Stagecoach

why Invest In the stagecoach franchIse?

Over the last few years, stimulated by the demand for after-school activities and the growing investment by savvy entrepreneurs, children’s services franchises have grown in popularity.

A recent study has revealed that a whopping 77% of parents are happy to invest their hardearned cash in after-school activities for their children*. The majority of those are spending more than £28,000 on their children’s hobbies before they reach the age of 18. Funding cuts in mainstream education have led parents to take matters into their own hands by investing their disposable income in extra-curricular activities for their children. Matthew Wing franchisee and Principal at Stagecoach Performing Arts Chingford can certainly vouch for the increase in parents opting for after-school activities for their children. “I first took over operations of my Stagecoach franchise 11 years ago,” explained Matthew. “Back then, I had 140 students – now I have 440. As a parent of two myself, I understand parents’ frustrations with the apparent lack of performing arts opportunities in schools. Funding is no longer as available as it once was, meaning state educators aren’t able to offer the opportunities they once could. Therefore, it would make sense that more parents than ever are looking into extracurricular performing arts opportunities for their children.”

passion for making a difference and child enrichment

With over 30 years’ experience, we have seen more than one million students unlock their potential, which is something they will value for their whole life. “A key component of running a successful children’s services franchise is a passion for child enrichment and making a difference in the community. Even if you come with no on-the-job experience of working with children, you must be invested in their development and equipping them with the confidence needed to perform in life,” said Andy Knights, COO of Stagecoach Performing Arts.

brand recognition

Stagecoach is the UK’s largest network of extra-curricular performing arts schools for children, with more than 2,000 schools worldwide. In the UK, we are the preferred choice in part-time performing arts for children.** “At Stagecoach, we live by our motto Creative Courage for Life. We feel this truly encompasses our commitment to our students. Our franchisees live and breathe this concept which has a knock-on effect on our network of teachers and assistants,” said Andy. “Stagecoach is one of the most internationally recognised performing arts schools in the world. Their brand position has placed me well in the local community – my schools are known as the best in the area, which has really contributed to the growth of my franchise,” said Matthew.

training and Support

We provide franchisees with ongoing training along with industry-leading support in marketing, customer service, IT and business development. Our tried-and-tested structure enables franchisees to play to their strengths and provides the best possible environment in which to succeed. “As long as you bring passion and commitment to your business, anything you have less experience in, or knowledge of can be taught. We utilise the skill of our franchisees whilst we fill in any gaps in their knowledge through our comprehensive training programme. It’s a mutually beneficial partnership.”

trust in our service

It’s imperative that parents feel our service and team are credible and trustworthy. At Stagecoach, we are committed to child development and establishing a well-respected and reputable service. Furthermore, we adhere to the strictest child safety policies. 98% of our UK customers would recommend Stagecoach.** With more parents than ever looking to invest in their child’s future and overall happiness, the present looks to be a high time to invest in your own. To find out more about our franchise opportunities in your country, get in touch with us!

*Gerard Kelly & Partners, May 2019, Out of school, out of pocket - How much do parents spend on extra-curricular activities?

**1,006 Interviews, Savanta Brand Tracker, November 2019

buyIng an owners corporatIon -

WHAT DOES iT TAKE?

in the financial services industry, property strata management has long been considered a very attractive field to get into. Any building where there are multiple owners must establish an Owners Corporation to manage the routine affairs affecting the common amenities of the building and its surrounds.

“Because our portfolio comprises OC contracts that are already in place, we actually had a guaranteed income stream from Day 1.”

“Network Pacific’s induction is formally structured and very well thought out. We spent a lot of time at their offices meeting their people and seeing first-hand how OC management works.”

It is standard practice for owners corporations to appoint an external manager to handle these responsibilities. Network Pacific Strata Management is one such OC management provider. Established for 27 years, Network Pacific has an extensive portfolio of OC’s under management and recently has franchised its business, allowing new people to enter the industry in a highly supportive manner and take over operational control of a portfolio of OC contracts. The newest franchisee to join Network Pacific is a business duo of Min and Selina. So, Business Franchise Australia set out to find what attracted them to this franchise and what has their experience been like. “At first we were somewhat nervous,” says Min. “We knew very little about owners corporations and so starting out was a big learning curve for us. Network Pacific’s managing director, Stephen Briffa fully understood our apprehensions and went out of his way to help and guide us. “Network Pacific’s induction is formally structured and very well thought out. We spent a lot of time at their offices meeting their people and seeing first-hand how OC management works. We were given real live OC contracts and shown how to carry out each of the dozens of routine tasks and procedures.” Comparing Network Pacific to other similar franchises, Min says, “Previously, we looked at other alternative pathways into the OC management business, but only Network Pacific showed us how it could work for us. Some others are based on geographic territories, but this does not really work in this industry as many of the new contract opportunities are repeats or referrals from developers and builders. These developers can take on new projects in any location, so being tied to a territory would limit our ability to grow our business. “Our franchise with Network Pacific is portfolio-based, which we own, and the opportunities to grow our portfolio are virtually limitless,” says Min. “In fact, since we started in 2021, we have already added five new OC contracts to our portfolio and expect to increase this by 10% every year. As a result, both our profitability and our capital value are steadily increasing every year.” Speaking of the support they received at the beginning, Min again refers to Network Pacific’s Stephen Briffa. “As I said, Stephen was extremely supportive of us during our investigative, due diligence stage. We were even given a ‘try before you buy’ trial period where we literally worked in the business for a week before we made any commitment to go ahead with the franchise. This gave us great confidence that we, as newcomers to this industry, would not only be suited to this work, but also that we would find it satisfying and enjoyable on a day-to-day basis. “This exercise, of course, was a two-way street. Network Pacific was investigating us as we were investigating them. They even did a personality profile on us to assess our suitability for this franchise. Luckily for them and for us, this exercise showed us to be suitable, so we are all confident that there is a two-way good fit with this company and this type of work.” Min then explained the steps leading to signing up to buy the franchise. “Although it was a somewhat lengthy process before we signed the franchise agreement” says Min, “we had plenty of time to arrange our finance to make the purchase. This is critical, and we were able to seek our independent advice on strong, detailed documentation that was provided to us by Network Pacific. In fact, the level of detail, especially in terms of actual OC contracts we were buying made obtaining our finance so much easier. “And because our portfolio comprises OC contracts that are already in place, we actually had a guaranteed income stream from Day 1. This really impressed our bankers and was a huge comfort to us as we started out.” So, in summary, Min and Selina have a longterm, financially stable and secure franchise that they are easily able to grow by simply building good relationships with their current clients. And Network Pacific has a carefully selected franchisee whose credentials have been tested and who are on their way to longterm financial success.