’ match and if both
parties are confident the offer may be
made anyway.
When it comes to the induction
training of that new franchisee, a
franchisor has an obligation to ensure
they have or obtains through training
and support all the skills required to
operate the business successfully.
This will typically include every
element of the training that every
franchisee goes through.
However, there are often cases
where the franchisee already has a
good knowledge and understanding
of a particular topic. In this case, a
franchisor may choose to spend
less time on this topic and more
time on one the franchisee is less
confident on.
JOHN PRATT WRITES:
There may be none if you’re not suited
to dealing with businesses.
Many people like the regular contact
with consumers because it makes
business interesting. For others,
however, having a large number of
customers or supplying products or
services of relatively low value is an
administrative and financial
nightmare. For them, their strength
may well lie in efficient management
rather than their sales skills, so having
a business-to-business franchise is
likely to be more attractive.
Business clients will generally place
larger orders, but will expect an
efficient machine to satisfy those
orders. In other words, regular, timely
and efficient invoicing is essential
and ensuring orders are delivered on
time must also be achieved, as
business customers are unlikely to
allow too many mistakes to be made
before they move on.
The other challenge is that because
orders are likely to be for a larger
amount than when dealing with
consumers, ensuring a positive cash
flow by making sure that payment is
received on time is essential and, of
course, a failure of a customer or its
inability to make payments could have
a very substantial negative impact on
a franchisee’s business.
In a nutshell, there are
undoubtedly positives in having a
business-to-business franchise, but
there are also negatives.
QWILL A FRANCHISOR TAILOR ITS INITIAL
TRAINING TO ME OR WILL IT ONLY PROVIDE
SET INSTRUCTION THAT COVERS ALL
ASPECTS OF THE BUSINESS?
QWHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES OF BUYING A
BUSINESS-TO-BUSINESS FRANCHISE?
Our panel of industry specialists answer
your franchise questions
Ask The
EXPERTS
ALAN WILKINSON is head of franchise development at The Franchising Centre
and has been in franchising for over 24 years.
JOHN PRATT is senior partner at specialist franchise firm Hamilton Pratt
and has advised franchisors for over 25 years.
WHAT-FRANCHISE.COM 85
LOUISE HARRIS WRITES:
Not all franchises are based on
territories. Some may be split into
business sectors, trading sites or
other forms of delineation.
The nature of the business will
dictate whether a franchisee will be
required to live in that territory. If
the business is store based, it most
likely won’t matter if the franchisee
lives in the locality. If the franchisee
works in the business operationally,
it may be essential that they are
located in territory.
What is important to note is that
you may give yourself significant
competitive advantage by living
within the territory - your personal
networks may give you a boost at the
start of your business and help out
as you grow.
Check with the franchisor and
trading franchisees, as everything
you can do to drive the success of
your business is valuable and living in
territory might be a significant boost.
You should be encouraged if a
franchisor declines your application
because you’re not living in territory.
It will know and understand what is
needed and if you don’t fit the profile
that’s better than being awarded a
territory only to find that you’re in the
wrong place.
SHELLEY NADLER WRITES:
There’s not an industry average for
spending on research and development
in franchising.
Generally, companies in health care
and technology sectors spend more on
research and development than retail
and consumer businesses.
All franchisors should have research
and development facilities in relation
to their products, services or system
and the market image projected.
Franchisees will expect franchisors
to innovate to ensure the network
remains competitive and takes
advantage of the latest technological
developments. This is part of what
franchisees buy into, rather than
starting a business on their own.
Franchisors should be experimenting
with new product lines and/or the
introduction of new or improved
services. These products and services
must be compatible with the existing
business and should be thoroughly
market tested before they’re adopted.
All changes, whether to system,
products or services, should be as
carefully evaluated as the original
operation that was the basis upon
which the franchise was started, so
that the franchisor can demonstrate
to franchisees the likely benefit that
should result from their introduction.
Technology related research and
development may qualify for research
and development tax relief if certain
criteria are met. Franchisors should
discuss this with their accountant or
financial adviser.
QDOES A FRANCHISEE HAVE TO LIVE WITHIN
THE TRADING TERRITORY THEIR BUSINESS
IS BASED IN?
QIS THERE AN INDUSTRY AVERAGE OF WHAT
PERCENTAGE OF REVENUE A FRANCHISOR
SPENDS ON RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT?
Got a question about franchising? Email editor@what-franchise.com or
check out the ‘Ask’ section at what-franchise.com
LOUISE HARRIS is an experienced franchisor, having built and sold an award
winning franchise. She is now head of strategic partnerships at easyStorage.
SHELLEY NADLER is a legal director in Bird & Bird’s international franchising team
and has many years’ experience of advising on all aspects of franchising.
BEHIND THE BRAND: PARTNER CONTENT
Behind the Brand - FASTSIGNS
When the going
gets tough...
FASTSIGNS certainly got going at the start of the
COVID-19 pandemic
n the immortal words
of Billy Ocean, when the
going gets tough, the
tough get going. When a
problem arises, as a franchisee, you
need to know exactly who’s in your
corner and what support you’ll receive.
On March 23, 2020 FASTSIGNS
franchisees found out exactly the kind
of support their franchisor was able to
implement to help them weather the
oncoming COVID-19 storm.
With the unpredictable
circumstances, it would have been
understandable for FASTSIGNS, as the
franchisor, to hang back and get a ‘lay
of the land’ as the situation unfolded.
However, FASTSIGNS International’s
CEO, Catherine Monson, decided to
act proactively.
NEW RESOURCES
Considering world events prior to
March 2020, FASTSIGNS had already
commissioned a document advising
franchisees on best practices for
weathering a recession.
Although it was not planned
for release until required, it was
provided to all 700-plus franchisees,
accompanied by a strong dose of
Catherine’s personal positive mental
attitude and adopting motivational
speaker Zig Ziglar’s quote as a mantra
for the network: “Expect the best,
prepare for the worst and capitalise
on what comes.”
To do this virtually overnight, the
FASTSIGNS resource site was launched
as a hub for emerging information,
which all franchisees could access.
In addition, Catherine hosted weekly
international conference calls to keep
the network abreast of global changes,
share best practice and recognise the
efforts of franchisees.
UK TASK FORCE
In the UK, the dedicated support
team focused on in-country
information, setting up a ‘local’
weekly conference call, while a
task force of five franchisees was
launched to spearhead initiatives.
Within two weeks, the task force had
recognised the need to pivot
and had implemented:
• A set of standard infection control
signage. Easily replicable by each
centre, it allowed customers to be
compliant with COVID regulations.
• An ecommerce site that removed
barriers to purchase and
sidestepped FASTSIGNS’ usual
consultative selling process,
although this remained available
if a business required bespoke
COVID signage.
• An intensive marketing programme
to raise awareness of FASTSIGNS’
capabilities available to businesses
navigating the pandemic.
The UK support team worked with
each franchisee to understand their
individual situations, preparing cash
flow forecasts, managing resources,
assessing staffing costs and advising
on furlough opportunities, creating
individual action plans for centres and
enabling them to obtain the financial
support that would become available.
For each centre, three scenarios
were worked up that focused on the
potential ‘good’, ‘better’ and ‘best’
outcomes, helping franchisees to be
aware and informed whatever the
eventual outcome.
SOLID BLUEPRINT
All of this felt reactive in March 2020.
However, it created a solid blueprint
for Lockdown 2.0 in November and
Lockdown 3.0 in January 2021 and
has meant that despite the challenges
of the global pandemic FASTSIGNS
franchisees have been able to thrive.
While no one can predict the
future, for franchisees it’s positive to
know that during challenging times
they’ve got the backing of a franchisor
that’s prepared to stand shoulder to
shoulder with them, no matter how
heavy the storm.
AT A GLANCE
FASTSIGNS
Established:
1985
Number of franchised outlets:
24 in UK. Over 700 worldwide
Location of units:
Birmingham, Bolton, Brighton,
Chelmsford, Crawley, Enfield, Gloucester,
Guildford, Hammersmith, Huddersfield,
Hull, Islington, Kingston, Leeds, Leicester,
Manchester, Maidstone, Milton Keynes,
Peterborough, Portsmouth, Southampton,
Sheffield, St Albans, York
Investment range:
£125,000-plus
Minimum required capital:
£36,000
Contact:
01785 253140.enquiries@fastsigns.com
fsfastsigns.co.uk
I
“The UK support
team worked
with each
franchisee to
understand
their individual
situations”
86 WHAT FRANCHISE | ISSUE 16.6
WHAT-FRANCHISE.COM 87
Behind the Brand - Meyers Estate Agents
BEHIND THE BRAND: PARTNER CONTENT
Moving beyond
expectations
Meyers Estate Agents helps property owners sell
quickly with more affordable costs. Principal
Mark Meyer explains all
he UK’s first 24/7 hybrid
agency, Meyers Estate
Agents is a fast growing
home-based business
that has been voted in the top three
per cent of UK estate agencies.
The multi award-winning
franchise helps property owners sell
quickly with more affordable costs.
We caught up with ex-ski and
snowboard instructor turned estate
agent Mark Meyer to find out more:
WHY DID YOU
SET UP MEYERS?
I was a traditional estate agent for 25
years, but knew there was a better
way. The business is more about
personal relationships and customer
care than where the office is based.
So 15 years ago, with the help of my
wife Claire, we set up in our garage.
The rest is history. We’re now in
nine locations and have exceeded £1
billion in instructions.
WHAT MAKES
MEYERS DIFFERENT?
We are online, but not online! In other
words, we don’t have the overheads of
high street locations and pass these
savings onto our clients.
We take advantage of all the
online sales tools to advertise
properties, but unlike the faceless
online agencies we’re based in the
community and our knowledge of
the local area is second to none.
This means we can focus on helping
property owners sell fast with more
affordable costs.
ARE YOU RECRUITING
NEW FRANCHISEES?
Yes. Even given the challenges of
the past 12 months, property prices
are up between 6-10 per cent on the
previous year and the current stamp
duty holiday means the market is
particularly buoyant.
Whatever wobbles happen in
the economy, property generally
remains steady and many people
are looking for that kind of stability
at the moment.
During the pandemic, we have
taken on three new franchisees plus a
self-employed associate and are now
expanding further. One new franchisee
earned her franchise purchase fee
back within just six weeks.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS
OF BEING A MEYERS
FRANCHISEE?
Firstly, it’s a family friendly, flexible
franchise opportunity. We work
hard, but understand that work-life
balance is important.
Also, we keep the set-up cost low,
as agents mainly work from home, so
there are minimal overheads.
Although we welcome those
with property experience, it’s not
necessary as all training is provided
and our system is really easy to
learn. Some of our successful
agents have previously worked as
hairdressers and firefighters.
As agents become more
successful, they take on other self-
employed staff to enable them to
grow their territories.
WHAT KIND OF
FRANCHISEES ARE YOU
LOOKING FOR?
Property is a people business. We
offer the highest levels of service
to our customers, so we’re looking
for people with personality.
Energy, ambition and people
skills are important.
We know that those with
exceptional local knowledge and
connections will be successful and,
of course, they must have the desire
to run their own show.
HOW IMPORTANT
IS COMMUNITY
INVOLVEMENT?
Local knowledge, community
connections and regionally targeted
marketing are key.
However, we think it’s also
important to give back to the
communities we work in. All our
franchisees work with a local
charity of their choice and as an
organisation a proportion of our
profits go to Mind, the mental health
charity, to support projects that
help people living with depression,
isolation and loneliness.
AT A GLANCE
MEYERS ESTATE
AGENTS
Established:
Meyers established 2011
Franchise established 2014
Number of franchised outlets: 9
Location of units:currently across south
UK and expanding
Investment range: £25,000-£30,000
Minimum required capital: £12,500
franchise fee
Contact: info@meyersestates.com
meyersestates.com
T
WHAT FRANCHISE 16_6 master_WHAT FRANCHISE 29/01/2021 08:22 Page 88
WHAT-FRANCHISE.COM 89
Behind the Brand - Hitachi Capital Franchise Finance
BEHIND THE BRAND: PARTNER CONTENT
Achieve an
unbiased
evaluation
A SWOT analysis is an effective way to assess a
franchise opportunity, Paul Hansen, head of sales and
marketing at Hitachi Capital Franchise Finance, says
here are literally
hundreds of franchise
brands to chose from.
So how do you select the
one that’s right for you?
Whenever I look at a new
opportunity, I like to use a SWOT
analysis to help me evaluate it.
Below I will give you some hints and
tips on how to complete a simple
SWOT analysis to help you evaluate
the brands you’re considering.
WHAT IS A SWOT ANALYSIS?
SWOT is an acronym that stands for
strengths, weaknesses, opportunities
and threats.
A SWOT analysis is a useful tool to
assess, evaluate and compare these
aspects of different franchise brands.
WHY WOULD YOU
NEED TO USE A SWOT
ANALYSIS?
In almost any situation, your
likelihood of success can be
improved by getting a handle on
known strengths, weaknesses,
opportunities and threats.
A good SWOT analysis is like a
car MOT - it points out things you
should take notice of and highlights
key areas for immediate action and
consideration. Because it relies on
four neutral factors, a SWOT analysis
is an effective tool for getting an
unbiased evaluation of a franchise
opportunity.
IS IT DIFFICULT TO
COMPLETE A SWOT
ANALYSIS?
No. You can carry out a simple SWOT
analysis on the back of an envelope.
However, the most useful SWOT
analysis is best conducted as a
considered exercise with input from
family and friends. Different people
could have different perspectives
on things that you consider the
strengths or weaknesses of a brand.
Working through each quadrant
in turn, ask yourself the questions
appropriate to the brand. When you
have captured thoughts on all four
areas, it’s useful to rank the views.
Some may be less pertinent; others
may be of vital importance.
Remember, the best SWOT analysis
relies on complete honesty. Put
everything down as you think of it.
If it turns out to be less important, it
will become evident when you rank it.
THE FOUR QUADRANTS
OF A SWOT ANALYSIS
A good SWOT analysis will help
you evaluate the risks and rewards
associated with the franchise brands
you’re considering. These can be
assessed using the four quadrants:
Strengths
• What does the brand do well
or what sets it apart from the
competition?
• How long has the brand traded
in the UK?
• How successful are the
franchisees?
• What’s the speed of return on
your investment?
Weaknesses
You could consider:
• The brand’s reputation.
• The people involved and their
experience.
• Processes and procedures.
• Financial strength.
• Quality of training provided.
Opportunities
• Is the sector growing?
• Are there additional territories
available for future expansion?
• Does the demographics of your
territory match the typical
clients of the brand?
Threats
Think about:
• The competition.
• The brand’s resilience in the
current economic environment.
• Negative reviews from
customers.
• Unhappy franchisees.
NEXT STEPS
Franchising and, more importantly,
selecting a brand is a very personal
journey. It’s an exciting time and in
many instances it’s easy to focus
on the positives and overlook the
negatives - we all own a pair of rose-
tinted glasses somewhere at home.
A SWOT analysis is only valuable
if you use it - merely conducting
the exercise is futile if you don’t
use the output effectively.
Selecting the right brand is
critical to your future success,
so use the tools you have at
your disposal to make the right
decisions for you and your family.
AT A GLANCE
HITACHI CAPITAL
FRANCHISE
FINANCE
For more information call
01844 355575 or visit
hitachicapital.co.uk/
franchise-finance
T
10 ways to become an
inspirational leader
These central strategies can energise your team and ensure your
business fulfils its potential
mentor once told me
that to inspire was
to breathe life into
someone or something.
According to the Cambridge
English dictionary, the definition
of inspirational is ‘making you feel
full of hope or encouraged’.
Becoming an inspirational
leader in business is to do just
that. To be someone who can
touch, move and inspire people to
greater heights, bringing to life a
shared team spirit and motivating
people to accomplish goals and
tasks for the common good.
As someone who has been the
co-founder of a
franchise, the CEO of a $100 million
group and a founder of a non-profit
organisation that operated in three
countries with a base of volunteers,
in my experience becoming an
inspirational leader is crucial to
your success in any business.
And it absolutely takes
something. In fact, it takes fulfilling
these 10 key strategies.
1
Define your
rallying call
Think about anyone you
have ever been inspired by. They
usually have some big goal or a
big game they’re playing that’s
larger than themselves and their
Abusiness - something that calls
the leader and the team into
massive action over time.
So what’s your big game? Be clear
about that and make it your rallying
call for the business as a whole or
for the year ahead. The first sale is
always to yourself; does it inspire
you? If yes, great and be sure it
inspires and motivates your team
too. It should be something you and
your team are proud to be pursuing.
Building on that, it’s vital to have
captured and articulated clearly
what I call your intention, vision
and mission.
WORDS BY RYLL BURGIN-DOYLE
THE AUTHOR
Ryll Burgin-Doyle is
an author, keynote
speaker and proven
business and brand
strategist
90 WHAT FRANCHISE | ISSUE 16.6
INSIGHT
“Your team are a gift that makes your
life and business results possible”
Most people are familiar with
a vision and mission statement.
However, your intention is the key.
It answers the question: beyond
money or the basics, why does your
business exist? It’s your reason for
being. It should inspire you, so you
can share it and inspire others.
As a franchisor, I found most of
our franchisees joined us because
of our intention - they were inspired
by it, wanted to be part of it and it
gave them purpose beyond profits.
Your vision is about outlining
your five or 10-year goals. Your
mission outlines how you and
your team are going to achieve the
intention and vision over time.
Once you’ve captured all of that,
share it everywhere.
Overall, this should be an
inspiring platform to lead from,
to share and speak about, to drive
your brand, to reference as you
make key decisions and to share
with your team and customers.
If you’re a franchisee, what’s the
larger purpose of the franchise
group that inspires you? Of course,
you can and should create or
personalise your own intention,
vision and mission for your
business to rally around.
2Feel your way
Sometimes you have to feel
your way through business.
You have to be able to feel how your
team is feeling, to feel how your
clients are feeling and to feel the
market itself.
Getting what your internal
or external audience is feeling
and then being able to respond
appropriately is critical to being
able to inspire those very people
to take an action you intend. It’s
what I call the ‘get it factor’ - you
get what it’s like for them and
set up responses, structures and
wow factor processes to address
their experience.
3Be the positive
light on the hill
Business leaders often think
they have to have all the answers.
For me that’s not true, but you do
have to be the person who’s always
holding the space and certainty of a
positive future ahead.
People need to be led. People
want to be led. People need hope
and we all love certainty. Certainty
at this time, depending on the type
of business, its size and financial
health and strategy, can be hard
to deliver right now, but people
can be and need to be certain of
you. Certain that you will always,
working with them and others, find
a way. That in itself is inspiring.
4Keep your
perspective
straight
Perspective is critical. Remember
that business is a long game - it’s a
marathon not a sprint. Where do we
want to be in 10 years’ time? What
do we want this business to look
like? What will it be producing
in financial returns?
What about lifestyle
for you as the owner
or the franchisee? And
what impact and reach
will the business have?
What valuation would we want to
hit by then? What does the future
look like by 2030?
Get clear on that and as you’re
making short-term decisions think
about that long-term outcome. That
long-term perspective is critical to
making strong decisions as a leader
and inspiring others.
It’s so easy to get caught up in the
day-to-day. You have to be able to
hold that long-term view, while you
handle short-term needs.
5Decide on
your strategy
Your strategy is your plan
for getting from where you are now
to where you want to be in a given
timeframe in the fastest, easiest
possible and most profitable way.
Most business owners are too
busy being busy to spend time
on their strategy, yet it’s the key
to exponential growth. You have
to set your vision and then work
backwards from that, looking for
the leverage points in your business
to fast track your results.
Leverage points can be hidden
in plain sight in many businesses
across how you do what you do,
to average transaction values,
conversion rates, client mix,
marketing, sales processes,
understanding the lifetime value
of a customer and strategic hires
and key team members being led
on that journey by you.
6Be vulnerable
and authentic
While vulnerability is not
a word many people associate
with leadership, in my view it’s
absolutely a part of it.
As a leader, despite beliefs
to the contrary, you don’t have
to have everything figured out.
Authentically being open about
what you don’t have an answer for
or how something has impacted
you or the business can actually
deliver a greater connection with
your team.
At the same time, you must
be able to communicate your
commitment to transform that
area with their help. In fact, being
vulnerable and authentic can
mean your team steps up.
7Clarify your
leadership role
Some people see leadership
as ‘doer-ship’ - the more I do, the
better leader I am.
You’ll often hear these business
owners say something like: “By the
“As a leader, despite beliefs to the
contrary, you don’t have to have
everything figured out”
WHAT-FRANCHISE.COM 91
92 WHAT FRANCHISE | ISSUE 16.6
INSIGHT
time I spend 20 minutes explaining
how that could be done, I may as
well have done it myself.”
That’s a huge mistake because
every time you do that you miss the
opportunity to train and develop
that person and build better
systems and processes.
Others associate leadership
with power - being able to exert
themselves and their will over others.
In my roles as a franchisor
and a founder of a non-profit
organisation, I believed the true role
of leadership was to empower and
develop great leaders around me. I
thought of the business as healthy
when I could walk in and see people
demonstrating personal leadership.
If you want to be an inspiring
leader, check your definition of
leadership and gauge whether
you’ve fallen into the trap of
‘doer-ship’ or if you’re leading by
empowering others.
8Understand that
the buck stops
with you
To be an inspiring leader, you have
to take the view that the buck stops
with you.
For example, as a franchisee it
can be easy to fall into the trap
of thinking that it’s up to the
franchisor to create everything
you need to be successful.
While the franchisor has
key responsibilities, this
thinking is a pathway to
limited results.
As leaders, ultimately our results
are our own. If you can own that,
while it can sometimes feel daunting,
it’s also liberating. Then do all you
can to make your business work,
inspire your team and produce the
success you’re seeking.
9Act like a leader
Identify three leaders who
inspire you. These could be
from any walk of life. They could be
celebrities or a family member. The
key is that they have to be a leader
you’re inspired by.
Make a note of each person and
the qualities you admire most about
them. You’ll likely see a pattern of
characteristics across the three you
chose, so set about emulating them.
When facing an opportunity or a
challenge, ask yourself: what would
a leader do? And then act from
there. It’s an empowering way to
build leadership muscle.
10
Ways to become
an inspirational
leader
How do you relate to your team?
I once had a general manager who
said: “Leading this business is like
running an adult day care centre.”
When I ask business owners what
their biggest challenges are, they
usually say cash flow and people.
That is, they relate to their people
as a problem most of the time.
As an inspiring leader, you
need to relate to your team as the
beating heart of your business.
They are the people who make it
all happen.
Instead of thinking of them as
a problem or challenge, alter your
perspective. Given people spend
most of their waking hours at work,
consider they’re giving you their
life force, time, talents, thinking
and strengths to fulfil your goal.
Your team are a gift that makes
your life and business results
possible. Relate to them like that
and you’ll be a long way down the
track of being an inspiring leader.
We’re looking for brilliant new franchise owners to
join our established and successful Raring2go!
franchise.
You must be a conversation starter, a relationship
builder and a lover of sales. You’ll be joining a tight
knit community of independent franchise owners
producing ‘the’ Go-To Guide’ in print and online for
families with children in primary school.
Our impressive and fully inclusive start up packages
range from £7k to £16k + VAT with up to 75%
funding available from banks, subject to their terms
and conditions.
To learn more about Raring2go! ask us to send you
our detailed information pack by post and then,
when the time is right let’s have a conversation.
Build an amazing business from home with Raring2go!
MAGAZINE & WEBSITE FRANCHISE
FOR MORE INFO
franchise@raring2go.co.uk
www.getraring2go.co.uk
01273 447101
WHAT FRANCHISE 16_6 master_WHAT FRANCHISE 29/01/2021 15:22 Page 93
BEHIND THE BRAND: PARTNER CONTENTBEHIND THE BRAND: PARTNER CONTENT
Growth market
What’s On In is the website for people wishing to find
out what’s on in their town, city and holiday location
f the What’s On In
franchise, managing
director Dani Smith
says: “It was simple,
we know the UK online advertising
market is worth £189 million and we
saw the market was wide open.
“We also wanted to make our
franchise available to anyone and
that’s why we priced it at £798. The
return on investment is amazing.
We also offer an interest free
finance package and payment over
three-six months.”
USER FRIENDLY
She goes on to explain: “I needed
to make sure our web platform was
user friendly for the advertisers and
that we could offer any business a
free sales web page. 82 per cent of
UK businesses have no website, so
we needed to address this with a
free web page for every advertiser.”
THREE FRANCHISE
PACKAGES
What’s On In offers three types
of franchise:
• Single franchise postcode.
• Master franchise, UK or globally.
• Corporate franchise, Europe
and globally.
FLEXIBLE OPPORTUNITY
A typical What’s On In website not
only offers a franchisee an excellent
income from advertisers, but also
allows them to place affiliates on
their website, which pay franchisees
up to 70 per cent commission. There
are three income streams:
• Income for main businesses.
• Income from tradesmen.
• Income from affiliates.
A franchisee needs no technical
knowledge, as all loading of adverts
is carried out by the What’s On In
support team. Bookings are made
online via the website and payment
is made within three minutes
direct to the franchisee’s PayPal
account, which means excellent
cash flow.
OPTIONAL 50-50 SYSTEM
What’s On In has an optional
50-50 system, whereby you have
a commission only sales person
building your postcode area for
you, offering complete freedom,
and is perfect for someone with
an existing business or job who
wants a ‘hands off franchise’.
This option obviously requires
less commitment from the
franchisee.
Potential monthly incomes are
£5,000-£20,000, depending on
commitment. Franchisees receive
a fully exclusive postcode area.
The exclusive online franchise
members’ area provides in-depth
and comprehensive franchisee
support and access to tips,
advice and training tools.
LOW COST ENTRY
Dani believes What’s On In offers
the perfect low cost entry into
the profitable franchise arena.
New franchise opportunities
are continually added throughout
the UK. With its self service
platform, high visibility, full
tracking and low advertising
cost, the What’s On In franchise
offers the ultimate in online
advertising.
AT A GLANCE
WHAT’S ON IN
Minimum required capital:
franchise costs £798. Interest free
loan available
Contact: Dani Smith
enquiries@woifranchise.com
07860 833822
woifranchise.com
O
Behind the Brand - What’s On In
94 WHAT FRANCHISE | ISSUE 16.6
WHATFRANCHISE.COM 95
Behind the Brand - Bluebird Care
BEHIND THE BRAND: PARTNER CONTENT
From care
assistant to
franchisee
Buying a Bluebird Care business is an absolute dream
for me, Allen Vanderwyk-Coyne says
020 was a remarkable
year for Bluebird
Care. Despite the
significant challenges
the pandemic presented, the
company maintained its position
at the forefront of the private
home care market.
It was continuously recognised,
through multiple award wins, for
the great work the network delivers.
The brand continued to grow and
even saw the first ever carer take on
their own franchise.
BUSINESS LEADER
Allen Vanderwyk-Coyne started
working with Bluebird Care
in 2006 and has spent years
cultivating his career.
His passion for excellent quality
care has helped him progress from
care assistant to director, excelling
in every role in between. Now
leading his own business, Allen
spends most of his time networking,
focusing on taking the business
to its next level and continuing to
create a welcoming and transparent
culture within his team.
Though his role has changed over
the years, Allen still understands
how important it is to truly care. As
someone who started his career as a
care assistant, he wants to do more
for his staff and customers to show
how much they’re appreciated.
Allen plans to celebrate his care
workers with ‘Years of Service’
milestones and also has ideas in the
works for customers, which include
distributing small gifts.
In his franchisee application, Allen
said: “I’m Bluebird Care through
and through. Starting as the first
franchise care worker 14 years ago
to now buying the business is an
absolute dream for me.
“I’ve worked in the care sector
for around 27 years. I still love
it as much today as I did when I
first started.”
NETWORK KNOWLEDGE
As a new franchisee, Allen will
benefit from the knowledge of the
existing Bluebird Care network,
gaining insight from a mentor
franchisee and prescriptive
coaching from an onboarding
manager over the course of his
first two years.
Franchisees also have access
to a dedicated Regional Business
Development Manager, Marketing
Manager and Quality Manager
to ensure they have the support
needed to get their business off the
ground and provide support on an
ongoing basis.
Victoria Brown, Bluebird Care’s
franchise development manager, says:
“We were delighted to award Allen the
franchise. The operational knowledge
he has gained over the last 14 years,
coupled with his commitment to
the brand and motivation to deliver
outstanding care in his community,
will no doubt be the driving force
behind Allen’s continued success.
“As franchisor, we will continue to
provide him with our award winning
support in all aspects of the business.
“From finance, business systems
and IT to field-based marketing,
business development and quality
assurance, we pride ourselves
on offering continuous learning
and development plans for our
franchisees, plus initial training
to give them the detail, knowledge
and assurance to set up and run
the business.”
CONTINUOUSLY
RECOGNISED
Bluebird Care’s franchise support
centre was continuously recognised
throughout 2020 for its robust
support, securing the Gold
Award for Outstanding Franchise
Marketing at the Approved
Franchise Association Awards.
The brand also won the award
for Team Support Expertise at the
Home Care Awards 2020. This
award reflects the impressive total
of 300 years of industry experience
that Bluebird Care’s franchise
support centre staff members
have collectively acquired. This
includes accredited qualifications,
experience working for the
Care Quality Commission and
franchising expertise.
This is great news for anyone
considering a Bluebird Care
franchise, as it demonstrates that
the marketing initiatives available
to you are tried, trusted and proven
to deliver.
AT A GLANCE
BLUEBIRD CARE
Established:
2004
Number of franchised outlets: 228
Location of units: UK and Ireland
Investment range: £100,000-£115,000
Minimum required capital: £34,500
Contact: Victoria Brown, Franchise
Development Manager. 07912 771149.
vickybrown@bluebirdcare.co.uk
bluebirdcarefranchise.co.uk
2
INSIGHT
Top tips for taking on sta
These are the essential elements to consider if you want to become
an excellent employer
W
WORDS BY ERICA WOLFE-MURRAY
hen you’re taking on
staff for the first time,
there are a number of
aspects to employment
you need to consider carefully
before you hire. And when you
have hired, there are other areas
you need to stay on top of as your
business grows.
Review your own
employment history
Before you take on any team
members, go back through your own
employment experiences.
Review who you enjoyed working
for, why they made a good employer
and what aspects of the roles you
enjoyed and didn’t enjoy. Consider
both the job description -
what you were being asked
to do - as well as your
working environment and
company culture. Ask friends about
their experiences too.
This will help you to determine
the framework and culture of your
own employment style.
Research
employment law
As an employer, there’s a raft of
employment law you need to be
across. From environmental and
employee health and safety to
accounting, discrimination and
rights to work, it’s vital to ensure
you’re staying the right side of
the law.
Different sectors of the economy
not only have to comply with UK-
wide law, but may also have their
own specific directives.
For example, there may
be training requirements,
material storage rules or
security checks that need
to be carried out.
As an employer, you
will be responsible for
the company operating
safely and legally within the law. You
will also need to take out employers’
liability insurance. Finding out
about all these aspects before you
take on a single employee is vital.
Determine the
company culture
Running a company with employees
is very different from owning a
company where the founders have
worked together since launch.
You’ll need to put a management
structure in place, even if you’re
only taking on a handful of staff.
With few employees, this can
be light touch and have an open
framework, but your team need to
understand who they report to, who
is responsible for what
management
aspects of the
company and
who to speak to
for guidance.
Different owners
have varying
skills and
abilities. As
THE AUTHOR
Erica Wolfe-Murray
is a leading business
coach and expert and
author of Simple Tips
Smart Ideas
96 WHAT FRANCHISE | ISSUE 16.6
“Happy companies work
well, have a lower staff
turnover and welcome
input from all employees,
who feel valued and safe”
you employ more staff and the team
grows, it’s important to harness the
right leaders for the right teams.
If you feel you’re lacking in
management or leadership skills,
ensure you take part in leadership
training. There are many good
courses available online and locally,
with countless books having been
written about it. It’s worth the time
and cost to ensure your company
develops a healthy, welcoming
culture for your staff.
Happy companies work well, have
a lower staff turnover and welcome
input from all employees, who feel
valued and safe.
Employees are
individuals
Each person you look to employ will
have their own hopes and dreams
and their own reasons for working.
But you as the employer have your
own requirements for the business.
It’s important to match both of
these from the outset.
When looking to hire, ensure you
write a clear job description of what
they’re expected to do and the skills
required to undertake the role.
Be straightforward about working
conditions and remuneration
offered, including pay, holiday,
pension, etc. Give an honest picture
of your ambitions for the company,
with guidance to the sort of
character the role might suit.
Your job description needs to be
reflective of the role and should
not inflate or be full of hyperbole
WHAT-FRANCHISE.COM 97
about the company. Inaccurate or
misleading job descriptions can
cause difficulties and expense for
both parties down the line when
realities fail to match.
Look to bring in a diverse working
team. Research has proven that
companies with a range of ages,
sexes and backgrounds are more
successful than those drawn from a
limited pool.
Behaving as an
employer
Now you’re an employer, you
need to ensure your company
is a good one.
Good employers ensure their
teams know what can be reasonably
expected of their working role and
what the rewards for this are.
Each employee should be given
an appropriate contract that sets
out the terms of the relationship
between you. This should cover the
key aspects of their employment.
Any terms you might need to vary
- such as working hours or place of
employment - can be covered in an
accompanying staff handbook. The
contract needs to be fair to both
parties to ensure there’s no room
for aggrievement further down
the line.
It’s also important to give
employees a framework for
how you will be assessing and
rewarding them for their work
moving forward.
A six-monthly or
annual performance
appraisal is
common, with
feedback being given
in both directions,
actions agreed
and reviewed.
Some companies
link appraisals to
pay reviews, whereas
others believe in
keeping these
separate.
As an employer,
you also need to
provide a safe, supportive environment for
your team.
With COVID-19 changing working
practice, you may be building a dispersed
workforce or having to provide a safe place
of work where your employees attend in
person. Whichever it is, you’ll need to
consider their well-being while they are at
work, as this is now your responsibility.
Good employers also provide their teams
with a career ladder.
In the early days of employing staff
this may seem some way off. But if
you’re looking for ambitious, engaged
employees to help you build your venture,
they will want to understand that you
have growth plans and they could be
part of these plans.
This can include encouraging the
pursuit of further qualifications,
additional training and upskilling, both
in their job function, but also around
management and leadership.
Companies don’t stand still. Neither do
you as an employer or those people you
will be employing.
An open dialogue, regular reviews,
team meetings and two-way discussion
is crucial. Everyone needs to ensure there
is a warm working environment that
allows both the company and all
who work there to flourish. But the
person who can make or break this
is you, now you are an employer.
75%
of franchisee units employ staff and 30 per cent
employ six or more staff.
Source: 2018 British Franchise Association NatWest
franchise survey.
OPINION
An anchor during the storm
The British Franchise Association promises to be the rock for the industry
hat a start it’s been
to the new year. 2021
promises to be as
challenging to navigate
as 2020 was and for each of us that
means finding ways of keeping
healthy and remaining positive.
Experts have talked at length
over the last 12 months about the
difficulty we can all face maintaining
focus during the types of large-scale
disruption we’re currently witnessing.
Self care
One of the positives to come out
of the coronavirus pandemic is an
increased awareness around self care
and mental health, as we all seek to
support each other.
One guilty party - and an unlikely
star - in all of this is the amygdala,
the part of the brain that acts as
the emotional centre. It determines
whether what we see and hear is
stressful. If the answer is yes, all
sorts of mental and physical
responses are triggered.
Physical manifestations of
stress are well documented, but
the amygdala can also override
our prefrontal cortex, the logical
part of the brain.
Positive steps
With a global pandemic, political
upheaval and financial uncertainty,
it’s no surprise the amygdala is
pulling some spectacularly long hours
on the shop floor at the moment. If
you are experiencing fuzzy brain,
this may well be the culprit. However,
there are a number of things that can
be done to help with this.
Ensuring you step outside during
the day is critical. Exercise aids
sleep and sleep is key for good
mental health.
It’s also worth turning off devices
a good while before going to bed.
Reading a book instead or 20 minutes
of meditation is much better for
centering your mind, relaxing your
body and easing stress before turning
in for the night.
From a work perspective, many of
us are taking on multiple new roles
and responsibilities as we pivot to
stay afloat and survive the pandemic.
My personal approach has
been to break down every
big goal into smaller
achievable steps,
as sometimes
W
THE AUTHOR
Emily Price is chief
operating officer at
the British Franchise
Association
when you look at everything that
needs to be done it can appear as a
series of insurmountable tasks.
Help and support
We don’t know what 2021 holds for
any of us, but we can be there to help
and support each other. That is the
pledge we have made at the British
Franchise Association - to be there
as an anchor during this storm, to be
the rock for the industry and to offer
what support we can for everyone in
franchising, not just our members.
To this end, we continue to operate
our support@thebfa.org inbox. Email
us there if you need someone to talk
to and we’ll reach out. We also provide
free support to all franchisors on
our LinkedIn group The Franchise
Collective and to franchisees via our
Facebook franchisee hub.
We know that, for many people in
our industry, franchising represents
an exciting way to take control of their
own destinies. It offers the flexibility,
independence and excitement of
being in business for yourself, but
with the financial security and
suppport of a parent brand.
We look forward to facing this
year together with everyone in our
industry and to coming out the other
side stronger and more resilient.
WORDS BY EMILY PRICE
“We look forward to
coming out the other
side stronger and more
resilient”
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