Elite Franchise December 2018 by Elite Business Magazine

elitefranchisemagazine.co.uk

Whipping up treats

Crêpeaffaire is making its sweet and savoury pancakes a worldwide addiction

Christmas galore

974002 772054 9

ISSN 2054-9741

Take advantage of the holiday spirit and boost the mood at your franchise

DECEMBER 2018 £4.50

No more trouble

New franchise on the block Get Ahead VA is making life easier through virtual personal assistants

Women winning it

Women’s Business Club’s Angela De Souza is empowering female founders

World Options

Stewart Butler is on a mission to transform shipping services for SMEs. While the company is now growing across the world, getting there has been far from plain sailing

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In business for yourself, but not by yourself... As a McDonald’s Franchisee you’ll have the opportunity to build your own business, with the support of a global company currently celebrating 50 continuous quarters of growth in the UK. You’ll have access to a wide range of resources including the support of an experienced Franchisee Consultant to advise you as your business develops. There’s no telling what the future will hold, but you’ll have the training and the support to make sure you make the most of our award winning system. Reema, operates 1 restaurant in North London

AW-050023-297x420-Insight DaysAd-Rema.indd All Pages

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03/12/2018 10:04

Come and talk to us at one of our Insight Days in 2019 4th January, Warwick Business School 18th January, Milton Keynes 1st February, London 15th February, Birmingham 8th March, Edinburgh 22nd March, York 5th April, London 26th April, Cranfield Management Centre 17th May, Dublin 7th June, London 21st June, Manchester 12th July, London 6th September, Bristol 20th September, Glasgow 4th October, Birmingham 25th October, Leeds 8th November, Leicester 22nd November, Belfast 6th December, London Register your interest at www.mcdonalds.co.uk/franchising

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03/12/2018 10:05

Franchise with us Shops, kiosks, drive thru and vending Proven success in busy high street locations Great arabica blend coffee at great prices Quality food options and great service Innovative equipment and smart technology Support and training from committed team Join the orange coffee revolution Visit www.easy.coffee/franchise or call us on 0333

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06/11/2018 12:24

Franchise with us

A new storage service that costs less

Nationwide fitness gyms that cost less

Pack | Collect | Store | Access | Return

Industry-leading classes for top results

A competitive new business model

Membership includes free group training

A growing market with great potential

Premium fitness equipment

Successfully launched in London

No long-term customer contracts

Exciting opportunities throughout the UK

Friendly professional staff

Excellent support and expertise

Top reviews from happy customers

Visit our website or call us on

Visit the website and apply at

0800 061 4091

www.easygym.co.uk/franchise

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06/11/2018 12:25

COVER STAR

Ship off the old block

An unyielding desire to prove his salt has seen Stewart Butler shoot for the stars with World Options. Now, his 110 franchisees around the globe are helping SMEs do the same by solving their shipping needs 6 elitefranchise | december 2018

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contents 12.18

REGULARS 9 Welcome & contributors 11 News & events 129 Franchise diaries

COLUMNS 13 Pip Wilkins 15 Sussanne Chambers 28 Frank Milner 33 Nigel Toplis 37 Tony Bowman

FEATURES 40 The future is female

50 Watch your crepe

46 Lightbulb moments

64 Making an exhibition of yourself

Women’s Business Club is empowering female founders

How to use your franchisees to ensure innovation in the network

Crêpeaffaire is frying up franchising fame far and wide

Are franchise exhibitions a waste of time and money?

86 73 Can I help?

The entrepreneur behind Get Ahead VA is supporting SMEs across the UK

80 Brave new world

Avoid getting stuck in the past and embrace the opportunities of the future

86 Franchise festivities

Don't be the office Grinch — benefit from the Christmas cheer

92 Better latte than never

Seemingly destined for hospitality, this Esquire Coffee franchisee took some time to realise his "superpower"

100 New year, new fracnhises

Warm up with the hottest franchise opportunities

108 Dispelling the myths of zerohour contracts Is the bad press justified for this method of flexible working?

december 2018 | elitefranchise

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Success for over 50 years, Schmidt Kitchens are the leading kitchen retail brand in Europe with a turnover over £500 Million. Since 1989 we have been developing an exclusive showroom concept and now have more than 700 showrooms spread around 25 countries.

Why choose a Schmidt Kitchen franchise? Financing

Support

 £80,000 minimum personal investment

 14 weeks of intensive training before and after the opening

 Cash positive business with a good ROI

 Assistance with finding a premises

 Average showroom turnover in excess of £1million per year  Create a business plan and secure the funding (after year 2) with an average GM of 40%

 Full design and project management

 No franchise fee

 Recruitment

 No royalties

 Dedicated Specialist to help with IT, logistic, marketing...

 No stock

Next steps: If you would like to learn more, please contact: expansionuk@groupe.schmidt

Bath  Bexley  Bristol  Camberley  Canterbury  Clapham  Croydon  Dorking  Epsom  Fulham  Hammersmith  High Barnet Loughton  Oxford  Palmers Green  Poole  Sevenoaks  Stanmore  Tunbridge Wells  Twickenham  Wimbledon Schmidt Full Page.indd 1

30/11/2018 12:16

welcome

Volume 07 Issue 12 / 2018 EDITORIAL editorial@cemedia.co.uk Zen Terrelonge Editor Eric Johansson Acting Web Editor Varsha Saraogi Junior Feature Writer Angus Shaw Editorial Assistant Anne Struijcken Editorial Intern

‘Tis the season

DESIGN/PRODUCTION production@cemedia.co.uk Darren Marriott Head Designer Vrinda Sejpal Designer Lizzie Thurgood Junior Designer Alex Harrington Design Intern Dan Lecount Web Development Manager dan@cemedia.co.uk

t’s happening. Christmas is coming. So depending on your sector, you’re either winding down for a break or rushed off your feet to capitalise on customers engaged in self-indulgence or a gift-buying frenzy. But while it’s busy this time of year, employees feel the strain too. So how can franchises spread seasonal spirit? We spoke with franchisors in the know to find out. Elsewhere, with so many unique individuals in a franchise network, there’ll be endless ideas they want to share with franchisors. Managing them will be challenging but finding a system to do so can lead to illuminating lightbulb moments. And on the theme of new ideas, Angela De Souza’s husband planted the seed for Women’s Business Club, the franchise coaching women, in her head after she completed volunteer work at a church. Finally, with spousal teams in mind, Stewart Butler secured the approval of his wife to get World Options, the shipping services franchise, off the ground. With his co-founder and both of their wives joining the team, there are now 110 franchisees around the world. And there’s more to come. Until next time, happy reading and Merry Christmas!

SALES & MARKETING Lewis Horgan Head of Sales & Marketing lewis.horgan@cemedia.co.uk Jemma Tonge Acting Sales Manager jemma.tonge@cemedia.co.uk Loretta Smith Sales Account Manager loretta.smith@cemedia.co.uk Sam Deane Sales Account Manager sam.deane@cemedia.co.uk Alanna Green Marketing Assistant alanna.green@cemedia.co.uk Zane Zvirbule Marketing Administrator zane@cemedia.co.uk ACCOUNTS Sally Stoker Finance Manager sally.stoker@cemedia.co.uk

■ ZEN TERRELONGE - EDitor

DIRECTOR Scott English Director scott.english@cemedia.co.uk Circulation enquiries: Channel Edge Media Call: 0124 567 3700 Elite Franchise is published by Channel Edge Media, 1st Floor, Regency House, 16 Victoria Road, Chelmsford, CM1 1NZ Copyright 2018. All rights reserved. No part of Elite Franchise may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written consent of the editor. Elite Franchise will make every effort to return picture material, but this is at the owner’s risk. Due to the nature of the printing process, images can be subject to a variation of up to 15%, therefore Channel Edge Media Limited cannot be held responsible for such variation. cemedia.co.uk

Contributors

Sussanne Chambers

David Glover

Anne Struijcken

Frank Milner

As the year draws to an end and 2019 creeps into view, the founder of HomeXperts cites Henry Ford as she discusses the opportunity of change for future franchisees in the new year.

Tired of the bad press that revolves around zero-hours contracts, Caremark’s managing director makes it clear why the likes of Sports Direct don’t speak for all companies. Check it out on page 108.

Huge franchises aren’t born overnight but you’ve got to start somewhere. And as our editorial intern found out, Rebecca Newenham’s franchisor adventure is off to a good start.

Well-positioned to know the importance of caring for youngsters, Tutor Doctor’s CEO makes it clear why the stakes are so high when it comes to the franchises caring for children and why they should be more careful.

December 2018 | elitefranchise

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The mark of excellent care

“…it’s an opportunity to run a successful operation whilst to a high standard.”

You can become the next Caremark homecare franchise success story. for more information speak to our recruitment team on 01903 266392

www.caremarkfranchises.com caremarkfranchises.com DPS.indd 3

30/11/2018 12:30

news

Frankie & Benny’s bans mobile phones on the table In today’s fast-paced technological era, it’s sometimes difficult for people to disconnect from devices. And the ubiquitous always-on culture results in some neglecting their loved ones. To tackle this issue, food franchise Frankie & Benny’s launched a campaign to ensure families prioritise bonding with each other over checking their social media when dining in its restaurants. From November 29 to December 7, the chain ran a campaign wherein parents were encouraged to put their phones away in a no phone zone and were rewarded with incentives such as free meals for their children. Indeed, many restaurants could learn from Frankie & Benny's initiative to provide their customers a more fulfilling experience.

Events The Global Franchise Market December 5-6 Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre

bfa Annual General Meeting and Chairman's Christmas Party 2018 December 6 Hyatt Regency, 2 Bridge Street, Birmingham, B1 2JZ

The Franchise Future – York December 13 Blake House, 18 Blake Street, York YO1 8Q

Franchise Expo South January 18-20

Broward County Convention Center, 1950 Eisenhower Blvd, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316, USA

The International Franchise Show 2019 April 5-6 Excel London, London Borough of Newham, London E16 1XL

NatWest EWIF Awards 2019

April 30 RBS Building, 250 Bishopsgate, London EC2M 4AA

By Varsha Saraogi

Belvoir beefs up its mortgage adviser business with a £3.6m purchase It’s always good news when franchises grow and sow more seeds for success. One such example is Belvoir Lettings, the property franchise, which is going from strength to strength. For instance, the Lincolnshire-headquartered property franchise has acquired MAB Gloucester for £3.6m through its subsidiary Brook Financial Services. With the aim to boost penetration of financial services into its client base, Belvoir intends to use MAB Gloucester to extend its mortgage advice business across the country. Belvoir currently owns four brands with more than 360 outlets nationwide, managing over 61,000 properties. We can definitely expect to see more growth for this franchise in the coming year.

easyCoffee partners with Yoyo Wallet More franchises are using technology to make mundane tasks easier. From getting customised apps to using robots for delivery, it’s ensuring growth to loads of franchises. And easyCoffee, the coffee franchise launched by Nathan Lowry and easyJet tycoon Stelios HajiIoannou in 2016, has forged an alliance with Yoyo Wallet to provide a new app-based payments and loyalty solution for its customers. The coffee chain also plans to open 200 new shops by 2021 with its new Yoyo-powered app playing a major part of its ambitious growth strategy. Looking at this new partnership, we’re sure more franchises will adopt similar tech-savvy strategies in the future. DECember 2018 | elitefranchise

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www.driverhirefranchise.co.uk 30/11/2018 13:44

Pip Wilkins chief executive bfa

How empowering women in business is indicative of a not-so-quiet revolution Pip Wilkins, CEO of the bfa, explains how franchising is enabling women to reach for the stars

he release of the bfa NatWest stats is on the horizon and while we can’t go into the specifics yet, what I can say is the upcoming report shows how the franchising industry is streets ahead of the wider business world when it comes to inclusion and handing opportunities to people outside the usual status quo. This is evident for young franchisees – especially women, as significantly more are getting into the sector than when the previous report was compiled in 2015 and stupendously more than historic records. While only 17% of businesses are run by women, the franchising sector percentage is much higher and continues to rise.

For franchisees, similarly, owning a unit or multiple units means putting the effort in and working exceptionally hard but it can be worked around your needs, rather than vice-versa. Your routine is determined by what you feel is best both for your business and yourself. Furthermore, franchising in general is more forward thinking. Women hold far more senior positions within franchising than the wider business-sphere, especially as franchisors in particular understand the imperative essence of transferrable skills and training to facilitate people moving into the sector. This means you don’t necessarily need to have years of experience or be part of the status quo to take on a franchise.

So why is franchising so attractive for females? One of the things to notice is the proportion of part-time roles available in the franchising sector. This isn’t exclusive to people taking on franchises but the entire workforce and one of the fundamental reasons why so many women work in franchising. Those that have other commitments, young families and additional personal reasons requiring part-time work can do this and balance their work-life responsibilities.

How was Empowering Women in Business indicative of the success of franchising? This year, more people than ever attended our yearly empowering women event, where we talked about the needs of women in the workforce in 2018 at the Nottingham Belfry. Although it was open to all women in business, what resonated with me was that progress, certainly over the years, has been made. This year the day focused around three themes – wellbeing, culture and leadership.

First and foremost, having more than 130 inspirational women attend, network and reveal their experiences allows for empathy, sharing of best practice and a wider recognition of women in the workforce. The opportunity for female franchise aficionados across the UK to talk about building each other up and supporting one another, how to rise to power and how to adapt in an everchanging business environment was both fruitful and enlightening. Is there more that can be done to champion women in the workforce? Of course there is. Equal representation is still a distant goal but the sector is on the right course and the number of women becoming franchisees and finding a career in franchising is very positive, especially compared to other sectors. The future of franchising I joined the bfa in 1999. The Empowering Women event ran by the bfa didn’t exist and finding a female at an exhibition felt a little like playing Where’s Wally – and I tended to be Wally. Things have moved on so much since then and that is something I, as CEO of the bfa, am exceptionally pleased to see. I can't wait to share all the other positive news in our 2018 bfa NatWest survey. December 2018 | elitefranchise

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FIND OUT MORE ABOUT BECOMING A KUMON FRANCHISEE Open a Kumon Maths and English Study Centre and work with children in your local community. Kumon are expanding their network of study centres across the UK and Ireland and are looking for individuals who are passionate about education and excited about helping children reach their full potential. As a Kumon Instructor you’ll be running your own business, but you won’t be on your own as you’ll receive full training and ongoing support. Your study centre could be up and running in as little as three to six months with an initial franchise fee of just £3,000.

Call now to find out more on 0800 854 714 or text Kumon followed by your email address to 60777 to request a brochure. www.kumon.co.uk DPS.indd 3

30/11/2018 13:49

Sussanne Chambers founder and managing director HomeXperts

New year, new you December is always a time for reflection and thinking over the past 12 months as well as an opportunity for celebrating achievements

ometimes we’re so caught up in the daily challenges of life that we don't stop to measure our achievements or count our blessings. The converse is realising what went poorly throughout the year and we can then consider what to change for the next one. I’m a huge fan of Henry Ford, who has coined many fantastic quotes. One of my favourites is: “If you always do what you’ve always done, you will always get what you’ve always got.” While these prophetic words have been attributed to many, I prefer to believe Ford was the first to utter them. What he is so succinctly saying is that to effect change you must change your habits and behaviours. Some people think New Year’s resolutions are overrated and made to be broken. However, I prefer to think of resolutions as a plan for the year because a resolution feels like a short-term goal and we all know goals aren’t always scored. But if you call it a plan, it has structure, multiple steps and accountability to achieve an end result. In 2019, many people will dream of changing their life by starting their own business. This is a decision too large to be called a New Year’s resolution, so a plan must be made, which brings us back to Ford. If working for yourself is your dream, you’re going to have to do something different next

year to make this happen. First, set yourself realistic targets.Handing your notice in on January 2 is not going to be a great idea if you haven’t got all your ducks in a row. When starting a new business, much planning and organisation can be completed during evenings and weekends if you’re employed during the daytime. It makes sense to get as much of the company setup completed in your own time while you’re still a salaried employee. But it’s time to ask yourself some tough no-nonsense questions. A new business could burn through cash, so getting the finances right will usually be the first port of call. How are you going to finance the business – savings, family, a loan? The next question is challenging your business idea. What type of company will it be? Who are your competitors? Robust competitor research is a must. Some people who want to start a business look at franchising. Starting a franchise can be a quick and more cost-effective way to begin. The British Franchise Association quotes success rates of over 95% of franchisees achieving profitability. So if starting your own business is your dream for 2019, get planning. Remember, you’ll need to do something different to achieve a different outcome for yourself. December 2018 | elitefranchise

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STEWART BUTLER

Ship off the old block BY ERIC JOHANSSON

18 ELITEFRANCHISE | DECEMBER 2018 2017

STEWART BUTLER

His mother believed he’d never amount to anything but Stewart Butler proved her wrong by solving SMEs’ shipping woes around the globe with 110 World Options franchisees

tewart Butler refused to go home. The day World Options, the shipping services franchise, launched, he told his co-founder Andrew Jackson they weren’t allowed to leave work before making their first sale. “I couldn’t afford to fail,” Butler says. “It wasn’t an option. And when your back is up against the wall you can do two things – you can either handle it or you can run from it.” He opted for the former and kept pushing because, after all, what choice did he have? Not only had he bet all his worldly possessions – including remortgaging the house he lived in with his young family – on the seemingly far-fetched notion SMEs deserved the same level of carrier service as huge conglomerates, but he’d also roped his partner and both of their wives into the project. “It was quite scary,” he admits. But his tenacity quickly paid off. Several hard-hitting hours after his enterprise had opened its doors, Butler watched as his first ever client signed a cheque. “It was an emotional moment,” he remembers. “[I had] all those feelings mixed in – [I was] excited, nervous, scared. It was one of those moments where you want to laugh, to cry, to hug, to shout, to scream.” Given this wave of feelings washing over him, it’s understandable Butler couldn’t help himself and embraced the new client once the first payment had been signed. “He was a bit taken aback and I said ‘Don’t worry, we don’t hug all our customers but this is our first [sale],’” he laughs. “‘Welcome to World Options.’” From the outside, the embrace may seem like an entrepreneur celebrating the first of many successes that would turn the company into a global brand with hundreds of franchisees around the world. However, that would miss the significance of the moment. For Butler it soothed a fear of failure he’s carried with him ever since childhood. “I remember being five years of age and playing outside in the back garden,” he recalls. “I was messing around, throwing stones, and my mum called me [into] the kitchen and she looked me in the face and [gave me] a backhand around the ear. And I remember her saying ‘Stewart, you know what, you’re a waste of space. You should’ve never been born and when you grow up you won’t amount to anything in your life.’” That moment has motivated him to prove her wrong in the years since. “You can either sit down and moan about it or you can do something about the things you can change [and] don’t worry about the things you can’t,” Butler shrugs. His drive saw him work hard to get the best results he could in school. While admitting this didn’t always yield straight As, his experience with education taught him a vital lesson for his future entrepreneurial endeavours – time management. And even when he left college to get a full-time job, Butler kept pushing himself harder and harder. “I took an economics and marketing degree at night school for four years [on top of] working six days a week,” he says.

DECEMBER 2018 || ELITEFRANCHISE ELITEFRANCHISE DECEMBER 2018

Stewart Butler

Having first tried his hand at car salesmanship, he eventually found himself working with a shipping company – leading him towards his future franchisor role. “This was probably in 1999 or in the early 2000s,” Butler remembers. “The internet had started but in the shipping industry it was a bit archaic, it was still way behind industries like banking and insurance.” This lack of innovation in the sector eventually presented him with the key insight required to launch his own enterprise. “The idea behind World Options was to be able to give small to medium-sized businesses [the same] treatment as large companies,” he explains. So why didn’t SMEs get the same red carpet service larger firms did? “It’s the economy of scale,” answers Butler. Essentially, it boiled down to one simple fact – it would cost large carriers and shipping companies too much to give each and every smallbusiness leader the same attention that larger companies got. Therefore they’d rather opt to focus on clients shipping large quantities than small ones. “So I thought, ‘hold on a minute Stewart, there’s a hole in the marketplace here,’” he remembers. The thought didn’t leave him alone. And as Butler pondered over it, he

realised how a shipping service for SMEs could make a lot of money. “I went home that night and I said to my wife, ‘I’ve got an idea’ and she was like ‘okay, tell me,’” Butler recalls. Over the next few hours he explained his brainwave by drawing it on a white board and answering all of her questions. Eventually, his wife gave her thumbs up to launch the business. “I remember [how] she said ‘right Stewart, it’s three o’clock in the morning, you’ve got my blessing, I’m going to bed’ and that was all I needed,” he says. With his wife on board, Butler leaped into action. The first item on his to-do list was to secure funding for the enterprise. But despite bringing charts, cashflow projections, SWOT analysis and everything else needed in a solid business plan, the bank required some more convincing. While Butler recognised the reluctance to lend to an untested venture, he asked the bank manager to have some faith. “And he answered ‘I cant give you the money based on faith,’” Butler remembers. Refusing to abandon his idea, the budding entrepreneur pressed on and eventually managed to persuade the financial institution that his endeavour was worth betting on. Armed with the bank loan and having remortgaged his

home, Butler had almost everything he needed to launch World Options. The last piece of the puzzle snapped into place when he found his cofounder. “Andrew has always been a good friend of mine,” says Butler. “I’ve known him for a number of years.” Not only was Jackson highly skilled at the operational side of doing business but their wives were also very close friends. So when Jackson heard that Butler was setting up a company of his own, he wanted to be part of it. “He’s a really good guy,” says Butler. Together, the two of them, their wives and an administrator became World Options' initial workforce. Backed by this team, Butler soon made his first deal and continued to exceed everything he’d promised the bank manager. “We smashed all expectations,” he says. And the more World Options’ reputation spread, the bigger the company got. Six months after the launch in 2003, it had outgrown its first office. But the impressive rate of scale didn’t come by itself. “It was really hard work,” Butler says. “It was blood, sweat and tears.” As the years went by, the founders contemplated new ways of growing the business. And that’s how they began floating the idea of franchising World Options. “We knew we had something that was very different, unique and unusual but we needed the footfall of a franchise network to create critical mass,” Butler explains. Franchising the company made sense for a number of reasons. Firstly, it would boost the business’ talent retention. Most salespeople at the company only stayed for a few years. So franchising would give experienced salespeople reasons to stay on as franchisees, minimising the time wasted on training new staff. Moreover, establishing franchisees who understood the local area and the trials and tribulations of its SMEs would enable World Options to nurture strong and long-lasting relationships better than before. “The franchise network is almost like having a mum and pop store, allowing us to give that special one-to-one treatment to customers,” Butler says.

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Given these advantages, opting to transform World Options into a franchise was a nobrainer. Clearly not one to rest on his laurels, Butler charged forward in 2011 by launching a pilot franchise. “We knew it would work but wanted to prove it to ourselves and to the bfa,” he remembers. Recognising the importance of getting the model right from the get-go, the aspiring franchisor based it on a combination of the pilot franchisee’s experience and advice from insightful franchise lawyers. After one year, World Options presented their ideas to the association. “The bfa looked at it and said ‘Great idea,’” he states. Armed with the approval of and a provisional membership with the bfa, World Options set out to dramatically grow the franchise network. However, Butler admits to being slightly too lenient at first when sourcing franchisees. “Sometimes you have to get critical mass,” he explains. “There is no point in turning 20 franchisees away that are 50% there and we took those franchisees on board.” As a result, he claims that today, a third of his franchisees are truly exceptional, the second third are doing alright and the last third have room for improvement. Nevertheless, he’s adamant that the experience taught him to become a better franchisor. “Should we have taken those franchisees on board from day one?” Butler says. “Some of them, probably not in all fairness. But we were inexperienced, we didn’t have the traction, we didn’t have critical mass [and] we’ve learned a helluva lot from the initial franchise model.” These insights have greatly influenced World Options’ franchisee recruitment process. “Don’t think buying a franchise is going to be a get rich quick scheme,” Butler warns prospective franchisees. “It’s not going to be an easy option. You’re still going to work damn hard.” While a willingness to do the hours needed to make the business a success is essential, it isn’t the only attribute they look for. Candidates also have to demonstrate an unflappable attitude as well as eagerness to get to know their clients. “It’s not about sales,” Butler explains. “The processes that we work in, day in and day out is all about relationships. [If you understand this] then the business can work for you.” Equally, while the franchisor will thoroughly probe prospective franchisees, he expects the franchisee to be equally thorough before signing the dotted line. “We go

I have a lot of fire in my belly and a lot of love and passion for the business

elitefranchise | DECEMBER 2018

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Stewart Butler

through a selection process to make sure we’re a right fit for them and that they’re a right fit for us,” Butler says. And if a candidate is successful, Butler promises two things: that they'll have to work extremely hard and that they’ll receive the support of the franchisor. “We will be an angel on your shoulder and we will be a support mechanism,” he pledges. “We don’t want you to fail. The reason is it will look bad on us. We don’t want that press. And you know what, it’s important to us because we made that commitment.” The intimate relationship between the franchisor and its franchisees also resulted in the business boosting its innovative power. Having already spearheaded the development of World Options’ online portal that automised many SMEs’ shipping needs, Butler was no stranger to evolving the business model. But with franchisees on board, he suddenly had access to even more brainpower from more interactions with customers. “So these are fresh ideas in the marketplace,” he says. And to ensure no new ways to boost the company’s performance slip through the cracks, the franchisor takes time to listen and test every new concept. “There are some ideas that come through where we think ‘Really?’” Butler admits, “But you know what, we don’t discourage them.” This has meant

that on every franchisee meet-up, the franchisor can list hundreds of small solutions that have made World Options better thanks to franchisees’ ideas. Having secured critical mass in the network and heightened the model's standards, it was only a question of time before World Options would go global. “About three years ago we got invited to the US by one of the carriers,” Butler recalls. “They said ‘Guys we know you’ve been a great success in the UK and we’d like to model this in the US.’” The initial push into North America followed essentially the same format as the UK rollout. The franchisor began by running a pilot franchise for 12 months. At the same time it made sure to transform the technology that runs in the background and to

Don’t think buying a franchise is going to be a get rich quick scheme. It’s not going to be an easy option. You’re still going to work damn hard

tweak the franchise agreement to follow the country’s regulations. Once confident it could work, World Options unveiled the model to the public and the response was wilder than anything he’d experienced in the UK. “Franchising in the US is a completely different animal,” Butler says. “Americans’ adoption of franchising is like second nature to them. It’s not even in the realm of how we do it.” This attitude meant the US network has grown to seven franchisees already, with another 20 people being expected to join the network by the end of 2019. Following the success in the US, more markets have followed. “We’re live in Belgium, we’re live in the Netherlands, we’re live in Australia and we’re live [along the] Singapore coastline,” Butler says. And the franchisor isn’t stopping there. In fact, there are plenty more plans on the horizon and the company has already agreed partnerships with several carriers around the world for how the rollout will work. “We're probably going to franchise in 22 countries globally,” he explains. However, having signed a nondisclosure agreement, he can’t provide any more details than that but urges readers to watch this space. Looking back on his achievements so far, Butler hasn’t just – at the age of 44 – been able to provide for his four children and four grandchildren but he’s also given franchisees the chance to do the same. “We change people’s lives and I love it when you see people whose lives [have improved] and they just want to say thank you,” Butler says. “Sometimes they don’t have to say a lot but you understand where they're coming from. And that to me is powerful. That’s very, very powerful.” So far he’s given this chance to 85 franchisees in the UK and to 25 more around the world but he plans to keep working to provide this opportunity to many more in the future. “I have a lot of fire in my belly and a lot of love and passion for the business,” Butler concludes. “I think I’m going to be one of those old blokes in their 90s who are still working. It’s exciting.”

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ADVERTISING FEATURE

ActionCOACH creates a new firm favourite Plans to let the best kept business secret out of the bag

n Thursday January 4 at 4.10am, ActionCOACH UK co-founder, Ian Christelow, woke up in a cold sweat. The reason was simple, 16 years into the franchise’s journey and less than 5% of business owners knew about the best business growth system in the world. Despite the undoubted success of the UK’s leading B2B franchise and the delight of its 2,000 clients, over 95% of business owners were oblivious to the intellectual property’s power to multiply a company’s profits by tenfold inside seven years. The tragic reality was that nine out of ten UK business owners were sleepwalking towards the death of their business at some point in the next decade. Almost certain cause of death in the final analysis: business ignorance. This has fuelled further motivation for ActionCOACH to achieve their vision for the UK of abundance through business reeducation and world class coaching. Enough was enough. Christelow turned on the light and started to sketch out a better way to spread the message. An emergency one-day meeting with the directors of the UK company created a straw man the directors could develop and present to franchisees with ambitions to build a team of coaches at next quarter’s conference. Most of the feedback was incorporated in version two of the model and discussions began with the founder of the business coaching profession, Brad Sugars. Sugars immediately got the potential of the planned changes and commissioned

New ActionCOACH franchisees completing their training his legal counsel to help Christelow and the UK recruitment director Julie Wagstaff iron out the details and develop a win, win, win opportunity for everyone who chose to get involved. The year gone by In 2018, ActionCOACH sped through another milestone, reaching 200 franchisees with over 30 new franchisees joining the franchise in the fourth quarter on the back of an impressive sixth straight 5-Star Franchisee Satisfaction Award. Christelow explains how the new model also tackles the challenge of increasing support for its growing number of franchisees: “Our historic

self-employed franchise opportunity with non-exclusive territories was proving too popular. It may sound like a great position to be in, but we were heading to 400 franchisees by the end of 2020 and tracking towards a staggering 1,000 in the market in the next decade. “We’re proud of the personal support we provide our franchisees and our challenge with the growth rate was continuing that high-level support. The answer became clear: we simply couldn’t as we wouldn’t even be able to remember the names of 1,000 franchisees. So, to continue to deliver one-to-one professional development and 70

24 elitefranchise | DecEMBER 2018

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Jenni Morgan helping business owners to success at her launch seminar days of support a year in an effective manner and meet the challenge of satisfying the latent need of business owners for the services, we had to find a different way. “The idea draws on the principle of leverage and divide to multiply. Tech4T drew up maps containing a minimum of 10,000 active UK businesses in each territory. Franchisees can now invest in the development rights to one or more exclusive territories; it’s an opportunity to build a team to ultimately let every business owner know about the cure for the blight which would probably have killed their business and the solutions available to instead grow their business and gain the lifestyle they dreamt of at the outset. “Our previous franchise model was geared to our franchisees being self-employed. With as little as seven hours a week of coaching, our franchisees could generate a monthly income of £10,000, which for most equates to an enviable lifestyle. However, even with 200 franchisees across the UK, we had penetrated less than 1% of the market for our services and generated very little in the way of brand awareness. The new Firm Builder licence changes that as franchisees can now recruit an uncapped number of employee coaches, safe in the knowledge we won’t clutter their market with more franchisees. The expectation is each territory is gradually developed to at least £1m of annual revenue over the next decade, which is a level ActionCOACH has seen its top performers achieve in personal client income inside half of that time frame.”

they’ve decided to develop these through employed general managers for themselves. James Vincent, ActionCOACH UK’s Performance Director, is one step ahead and has already invested in the Sheffield Territory and hired a general manager to run it for him as an investment delivering returns he can’t find elsewhere. “We expect to award all remaining territories by the end of 2020 to people who have proven team-building and leadership skills, an investment mindset and a personality that attracts talent,” says Christelow. “In return, the level of support for our franchisees will only increase. We now offer free one-to-one mentoring from our team of master coaches to our firm builders for as long as they are partners. In addition, the new 90:10 revenue share in your favour generates an unlimited marketing budget to create way more speaking opportunities, leads and clients for our franchisees. “The question is, could you be the lead star coach or will you be the star leader of a team of great coaches? Both options are currently available to the right person.” If you want to build a business to make a difference in your community and you’re the kind of person who loves learning and developing yourself, has enjoyed success in your career or sport and is willing to invest if they see substantial returns can be made, then find out more by watching the six-minute overview video at actioncoach.co.uk/overview

New beginnings In late 2018, five new Firm Builder franchisees joined the UK team and five more Firm Builder territories were awarded to existing franchisees. Interestingly, Christelow and Wagstaff let us know the last 30 available territories, wherever they may be, are not for sale at any price, because DecEMBER 2018 | elitefranchise

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PASSIONATE ABOUT PROPERTY? Join Century 21 UK as a franchisee and beneﬁt from:

Additional earning through the SDL Group

Global brand presence

Continuous support & training

Market leading technology

If owning a C21 franchise sounds like it would be up your street, contact us today and you could be up and running in as little as 6 weeks!

ONE OF THE UK’S FASTEST GROWING FRANCHISE NETWORKS

United Kingdom DPS.indd 1

0115 902 1002 opportunities@century21uk.com www.century21franchise.co.uk 07/11/2018 14:55

OVER 8000 OFFICES ACROSS 81 COUNTRIES!

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SALES & LETTINGS

SURVEYING

PROPERTY MANAGEMENT

AUCTIONS

BLOCK MANAGEMENT

MORTGAGES 07/11/2018 14:55

Frank Milner CEO Tutor Doctor

Duty of care: Why children’s sector franchises aren’t child’s play All franchises should provide the best service possible. However, the stakes are even higher when you care for children ore than ever, people are looking to invest in the children’s sector because they recognise the longevity of the industry, the privilege to make a very real difference in children’s lives and that the potential for growth is substantial. However, there are certain responsibilities that must be fulfilled in a children’s services franchise for both franchisor and franchisee and they're not to be taken lightly. The safety and wellbeing of the children and young adults we work with is paramount to any franchisor in this sector. An in-depth safeguarding assessment should outline areas of potential risk at all stages of the service. It’s the franchisor’s responsibility to put in place suitable measures to mitigate these risks as part of their franchise model. It’s the franchisee’s responsibility to uphold these systems and processes to the highest standards once operational. A prime example of this would be a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. This government organisation prevents unsuitable people from working with vulnerable groups, including children. I would expect all franchisors working with children to perform a DBS check on prospects when they reach the final stages of the recruitment process. We encourage franchisees to conduct thorough due diligence on the brands they invest in and any responsible franchisor should do the same in order to fulfil our obligations. Unsurprisingly, the majority of those working in the education sector have a passion for improving the lives of children and a duty of care to them. The safety of a

kid is paramount and it’s within the responsibility of all franchisors to help reinforce this view throughout our own family of franchisees. We have the utmost honour of being in a position of trust and having a life-changing impact on the development of a child. It means we have to put children’s welfare at the forefront of our work. Everyone, not just the franchisor, holds the responsibility of creating a safe environment and providing parents with assurance of their child’s safety, whether it’s in their own home or at a learning space. Another crucial aspect that needs to be maintained is confidentiality. We’re now all very familiar – or should be – with the enhanced GDPR rules and know that where children are concerned, there’s a heightened sensitivity. Protecting a child’s identity and privacy must come before marketing and brand promotion – no matter how good the success story. That means permission for testimonials, case studies and use of images is much more stringent. It’s within our remit to promote the welfare of children and ensure confidentiality at all times. The roles and responsibilities of franchisees in any children’s sector can be daunting at times. To aid coherence between all franchisees and support them in their daily activities, the franchisor should ensure operations manuals and reference materials are easily available and accessible via a resource library. When working with children, everything needs to be handled with extra care; from marketing and promoting your brand and your recruitment process, to staffing an individual franchise office and maintaining industry standards across the network. It’s anything but child’s play.

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Secured success! Secured success! With Europe’s leading

With Europe’s leading EMS fitness studio concept! EMS fitness studio concept! EMS is the buzzword in the fitness scene - being one of the most dynamic segments of the industry across Europe. Take this opportunity, as a franchisee of the system that has been the clear market EMS is the buzzword in the fitness scene - being one of the most dynamic segments of the industry leader across the continent for over 10 years. No other EMS franchise system can offer you so much across Europe. Take this opportunity, as a franchisee of the system that has been the clear market experience and support from the outset: location search, leasing and financing, employee training, leader across the continent for over 10 years. No other EMS franchise system can offer you so much business administration and marketing - plus loads more. experience and support from the outset: location search, leasing and financing, employee training, administration and marketing - plus loads more. members and delivering over business With Bodystreet having nearly 300 studios, some 37,000 150,000 training sessions per month; it is easy to see what is coming our way. With Bodystreet having nearly 300 studios, some 37,000 members and delivering over 150,000 sessions per month; it isis easy tohave see what is coming our way. Be at the training start — with the business that set to the fitness industry in the UK buzzing. Be at the information start — withvisit the our business that is set to have the fitness or industry the UK buzzing. For more website: www.bodystreetuk.co.uk email in franchise@bodystreet.co.uk For more information visit our website: www.bodystreetuk.co.uk or email franchise@bodystreet.co.uk

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ADVERTISING FEATURE

Ovenu - taking retrospective top tips from end of term reports Initiatives like Elite Franchise 100 enable franchisors like Ovenu to highlight the quality service that sets them apart from the competition

n school, the often lamentable screeching, ear splitting and out of tune racket of the school Christmas pantomime is often followed by the eagerly anticipated end of term report where the teachers almost always include the inevitable phrase “could do better.” Of course this phrase has now become an integral part of the English language but, when franchisors stop for a moment and analyse their own performance, it can be a very helpful little sentence to adopt particularly if paraphrased. Most franchisors work hard to improve their businesses but it can be tricky sometimes for franchisors to get the accolades they deserve directly from their franchisees. Luckily there are initiatives such as the Elite Franchise 100 to help prospect franchisees to weed-out bad franchises and leaving quality opportunities for all to see. The Ovenu franchise opportunity was placed among the UK’s 100 top franchises last year and we’re bullish about our chances of climbing even higher thanks to our ever-evolving and improving franchise offering. Success from our perspective isn’t just measured in financial terms. That said, when our smallest territory turned over in excess of £6,000 in the three week run up to Christmas, these things can’t be overlooked. We’ve had a great year through 2018 by recruiting quality franchisees into our remaining available territories and we’ve conducted a couple of very smooth resales. Our franchisees received a record amount of leads through 2018

following a tranche of marketing activity, including getting back into advertising on TV – something we pioneered back in 2003. Our online and offline activity goes from strength to strength and the volume of delighted client reviews smashed through the 20,000 mark in the second half of 2018. It seems that our customers just love the quality service they receive from our ever expanding network. It’s also great that our end of term report suggests that 2019 promises to be just as good, if not better, than 2018 so perhaps now is the time to take the first step towards dismissing any fear of the unknown by coming to have a chat with us over coffee. You’ll find that we’re really easy to get on with and we’ll happily show you exactly what makes us as good as the Elite Franchise 100 Judges say we are.

Why not come and have a chat with us in a relaxed atmosphere over a cup of coffee? Contact us today Call 01189 743911 and we’ll pop a date in the diary for a chat.

30 elitefranchise | DecEMBER 2018

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CCKK VV! ! BBAAN TT OON

Ovenu - a business where every property is a prospect

The UK's favourite network of oven valeting Franchisees. Why should you consider becoming one of them? In depth oven valeting and business operation training no experience necessary Exclusive territory Large support network Over 25 years experience Your choice of white van Bespoke cleaning products no one else can deliver our results Complete control of your own work schedule Get involved from ÂŁ4,995 + VAT

Benefit from 20,000+ client reviews & testimonials for our specialist service Find out more 01189 743 911 or via ovenufranchise.co.uk OvenU October.indd 1

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BECOME OUR NEW F R A N C H I S E PA R T N E R

IN THE UK JOI N A GL OBA L F URN I TURE DE SIGN BRA ND, OF F E R I NG A STRONG F RA NCH I S E CONCE P T From Denmark to the world since 1952, BoConcept specializes in premium quality interior design for the cosmopolitan-minded customer. With over 25 years of franchise experience, and more than 300 stores in 65 countries, BoConcept is an established and proven Retail Franchise system, offering an attractive business model. The strong toolbox, and the outstanding support within all areas of business and retailing, make easy the setup and management of a BoConcept store. Therefore, most of our partners own multiple stores. L O O KI N G F O R F R A N C H I S E PA RT N E R S T O C O V E R THE FOLLOWING AREAS: North West (Chester, Liverpool) | South West (Exeter) | South Coast (Bournemouth, Winchester) | East Midlands (Leicester, Nottingham)

F OR F U R T H ER I N F O R M AT I O N : B OCONCE P T. C O M / FRA N C H IS E | FRA N C H IS E@ B O C O N C E P T. C O M

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The Entrepreneurial Franchise Opportunity 10 REASONS TO INVEST IN A CASH GENERATOR FRANCHISE Excellent Return on Investment * Proven business model Established since 1994 58 Franchisees operating 121 stores across the UK High growth opportunity, recession proof business model Single store and Multi-site opportunities available Multiple revenue streams including online and in store Exclusive franchise territories awarded for 10 years Ongoing training and support packages tailored to your needs Bespoke EPOS and website ecommerce platforms * More information is available in our franchise prospectus, download from our website now

www.cgfranchising.co.uk

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Nigel Toplis managing director The Bardon Group

Commitment

to the cause

Just franchised

In a successful franchise, the relationship between the franchisor and the franchisee is akin to a marriage n the same way a husband and wife won't agree on everything, the same can be said of a franchisor and franchisee. There will be discussion, debate, the odd argument and the occasional divorce. But both parties will largely share a common goal – to maximise the franchisee’s business opportunity. As in any long-lasting relationship the franchisee should never simply buy a franchise but buy into the franchise. This subtle change of emphasis ensures that both the franchisor and the franchisee are committed to the business, now and for the future, for better and for worse. A franchise after all is neither a commodity nor a job – it’s a commitment. As in a marriage, for the franchise to work effectively both the franchisee and the franchisor must bring something of themselves to the party. The franchisee brings drive, ambition, energy, hard work and their own skills. The franchisor will cement the relationship by contributing a tried and tested business model, training, marketing and ongoing support. Whilst I believe in a strong marital relationship between franchisor and franchisee, I also recognise the franchisor must show a significant dowry to prove their worth to the franchisee and ensure an ongoing and happy marriage. For ourselves we have a team specialising in the key business disciplines that’s committed to providing support

to our franchisees in crucial areas of marketing, sales, business planning, finance, procurement, curriculum development, retail management and training. It’s important that a prospective franchisee investigates the marital prospects of the franchisor – reputation, what existing franchisees think, the support levels and so forth – in advance of the wedding day. Meet with the franchisor, read the business manuals, talk to other franchisees – the spouses – and take advice from the banks and the bfa. You can take comfort in the fact that by paying an ongoing royalty, the franchisor is further committed to help you drive your business as most franchisors generate the bulk of their income through royalties, rather than large upfront costs. Furthermore, these royalties are like a lease payment and as such there’s encouragement for the franchisor to continually improve the system, add new tools and examine new business opportunities. As a spouse you expect to be taken care of, have your life improved and forge a long-lasting relationship. As a franchisee you should expect an ethical business, with a proven business system, backed up by good collateral, training and business processes and supported by head office personnel who care about the business and helping you become a success.

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ADVERTISING FEATURE

New year, new business, new you It’s the time of year when many people begin considering future business and career prospects. Heritage Healthcare discuss why you should become your own boss in 2019

ou may have started to plan for 2019, deciding where you want your career to take you. Why not make this new year your year by launching your own business and becoming your own boss? Deciding to take a step away from being someone else’s emplyee is daunting, but there are many advantages to doing what you love and working for yourself. If you’re currently in a role that is unmotivating or unenjoyable, your mood can take a toll on your personal life. Being able to wake up every morning and be ready to get stuck into work, knowing the huge impact you are making on yourself, your family and your community is a massive benefit to becoming your own boss. The industry you specialise in can create a meaningful effect on the daily lives of your customers.

“As a business owner, you can create new job opportunities to support local people”

At Heritage Healthcare, we create bespoke homecare packages enabling individuals to remain living independently at home for longer. Our franchise network is passionate about the services they deliver and have built an outstanding reputation within their own territories. The current economic climate is unpredictable, especially when it comes to employment. As a business owner, you can create new job opportunities to support local people and give yourself a chance to give back to your community. It won’t be just your staff who will be learning something new – becoming your own boss will broaden your own skills. You will be at the forefront of your business, connecting with customers and professionals while

still in control of what goes on behind the scenes. Heritage Healthcare support franchisees through the process of launching their homecare business, with an experienced team there to advise on every aspect of building a successful business. Find out more about Heritage Healthcare by visiting www.heritagehealthcarefranchising. co.uk or call 01325 370 707.

December 2018 | elitefranchise

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FUN! FLEXIBLE! FANTASTIC EARNING POTENTIAL! Multi award winning franchise opportunity Boogie Beat franchisees run: Active and lively music and movement Community classes Workshops in Nurseries, Schools and Intergeneration Parties and Special events

â&#x20AC;&#x153;

Fully flexible to fit around my very young family and busy mum life, with fantastic earning potential, a brand with 3 strings to the bow with classes, workshops and party packages plus a good support network from the whole team Boogie Beat stands out from the rest!â&#x20AC;? - Caroline Hissey, Boogie Beat franchisee

Contact nicky@boogiebeat.co.uk or 01934 741648 To request a franchise prospectus www.boogiebeat.co.uk

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Tony Bowman managing director etyres

The importance of looking ahead to ensure future franchise success The markets can change rapidly. Therefore, prospective franchisees must think carefully before committing to a franchise that may be worthless in a few years n a fast-changing world like ours, it’s prudent for aspiring franchisees to question whether the business they’re thinking of investing in will be around for the foreseeable future. While it’s impossible to be 100% accurate in any prediction, the most rational answer provides an excellent method of evaluating the hundreds of franchise opportunities that exist in the UK at the moment. If your chosen business venture passes the following tests you'll have a better than 90% chance of being successful, which is an excellent percentage for any new business. Firstly, look at the business sector and consider the likelihood of it being changed by technology. Those who invested in a printer ink cartridge shop or a DVD video store franchise know only too well that things can shift very quickly. The same could apply to a trendy new technology, such as aerial photography with drones. As

these become cheaper and easier to use, their values will drop and a business that looks profitable today could soon be unable to cover its overheads. An e-cigarettes and vaping shop is currently an interesting proposition. However, as this market matures the shopping habits for these products are likely to change and it’s worth pointing out that many a small local shop has gone bust trying to compete with the big supermarkets. It’s also possible that an industry could be disrupted by a new way of doing things, particularly where the internet is involved. For example, the short-lettings sector has been changed forever by Airbnb. Similarly, the elderly domiciliary care industry could transform dramatically if an Uber-style titan began to match carers with those who need their services. The middleman, and there are some very successful homecare franchises in this market, could see their customer base evaporate before they can adapt. Also take into account changes in the way we live. In the 1970s there was a laundrette on every street corner. Some were franchised. They aren’t there anymore. Conversely, the gardens of new homes are now far smaller than they used to be, so it's more convenient to use a grass-cutting service than buy a lawnmower that will only be used for a few minutes at a time. This trend is definitely set to continue. If the franchise you’re considering clears these hurdles it'll probably be successful for the foreseeable future as a business. You should also assess how well the franchise you're considering is managed. You need to feel confident the management team is competent and feel comfortable dealing with them. Are they overly expansionist or lacking desire to grow? Either could prove problematic for the longevity of the business. If you get all of this right you'll find franchising to be an excellent and very secure way of establishing a new business. You'll make money, have a more enjoyable lifestyle and eventually possess a valuable asset to sell. DECEMBER 2018 | elitefranchise

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ADVERTISING FEATURE

Train to be a driving instructor at RED Driving School Few have the privilege of both being their own boss and helping others take the next step in their lives. But as one of RED Driving School’s franchisees you can do just that RED offers end-to-end support Becoming a driving instructor is more than just a job – it’s a profession that provides unlimited satisfaction and RED makes it easy. For instance, joining RED’s Approved Driving Instructor (ADI) course on a trainee licence provides up to 80 hours of one-to-one tuition with a specialist instructor trainer. From there, you can qualify at your own pace and fit the programme around your existing commitments. You’re guaranteed an opportunity As part of training you’ll be ensured an opportunity to join RED Driving School - the National Driving School of the Year at the First Car Awards. This PDI trainee licence route allows you to earn as you learn and gives a significant advantage in preparing for and passing the DVSA’s new Part 3 test. The most highly rated driving instructor training course RED is part of the DVSA’s ORDIT scheme which oversees the quality of instructor training. In fact, we have achieved an impressive 4.6 out of a maximum five-star rating from our trainees, according to an independent customer survey conducted by Feefo.

So is RED for you? RED Driving School has now trained more than 10,000 ADIs and is the largest driving instructor training organisation in the UK – we understand what it takes to pass. We offer a range of courses suited to every budget and lifestyle with the option to get a full refund on your course fees. So what is there to lose? To find out more call 0330 332 2684 quoting Elite Franchise

dECEMBER 2018 | elitefranchise

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WOMEN’S BUSINESS CLUB

The future is

female BY VARSHA SARAOGI

After some bad experiences forced Angela De Souza to abandon franchising, she’s now returned to fight against misogyny in business through her coaching franchise

rom funding struggles to dealing with sexism, female founders face many challenges. One of the main obstacles is that women underestimate their capabilities. That’s why Angela De Souza, founder and CEO of Women’s Business Club, a franchise coaching women, launched her enterprise to help empower these entrepreneurs. “Men have had support for hundreds of years and they know what they need to do,” she argues. “It’s quite new in many ways for women and a rather uphill journey.” However, it wasn’t something she thought of doing initially. While De Souza has spearheaded various companies – including a recruitment agency and a bookkeeping business – none of those worked out and she gave up. “I didn’t want to do business and thought I wasn’t very good at it,” she says. The turning point came when De Souza volunteered at a church in Gloucester, to solve women’s business woes. On realising how she could capitalise on her talent, her husband had a lightbulb moment. “He said ‘why don’t you charge for that?’” she recalls. “I kinda laughed at him and thought ‘well I can’t, I failed in my business.’ But what I didn’t realise was even when you fail, you learn valuable lessons [like] how not to do things and how to do

40 ELITEFRANCHISE | DECEMBER 2018

things better. I was then able to help people based on that experience.” And thus began Women’s Business Club in January 2013. Having been a volunteer for a long time, De Souza struggled to get her business off the ground. The first step was to source capital. But when that turned out to be challenging, she instead opted to bootstrap the venture. “I started with no money so I took payments first, then paid the costs and we still continue that model today,” she says. This method not only kept her cashflow going during the company’s infancy but also prevented her from resorting to loans or going into deficit. The lack of funds made De Souza tighten her budget on every front, including marketing. Along with capitalising on her current contacts, she turned to social media as her go-to strategy. “I spent so much time on social media just chatting to people and inviting them to my sessions,” she says. “And they got more people so it just grew very naturally and organically.” Today, even with a profitable business, De Souza’s marketing scheme remains pretty much the same. “Now there are five of us overlooking marketing but we all use social media – not [only] because it’s free but because it works,” she explains.

WOMEN’S BUSINESS CLUB

Admittedly, one obstacle with growing through social media was the time it took De Souza to manually message potential members. And this led her to experiment with chatbots. “I think things have really evolved through automation and so now we can reach more people faster because we set up bots,” she says. The bots start the conversation but she and her team eventually take over to nurture a more personal conversation and relationship. Although the company gained traction, her vision was to see it scale throughout the UK. And that’s how she fell into franchising within six months of launching. “Looking at the various constraints we had, [it] meant we could only grow to a certain point so franchising was the sensible way forward,” she says. Another benefit was franchising enabled her to reduce her staff costs as she would get paid by franchisees. “It makes sense on so many levels,” she adds.

A franchisee wouldn’t be good if they were only interested in how much money they could make – it has to be more than that While it was the best way forward for her to make a national footprint, franchising wasn’t a bed of roses for De Souza. She was in a big pickle after some bad experiences, which made her stop franchising altogether for two years in 2016. “Franchisees wanted to run it as their own business and [not] as a franchise model,” she recalls. “And so they started doing things that didn’t represent our brand. One of the franchisees said

we were micromanaging and all we were doing was pointing her to the franchise handbook. You have to follow the handbook, otherwise you’re not a franchisee.” But despite the challenges which she believes formed a necessary learning curve, De Souza wasn’t one to give up. And in early 2018, she relaunched a revised franchise model. One of the main changes she made was to control social media centrally as opposed to the former DECEMBER 2018 | ELITEFRANCHISE

Women’s Business Club

It’s undoubtedly a very maledominated environment and [women] need female support method of granting franchisees their own accounts. This way she could administer the marketing side and franchisees could focus on the day-to-

day running. De Souza also altered her franchisee recruitment method. The franchisor made it compulsory for potential franchisees to be members of her clubs for at least one year before going in at the deep end which wasn’t the case before. Apart from that commitment, De Souza considers passion a nonnegotiable prerequisite. “Everything else I believe can be taught but passion for the Women’s Business Club – we can’t teach that,” she declares. “People either have it or they don’t.” She also believes an innate desire towards social responsibility and philanthropy must be a part of their life. “A franchisee wouldn’t be good if they were only interested in how much money they could make – it has to [be] more than

Everything else I believe can be taught but passion for the Women’s Business Club – we can’t teach that

that,” she adds. Once she’s confident about a potential franchisee, the franchisor upskills them for a year. “We look at leadership training, leadership development and speaker training at various degrees,” De Souza says. She also hosts webinars and online sessions on topics like marketing and finance. Additionally, she visits every club once a year, during which they’re rated between one to five so she can evaluate where they stand and help them grow. Less than a year after the relaunch of the network, De Souza has already recruited 16 franchisees and plans to open three clubs every quarter going forward. She aims to make Women’s Business Club a household name for every professional woman in Blighty. “I think it will take me my whole life to get it rolled out across the UK because my dream is that no woman should travel more than five minutes to access a club,” she concludes. “It’s undoubtedly a very male-dominated environment and [women] need female support. We want to help every woman realise her potential.”

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OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE FOR 2019

now possible to operate your own part-time Helen O’Grady Drama Academy Business (2/3 days per week) for an initial outlay of only £2,000

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ADVERTISING FEATURE

Zoom in on a DE Photo franchise Mike Moore found a new lifestyle as the founder of DE Photo. Now he’s giving others the same opportunity

ike Moore, founder of DE Photo, spent over 20 years working in London managing three branches of an IT recruitment consultancy and missing the early years of his two children growing up due to the long hours. He decided it was time for a lifestyle reality check. Combining his passion for all things tech, photography and sport, Moore fell into the sport and event photography business almost by chance. Whilst taking photos of his son Olly starting out on his football career at the age of six, Moore would take action photos of his son at every game. When other parents noticed, they began asking if he could also snap some of their kids too. It became a weekly ritual of printing off some of the best shots he’d taken and giving them to other parents. As he saw their delight from seeing their children in action, Moore knew he was on to something great. With his desire for a lifestyle change the cogs were churning and thoughts of how to make a business out of taking action photos at sports events were put in place. There didn’t appear to be any such service in the UK at the time, but after much research Moore discovered that the US had a growing market for on-site

printing at events and this seemed the perfect answer. Capturing the moment on the day and parents being able to take their photo away with them, there and then, this was the eureka moment and the birth of DE Photo was now on the horizon. Back in those early days, a young Olly would always want to be with his Dad at every event and became the expert in serving customers and printing their photos, at the ripe old age of nine. This father and son combination is still present today since Olly has continued to work for DE Photo and, at 26, he’s now the franchise branch support manager working out of head office. In addition, Moore’s wife Lisa has been the company’s customer services manager for the last 12 years, a true family business at its core. Moore also commented that “most of our franchisees work as a family unit, with many wives, sons, daughters all enjoying the DE Photo lifestyle”. It’s this family joint venture that makes the business so appealing. As the number of franchisees grew, so did the variety of sports and events they attend. Today DE Photo is the largest sports and event photography franchise in the UK and covers an amazing 50

different types of kids sports including junior football, martial arts, dance and gymnastics. Franchisees also cover school sports and events, Santa’s grottos, retail promotions, corporate and personal events, dinner dances, award ceremonies etcetera – all with photos printed, framed and sold on site. DE Photo innovates constantly with new photo designs, multi-photo layouts and producing software to create exciting ‘dummy’ magazine covers to really personalise the image. On the intense initial training program franchisees are taught all about running a successful franchise and using the latest top end professional cameras and equipment. A keen interest in photography is an asset but no photography experience is required. There will usually be between 800 and 2,000 photos taken between the photographers at an event and customers select their photos from the thumbnail prints displayed in age groups outside the high profile DE Photo event vehicle. They then get to see their selections in a number of different combinations on a large high definition screen before being sent to print. Fast photo production and service methods are central to the franchise. Photos from all events are also

44 elitefranchise | DECEMBER 2018

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available to view and buy on DE Photo’s superb website www. dephoto.biz following each event and they remain there indefinitely. Focussing on the future DE Photo has recently launched two new add-on brands to DE Photo: MySchool.Photo and DE AllStars to tap into wider markets in the coming years, which are free of charge to franchisees. DE Photo has thousands of testimonials which can be viewed on their website. And there are many from franchisees too. For instance, David May said: “I started as a DE Photo franchisee in February 2005 and I have not looked back. The back up from the company is everything they said it would be. It is a fantastic way of life, being involved with many sports and events – it is

certainly better than working.” Another great testimonial comes from Clive Carruthers, who said: “The DE Photo system is tried and tested and the franchise has successfully evolved over the years to become the UK’s number one Event Photography business. Franchisees don’t have to sell anything - the product does that all by itself.” Lilya Jones added: “Working for myself is enjoyable as I have such fantastic support from DE Photo. Everything is made easy. I’ve been with DE Photo since 2008, doesn’t time fly when you’re having fun.” Finally, Chris Coe concluded: “After many years I can honestly say it just gets better each year. I genuinely look forward to each day. It is a fantastic opportunity for anyone willing to put in the effort and time and not before long being

able to reap the rewards. I love meeting people and telling them I love my job.”

Please view their full franchise information brochure here: http://www.dephoto.biz/

DECEMBER 2018 | ELITEFRANCHISE

Fostering innovation

Lightbulb Tipping to

point

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Fostering innovation

moments BY Angus Shaw

A franchise network can house a collection of diverse opinions under the same brand. But how can franchisors encourage franchisees to innovate without derailing the organisation?

rendsetting, trailblazing titans like Apple refresh old and launch new products annually to worldwide attention. But whether it’s a new commodity, service or image, implementing innovation across franchise networks isn’t as simple. “Innovation, unless it’s harnessed in the correct way, can damage the brand,” claims David Glover, managing director of Caremark, the homecare franchise. Indeed, franchisees can shoot off on separate paths without the brand in mind if the franchisor doesn’t give direction. “Any new ideas need to be considered, trialled and developed for the benefit of the network as a whole rather than for the benefit of an individual franchisee and their personal circumstances,” Glover advises. However, a singular vision is key but not easy to achieve. After all, franchisees expect a degree of autonomy when buying into a network. And while a franchisor’s policy may be holy writ, not all franchisees will agree and may drag their feet where change is concerned. “Just because something is new doesn’t necessarily mean that everyone in the network will jump on board quickly or willingly,” says Sarah Kelly, CEO of Stagecoach Performing Arts, the performing arts franchise. Moreover, it can be particularly tough gauging what will be accepted in big networks. “We have over 350 franchisees across eight countries,” Kelly adds. “Very often a great idea will only suit one set of business circumstances.” Even essential changes like tech upgrades won’t see franchisees jumping at the opportunity if their coffers are on the line. “Cost can be high, especially when the change [or] innovation is tech related,” admits Kelly. Of course, no two franchisees are the same. And pitching pricy innovations to business owners from different backgrounds and experience levels takes strategy. “It can be a leap of faith for some franchisees to believe the proposed technological development is going to provide a return on investment,” she notes. Steering franchisees in a fresh direction can therefore be a daunting task. But if a franchisor fears innovation, the entire business is at risk of collapse. “[Innovation] means that you'll stay in business long term,” says Chris Allison, managing

director of Auditel, the cost-management franchise. “96% of businesses don't make ten years and 15 years on, 98% of brands are no longer there. So I truly believe that innovation is the lifeblood of the business.” Given the rapid pace technology sees markets and competitors evolve these days, innovating is a matter of survival. “In the 21st century, we’re now watching new technologies change the business landscape more or less every other year,” he adds. “So if you don’t innovate you’re going to have new, major business disruptors coming into your business environment that make it very difficult for you to compete.” With that in mind, what can franchises do to stay in the race? Considering the unique locations and customers a franchisee can work with, no one knows their business better than them. That’s why listening to each one is vital if franchisors want to foster network-wide innovation effectively. Caremark, for instance, has franchisees vote for representatives to achieve this by voicing thoughts alongside the firm’s senior management. “Our network is split into seven regions and each elects a representative to attend a consultative meeting,” Glover explains. “This meeting takes the form of a forum, which acts as a mechanism for any franchisee to recommend innovation and any new ideas.” When franchisors consider more than just their own concepts, the brand innovates for needs reflective of the whole network. And with a thumbs up from franchisees, this comes about quickly. Additionally, franchisees are welcome to offer suggestions through an open dialogue with the franchisor. “This is an ongoing process which encourages a growth mindset,” says Glover. Not enough can be said for touching base with franchisees to spark mutual lightbulb moments – and it’s achievable in more ways than one. For ActionCOACH UK, the business coaching franchise, participation in the anonymous WorkBuzz franchisee satisfaction survey is one method. “We carefully consider the recommended improvements to implement,” says Ian Christelow, co-founder of ActionCOACH UK. And through social media, even the furthest franchisee is in reach to give their two pennies worth. “We have a closed Facebook group where ideas are regularly shared and best practice is DECEMBER 2018 | elitefranchise

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Fostering innovation

As a franchisor you have to pilot [changes], that’s partly what franchisees are buying into – a tried and tested system Chris Allison, Auditel

[discussed] at quarterly team meetings held in six locations to reduce travel for our [franchisees],” he adds. However, not all ideas or changes conjured up by franchisees must be taken as a godsend if they don’t improve the brand. But by evaluating suggestions and taking the time to give critiques, franchisees will learn how to influence the network’s future. “If there are ideas that don’t work, we openly explain the reasons why,” Glover reasons. “This is so franchisees can understand that, as a franchisor, we will always embrace good ideas and reference why a certain idea just isn’t feasible.” Although, no matter how much discussion franchisors encourage, it’s a given franchisees won’t like everything. But it’s far easier when they at least know what they’re talking about and franchisors have a responsibility to ensure they do. “With any new innovation there is an element of education required for the franchisor and subsequently their franchisees,” says Kelly. That includes providing consistent training so everyone's on the same wavelength about upcoming adjustments. “Ensuring that there is adequate training for all is essential not only to drive adoption but also to ensure [everyone] is benefitting from the new change [or] innovation.” Indeed,

franchisees may be putting their foot down for the wrong reasons, so clear explanation can help prevent any unnecessary friction. And there’s no better way to win people over than through examples. “Without exception we pilot everything,” Allison says. “As a franchisor you have to pilot [changes], that’s partly what franchisees are buying into – a tried and tested system.” Certainly, trialling initiatives exposes faulty ideas and saves time and money from mass producing them network-wide. But above all, it provides a case study franchisees can tangibly understand and get on board with. “We develop a business solution, roll it out to a client and then we’ve got a case study we can then present to our franchisees and consultants,” he continues. The proof is in the pudding as some of the concepts created are showcased at workshops and regional meetings. With all this in mind, it’s easy to forge delusions of grandeur about the next big thing for your network. But radically changing your image, product or service for the sake of transformation alone can destroy what made the franchise great in the first place. “Our model is over 30 years old and it works,” Kelly concludes. “We understand that business models need to evolve to stay fresh but we wouldn’t necessarily deviate too far from the original proven model unless it made complete commercial sense for all involved.” It’s therefore crucial to identify reasons for innovation before rolling it out – not the other way round. After all, necessity is the mother of invention.

48 elitefranchise | DECEMBER 2018

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Crêpeaffaire

Watch your

crepe BY zen terrelonge

Following his taste for French culture, Daniel Spinath created Crêpeaffaire, the crepe restaurant franchise, which has seen the pioneering pancake purveyor catering to countries beyond the UK

nce responsible for food and beverage with Regent International Hotels, Daniel Spinath has been on a broad workplace journey ever since. From hospitality to finance, consumer goods to TV and onwards to travel, he put his experience to good use and founded his own eating empire – Crêpeaffaire. “[I’m] a foodie at heart and I grew up spending most of my holidays in France, so I was very much exposed to crepes,” says Spinath of his inspiration. “That was when I was much younger. I’ve always loved crepes and was really part of the whole French culture.” He didn’t know it then but that childhood memory would stick with him and shape his life decades later. After clocking up time working at Citi, Procter & Gamble, Viacom and Eurotunnel, the trigger to leap out of the corporate frying pan and into the entrepreneurial fire came as Spinath realised he desired forging a company of his own. “I wanted to do something myself and the thought about crepes was really that it can be something that’s not just a mum and pop business,” he reasons. “And quite frankly, in a very fragmented industry, [crepes] required a system and a brand.” From that point, the target was to take the “humble crepe” and transform it into a quick service restaurant that had the legs to scale. The first Crêpeaffaire opened in London back in 2005 and it’s fair to say that dining habits and the average guest have

changed drastically since then. “There’s been a major shift in food and eating behaviours with consumers in the UK,” opines Spinath. “There’s a lot more grazing [and a] shortage of time people have for eating, so traditional mealtimes such as breakfast, lunch and dinner have shifted into people eating at all points of the day.” He realised how modern consumers crave knowledge of the ingredients in their food and how healthy it is. This presented

I wanted to do something myself and the thought about crepes was really that it can be something that’s not just a mum and pop business

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Crêpeaffaire

a need to provide transparency as well as variety. “Crêpeaffaire isn’t just [for] dessert,” Spinath declares. “We serve a range of products that can cater to breakfast, lunch, dinner and everything in-between because we offer sweet and savoury.” And with each meal being prepared in front of the customers using organic flour and natural ingredients, Crêpeaffaire’s visitors can see what they’re getting. “You can indulge yourself responsibly but on the basis you obviously don’t ask for a triple helping of Nutella,” he laughs, explaining how the business differentiates itself. Despite operating with what is arguably a niche cuisine, having no direct competition didn’t make things easier. While McDonald’s has a clear rival in Burger King, being the first to venture into the specialist sweet and savoury sector meant he had to compete with the rest of the high street for customers and not just one other eatery. “I think everyone is your competition in the food market because there’s so much on offer,” says Spinath. “We compete with a salad bar, a Pret, with a Mars bar or icecream because we’re so versatile in our offering. You just need to stand out.” Satisfied that the model was working in the face of endless eateries entering the market, Spinath decided the next move should be to franchise the business in 2012 when Crêpeaffaire reached six company-owned stores. “We said we have a company which is growing but we want to grow faster and go into places that we wouldn’t be able to currently control ourselves [because they’re] too far out from our London-centric approach,” he details. As Spinath developed the model, he discovered how having a franchisee owning a piece of the brand and

managing contractual obligations were the most taxing elements of the evolution. “How do you communicate, how do you get things done and how do you integrate the things you’ve learned from your own company into a franchise network?” he says. “How do you get those through to a franchisee knowing they may also have their way of doing things? It requires a different approach in communication.” Nevertheless, these challenges didn’t keep him from opening Crêpeaffaire’s first franchise in Cardiff, which was a long way from the English capital but still a valuable location that would help the brand achieve the desired

scale. A presence in the Welsh city secured Crêpeaffaire the attention of other interested parties from further afield. “We then became more known and that’s when we had international organisations come to us,” says Spinath. “And that’s really been the driving force for us internationally.” Indeed, the business has franchisees in The Netherlands, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia by collaborating with food enterprises and master franchisees. “We tend to look at much larger master franchise organisations who have the capability to take on a cluster of those [franchises] and they could be individuals or professional organisations,” he adds.

DECEMBER 2018 | elitefranchise

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Crêpeaffaire

When we launched in Kuwait, I think we prepared ourselves extremely well for that move

However, whether they hail from Britain or abroad, there are key ingredients aspiring franchisees must possess to become part of Crêpeaffaire’s network. “When we look at franchisees, one of the criteria we look for [is] experience in retail,” says Spinath. He notes that a good feel for the location and property opportunities is also key, as well as them being a people person. “But the most important factor is really attitude and passion,” the franchisor reveals. “An individual franchisee who comes from a different industry needs to understand and be ready to face the reality of food retail, which is very unpredictable, very detail-orientated.” This attitude enabled Crêpeaffaire to easily make a success of its first venture abroad – into Kuwait – in 2015. “It’s fair to say we’d been focusing on the Middle East because there’s

a great propensity by the Middle Eastern consumer base to consume our type of products,” says Spinath, highlighting how significant the infrastructure there is. From Kuwait, the franchise entered the Netherlands and Saudi Arabia, none of which were too dissimilar from the UK sites. “What was initially different is we had to look into what consumer behaviour is in those foreign countries,” he notes. That meant reviewing what was transferrable from the UK to Kuwait, how things can be exported and how vastly products and palates need to be taken into consideration. “Why I’m saying it wasn’t that different is because right from the beginning we set up a very intense training programme for these franchisees to come over to the UK to learn how we do things but also to really create a bond to understand how we need to adjust the brand and products to local territories,” he continues. “When we launched in Kuwait, I think we prepared ourselves extremely well for that move.” With 2019 on the way, Crêpeaffaire is cooking up even more goodies for the future as the franchise looks to set sail for the US. However, this will be done with a company-owned model first in order to solidify the firm’s position, just as it did in the UK before franchising. “It’s a very strong market economically,” says Spinath explaining the attraction to America. “Casual dining is a lot more difficult right now but once you have success in the US, it’s fairly easy to scale quite quickly. That’s the culture of the American society – once you get something which works, it’s a fairly businessfriendly environment.” Emphasising the ambitions for conquering the States with his crepe concept, Spinath says: “If you look at the coffee market pre-Starbucks, there weren’t any big branded systematic coffee chains in the US but that didn’t mean there wasn’t a big coffee market in the US,” he says. “Sometimes you just need to run for it and show what can be done.” That, coupled with a master franchisee agreement secured with TRG Concessions, a division of The Restaurant Group, which will see Crêpeaffaire sites opened up in airports across the UK, makes it seem evident the food franchise looks clear for take-off.

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ADVERTISING FEATURE

A great combo A business opportunity that will knock out the competition

he fitness industry is booming around the world, increasing the demand for innovative and diverse workout options both for members to have a chance to step up their game, and for gym owners to stay competitive. What makes a brand capable of being successful in the demanding fitness industry and as a franchise opportunity for entrepreneurs? How does an owner find financial success in one of the most competitive industries in the world? The answer to finding success is to combine a fitness concept and a franchise system that offer the same thing: results, support, and convenience. The 9Round boxing concept excels in all three areas, which is why the brand has knocked out the traditional fitness world. One of the biggest challenges for consumers is finding a workout they both enjoy and that produces tangible results. Entrepreneurs want a business that offers all those opportunities to members but also provides advantages for owners to push forward in the market. 9Round has managed to combine all three elements needed to build a successful worldwide brand: a competitive fitness concept, a supportive franchise system and one of the top workout styles in the world. In addition to providing innovation, 9Round also prides itself on being one of the most affordable fitness franchises in the industry. Moreover, every owner is given a full suite of business support ensuring they have all the tools needed to succeed. 9Round has a low cost of entry, low overhead, and straightforward maintenance. Aside from the timer to indicate the length of each station, all equipment is non-electronic with no expensive cardio machines or equipment. For a fitness concept to survive, a brand requires not only innovation, but staying on top of the latest fitness trends. With the endless amount of workout options available, offering a fitness experience that provides tangible results from experts is key to staying ahead in one of the most competitive industries in the world. Among the top ten trends in fitness this year are high intensity interval

training, group fitness classes, wearable technology and nutritional guidance from the pros. Cue the latest in workout options-boxing. Boxing offers a diverse, full body workout that is not only effective, but extremely convenient. Your workout can be done in 30 minutes or less, you’re likely to have the experts training you every step of the way, and it’s a great way to change things up while building extreme muscle. If an entrepreneur is looking to open a gym experience, you want to know the concept you’re buying into not only provides results for members, but from an investment perspective as well. That means you want to know the system you’re considering provides support from all sides – from marketing, to real estate, financing and operations. One of the benefits of opening a franchise as opposed to starting a gym from scratch is the breadth of support available and the chance to buy into an already established brand. The story behind 9Round 9Round was founded in 2008 by owners Heather “The Hero” and Shannon “The Cannon” Hudson with a strong passion for fitness and a desire to change people’s lives. They wanted to create a place where busy people could get an intense workout without spending hours at the gym or having to adhere to an inconvenient class schedule. Both Heather and Shannon have a background in karate and kickboxing. They quickly realised that there wasn’t a fitness option where members could get this kind of training. So they decided to launch 9Round to fill this gap.

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ADVERTISING FEATURE

Both owners knew they wanted to take their gruelling workouts and training concepts learned in the ring and create a non-intimidating, convenient fitness format that anyone could enjoy. When the company started, both owners personally implemented, tested and revised both their fitness concept and their business processes. After only one year in their initial location, the first 9Round franchise was sold to a member. By 2012, the company had grown to 100 locations, and currently there are over 700 9Round clubs open operating in 13 countries. Additionally, over 500 new ones are in

various stages of development. As 9Round continues to grow, they continue delivering on their promise to make members stronger both mentally and physically in just 30 minutes. 9Round believes everyone deserves world-championship, quality training on their own schedule. The concept involves circuit training stations in which each circuit starts every three minutes – members show up and start at the first station at any time throughout the day. The circuit consists of 9 challenging stations lasting three minutes each, with personalised guidance and motivation from a certified trainer along the way. Every member can jump in at any station, any time of day, providing members and owners with the benefit everyone

is looking for: results. In a world dominated by an overwhelming amount of fitness concepts, 9Round has managed to find the perfect storm when it comes to franchise opportunities. Their workouts are designed for all fitness levels, engage every muscle group, and only take 30 minutes total. The workouts change every day and members work with a trainer the whole time. Another bonus feature that has propelled the brand’s growth is the novelty of no set class times. Finding success in the fitness industry is not new for 9Round’s corporate team, especially in regard to providing equal opportunity for male and female ownership. They have managed to develop a franchise system that’s recognised around the world as a fitness experience transforming lives while putting franchisees first. If you haven’t checked out what is dominating the fitness world – head to 9Round and find out how you can make a difference and build your own empire.

Visit our website at: www.9round.co.uk/elite-franchise or email: ggray@9round.co.uk

DecEMBER 2018 | elitefranchise

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WE ARE DIFFERENT No franchise fee or any other fees at all Supporting Local Childrens Charities We boast that our products are better than others in this field Our packaging has been designed to attract and sell

0800 1699 077 Email:info@snakappeal.com Website: www.snakappeal.co.uk/Franchise

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Snak Appeal has full time franchise opportunities available in several areas of the UK and Europe. This would suit either a single person or a couple wishing to build their own successful business with minimum initial outlay and NO FRANCHISE FEE. The area allocated is large enough to create two separate good sized rounds. You will be working in an exclusive area LOCAL TO YOU and supporting LOCAL children with an achievable gross income of at least £30k in the UK, more for Europe due to the Euro. There are very few expenses incurred with this franchise.

Benefits include: • Minimal outlay Own business Flexible hours Ongoing support. • No Franchise fee. You pay for stock and display boxes only. • We buy back all stock (for same price) if for any reason you cannot or do not want to continue. • No renewal fees or fees of any kind. • We invite you to visit the charity before you start so you can see the great work they do and to verify for yourself the donations we give them. • UK investment needed is less than £3,000 inclusive of VAT (for stock and display boxes). • No minimum contract, quit any time you want. • Our sweets are of a very high quality with a larger variety than those of our competitors. • Your sales will be boosted by the appeal of supporting LOCAL children. • The hours are very flexible while achieving a gross income of at least £30k once established. • Your territory will be large enough to create two rounds, doubling income for a couple.

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AFFILIATE MEMBER

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USE THIS EF 100F.indd 1

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Britain’s definitive league table flying the flag for franchising finesse returns for its second year. With everything from support to innovation taken into account for the judging process, franchisors small and large will be rounded up in a glossy printed publication and highlighted to our combined audience of 15,000 print subscribers and digital network of over 250,000 readers

Fiona Boswell, Fraser Brown Solicitors “#EF100 is about recognising and celebrating stellar performance in the franchising industry – from budding businesses in the early stages of growth to established companies at the top of their game.”

Zen Terrelonge, Elite Franchise “We’re often spoilt for choice when it comes to highlighting the country’s vibrant franchises. With the #EF100 2019, these buzzing British businesses have the chance to highlight themselves in their own voice and earn the recognition they deserve.”

Clive Sawyer, Business Options “Recognising the best in any industry is great for driving up standards. #EF100 is the first quality publication to formally do this for the franchising industry and I commend them for doing it.”

Mark Scott ACIB, Natwest

“NatWest is delighted to be involved in the #EF100 2019 and I look forward to see what the judging panel consider to be the best in class for the year.”

Paul Clegg, Coconut Creatives “It’s a privilege to be part of judging #EF100 2019 as we recognise those franchises that have built amazing networks and businesses.”

Carl Reader, Dennis & Turnball “I’m honoured to be appointed as a judge. Franchising can be a minefield for the uninitiated, so anything that can help a buyer sort the wheat from the chaff is ideal. As it also provides a great opportunity for franchisors to reflect on their successes, the #EF100 is truly a win-win for all.”

email: info@cemedia.co.uk | Call: 01245 673700 elitefranchisemagazine.co.uk/100

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COULD YOU OWN A FIRST CLASS L At First Class Learning, we believe that no child should be left behind. We aim to develop a child’s knowledge and understanding, providing them with a solid foundation in maths and English, relevant to their current studies and future goals. Whatever a child’s ability - whether they’re aiming high or need a little bit of extra help - we want to make sure that THEY COUNT. We know that in today’s increasingly competitive world, a winning mindset can make all the difference. Unlike many other after-school tuition centres, our courses have been designed to align with the current National Curriculum. With an increasing number of schools using our materials, you can be confident your child’s work is relevant to their studies and their learning needs.

LEARNING FRANCHISE? Joining the UK’s fastest growing after - school tuition franchise includes: • • • • • •

Comprehensive Training and ongoing support Low start - up costs Your own protected online space Proven automated marketing A proven and profitable business model Quality, tried and tested learning materials

We are the fastest growing UK-based tuition franchise with over 270 centres nationwide.

hello@firstclasslearning.co.uk www.firstclasslearning.co.uk

0800 458 3797

A New Way Forward

Supporting the Continued Success and Growth of the UK Franchise Sector

The AFAÂŽ is a self-regulatory, voluntary body that provides a complete support network for franchisors, large and small, offering membership and our Seal of Approval to eligible franchise organisations. We also offer Partner Membership to industry partners, as well as providing impartial guidance advice to potential franchisees. Over the last year, The AFAÂŽ has experienced rapid growth and we have ambitious plans to expand our reach, including regional support meetings across the UK and our first, Annual Conference in 2019, where we will announce our exciting, new Franchise Awards.

www.theafa.org.uk enquiries@theAFA.org.uk 0208 088 2400 AFA.indd 1

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OVENU Ovenu – Elite AFA advertorial

Are you looking for an ethical, sustainable and worthwhile franchise to invest in? Discover our members who have all been assessed and independently accredited by the AFA. DOR-2-DOR DOR-2-DOR co established in 1987 is the premier leaflet distribution network in the UK. With over 70 office across the UK we have representation in England, Ireland Scotland & Wales. Our franchise network uses the unique DOR2-DOR system with fully trained adult Post People. The DOR-2-DOR website is No.1 in Google nationally and we have developed a bespoke software system to manage our Post People, feed weekly reports to clients and maximise profitability for our franchisees. Contact: Jeff Frankling-Founder & CEO 01582 250 000 jeff@or2dor.com www.dor2dor.com

PERSONAL MATCHMAKER Are you a natural matchmaker? Many people are and have natural skills in bringing, friends, relatives and their work colleagues together. If you are one of them, have you ever thought of making matchmaking your living and way of life? If so then The Professional Matchmaker franchise could be exactly what you have been looking for. With our help and support, working in your own exclusive county or region we could help you generate high earnings and achieve great satisfaction in one of the UK’s boom industries. Like to know more? Ring our MD Mike Parker on 0845 2303199 to find out how Personal Matchmaking could be the right business opportunity for you. We’d love to talk to you! www.theprofessionalmatchmaker.co.uk

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The proven OVENU business model has grown over the years into the largest global brand within the domestic oven cleaning sector and offers you the opportunity to quickly develop a flourishing, high demand, local business. Trading locally, you’ll benefit from a generous exclusive territory, choice of van and the most effective deep-cleaning system. Add a top ranking, high visibility local, national and international internet presence and you’re off to a flying start! You’ll find all of our support team to be highly knowledgeable industry specialists and only too happy to help. Contact Rik Hellewell : 01189 743911 https://www.ovenufranchise.co.uk

EXTRA HELP Extra Help® is a franchising network that operates in a fast-growing market. We provide flexible, home-help services, such as cleaning, meal preparation and dog-walking, to anyone who needs them, from the elderly to parents and time-poor professionals. With a tried-and-tested business model, your remit is simply to source clients and recruit reliable home-helpers to meet their requirements. Our package is jam-packed full of benefits to get you up and running, including an exclusive territory; training; ongoing support; access to our franchisee Facebook group; stationery pack; telephone number, email and web page; database management system; social media advice and more!

MAPLEBROOK WILLS Maplebrook Wills is a young, successful and ambitious UK franchise network with a rapidly growing client base. We provide our customers with legacy planning services - writing the perfect Will for their circumstances and preparing other legal documents like Lasting Powers of Attorney (LPAs). We also help them with related services such as funeral plans and trusts. Will writing is a recessionproof industry in which it is surprisingly easy to develop a business bringing in six figures every year whilst also providing a vital service to the public. Contact name Mike Pugh info@maplebrookwills.co.uk 0117 440 1555 https://maplebrookwills.co.uk/franchising/

30/11/2018 16:44

Franchise Exhibitions

Making an exhibition of yourself With the ever-shifting paradigms of an informed consumer, one question grows more important with each passing year – are franchise exhibitions still a sound investment? By James Thomas, FRANCHISE RELATIONSHIP MANAGER, d&t chartered accountants

he simple fact is that attending franchise exhibitions can be a brilliant idea. However, it can also cost franchises, suppliers and corporations vast sums of money to attend. It’s not just the cost of your stand itself, there are also many other factors to consider – days out of the office for attendees, travel, accommodation and expenses. It’s easy to see how costs can quickly add up. For many businesses where margins are tight and growth is a challenge, the choice can become ever more difficult and both sides of the big question must be weighed up carefully. So are franchise exhibitions still a sound investment? There’s little doubt in anyone’s mind that as little as ten years ago, business exhibitions and shows were one of the primary sources of information for prospective investors. Franchise shows are no exception to this rule. Not only are they a great way to learn about franchising as a whole, but it’s also an ideeal chance to get some face-to-face time with a potential franchisor or franchisee. What has changed in that decade? What has caused us to ask this question, where once we would have had no doubt? The simple answer is the internet, or more specifically, Google. So much information now lies at your fingertips, whether it be in your pocket or purse, living room or workplace. With the birth of the idiom “google it”, we have to ask ourselves how important exhibitions are. Where does this leave us? What does this mean, other than a change in the landscape of the modern-day consumer? How has our thinking and buying process evolved? Thankfully, Google has coined the term of that change for us as well: ZMOT, or zero moment of truth. This term refers

to the point in the consumer’s journey whereby they make the decision to buy a product or service or, as in the aforementioned case, invest in a franchise. Before Google, this ZMOT would’ve likely come from one of two touch points with the prospective franchisee – an exhibition or a discovery day. The key reason behind both activities is evident and very much still relevant for most. These are golden opportunities for the prospective franchisee to sit down with the franchisor and learn everything there is to know about the franchise. They get an indication of the setup, their processes, how many are in their network and even some testimonials from existing franchisees. Ten years ago, this was the primary way a prospective franchisee would obtain this information. The internet, however, has removed all reliance on the franchisor as the sole gatekeeper of all this information. A consumer can now learn everything they need to know, at least in their mind, from their phones, tablets and other devices. This allows them to move that ZMOT to a point of their own choosing – perhaps even before they’ve made direct contact. This, in turn, makes it all the more important for the franchisor to be more conscientious of their franchise’s public and social media profile. With information readily available and franchisor websites ever more informative of the investment opportunity, you may be of the mind that the time of exhibitions is coming to an end. I too have thought this at various points – mostly when I’ve been twiddling my thumbs at lesser attended exhibitions. However, to

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Franchise Exhibitions

move with the shift in consumer ZMOT, exhibitions must also reassess their own paradigms and evolve with this gatekeeper-free world the internet has created for us. This change isn’t rested solely at the feet of the organiser, either. It’s also the responsibility of the exhibitors to consider and adapt. For an exhibition to be a success, you must create a buzz of excitement and shout about the fact that you’re attending a certain exhibition. As we’ve established, most prospective franchisees have already had, or are close to that ZMOT as to which franchise they would like to invest in. They’re watching out for any events those franchises are attending, with little or no need for input from the franchisor. By creating that hype and giving the consumer a chance to chat with you on their terms, we’re firmly placing that control back with the gatekeepers and subtly taking it from

those who assume all information lies on the internet. Ultimately, this question of worth and investment in an exhibition will differ from franchise to franchise and each unique journey they’re on. I would even dare to say that, depending on the age of the franchise, it would be worth reassessing the importance of attending such events. In my mind, exhibitions still have their place. They’re still, and will remain, a great source of information for those who wish to learn more about business or franchising. How they evolve and what they will become remains to be seen but there is exciting potential for innovation and development here. With that, there will also need to be a change in mentality, together with a shift in what both visitors and exhibitors expect to gain from such events. DECEMBER 2018 | elitefranchise

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BE PART OF SOMETHING LIFE CHANGING Established in 2007, One Element is a unique and exciting outdoor fitness and social company, with ambitions to be the UKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leading outdoor fitness provider. Over the last 11 years, we have developed a robust and proven business model combining fitness and social activities whilst building communities.

Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re passionate about what we do and provide our members with our specialist high intensity interval training programmes which we have written in partnership with elite sports people and coaches based on scientific evidence. We have a loyal and dedicated membership, many of whom have

We have franchise opportunities across the country. Get in touch, no obligations, to find out more about One Element: 07778 507227, franchise@one-element.co.uk or www.one-element.co.uk/franchise

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been members for over 10 years and we want to expand this across the country. If you want to be part of something life changing, you love meeting people, motivating them and helping them achieve their goals, then weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d love to hear from you.

The social fitness company

30/11/2018 15:00

Franchise Finance

LEADING EXPERTS IN RAISING FINANCE Proud to support franchisees and franchisors with our award winning services Credit Decisions in 48 Hours* 95%+ Credit Approval Rate Start-Up and Expansion Funding Finance from ÂŁ5,000 Upwards*

Get in touch now! info@franchisefinance.co.uk www.franchisefinance.co.uk

01844 355575 Business Planning

Arranging Finance

Asset Finance

Business and Financial Training

Business Consultancy

*Franchise Finance Limited is a credit broker and not a lender. Finance is subject to status and terms and conditions. Franchise Finance Limited is authorised and regulated by the financial conduct authority, number: 627385 and acts as a credit broker sourcing credit for franchises from a carefully selected panel of lenders. Registered Office: Hitachi Capital House, Thorpe Road, Staines-upon-Thames, Surrey, TW18 3HP. Registered in Cardiff no. 07285150.Franchise Finance Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hitachi Capital (UK) PLC. Hitachi Capital (UK) PLC is a finance provider. DPS.indd 3

30/11/2018 15:59

ADVERTISING FEATURE

Reviving British elegance with a proven business A 21st century tearoom franchise bringing back the very best of English traditions with a modern spin

n an age dominated by virtual experience, online and social media, personal contact with people and the same sense of satisfaction which comes with great attentive service in a beautiful environment seems to be on the decline throughout the hospitality industry. Since hitting the high street in 2010, Patrick Duffy founder of Beatons Tearooms has taken the traditional Tearoom and brought it into the 21st Century. Opening first in Tisbury, Wiltshire and soon after in Blandford Forum, Dorset, Beatons Tearooms and Bookshop redefines the traditional tearoom for the 21st century, delivering the joy of table service throughout the day with enticing full-food menus. Inspired by the iconic design and style of Cecil Beaton, its elegance with a modern twist is revitalising the high street, providing a perfect oasis in which to enjoy the company of friends and family from dawn to dusk; creating an environment tailored around comfort rather than speed and a physical space which just makes you feel good to sit in. Beatonsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; serving of the finest loose-leaf teas and

coffees, home baked cakes, brunch, lunch and renowned afternoon tea come with the winning bonus of an imaginative selection of new books to purchase. Beatons is about providing a real choice to a local residential market, the local community in which each of our tearooms operate; embedding themselves into every community they serve, putting in heaps of effort engaging with local charities and groups. Following the opening of Beatons Blandford, Duffy and the team focused on organically growing the brand over an instant expansion, carefully developing the Beatons franchise model, using bfa accredited consultants and advisors, 01747 871819 opt. 2 building the reputation of the group with www.beatonstearooms.co.uk the existing successful units. The growing franchise is proving to be a unique British success story with 21st century tearooms in Dorset, Wiltshire, Hampshire and currently expanding northwards.

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29/11/2018 15:48

Change your life. Work from home with An Annual income that will quickly build from £20 - £50,000 MyWaggyTails is a successful ‘home business’ providing professional pet services to dogs and their two-legged guardians with 3 key services: • Doggy day-care • Home dog boarding • Dog walking and pet home visits Now we’re offering passionate dog lovers the opportunity to copy our success and work from home.

Franchising

Franchising is a business opportunity that allows the franchisee (possibly you) to start your own business by legally using someone else’s (the franchisor’s) brand, expertise, marketing ideas, and processes.

Why franchise with MyWaggyTails?

We help you establish your own business quickly based on a proven business model, with reduced risks, working from home, and all at a very sensible price.

Every MyWaggyTails business is licensed, fully insured and built around high standards and best practice but we still leave room for flexibility and your personal touch.

MyWaggyTails supports you

MyWaggyTails provides you with the brand, training and development, and we walk you through the legal obligations and licensing labyrinth. MyWaggyTails provides you with your web presence and promotional literature, business systems and the know-how. And that leaves you free to work your magic and share the love with the pets in your charge.

What can you expect

An annual income that will quickly build from £20£50,000 – all with the flexibility of working from home and no time wasted travelling to and from work.

Find out more Call 0203 393 2093 Visit mywaggytails.co.uk/franchise (Check out our videos) or Email randle@mywaggytails.co.uk DPS.indd 3

30/11/2018 15:37

Are you interested in becoming part of a proven established business concept within a fun industry? Then everyman barbers is the franchise for you.

We offer franchisees the opportunity to profit from our experience, industry knowledge, and business expertise. Unlike many barbershop franchises, we offer a comprehensive support package to deliver a turnkey operation that allows you to concentrate on the sole aim: to grow your business into a long term profitable venture. We have opened very successful Everyman Barbershops in some of the largest cities in the UK. We donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t just send you a booklet and expect you to do it from thatâ&#x20AC;Śwe hold your hand every step of the way, and show you how to run and grow a successful, profitable business.

www.everymanbarbers.co.uk barber.indd 3

30/11/2018 17:21

FRAN FORCE

™

SUPPORTING OUR FORCES INTO FRANCHISING

Supporting Ex-Forces into Franchising In association with • Discount on initial franchise fee • On-going support catered to your skill set • Advice from experts within the franchise industry startmyjourney@franforce.co.uk

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01295 983412

30/11/2018 15:05

nce e

l b a l i Ava

The UK’s No1 dry carpet, Earn in excess of £50,000 per year If you’re looking for an exciting career change the constraints of working for someone else, a zerodrytime franchise could be the right choice for you. Our franchisees come from all backgrounds: Armed Forces • Police • Fire • Advertising Printers • Sales People • Carpet Fitters and many more...

4 Great earning solutions Full training & support On job training in customers homes Online videos & information Dedicated area Domestics & commercial Man in a van or management roles Great earning potential Repeat customers

Franchise areas available near you

Call: 0191 691 4700

zerodrytime.com/franchise

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30/11/2018 15:40

Get ahead VA

Can

I help? By Anne struijcken

From retail buyer to having multiple franchises, this working mum is helping other businesses scale with Get Ahead VA

ost people would worry about leaving a successful career to launch something new and unknown. However, that didn’t stop Rebecca Newenham from becoming the founder of Get Ahead VA, the virtual assistance franchise that’s rapidly growing across the UK. Before embarking on her new role as a franchisor, Newenham worked as a retail buyer and was in control of a very large budget for stores like Sainsbury’s and Superdrug. But when she had three daughters she decided to take a break from her professional life. DecEMBER 2018 | elitefranchise

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GET AHEAD VA

It wasn’t until eight years later when her youngest child was ready to start school that she considered going back to work. However, retail had lost its shine and she felt it was time to do something new. “I thought to myself ‘this is my time now to really focus on doing something for myself and for my family,’” Newenham explains. She didn’t have to look far for inspiration. “When I was growing up my mum ran what was then called a tutorial agency [and] she had something that was flexible and allowed her to be around for us when we were all growing up so that’s what inspired me,” she says. Drawing motivation from her mother, Newenham began looking for something that would provide her a similar work-life balance. Before too long she

The team grew very quickly as I realised that there is a lot of demand to the services we provide

began thinking of launching a virtual assistance business. “I did some research and realised that in the US they’re ten years ahead of us in a virtual assistance capacity,” Newenham reveals. Since this gave her an opportunity to have flexible work and be around for her kids, she knew virtual assistance was the way forward. Encouraged by her research, she embarked on her journey towards making Get Ahead VA a reality. “I’ve set up [what was then called] Get Ahead Your Virtual Assistant and at that stage I was concentrating primarily on providing business services, being a PA but virtually.” And luckily, she didn’t need to reach deep into her pocket to realise it. With an office in her home all she needed was a laptop and a little course to get started. “We began by introducing phoneanswering as a virtual resource until I realised that our clients needed some extra help,” Newenham says. This extra help turned out to be a lot of help. Nowadays, Get Ahead VA can assist with everything from administration and accounting services to PR and social media management. But no business can survive without customers. Fortunately, it didn’t take long before she found some. “My first ever client came through a friend’s recommendation and they were an all-woman networking group,” she says. Get Ahead VA started by overseeing basic tasks for the group, since managing duties like diary planning and note taking can already make a huge difference to a busy client. “We supported them by giving them virtual admin support,” she continues. Having proven her chops, Get Ahead VA rapidly built its customer base. And as the business grew, so did her staff. “The team grew very quickly as I realised that there is a lot of demand to the services we provide,” Newenham says. But as demand rose, she recognised that there was a limit to how much a person can get out and about around the country. “I realised that in order to scale and keep the momentum going we were going to need to open regional offices to get that exposure,” she says. Having always been a huge believer in networking in her local community, Newenham recognised that if she wanted to transform Get Ahead VA into a national powerhouse, then franchising would be the way forward. Eager to ensure she built her franchise model the right way, she sought out experts in the field. “I worked with some franchise consultants to make sure that our proposition was viable for franchising,” she says. “I spent a lot of time and money putting together the operation manual and making sure everything listed from business startup setup right to how to network as well as getting all the finances in place.” With the model designed, Newenham set out to find her first franchisee. Luckily, she didn’t have to look far to find the perfect candidate. After presenting the franchise opportunity to her team there was one person who expressed her interest in actually owning a franchise. “Carrie [Jones] was already a

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Get ahead va

member of my freelance team,” she says. Indeed, while the company’s marketing and branding specialist had only worked there for six months, she was very eager to take advantage of the opportunity. It didn’t take long before she’d opened up her franchise in Reading just shortly after the company started franchising in 2017. Before long, more Get Ahead VA franchises began opening their doors around the UK. The franchise now has four franchises in total with locations in Reading, Bristol, Leeds, Newcastle and a head office in Guildford. While she’s been overjoyed to see the network scale, Newenham has been careful to only recruit the cream of the crop when it comes to franchisees. “I’m super-precious [about] the brand and the people representing it have to be right,” she says. With that being said, Newenham is also aware that far from everyone is suited to be a Get Ahead VA franchisee. “Obviously I need to feel confident that person has the cash to invest in it, that they’re realistic it takes time to develop their franchise and that

they understand what’s involved to get out and promote it,” she continues. Furthermore, to ensure her franchisees can provide the same highquality service as herself, Get Ahead VA gives new members of the network all the necessary training and support they could possibly need. “They have a two-day induction when they sign up with us, then we have monthly calls and following that we’ll have a quarterly meet-up,” she says. But the support doesn’t end once the franchisees have launched their businesses. Not only does she have quarterly check-ups with each member of her network but Newenham is also available on hand whenever they may need her to be. “For example, I went to Bristol the other month to help my franchisee there do his first business exhibition,” she says. “I took out all the equipment, helped him set up and then supported him on the day there so I very

I never felt embarrassed of saying I can’t make a breakfast meeting because of the school run

much do the face-to-face bit.” And she’s not taking her foot off the accelerator anytime soon. “I’d love to get a new franchise open every quarter – I think that’s a very sensible number to train up” she says. Her efforts have certainly paid off. Over the years Get Ahead VA has won the mumandworking Flexible Business of the Year Award and was highly commended in the Woman in Business award for Enlightened Employer this year. “To realise people can see what I’m creating is really rewarding,” Newenham says. Having said that, it has proven to be a challenge with her kids often accusing her of being glued to her phone. Still, Newenham is more around than she would be in a corporate life and always assures she can be there for her kids as much as she can. “I never felt embarrassed of saying I can’t make a breakfast meeting because of the school run,” she adds. Given her business has provided her the chance to be there for her children, it shouldn’t come as a shock that she definitely recommends it to other parents. Indeed, Newenham is even looking for more people to join her adventure. “I’m keen to find future franchisees,” she concludes. So who knows, your next franchise opportunity might only be a phone call away. decEMBER 2018 | elitefranchise

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ADVERTISING FEATURE

Can you double your revenue in six months? It’s time for MJB Graham Consultancy to expand and help even more franchisees and businesses thrive. Discover the excitement and pride that driving such phenomenal results can bring The four pillars At MJB Graham Consultancy, our specialist team helps companies across all industry sectors to overcome their sales challenges with an approach that drives performance. The fact is that generating sales is the key to driving every business forward. We believe that if a business owner is open to learning the art of selling, they can achieve anything. We have broken this down into four easy to understand pillars. Strategy How to get your product and service in front of the right clientele - an effective system to generate leads. Process How to stay in control and save time when taking your prospect on the journey to becoming a client. Pitch How to articulate your offering in the best possible way. People buy from you instead of you selling to them. Mindset This is fundamental to succeed in any business. Without the right mindset, the rest is unlikely to work. Supported every step of the way Let us help you to set up and run your own thriving consultancy business with our tried and tested systemised programme, designed to enable you to get you up and running with your own successful firm, whether you want to work part-time or full-time.

You will be fully trained on the four pillars, all of the programmes and be supported by your very own business coach. This will start off with your business plan, then you’ll be mentored every step of the way to drive quick, scalable and sustainable results for your clients, as well as yourself. We have heaps of online collateral including case studies, proving that our method really does help businesses at least double their revenue within months. The MJB head office fully supports you with sending out, as well as chasing contracts and invoices, freeing up your time to find more clients and drive their success. We run quarterly events for the franchisees and their clients, which really help you and your clients strengthen relationships, as well as being a fantastic way to expand your network with like-minded individuals.

Hungry for more? Book a discovery session today, where you’ll have the opportunity to talk to not only head office but be introduced to your assigned business coach, as well as the team of existing franchisees. We look forward to talking you through the opportunity and answering any questions you may have to provide you with all the information you need to make a confident and informed decision.

To find out more visit: www.mjbgraham.com/franchise

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30/11/2018 10:52

Own a gym with the UK’s top fitness franchisor Ranked #14 in the Elite Franchise Top 100 UK Franchises 2018

With over 15 years’ experience in the UK fitness franchise sector, no other fitness franchisor understands the UK health and fitness market like énergie.

No previous experience in the sector required

Dedicated UK based franchise support and world-class business training

Record-breaking fitness club launches

Expert advice and guidance every step of the way

A proven track record of success

To get a full information pack and book your place on our next Franchise Discovery Day, visit: www.energiefranchise.com or call: 0845 363 1020

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30/11/2018 15:43

ADVERTISING FEATURE

Why healthcare is the perfect Brexit-proof franchise opportunity Life after Brexit is generating a lot of uncertainty, but investing in the right healthcare franchise can eliminate those concerns.

ith Theresa May’s draft Brexit agreement finally having been released after months of negotiations, many people’s attention is now turning to life after Friday March 29 2019 and how Britain’s economy will stand up to – or worse, not stand up to – the changes it faces. Naturally, if you’re planning your next career move, looking to launch your own business or seeking your a new investment opportunity, this may be a huge cause for concern. The prospect of a recession is not unrealistic, which creates a lot of uncertainty for most opportunities and industries. However, one sector that has a proven record of surviving recent recessions is the ”always in-demand” healthcare sector. The secret to success for building a recession-proof business is to operate within an industry with uncompromised demand; providing a service that people need, no matter their personal, economic or financial circumstances. When finances are tight, evenings out, gym memberships and long weekends away are the first things people cut down on, not only to save money, but to free up spare cash to go towards basic requirements such as healthcare. One brilliant example of the resilience the healthcare sector demonstrates is the care-at-home franchise Radfield Home Care. The 35-year-old Radfield brand has established new services in the midst of two of the UK’s most recent recessions, as well as growing throughout a third. This began with Radfield Residential Home which was launched mid-recession in 1982 and grew throughout the difficult recession that hit Britain in the early 1990s. Then, in the midst of the 2008 financial crisis, Radfield launched its new home care service, which has now grown into a nationwide franchise network of home care services.

Being one of the few truly recession proof industries, healthcare is also one of the few sectors that can afford to actively recruit throughout economic downturns as well. Without the competition of other service industries recruiting from the same pool of staff, this often enables home care businesses to experience growth throughout financially difficult times and not just simply survive. With 97% of franchise businesses creating profitability, support teams to help you continue to grow and in the case of Radfield Home Care, a model that has been tested over years, if you think a healthcare business could be the sustainable opportunity you’ve been looking for, franchising may be the route to take in 2019.

Contact

Edward Gill, franchise recruitment manager Email: franchise@ radfieldhomecare.co.uk Call: 07375 867252

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the

boss

Long to wake up and do something you believe in?

We grow the veg, you grow your business! Partner with an innovative, established brand. Run an ethical home delivery business to be proud of Share your passion for outstanding organic veg

Want to find out more?

Call 01803 227 380 or email franchise@riverford.co.uk or visit www.riverford.co.uk/franchise

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30/11/2018 15:51

Future opportunities

Brave new world By Paul Stafford, head of communications, Chantry

Franchisors shouldn’t be stuck in the past. Instead, they must look to the future to ensure their brands reign victorious

ime is a funny beast, isn’t it? The most precious and limited of resources for anyone running a business. Whether franchisor or franchisee – weeks and months can disappear in the blink of an eye. Franchisors must focus on both the present and the future at the same time, which isn’t easy in the frenzy of day-to-day activities that go into managing a network of franchisees. Planning and developing for the future at the same time is no mean feat, especially today when technology moves at a pace never seen before. But no matter how difficult it may seem, it’s central to continual success. Casting your mind ten years back proves the point and not just in

franchising. In 2008, Twitter had barely got going, Facebook’s news feed was just a baby and Tumblr was an internet niche. Instagram and Pinterest were still two years away from launch and Snapchat didn’t see the dawn of day until 2011. These embryonic days of social media’s journey played out to a soundtrack from the likes of Leona Lewis and Duffy while Iron Man and The Dark Knight held sway at the box office, long before every other movie was a superhero sequel. Meanwhile, the economy was tanking and the first iPhone was released. In UK franchising, modern day behemoths in their sector were nothing of the sort back then. Home Instead had just a handful of franchisees, Anytime

Fitness was unheard of on these shores and Costa Coffee had around 170 shops – a far cry from today’s 2,400 plus. Digital marketing was still in its infancy and feared by many. Dashboards were things you had in cars, not accounts, and tablets were what you took when you were ill. Some brands flourished spectacularly, others went bust or were radically changed by market forces. And that’s just a decade ago. The point of that little trip down memory lane isn’t to laugh at deals gone wrong or marvel at our choices in film and music but to highlight that, as Ferris Bueller pointed out in 1986: “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while,

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Future opportunities

you could miss it.” The pace of change has accelerated ever more ferociously since Ferris and his friends took a day off and it’s only going to get faster. Between technology, socio-political turmoil and Brexit-related economic uncertainty, even the near-term has plenty of vicious waters for businesses to navigate. Add to that AI and its potential impact on franchisors and franchisees and you can easily see why franchises must plan for the future. Forward-thinking has opportunities and threats galore for franchising. One of the biggest advantages for franchisees of choosing a supported business model rather than going it alone is that someone else should be considering the bigger picture, future changes and evolving to meet demand, leaving them free to focus on growing their own business. For franchisors ahead of the curve, there’s a clear differentiation and feel to the business that makes them attractive to people considering their new venture. In such networks, a long-term outlook is about much more than an excellent ongoing support structure – it’s about keeping the business itself relevant in a changing environment. If your business is in driving for

Life moves pretty fast and so do the finest in franchising. It’s important to make sure you’re one of them example, threats come from the takeup and success of automated vehicles just as much as they do from that competitor franchise you don’t like very much. Every industry will face similar challenges in the future and the wheat will sort from the chaff in the way it always does. Essentially, as the saying goes, you snooze, you lose. I’m lucky enough to work with what I consider to be some of the best franchises in the country and I get

to see and hear first-hand how they approach evolution and innovation. It might be products, technology or even the franchise model itself but the common thread is that they’re never standing still. Through a combination of their teams, franchisees and suppliers they’re constantly pushing what’s possible in their business, making them well-prepared for what’s coming next. Nobody knows what that is of course but if the culture is one of continuous improvement, a franchise can be agile in ways that other businesses can’t. Future-proofing is one of the key differences that make the Netflixs stand out from the Blockbusters of the world. Franchisors are asking people to invest significant sums of their hard-earned cash into something that’s going to hopefully set them up for a brighter future. Those franchisees are, in most cases, looking to build an asset with a sale value that can transform their life after five, ten or more years of hard work. And as we’ve seen above, even when weeks and months are flying by, a decade is a long time in business. Life moves pretty fast and so do the finest in franchising. It’s important to make sure you’re one of them. DECEMBER 2018 | elitefranchise

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30/11/2018 16:51

WEEKLY REPEAT BUSINESS WITH VIRTUALLY NO COMPETITION Global leader with over 20 years’ experience Exclusive Territory with huge customer base High demand allowing for multi van operation Last few remaining territories in the UK!

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30/11/2018 15:09

ADVERTISING FEATURE

Why I chose to become a Boogie Beat franchisee Vici Montgomery reveals the reasons why she signed up to become the Boogie Beat franchisee of South Oxfordshire

fter attending a Boogie Beat discovery day with my daughter, who was three at the time, becoming a Boogie Beat franchisee was a no-brainer. We both came away with such huge smiles and she was so animated retelling the entire thing to my husband when we got home. I wanted to be able to inspire children in the same way the franchisees who held that session had inspired my daughter and everyone else there. After all, growing up these days is complicated enough. Children and parents feel the pressure to keep up with friends and technology and sometimes simple play gets lost along the way. Fortunately, each and every Boogie Beat session is packed to the seams with role play, singing, dancing, sharing, counting, stories, friendship, confidence-building games, cuddles

and lots and lots of laughter without a single iPad in sight. It provides the perfect building blocks for our little ones in their journey through childhood. In fact, many of my customers have confessed they get just as excited as their children on a Boogie Beat morning. Sessions are portable too so the scope to build your business is endless – classes, workshops, parties, pop-up sessions – all you need is imagination and enthusiasm to grow it. The support from the lovely people at head office has also been invaluable. They are with you every step of the way but also give you the flexibility to put your own personality into your Boogie Beat sessions. I still wake up every Monday morning with a smile after four years from looking forward to my next Boogie Beat adventure. There aren’t many jobs which can promise you that.

What are you waiting for? Get a franchise information pack today and it’ll be the best decision you make – I know because it was for me. To discover more about Boogie Beat music and movement and our franchise opportunity, please contact nicky@boogiebeat.co.uk or phone 01934 741648 www.boogiebeat.co.uk

DECEmber 2018 | elitefranchise

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ADVERTISING FEATURE

The coffee industry is buzzing with strength Martyn Ward, franchise recruitment manager of Cafe2U UK, looks at the performance of the coffee industry as a whole and what the UK’s increasing passion for the caffeinated hot brew means for the nation’s largest mobile coffee franchise

ast year’s Allegra UK Coffee Portal Report made for some very interesting reading for the whole of the coffee industry when it was released at the turn of the year. Now worth a staggering £9.6bn, the UK coffee market underwent a coming of age period in the last year, recording 10.5% branded market increase, signifying its 19th consecutive year of growth. Whilst the industry has strengthened, so too has its understanding of the UK coffee consumer. The top two reasons behind where people choose to buy their coffee from is the convenience of the location and the quality of the coffee - with the preferred drink of choice still the well-loved latte. All this makes pleasant reading for anybody remotely linked or interested in the UK coffee market and even more enjoyable for those working and operating in it. As with many coffee outlets, Cafe2U is simultaneously benefiting from the booming franchise market. Over the last four years, the franchise industry has grown 10% and is now worth £15bn to the UK economy, employing more than 621,000 people.

To straddle these two burgeoning markets at a time when others are struggling and futures looking uncertain is a unique and exciting opportunity. As the fourth largest coffee brand in the UK, and largest mobile coffee offering, we are proud of the position we find ourselves in.

A career with a mobile coffee franchise can therefore be a profitable one. By their very nature, they offer a less competitive landscape than those on the high street, in shopping centres or at transport hubs, offering a truly unique experience of coffee shop-quality espresso

84 elitefranchise | DecEMBER 2018

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ADVERTISING FEATURE

coffee taken to a workplace or event. This is underlined by the demands of the customer who are looking for a higher standard of coffee than that currently available at their workplace, in the most convenient fashion. There’s nothing more convenient than coffee coming straight to your door. Mobile coffee franchisees can capitalise on this need for convenience, whilst carefully planned rounds can ensure you are operating in areas with less competition. Whilst most workplaces have instant coffee available, and some offering a canteen service, workers up and down the country still opt to spend money on high-quality coffee from a mobile van. Bringing a workforce out to the back of a van also brings other benefits. A recent survey we conducted outlined that for a number of customers, the social experience of coming out to grab a coffee and standing in a queue with colleagues is a highlight of their day. It gives them the ability to get away from their desks for five minutes and out into the fresh air, socialise, relax, text a friend or answer the daily quiz question posed by their friendly barista. Many HR departments are encouraging a break for their workers in this way. As consumers become more discerning however, it is important to continually invest in developing product range and ensuring you are offering the latest on-trend coffees and twists. This has seen us add drinks such as turmeric and matcha

lattes, plus responding to the preference for alternative milks by adding the likes of coconut milk to the back of the van. Similarly, consumers are becoming more and more driven by environmental issues. As a Rainforest Alliance Certificated business, we are confident of the provenance of our coffee and passing on that our coffee is grown responsibly is a key message to customers. Recently the ‘Latte Levy’ has dominated the industry and the national press. In response, launching a KeepCup has seen us meet customer demand for an ethical response. Likewise, we are currently researching a sustainable cup alternative to launch too. Drilling down into the buying habits of these customers reinforces this. On average, our customers spend varies across the day parts but typically will spend more than £4.00 per visit, which equates to a coffee plus a food item. Offering breakfast, lunch and other hot and cold snacks ensures that we cover a wide range of tastes and needs, and our operating experience has demonstrated that this is what customers want. High quality coffee, other hot drinks and cold drinks are now an essential part of any event organised around the UK, and our mobile coffee vans can obviously go anywhere any time for any type of events. This is something we actively encourage our franchisees to arrange

in their local areas, attending everything from five-a-side football tournaments and Park Runs to school fetes, village fairs and even car launches at car dealerships. We have a professionally mapped territory set with priority areas across the UK, and we are constantly looking for motivated baristas to launch in new territories. Through our low-overhead, high-profit model, we are confident we can help franchisees make the most of the current coffee boom and look forward to adding to the more than 90 vans currently operating across the country.

Visit www.cafe2u.co.uk/ franchise-opportunities or Call 07767 000005 for more information on our franchise opportunities.

DECember 2018 | elitefranchise

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29/11/2018 17:32

Christmas spirit

Franchise

festivities By Zen Terrelonge

The Christmas countdown is officially on but with a vast network to manage, how can franchisors capitalise on the season of giving?

ike it or loathe it, in the words of the Coca-Cola choir: “Holidays are coming.” So whether this time of year makes you excited enough to hang your Christmas decorations up the moment leaves start to fall from the trees or you’re more likely to utter “Bah humbug” at the mere thought of embracing the festivities, the attitude you display at work as a boss can rub off on your staff – for better or worse.

86 elitefranchise | DECEMBER 2018

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Christmas spirit

Indeed, instantprint, the digital print company, grilled 1,500 office workers to discover 94% desire a present from employers, believing it would show recognition. And the gift ideas varied, with 29% expecting a gift voucher, closely followed by 28.8% wanting to clock off early. Meanwhile, a party-loving 20% are thirsty for a free bar at the Christmas party and 7% of selfless souls would approve of charity donations on their behalf. “Most organisations take part in the festive period, with decorations, Christmas parties and office Secret Santas,” said James Kinsella, CEO of instantprint. “But this research highlights how important a small show of gratitude can be for your workforce.” All workplaces undergo numerous periods of intensity throughout the year, which staff are on the frontline for, so why not capitalise on the spirit of things as reward for the hard work? Joshua Barker, marketing manager at Neighborly, the multi-franchise owner, believes companies that go full Grinch are missing a trick. “Christmas is a magical time of the year and most people enjoy the run up to the festive season,” he ventures. “I strongly believe every business should embrace this time of the year and create a more positive and light-hearted environment for its employees.” Barker adds that even if it’s not Christmas that’s lauded specifically in order to cater to different employee cultures, offering some celebratory diversity can be equally as appreciated. Not all bosses will be eager to get their Santa Claus hat on, however, and this can have poor consequences. “Where is the joy in refusing to put up a Christmas tree or having an end of year party?” ponders Barker. “If you value your staff you’ll want to create a good company culture where employee happiness is just as important as increasing profits. Christmas after all, is about giving, not receiving.” Building on that, Nigel Davies, founder of Claromentis, the digital workplace used by franchises, says that setting aside any Ebenezer

If you value your staff you’ll want to create a good company culture where employee happiness is just as important as increasing profits Joshua Barker, Neighborly

Scrooge-like ideals will allow leaders to show empathy. But like the Ghost of Christmas yet-to-come he also offers caution, as he warns: “If you barely acknowledge the holiday, you’ll fail to engage.” While it’s relatively straightforward for an independent business to create a Christmassy culture, at first glance it seems like this would be a difficult undertaking for a franchise. But Barker argues it becomes easier, especially if the franchisor has a solid culture to begin with. “In [Neighborly’s] case, we have a code of values at the heart of our business – live RICH – respect, integrity and customer service, with the last value being about having fun,” he reasons, highlighting that it’s essential the latter be embraced by the franchisor, franchisees and their employees at this time of the year. For Davies, internal social media can be leveraged to spread Christmas cheer and connect the network by encouraging franchises and teams to share content, such as videos from Christmas jumper day or photos of staff parties and window displays. “Incentivise employee-generated content with decent prizes and you’ll stir up some healthy competition between franchisees and yield more engaging posts from across the network,” he explains. Highlighting one of Neighborly’s brands that blazed a trail in the seasonal stakes, Barker pointed to Toni Hibberston, a Bright & Beautiful franchisee in Derby, who supported

Samaritan’s Purse project Operation Christmas Child with her team. “They volunteered to spend the day at a local depot to pack shoeboxes full of toys, clothes and supplies and the business is also sponsoring the shipment of ten shoeboxes, as well as contributing their own toys and gifts to go into the boxes,” he says. Elsewhere, not wishing to appear “unfriendly” or “robotic”, Hannah Maudsley, operations director at Little Voices, the performing arts franchise, explains that the spirit of Christmas shouldn’t be ignored or get left to the franchisor or franchisee but be a joint effort. “I think it’s down to everyone and not one or the other, flowing from the franchisor to franchisees to our customers,” she says. “What you put out to the world comes right back at you so positivity throughout [is the key]. The heart of Little Voices is children and what do children love more than Christmas?” With that positivity in mind, Little Voices is keen to spread it across the network to create happy pupils, tutors and franchisees. This is achieved through a combination of Christmas card sends, email campaigns and, of course, decorations. “In the actual lessons leading up to the last week, the pupils will have a fun lesson all about Christmas or they will be performing a Christmas showcase to their parents and some even dress up,” says Maudsley. “It’s a chance to all come together and enjoy such a wonderful time of the year.” DECEMBER 2018 | elitefranchise

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ADVERTISING FEATURE

Fast food turns to fitness Despite fast food remaining one of the top franchising opportunities in the UK, an increasing number of entrepreneurs appear to be making their move into fitness.

ith powerhouse brands like McDonald’s, Subway, KFC, Domino’s, Pizza Hut and Papa John’s, it’s easy to see how fast food franchises have been so successful. But, however paradoxical it may sound at first, it’s not uncommon for franchisees to branch out and open fitness facilities alongside their successful fast food franchises. Seeing several of our énergie Fitness franchisees coming from a background of operating fast food sites in more recent years, we’ve been among the first to experience this transition. But what is it about opening a gym that’s attracting fast food franchisees to get a slice of an opposing industry? A healthy lifestyle is more desirable now Health and wellness is now a trend which is being

demonstrated in a number of ways, including everything from the recently introduced sugar tax law movement to the digital savvy health enthusiasts leading the way online with their global health and fitness focused posts, blogs and vlogs. Behind this growth are the brands who are reaching out to online influencers with offers of collaborations and paid partnerships, meaning those healthy breakfast snaps and gym session Boomerangs seem to appear on every single refresh of your Instagram feed. It seems that gyms are also becoming the new nightclubs. With many millennials giving up their boozy nights out in exchange for group workouts or their favourite gym class with a friend, this gives a whole new meaning to meeting ‘at the bar’ on a Friday night. Fast food is going out of fashion An increased health consciousness is a promising direction to be heading in for the benefit of the global population and is one of the drivers for the growth in the low-cost gym sector. This is further increased not only by the countless new restaurants which cater for a healthier audience, but also the up and coming healthy fast food market. This paired with the surge in new health clubs predicts a far healthier future for the nation. Booming brands are boosting the industry We’ve all heard of the fast food franchise giants, but now we also recognise the names of the gyms that are popping up across the nation. Alongside fast food heavyweights, low-cost clubs including énergie Fitness are really making their mark in the franchising industry. énergie’s recent top 15 placing in the Elite Franchise 100 2018 ranking of the best UK franchises is a fitting example of how even low-cost franchised gym brands are taking

88 ELITEFRANCHISE | DECMBER 2018

ADVERTISING FEATURE

both the franchising and fitness industries by storm. Fast food franchises have always been renowned for their high-street presence but now they have company. Franchise gyms like énergie Fitness are literally lighting up the highstreet with bold, clear, dominant branding. Flexing the franchise muscles Perhaps one of the key benefits that both fast food and fitness franchises share is the flexibility of their model. Both businesses can be placed under management and both possess the ability to be easily replicated and scaled under a multi-site franchise model. This is a distinct advantage for ambitious franchisees wanting to expand their portfolio and scale up their business.

Fitness franchisees earn revenue from day one When running a health club, you can rely on a dependable revenue stream which is provided by membership subscriptions before you even open the doors. Meanwhile, other restaurant-based chains and similar franchises have no guarantee of dependable revenue at any stage. Making it difficult to predict the future of your franchise solely based on trends, the shift to a health and fitness franchise could prove to be a beneficial move for some franchisees. Why franchise with énergie Fitness? When you franchise a gym with énergie Fitness, you’re partnering with a brand that has been empowering people to transform their lives since 2003. From business planning and property acquisition through to ongoing marketing and operational support, we pride ourselves on offering a comprehensive gym franchise package that gives our franchisees all the tools they need for success. Best of all, you don’t need a previous interest in health and fitness to be a success with énergie. Visit www.energiefranchise.com or call 0845 363 1020 for more information on our franchise opportunities.

DECEMBER 2018 | ELITEFRANCHISE

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29/06/2018 16:53

Better latte BY Angus Shaw

than never

Thanks to his past, Umair Shafiq was primed to launch a restaurant business but his caffeine addiction convinced him to become an Esquires Coffee franchisee instead

mair Shafiq, franchisee of Esquires Coffee Maidstone, the coffee franchise, is decking his shop’s halls with holly and even looking at getting drinks to local shelters for Christmas. But Maidstone would be less jolly this year if Shafiq hadn’t stumbled upon the Esquires opportunity when he was looking for a way to utilise his hospitality experience.

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Indeed, being born into a family of restaurateurs made hospitality something of a destiny for Shafiq. “My father had his first restaurant in 1972 so we’ve actually just grown up in and amongst hospitality and catering industries,” he explains. “It’s like second nature to [me].” Whether it was just to hang out or gets hands on, once the bell rang after school Shafiq often made a break for his dad’s business. “If you grew up in a restaurant like you would do back in the 80s and 90s it becomes like a superpower that gets engraved into you,” he says. Shafiq couldn’t ignore his special abilities and set out to launch his own hospitality business. But he didn’t want to just follow in daddy’s footsteps and after countless hours of head scratching in coffee shops, he got an idea. “Obviously, I became addicted to coffee at one point while looking to form my next step,” Shafiq recalls. “I was always sat in coffee shops thinking for a long time and then realised, you know what, coffee is something I really want to do.” He found many parallels between coffee and

restaurant businesses he could apply his experience to. “Coffee shops [are] just another version of restaurants,” he says. “Although, with coffee shops it’s more all day every day.” But getting through the daily grind of running a coffee shop was a commitment he was prepared for. Interestingly, he didn’t start off with Esquires Coffee but actually began his journey by becoming a franchisee for BB’s Coffee & Muffins, the café franchise. Needless to say, he fell in love with franchising as a concept. “I understand the value of going to a brand with multiple stores across the nation,” Shafiq says. Still, eventually he and the chain decided to go their separate ways. But given he’d found his calling, deciding to stick to franchising was a no-brainer when considering his next step. And Shafiq had a certain type of coffee shop in mind. “I was thinking of launching one of the bricklaying, independent types of [cafes] where I used to always go,” he says. That criteria scratched many franchises off the list. But eventually, Shafiq stumbled upon Esquires Coffee Buckingham for a caffeine hit while it was going through a rebrand and was won over by the Canadian coffee chain. “As soon as I saw

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Umair Shafiq

that I said ‘Right, this is what I want,’” he says. Shafiq got on the line with Peter Woody, a salesperson in the network, for a rundown of the franchise. “He’s a smooth-talking son of a gun,” Shafiq laughs. Indeed, combined with talk of Esquires Coffee’s organic and fair trade products, Woody’s Canuck silver tongue swayed Shafiq. “He’s got a very Canadian personality, he’s like Canadian times ten,” Shafiq continues. “He absolutely sold it to me.” Needless to say, Shafiq inked the dotted line. Given Shafiq wasn’t working, he had time to go above and beyond when Esquires Coffee’s franchisee training began.“I think my training was probably one of the longest out of the franchisees

because I had so much spare time,” he recalls. Not letting a second go to waste, Shafiq took up various shifts across several Esquires Coffee stores to absorb everything he could about the franchise’s operations. “I was always getting shifts in different stores, volunteering to do shifts [and] seeing how every store operated,” he explains. Without bragging, he found it plain sailing and soon held the keys to Esquires Coffee Maidstone. Shafiq’s focus also came into play when prepping his staff for launch. “I think we did about 14 or 17 of days training which is unprecedented in Esquires Coffee’s [history],” he says. The doors were open to only employees during this time as part of a slow and steady launch strategy.

If you grew up in a restaurant like you would do back in the 80s and 90s it comes like a superpower that gets engraved into you Umair shafiq on the far right

So when customers finally set foot in the outlet, they met a workforce atop its game. “That allowed us to give every single customer that walked in a lot more time and attention,” Shafiq recalls.“We made sure the first 10, 15 and 20 customers that came in went [back] really happy.” Setting a strong image from day one is vital and it’s clear the extended training worked like a charm. While Shafiq hit the ground running, he admits it would have been a slower pace without Esquires Coffee behind him. “[The franchisor] oversaw absolutely everything to the stage where it was ready to open,” he says. This included operations director Sonya Peacock and operations manager Colin Mason-Byers coming down to help kickstart the franchise. “A lot of work went into my store in particular,” Shafiq says. That continuous support has seen Shafiq blossom. In fact, he’s even had competitors admiring from afar. “I think we had the Starbucks regional manager for Kent in our store,” Shafiq recollects. Spying him and his assistant peering around the shop, Shafiq did the polite thing. “We thought let’s go say hello and when we realised who they were they were just like ‘Look, you know what, we can’t compete with you guys,’ they openly said it to us,” he laughs. Although franchising has unique challenges it’s nothing Shafiq’s network can’t help with. “Because we’ve gone down the route of having a franchise, there [are] a lot more operations than before [but] a lot more operational help,” Shafiq explains. He wouldn’t want it any other way. “If I had an independent maybe it wouldn’t be so easy,” he opines. Indeed, Shafiq believes expansion goes hand-in-hand with the coffee industry so franchising is his best friend when looking to the future. “For me, it’s more about having multiple amounts of stores,” he says. “With the coffee industry the more stores you have the better.” And Kent is ripe for the taking. “It’s a phenomenal area for coffee, there’s a lot of money within Kent,” he concludes. “So as long as I can find something [there], I’m happy.” DECEMBER 2018 | elitefranchise

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30/11/2018 15:57

ADVERTISING FEATURE

Your recruitment franchise opportunity

aw Staff Legal Recruitment is an awardwinning legal recruitment firm with a network of connections spanning local, regional, national and international law firms as well as in-house legal departments. Law Staff acts for legal professionals at all levels, whether they are climbing the career ladder or looking for a change, and works with employers who are looking to recruit the best people to join their organisations. Law Staff’s aim is to fill each role with the best available candidate in the marketplace. From our head office situated in Cambridgeshire, we currently work with a wide variety of clients from across the UK. Established in 2002, we have provided exceptional recruitment solutions for a wide variety of private practice, in-house and magic circle clients. Adapting our proven technique to support all manner of recruitment, our clients’ needs are at the very heart of our business. As we expand into the future, we are looking for exceptional people to help build on our success, broadening our brand into new frontiers across the globe. Are you a top-class communicator who thrives in a self-motivated work environment? Then this could be the perfect opportunity for you. A background in sales, customer services or management isn’t essential, but it will be beneficial, although a great personality is the perfect starting block. As a franchisee, you will receive invaluable, continual business support, including training, marketing, access to new technology and more. Our franchise management team will assist you in developing your business plan,

“Offering much more than just an ‘off the shelf’ package” learning the best ways to hire and manage personnel, and how to profitably manage your facility. At Law Staff, we share our success. We ensure that you are well equipped not just to start but also to grow your business. Training, continual business support and a wide range of resources are available when you become a Law Staff Legal Recruitment franchisee. We want to make you part of our journey of success. Our exclusive franchise offer is limited in number, which means you are buying the right to develop your business in a defined geographical area, as each region or territory is sold as a package. Meaning that you are not fighting for vacancies from inside our company for business.

W: www.law-staff.co.uk T: 01954 208062 E: psweeney@law-staff.co.uk

94 elitefranchise | DecEMBER 2018

Law Staff Advertorial - December 1

30/11/2018 10:00

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30/11/2018 15:13

I’m fed up with other people taking credit for work I’ve done

I’m not appreciated at all

I want to be my own boss

I put in the hard work in what I earn

Running your own business doesn’t have to be a pipe dream With a Techclean franchise you can be up and running in weeks. Techclean are the UK’s leading expert in specialist IT cleaning services. With franchises available in your area, we’re looking for good communicators with an aptitude for sales and marketing to run their own locally based business.

• WORK FROM HOME • TERRITORIES AVAILABLE THROUGHOUT THE UK • NET MARGINS OF OVER 55% • HUGE AND GROWING MARKET • REPEAT BUSINESS • EXTENSIVE ON-GOING BUSINESS SUPPORT

Request a free information pack at techclean.co.uk/contact or email franchise@thebardongroup.co.uk techclean, Unit 2 Cartwright Court, Forest Business Park, Bardon, Leicestershire, LE67 1UE 01530 513300 • franchise@thebardongroup.co.uk

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09/01/2018 30/11/2018 16:01 15:58

WHAT ARE YOU DOING TODAY, FOR YOUR TOMORROW? The Restore Automotive Turn-Key Franchise Can Turn This Into Your Reality

Our Franchise business provides a convenient and affordable way to have minor cosmetic repairs carried out on customer vehicles, at their location and convenience. We know our business inside and out and we will support you to grow yours every step of the way.

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We provide everything you need for success - we just need YOU

THE SMARTEST OPPORTUNITIES ARE AT VERISMART • • • • • • • •

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“Starting your own business is not for the faint of heart, but I did so in the knowledge that in VeriSmart I was buying into a well-established brand with a strong market presence and powerful selling points of unrivalled technology and outstanding product quality. It was the best business decision I’ve ever made.” Tristan Wainwright, Oxfordshire

Visit www.verismart.biz to register your interest

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30/11/2018 15:22

ADVERTISING FEATURE

SuperGlass, the UK’s premier glass and acrylic repair specialists, puts the needs of its customers above anything else

evoting all of your efforts to creating a customer experience that’s second to none is challenging and expensive in the short term. The rewards, however, for both customers and your business, including of course the franchisees, are both rich and longstanding. Every advancement that underpins a strong service ethic and helps engender trust should be regarded as a worthwhile investment. The above describes SuperGlass UK’s brand values and customer service strategy perfectly. The UK operation is mirroring the outstanding, award winning success and growth of its cousin across the pond who boast 26 years at the top of its industry. UK franchise director Phil Wells explains: “It’s never enough that we create the best repairs on the market we also need to exceed the customer’s expectations in terms of service delivery.” SuperGlass offers its customers lifetime guaranteed repairs backed

Every advancement that underpins a strong service ethic and helps engender trust should be regarded as a worthwhile investment.

by digital records which creates an unparalleled and risk-free proposition. In addition, the customer will only pay if they are 100% satisfied with the repair. Now that’s unbeatable. Wells remarks: “Developing our points of service differentiation provides both clarity and personal assurance to our customers. We are prolific at closing sales through repair and service demonstrations as we know that for the customer seeing is believing. We have brought that special US style customer service to our market in the UK. It is literally at the core of our success. “At SuperGlass UK we’ve invested heavily in the development of our digital

platforms designed to support high end customer service. However, it’s our fantastic franchisees who consistently deliver on our promises. Together we’re building sustainable business relationships creating a powerful network and is rapidly becoming the go to brand for glass and acrylic repairs.” If you are looking to make the move of your life or for more details please contact SuperGlass on 03333446606

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03/12/2018 09:21

Work for yourself , profit with us Camile is a group of healthy online Thai delivery restaurants, growing strongly in London, serving food made with the freshest ingredients. Every dish is cooked to order and delivered to our guests within 30 minutes. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re looking for some London based entrepreneurs with a keen interest in this market and are looking to start their own business. - minimum personal investment ÂŁ100k (total ÂŁ200k+) - hands on operators who are keen to grow - relevant management experience

email us today at franchise@camile.co.uk camile.co.uk/franchising Joe Canning - Camile Franchisee

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30/11/2018 18:03

fresh faces

New year& new franchises By VARSHA SARAOGI

As we near the beginning of 2019, these are the freshest players in the franchise market who aim to expand across Blighty

Don’t make darkness your ally as this new company is making animal-shaped hats with lights. Bright Eyes Hats launched at the end of 2017 and started franchising in late 2018. A potential franchisee can open up sales channels both online and through retail operations. With LED lights on the headgear designed as animal heads, these hats are made for children and adults. Suitable as a headtorch or a flash light, these hats can be used in extreme weather conditions too with a ten to 200-metre radius. The future looks nothing but bright for this franchise.

There are sew many opportunities with this franchise. Launched in Glasgow six years ago, Sew Confident aims to make people relax through its sewing classes. From Scandiinspired quilting classes to a jersey jumpsuit Facebook live sew-along sessions, it’s got its finger on the pulse of all the sewing gadgets and fashion trends. A one of a kind franchise in Blighty, Sew Confident only recently signed up its first franchise in Dundee. While you might think it hard to thread, we’re confident the franchise is set to see more people learning to stitch.

There’s nothing ruff about this pet-care franchise. Having launched the franchise model in July 2018, Leading the Way Pet Care is a sister company of OSCAR Pet Foods which has had successful and decades-long history in the pet food industry. The new franchise ran a pilot for two years prior to the official launch and now the first franchisee has a fully running franchise with a loyal client base. From how dogs must be walked to knowing when vets must be visited, Leading the Way franchisees are given all the training and support they need to ensure pets get a loving companionship throughout the working day. Looking at the model, this franchise is sure to see a mastiff success in the future.

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fresh faces

Delightful Desserts was launched in 2015 and has gone from strength to strength ever since. It now has 20 sites up and running. And that’s just the beginning. The company has targets to open over 150 sites by 2020. With more than 40 flavours of ice cream, Arabica coffee, American waffles and seasonal crepes among other treats, this franchise definitely takes the cake when it comes to quick growth. And once 2019 rolls around it even plans to take Delightful Desserts into international markets. It seems safe to say things are looking rather sweet.

Who doesn’t like a mean Indian wrap? Specially with authentic flavours like chicken tikka masala and vegetable samosa? Indeed, to cater every foodie in Britain, Chapati Man is bringing the essence of curry in a wrap to every corner through the franchisor’s mobile vans. Having launched in 2007, a husband and wife duo drove through festivals and stocked these wraps in supermarkets. And having only stepped into franchising in 2018, it signed its first international master franchisee in Sri Lanka within a few months who will now operate through vans and stores. Looking at his culinary chops, the future looks deliciously unstoppable for Chapati Man.

Taking care of properties is challenging. Luckily, property management franchise Blocsphere aims to change this by expanding the business around the UK. Having launched in 2013, the company recently started franchising and its first pilot franchisee is lined up to come on board in the beginning of 2019. Along with physical maintenance, the franchise also ensures that clients are assisted with meeting their legal obligations in areas such as safety, compliance and financial management. The franchise looks after a range of different properties like apartment blocks, housing estates and commercial properties. Prospective franchisees can certainly expect to see the welcome mat rolled out in front of them.

Stress today is a part of every working professional’s life. And what can be better than a massage to alleviate the tension? This is why Arizona-founded spa franchise, spa810 is set to take the UK spa industry by storm. It began franchising in 2012 and has grown to 27 regions. In November 2018, it gave the master franchise licence for UK and Ireland to Duncan Berry, the franchising veteran and former COO of care franchise Bluebird Care, and his wife Tania. The husband and wife team will open the brand’s first location in the UK in Harrogate, North Yorkshire and are looking to develop a network of franchisees across the British Isles. What can be better than providing to people’s need for a knead?

This new franchise has made children sing and dance to its tune since launching in 2013. Two friends, Katie Verner and Jeanne Friedman created the company as a preschool music franchise in California before relocating to the UK. After gaining success through its first five centres, it decided to expand and sold its first franchise in July 2018. Due to the increasing demand for recreational activities for children, the pilot franchisee already signed the dotted line for three locations. Going forward, the master franchisee hopes to sign two more in 2019 and a further three in 2020. We can surely say this franchise won’t stop the beat anytime soon.

DECEMBER 2018 | elitefranchise

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ADVERTISING FEATURE

VeriSmart Inventories smart verification, smart investment Be VeriSmart and buy your own ready-made franchised business within the UK’s surging and recession-proof rental property industry

eriSmart Inventories is taking advantage of the huge growth in the rental sector – and some of our franchisees are earning upwards of £100,000 a year. New franchisees are joining us all the time right across the country and from all types of employment backgrounds. Industry expert Jonathan Senior created the model after noting that the rental sector was growing rapidly as fewer people could afford to buy their own homes. He was also aware that the required inventories were being compiled with pen on paper and were inconsistent across the sector. The entire system was due a technological overhaul. This led to the development of VeriSmart Inventories, a unique and copyrighted smart verification system. Unlike other models, VeriSmart franchisees use a bespoke paper-free method utilising voice recognition technology that automatically lays out an inventory. High definition pictures are then simply added. Our training enables all franchisees to examine properties in a unique way with an expert eye and list everything needed to meet legal requirements. All inventories are then sent electronically to landlords or agents and to tenants for online verification. And that is not all, franchisees can also

Marc Critchley

Jonathan Senior

offer a host of additional services that keep landlords legal and tenants safe. These include legionella and fire risk assessments, proper smoke and carbon monoxide alarm testing, housing health and safety rating reporting and portable appliance testing, energy performance certificates and more. When both landlord and tenants are in favour of the same thing you know you’re on to a winner. And if proof were needed that we are popular, take one of our newest franchisees: Marc Critchley. He has taken on the Preston and Blackpool areas and got involved because a friend of his was growing a large, successful and profitable VeriSmart business nearby. Critchley has spent the last 15 years working in the hospitality sector but after seeing the VeriSmart system in operation he decided on a complete career change. He said: “I happen to know another VeriSmart licensee and was so impressed by it that I decided to join the brand myself. “With the rental sector growing and

more legislation requiring landlords to use inventories it is a booming market. I feel good about offering a service that benefits everyone. “My aim is to grow the business and ultimately create jobs. Having seen a booming VeriSmart business I know how it can develop.” Why is this the industry to be in? The rental sector in the UK has been growing for years and the increase shows no sign of declining or even slowing. The English Housing Survey revealed that in just ten years the number of people renting in the country doubled. A fifth of the UK population now lives in privately rented accommodation, accounting for 4.7 million households, according to one of the latest reports. This figure has doubled from the 10% of people living in the private rental sector in the year between 1996 and 1997. There are more middle aged people renting now and for many it’s a conscious, life-style choice. These tenants want accurate inventories and safe properties. And so do reputable landlords.

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ADVERTISING FEATURE

Getting into this industry now means your business will grow as the number of renters continues to increase. And opting to join forces with us has many benefits. Training We offer comprehensive training to all new franchisees, including some real life and practical experience. The training is on-going. We keep you up-to-date with all legislation with dedicated person-to-person exchanges and online webinars. Agreement You will receive a transferable franchise agreement – facilitating a family income for life. Territory You will get your own franchise territory or postcodes to work within meaning you own your area.

Free helpline We offer a free property lettings helpline for any client using our booking system.

Sales and support We’re not all born sellers, therefore we’ll show you the tips that work and help you get started by visiting your area, targeting potential clients alongside.

Conference As well as regular regional meetings, every year we have a get-together conference where we have expert industry guest speakers.

Marketing We’ll assist in marketing for your business, providing materials, tips and helping advance brand awareness.

Your safety, our concern We’ve signed up to Suzy’s Code, named after Suzy Lamplugh, an estate agent who went missing in 1986 after having arranged an appointment. The code was devised by the Suzy Lamplugh Trust, which works to reduce the risk of violence and aggression in society through campaigning, education and support. With our licensees and clerks often working alone we want to do all we can to improve their safety and reduce risks.

Business growth Our support will help the development of your business. We also have industry experts who work with us and can offer solutions in specific areas.

Trust VeriSmart Inventories’ founder Senior said: “I still get a thrill when a new franchisee starts and begins to build a company. “There is a great camaraderie between franchisees which means they often assist each other to increase brand awareness, which benefits everyone.”

Visit www.verismart.biz for more information

DecEMBER 2018 | elitefranchise

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JOIN US IN PROVIDING OUTSTANDING CARE. At Heritage Healthcare, we focus on providing the highest level of care and support to our clients. Homecare is one of the UK’s fastest growing sectors with over 6.5 million elderly people requiring daily assistance. With an expanding population and ever increasing life expectancy, growth is set to continue. As a Heritage Healthcare franchisee you can expect;

Award-winning support Over 80 years of experience A bespoke territory International Opportunities Now Available! CALL MICHELLE FENWICK QFP TODAY ON 01325 370707 OR EMAIL MICHELLE@HERITAGEHEALTHCARE.CO.UK WWW.HERITAGEHEALTHCAREFRANCHISING.CO.UK backdrop for half ad.pdf

23/10/2018

17:16

Point Franchise – your one stop franchise

N UK umb aft er 2 50 er O Fra ,00 NL nc 0 v Y 6 his isi m e P ts on ort pe ths al r m * a in t on lrea he th dy resource.

Point Franchise is far more than just a directory.

We are a management platform that links franchisors and franchise candidates together; streamlining your lead generation process with unique leads that have the best chance of conversion.Our integrated web platform enhances your recruitment strategy by moderating each lead as it comes in to ensure our expert teams do all the hard work and and that you only receive serious applications that have a vested interest in your business. So whether you are a business looking to recruit a new franchisee or an individual who has the entrepreneurial spirit and wants to take control of their own future,

CMY

you can begin that journey today by visiting us on : www.pointfranchise.co.uk

*Traffic sources: Similar Web, AHREF – March/April 2018

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ADVERTISING FEATURE

A unique flexible franchise opportunity A

t Cup the Cake we certainly understand that in today’s financial climate it’s important for both mum and dad to work. So what better opportunity than to put in hours at home, have fun and still be with your children? What’s more we don’t breathe over your shoulder or ask for any of your profits you make. Your earning potential is completely set around your own time management. Cup the Cake offers a delightful opportunity to start your own business from the comfort of your own home with no traffic, no travelling expenses, no boss to answer to and, best of all, no monthly royalties to pay out. What you earn is yours to keep, you deserve it, you earned it. An idea inspired with your children in mind. Your business will be set up for you from scratch with your own website, online business portal which will capture your orders, bookings and online payments, Cup the Cake email address, business cards, car magnets, Facebook Page and initial online marketing boost to get you soaring. Included with your startup is a comprehensive kit which will equip you with all the basics needed to get those orders out to your customers. Comprehensive initial training is included with the option to advance with ongoing training offered. Cup the Cake is about a challenge where the sky is the limit. We’re all about being different, creating cupcakes with a

unique splendour, whether it’s wedding cupcakes with flair or something quick and simple to take to the office for your birthday, no two designs are the same for your celebration. Cup the Cake have three business options available depending on your goals and preferred starting price: Fairy, Cherub and Angelic. Setting aside the fact that you can still be with your family and work from home, you will be in a position to earn a cash income directly corresponding to hours you invest into your venture.

There is nothing stopping you from achieving your dream, life is a journey, it’s all about how we steer forward

The harder you work, the higher your profits will soar. Whether it be part or full time, the choice is up to you. At Cup the Cake, you are not limited to just baking and creating cup cakes the scope of adventure is limitless. Our unique selling point is that we create cup cakes with unconditional love and enthusiasm for our customers, regardless of the occasion. We thrive on our creative abilities and each and every customer is special to us. It’s this ethos which we pass on to you, with your own Cup the Cake franchise. Cup the Cake would be delighted to assist you further with your journey.

t: 07799 453621 e: hello@cupthecake.com w: cupthecake.com

DecEMBER 2018 | elitefranchise

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ADVERTISING FEATURE

The turn-key franchise opportunity too good to miss Would you relish the opportunity to live your dream and to take your life in the direction you always wanted it to go in? The Restore Automotive Smart Repair franchise opportunity can help you The market The SMART repair industry is very much a growing market with the number of cars on the road increasing along with the average age of ownership. This indicates that not only are people buying new vehicles but also currently investing more into maintaining their existing cars. In the year 2000 there were approximately 2.7 million cars recorded on the road in the UK. When the updated stats came in for 2016, it revealed that this number had jumped to 3.1 million. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an increase of 25,000 cars added annually to British roads. The SMART repair concept has been an inside trade secret in the automotive sector for over 20 years with main dealers, body-shops and car sales utilising the faster, cheaper

repair methods that have been developed. Until recently, the general public were seemingly kept in the dark about this technology and still a lot of people have never heard of these repair methods that are now available. But the light has been cast across the retail market opening up the floodgates for vehicle owners that have suffered damage to their beloved automobiles. Our aim is to continue to build on this success so that SMART repair is the first logical choice to fixing minor cosmetic repair. The opportunity Operating as a mobile service, your overheads are reduced providing a profitable business opportunity for those with a desire to not only succeed but to thrive in business and offer a first class service to your customers. If you have dreamed of running your own business but donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know where to start, Restore Automotive can give you more than that. Let us give you a head start, in fact let us give you a few years leap ahead to cut out all the testing and mistakes and development to find out what does and doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t work. Let us teach you the best, successful and most profitable systemised operating system to hit the road running and not only run and own a business but achieve prosperity and fulfillment along the way.

For more information visit www.restorefranchise.com

106 elitefranchise | DecEMBER 2018

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30/11/2018 10:38

Checkout Your Dream Franchise At the One-Stop-Shop for Franchise Recruitment, Profiles, Latest News, Success Stories, Upcoming Exhibitions and Dates for Your Diary.

www.franchisesupermarket.net DPS.indd 3

07/11/2018 15:56

Zero-Hour Contracts

Dispelling the myths of zero-hours contracts With the negative press surrounding zero-hours employment contracts, David Glover, managing director of Caremark, discusses whether they should be used in franchise businesses By David Glover, Managing director, caremark

ompanies like Sports Direct have given zero-hours contracts a seriously bad name. A zero-hours contract is an agreement between an employer and worker where the employer isn’t obliged to provide minimum working hours while the worker isn’t required to accept any work offered. Many employers use these contracts to mitigate fluctuating staff needs and in much the same way, many people find this level of flexibility to be a suitable way to work, preferable to their circumstances. So, why has there been widespread criticism of the use of zero-hours contracts? The problem is that, on the surface, zero-hours contracts weigh in favour of the employer. Business owners can avoid paying fixed overheads and have flexibility over their workforce. Without the same employment rights as traditional contracts, workers don’t receive sick pay and there’s no obligation for employers to provide a set number of hours from week to week. A perceived lack of financial stability and security is often played upon in the media, creating a negative and unappealing image around this way

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I think the main message here is that, just because zerohours contracts tend to be seen as a ‘no frills’ option, that doesn’t mean yours has to be

30/11/2018 16:29

Zero-hour contracts

of working. Many stories often conflate zero-hours contracts and gig economy working in the same negative boat. But it’s certainly not all bad and, as with most things, there are two sides to every story. In sectors struggling with recruitment, such as hospitality and social care, zero-hours contracts give employers the chance to showcase how rewarding a long-term career in these sectors could be. Without a person having to commit upfront to a minimumterm contract – something that is often appealing – they can get a taste of what’s in store. So, as long as potential employees can easily read about their rights and what’s included within the zero-hours contract, they can make an informed decision before accepting a role. And don’t forget, just as employers have no obligation to provide hours, the worker isn’t forced to undertake those given. Therefore, a business using zero-hours contracts puts itself at risk of investing time and resources to train workers who days or weeks later, can simply decide it’s not for them and walk away. At Caremark, if someone chooses to join us on a zero-hours contract, it’s often because those roles fit with their personal responsibilities, academic studies or childcare issues. Many of our care workers on zero-hours contracts work them just like a full-time job with over 30 hours a week and accrued holiday

entitlement. They’re still deemed professionals, can engage in National Vocational Qualifications in health and social care and, most importantly, know they make a difference to vulnerable people’s lives on a daily basis. If you create the right team culture, you can engage and train staff to become a valued part of your team. I think the main message here is that, just because zero-hours contracts tend to be seen as a ‘no frills’ option, that doesn’t mean yours has to be. Think about regularly reviewing hourly rates, providing training so all members of staff deliver to the highest standard and creating an environment for open communication, so that everyone feels part of the team culture. Imagine the reduction in recruitment costs if you could cut staff turnover rates. Franchises can utilise zero-hours contracts effectively without taking advantage of those workers by adopting a managed approach. Don’t consider them to be unimportant, treat them as you would any member of your team. Our culture of one team one goal ensures everyone is treated with equality values and equity whether they represent our brand for ten hours a week or as a full-time employee. I believe franchisors, franchisees and in fact any business owner should be able to embrace zero-hour contracts. Used correctly, they can empower all parties.

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ADVERTISING FEATURE

Make money from your sofa Whether you’re struggling with your present job or looking for a change of direction, the experiences of Time For You’s franchisees will convince you to sign up for the next step in your career

s a single mum of two children, Julia Wilkins knew she would need to earn more money than her old job in cycle proficiency could provide, especially when her daughter announced she wanted to pursue her dream of becoming an actress. “I realised then that I needed to have my own business”, explains Wilkins. After doing a bit of research discovered that franchising was the safest route. “I was also doing a bit of cleaning for other people and discovered Time For You,” she adds. “When I learned that as one of their franchisees you don’t have to do the cleaning and can send someone else to do it instead, I thought ‘this is the franchise for me’.” Ahead of launching her first Time For You franchise in Hampshire, Wilkins attended the company’s comprehensive training programme, which covered all aspects of operating the franchise. “The training was superb and I was amazed at the happy atmosphere the franchisors Freddie and Ruth Rayner cultivate among their franchisees from the very start,” enthuses Wilkins. “Freddie is only too pleased to visit and help his franchisees during their launches to ensure they have customers from the outset.”

Time For You has changed my family’s life. It truly is a great business

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ADVERTISING FEATURE

With support not only from the Time For You head office but also her fellow franchisees, Wilkins was delighted that within her first year she’d built up a regular database of 100 clients. “There is no invoicing involved in running a Time For You franchise, as it is a directdebit-based business with clients paying in advance, so there are never any cash flow concerns,” says Wilkins. Time For You changed my life But don’t just take Wilkins word for it – there are many more Time For You franchisees singing the franchisor’s praises. For instance, Time For You’s Edinburgh franchisee Catherine Fitch says: “I invested in Time For You just 12 months ago. As a single parent and with little borrowed money, it was important that whatever franchise I picked was the right one. Although my family are fantastic and would help wherever they can, I needed my new business to work around my mum duties at home. Time For You was ideal: a proven formula that you can work around your family, from home. By following it, I was soon taking on

“Finding clients is simple and effective and the growth rate is astounding”

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clients and making a residual income. Time For You has changed my family’s life. It truly is a great business.” We can finally live the life we want Caroline Kirby, Time For You’s Tunbridge Wells franchisee, advises: “You are probably unsure which franchise to go for. When I were looking there was so many different great sounding franchises to choose from. However, there was only one that offered me a money-back guarantee. Initially, this – combined with working from home, flexible working hours and great reviews from existing franchisees – convinced me to join Time For You. By following the easy Time For You business model, I quickly built up my very own successful Time For You franchise. My family now enjoys a lifestyle that only a couple of years ago seemed so out of reach.” Change for the better Amanda and Ian Thompson, Time For You’s Aylesbury franchisees, say: “Having been made redundant, we decided we should invest in a Time For You franchise. “The training was great fun and very effective. We found Time For You to be a service people needed as opposed to one that had to be sold. Finding clients is simple and effective and the growth rate is astounding. We now feel very assured about the future which was never the case in our previous employment. It also gives us a lot of free time to spend on the things we like to do.” time4ufranchise.com

30/11/2018 10:15

v2-Daltons business - full page ad - 196x270 with 3mm bleed CMYK 300dpi.pdf 1 05/10/2017 16:55:02

Buy or sell a business or franchise today...

• Search over 30,000 businesses for sale • Franchise opportunities to suit every budget

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How can you really

measure the value of your franchise? Price is what you pay, value is what you get For our Franchise Partners, value for money means: Having access to our highly effective, intensive and ongoing training programme for the duration of your franchise that is proven to withstand turbulent markets Owning the assets from day one, so the income keeps coming in long after your commitment to us has expired - unlike all other franchises

Putting you in control of your financial future, generating an attractive longterm income stream that can replace or supplement your salary

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ADVERTISING FEATURE

How to choose the right franchise Five considerations when comparing franchises

hen taking on a franchise, you are buying the rights to trade under the banner of an already established brand. You’ll probably find yourself tempted with promises of impressive profit margins, but a good offering is about more than just the bottom line. Choosing the right franchise requires careful consideration before taking the plunge into such a large investment. Here are some of the things to consider before making your decision. Make your investment count Franchises usually require a considerable cash investment to get started and you’re not only purchasing a business, you’re buying into the reputation of the business too.

A reputable franchise package should include some kind of training and support. When investing in a franchise, you’re paying for the rights to the brand, and for their support and guidance – this is the reason behind any franchise being a ‘tried and tested model’ and ensures that the business can continue to be replicated efficiently. It is always worth finding out whether the franchise investment includes providing the fixtures, fittings and setup costs. This can add up to a rather expensive outlay if you have to purchase these items yourself, so knowing this from the start will avoid any costly surprises. Consider the marketing The level of marketing and PR effort a franchise provider will give also varies widely from brand to brand. At one end of the scale, you may be provided with little more than a brand

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ADVERTISING FEATURE

name. At the other end, there are brands that conduct a full PR and marketing campaign in your region to help launch your franchise. Some franchisors will also offer a database of contacts and leads in your area that may be interested in your offering. Consider if their training includes anything on marketing in addition to the overall running of the business. This can provide a good grounding and a welcome confidence boost, especially if you’re entering a specialist field for the first time. If a franchisor isn’t offering promotional help, you should carefully consider the man-hours and costs involved in doing it yourself and remember to factor this in when comparing one franchise against another. Never assume that the brand name is enough – marketing a business requires a lot of time and money before any return on investment. If you are investing in a franchise you must consider how long it may take you to drum up enough business to make the franchise profitable. Make sure the support is ongoing If you’re running a franchise, you should feel part of a much bigger team and not just a loan venture. If you ever get the sense on your hunt for a franchise that all the attention you’re receiving will vanish as soon as you hand over your cheque, it may be time to look elsewhere. A good franchisor should offer ongoing support, ideally in the form of a named account manager who you can call direct whenever you have a question or problem. Many franchisors will pride themselves on the support they offer and this will usually be the first thing that many franchisees will attest to if you ask them. Moreover, make sure you ask them what their overall experience has been like; not only if they enjoy working for the brand, but also if they have felt valued and supported throughout their time with the franchise. However, there should also be a system in place for two-way communication. A successful franchise should always continue developing and growing, therefore

taking on board feedback and ideas from their franchisees. So, ask if there is a way to do this such as bi-annual meetings or events. What is right for you? Other than considering the financially rewarding benefits of choosing the right franchise – what suits you best in terms of your skills, personality and experience? Most franchises will offer full training, but are you happy to go back to school and commit yourself to the extensive training provided? As you will be involved with the brand for many years, what does the future look like for you? If you’re looking for a long-term career with room for growth, the franchise should be able to offer that. So, always ask about the future plans for the franchise and find out for yourself what the future looks like for that particular market. Be realistic Finally, whatever your choice, remember that buying a new franchise isn’t a ticket to instant success. Many franchises will offer a turnkey package, but the business will still require a firm pair of hands to drive the business forward. While you will benefit from some, or all, of the topics listed above, a franchise is still a business like any other, requiring passion, hard work and dedication to make it a success. Find your franchise at www.franchisesales.com Browse hundreds of opportunity to suit all interests and passions.

DecEMBER 2018 | elitefranchise

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Franchise Resales

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SOLD

Investment: £35,000 Established: 2015 Turnover: £40,000

Grantham & Newark Investment: £75,000 Established: 2004 Turnover: £130,000

Bromley & Orpington Investment: £195,000 Established: 2002 Turnover: £340,000

TruGreen is the world’s largest lawn care company. The journey began as a small private company in 1973 which was acquired by ServiceMaster in 1990 and we now serve more than 3.4 million residential and commercial customers throughout the UK and the USA. Be a part of the world’s largest lawn care company with one of our rare resale opportunities. We may also have other areas available for resale as our franchise owners’ circumstances can change at short notice so if you don’t see an area that you might be interested in listed, please still get in contact as we may not have had chance to update our resales information.

South Oxfordshire Investment: £54,000 Established: 2010 Turnover: £54,000

ServiceMaster Clean Contract Services deliver office cleaning, commercial cleaning and contract cleaning services to businesses across the UK. Our rare resale opportunities benefit from employees, equipment and customers, so that you can continue to grow a profitable business. We also have vacant territory available in Scotland, Yorkshire, the Midlands, Norfolk & Kent.

Bournemouth & Poole Investment: £80,000 Established: 2014 Turnover: £120,000

Glasgow & East Strathcylde Investment: £300,000 Established: 2003 Turnover: £478,000

Over 4 million businesses in the UK require a bookkeeping service and you can be a partner in supplying it! Whether you are a qualified or an experienced bookkeeper we have a route to suit you. As a Rosemary Bookkeeping franchise, you can benefit from the following: • Recurring income with average 50% net profit margins • Excellent growth opportunities to build into a management style business • Flexible hours – work from home – keeping costs down • Dedicated support in Bookkeeping, Operations, Sales & Marketing Although we don’t currently have any resale opportunities on the market, we do have vacant territories throughout the UK.

Contact ServiceMaster Ltd today on 0116 275 9005 or email franchisesales@servicemaster.co.uk for more information

SPONSORED BY

WWW.FRANCHISESALES.COM

FRANCHISE FOCUS

CLEANING Bright & Beautiful

Clear Brew

Deluxe Window Cleaning

£: 17,995+

£: 15,000+VAT

£: n/a

brightandbeautifulhome.com

clearbrew.co.uk

deluxewindowcleaningfranchise.co.uk

Drain Doctor

Dublcheck

Dyno

£: 21,000+VAT

£: 9,950

£: c250,000

ukplumbingfranchise.co.uk

dublcheck.co.uk

dyno.com

Envirogroup

Fantastic Services

FiltaFry

£: 23,950+VAT

£: n/a

£: 14,950+VAT

envirogroupfranchising.com

joinfantastic.com

filtafryplus.co.uk/franchise

Jan-Pro Cleaning Systems

Jani-King

Merry Maids

£: 1,000 - 5,000

£: n/a

£: 19,995+VAT

jan-pro.com/franchising

janiking.co.uk

merrymaidsfranchise.co.uk

Metro Rod

Minster

Molly Maid

£: 100,000+VAT

£: 28,225+

£: £16,975+VAT

metrorod.co.uk

minsterfranchise.co.uk

mollymaid.co.uk/franchise

MouldDoctor

Ovenclean

Ovenu

£: 33,000

£: 14,995

£: 9,995

moulddoctor.co.uk

ovenclean.com/franchise

ovenufranchise.co.uk

Prima Master Dry Cleaners

ServiceMaster Clean

techclean

£: n/a

£: 26,150

£: 19,500+VAT

primafranchise.co.uk

servicemastercleanfranchise.co.uk

techclean.co.uk

Time For You

Wilkins Chimney Sweep

Zero Dry Time

£: 14,750 +VAT

£: 13,100+VAT

£: 24,950+VAT

time4ufranchise.com

franchisechimneysweep.co.uk

zerodrytime.com

Cafe2U

Coffee-bike

Esquires Coffee

£: 26,650+VAT

£: 7,490

£: 22,500

cafe2u.com/uk

coffee-bike.com/en

esquirescoffee.co.uk

art-K

Boogie Beat

Clever Tutors

£: 10,000

£: 5,995+

£: 3,000

COFFEE

CHILDREN

art-k.co.uk/become-a-franchisee

www.boogiebeat.co.uk

clevertutors.com

ComputerXplorers

diddi dance

Helen O’Grady

£: 29,500

£: 4,995+VAT

£: 15,000

computerxplorers.co.uk

diddidance.com

helenogrady.co.uk

SPONSORED BY

WWW.FRANCHISESALES.COM

FRANCHISE FOCUS

CHILDREN Kiddley Divey

Kumon

Mad Science

£: 5,997+VAT

£: 3,000

£: 23,500

kiddleydivey.co.uk/join-our-team

kumon.co.uk

madscience.org

Magikats Maths and English

Mathnasium

Monkey Music

£: 10,000+VAT

£:40,000

£: 13,975+VAT

educationalfranchise.co.uk

mathnasium.com/franchise

monkeymusic.co.uk

Puddle Ducks

Sport4Kids

Stagecoach

£: 18,975

P.O.A

£: 14,995+VAT

puddleducks.com/franchising

www.s4kfranchising.com

stagecoachfranchise.com

Sticky Fingers

Swimtime

The Creation Station

£: 3,000

£: 18,000+VAT

£: 7,999+VAT

stickyfingerscookeryparties.co.uk

swimtime.org

thecreationstation.co.uk

The Detective Project

Turtle Tots

Tutor Doctor

£: 9,995

£: 13,000+VAT

£: 49,700

thedetectiveproject.co.uk

turtletots.com

franchise.tutordoctor.co.uk

Mobile Workwear

Noa Noa

Suit the City

£: n/a

£: 40,000

£: 19,950 - 22,950

mobileworkwear.com/Franchise

noanoa.com

suitfranchise.com

BBX

DNS Accountants

Fifo Capital

£: n/a

£: 25,000

bbxuk.com

dnsaccountantsfranchise.co.uk

fifocapital.co.uk

Rosemary Bookkeeping

TaxAssist Accountants

The Interface Financial Group

£: 16,970

£: 36,950+VAT

£: n/a

rosemaryfranchise.co.uk

taxassistfranchise.co.uk

interfacefinancial.co.uk

Beatons Tearooms

Broccoli Pizza and Pasta

Camile

£: 55,000

£: 100,000

£: 250,000+

beatonstearooms.co.uk

broccolifranchise.com

camile.co.uk/franchising

DATING Most Beautiful People £: 9,000 easterneuropewomen.com

FASHION & CLOTHING

FINANCE

rosemary an altogether friendly bookkeeping experience

FOOD & DRINK

SPONSORED BY

WWW.FRANCHISESALES.COM

FRANCHISE FOCUS

FOOD & DRINK Cup the Cake

Gallone’s Ice Cream Parlours

Harry Ramsden’s

£: 377+

£: 14,999

£: 150,000 - 250,000

cupthecake.com

gallonesfranchise.com

harryramsdens.co.uk/franchise

Incredible Ice Cream Company

Maston’s

McDonald’s

£: 25,000+

£: 25,000

£: 400,000 - 800,000

incredibleicecream-franchise.co.uk

marstonscareers.co.uk

mcdonalds.co.uk/franchising

Papa John’s

Riverford

Southern Fried Chicken

£: 100,000+

£: n/a

£: 125,000+

papajohns.co.uk/franchise

riverford.co.uk/franchise

franchise.southernfriedchicken.com

Subway

Snak Appeal

Warrens Bakery

£: 86,000 - 222,000

£: n/a

£: 18,500

subwayfranchising.com

www.snakappeal.co.uk

warrensbakery.co.uk

HOME IMPROVEMENT & GARDEN Aire Serv

BoConcept

Countrywide Grounds Maintenance

£: 18,000+VAT

£: 100,000

£: 44,950+VAT

leadingtheserviceindustry.co.uk

boconcept.com

countrywidegrounds.com/franchise

Decor Walls & Flooring

Just Shutters

Mr Electric

£: n/a

£: 25,000

£: 26,238

decorcladdingcentre.co.uk

shutter-franchise.co.uk

franchise.mrelectric.com

Schmidt

Shuttercraft

TruGreen

£: n/a

£: 25,000

£: 28,000+VAT

www.home-design.schmidt

shuttercraft-franchise.co.uk

trugreenfranchise.co.uk

Concept Building Solutions

Concordia

Moreland Insurance

£: 32,995+VAT

£: n/a

concept-solutions.co.uk

concordia-employment.co.uk

morelandinsurance.co.uk

Diamond Logistics

InXpress

Mail Boxes Etcs

£: 14,997+VAT

£: n/a

£: 25,000+

diamondlogistics.co.uk

gb.inxpress.com/franchise-opportunities

mbe.co.uk/franchise

Pack & Send

The Original Poster Compay

Two Men And A Truck

£: 29,500

£: 15,000

£: 30,000

packsend.co.uk

originalposter.com

twomenandatruck.co.uk

INSURANCE

MAIL & COURIER

World Options £: 29,995+VAT worldoptions.com

SPONSORED BY

WWW.FRANCHISESALES.COM

FRANCHISE FOCUS

MARKETING Signarama

Vibe Marketing

£: 25,000 - 45,000

£: 14,995+VAT

franchise.signarama.co.uk

vibemarketing.co.uk

PET SERVICES Barking Mad

MyWaggyTails

Now Boarding Pet Hotels

£: 10,000+VAT

£: 7,750+VAT

£: n/a

barkingmad.uk.com

mywaggytails.co.uk/grab-a-franchise

nowboardingpethotels.co.uk

OSCAR

Trophy Pet Foods

We Love Pets

£: 8,995+VAT

£: 13,995+VAT

£: 9,999+VAT

oscar.co.uk

trophypetfoods.co.uk

welovepetsfranchise.co.uk

De Photo

Photography for Little People

White Box

£: 14,950+VAT

£: 15,000

£: n/a

dephoto.biz

photographyforlittlepeoplefranchise.co.uk

whiteboxphotography.co.uk

Kall Kwik

Recognition Express

Signs Express

£: 50,000 +shop fit +VAT

£: 35,000+VAT

£: 40,000+

kallkwik.co.uk

recognition-express.com

franchise.signsexpress.co.uk

PHOTOGRAPHY

Voucher Packs £: 10,000 - 12,5000 voucherpacks.co.uk

PROPERTY Agency Express

Belvoir

Century 21

£: 24,500+VAT

£: 22,500+VAT

£: 23,500

agencyexpress.co.uk

belvoirfranchise.com

century21franchise.co.uk

HomeXperts

Martin & Co Estate Agents

Platinum Property Partners

£: 19,995+VAT

£: n/a

£: 41,450+

home-xperts.co.uk

propertyfranchise.co.uk

platinumpropertypartners.co.uk

Redstone Lettings

Surelet Property Rental Services

VeriSmart

£: 14,995+

£: 9,500+VAT

£: 9,000+VAT

redstonesfranchise.co.uk

SureLetFranchise.com

verismart.biz

SPONSORED BY

WWW.FRANCHISESALES.COM

FRANCHISE FOCUS

RECRUITMENT Driver Hire Nationwide

Law Staff Legal Recruitment

£: 35,000+

£: n/a

driverhirefranchise.co.uk

law-staff.co.uk

RETAIL CeX

Cash Generator

Everyman Barber

£: 150,000 - £250,000

£: 80,000

£: n/a

webuy.com/franchising

cgfranchising.co.uk

everymanbarbers.co.uk

KG Professional

Local Appliance Rentals

One Stop

£: n/a

£: 50,000+

£: 92pw+VAT

kgsalons.com

localappliancerentals.co.uk

openaonestop.co.uk

9Round

Anytime Fitness

Body Street

£: 115,000+

£: 110,000

£: P.O.A

9round.co.uk/own-a-franchise

anytimefitness.co.uk

www.bodystreetuk.co.uk

Busylizzy

Energie Fitness

Fitness Space

£: 17,000+VAT

£: 95,000

£: 24,950

busylizzyfranchise.co.uk

energiefranchise.com

fitnessspace.com

One Element

Premier

YourZone45

£: n/a

£: 14,950 ex. VAT

£: 60,000

one-element.co.uk/franchise

makesportyourbusiness.com

yourzone45.co.uk

Eazi-Apps

Fone Doctor

Project M Asia

£: 7,995

£: 58,000

£: from 25,000+VAT

eazi-apps-business.co.uk

fonedoctoruk.co.uk

projectmasia.com

SPORT & FITNESS

TECHNOLOGY & SOFTWARE

Trivaeo Cloud Services £: 14,995 trivaeo.com

TELECOMMUNICATIONS Auditel

Challenger Mobile Communications

£: 37,950+VAT

£: n/a

auditelfranchise.co.uk

challenger-mobile.co.uk

TRAINING Pitman Training

Sandler Training

£: 22,500+VAT

£: 55,000+VAT

pitman-franchising.com

sandlerfranchising.co.uk

SPONSORED BY

WWW.FRANCHISESALES.COM

DISCOVERY DAYS

CREATE THE WORK/LIFE BALANCE YOU WANT Dynamic, £3bn marketplace Six lucrative income streams Home-working potential Excellent support and training Robust marketing framework

t: 01530 513300 e: franchise@thebardongroup.co.uk w: recognition-express.com

01527 549 593

LeadingTheServiceIndustry.co.uk

Heating up your business prospec t s UK WIDE FRANCHISE OPPORTUNITIES Aire Serv ® is part of The Dwyer Group®, looking after over 3,100 franchisees globally; Bright & Beautiful®, Mr Electric ®, Drain Doctor® and Countrywide Grounds® in the UK. Join this exciting business, needed all year round by commercial and residential customers. As part of one of the world’s largest franchisors, you’re in safe hands.

Please contact us for more information regarding available territories

SEARCHING FOR A CAREER CHANGE WITH A FUTURE?

Arrange a meeting with us today and ﬁnd out if we are right for you!

Request more information enquiries.uk@boconcept.com

Discover how to MAKE MONEY and MAKE A DIFFERENCE! With a Mathnasium Learning Centre franchise you have the opportunity to build your own business, be your own boss and make a great living whilst making a difference. Join us for a discovery day and experience the Mathnasium Method and Model, held in Manchester and Hertfordshire.

Book your place at mathnasium.co.uk or call 0161 791 0686 Standard call charges apply

124 elitefranchise | november 2018

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DISCOVERY DAYS

make their

Call us now on 0800 854 714 or visit kumon.co.uk

FUTURE your

BUSINESS • the UK’s largest supplementary education provider • proven business model • marketing support • comprehensive training

TA KE CONTROL OF YOUR FUTURE

• An innovative business model • 15 -2 0 % opera ting profit • Prov id ing care the way clients and families want it • Award win ning suppor t CONTACT US TODAY

www.homeinstead.co.uk/franchise 01925 730 273

In business for yourself, but not by yourself... Come and talk to us at our Insight Day in York & Belfast 9th November - York 23rd November - Belfast www.mcdonalds.co.uk/franchising

franchise@homeinstead.co.uk

Your Discovery Day Invitation

Discover more about our Ovenu Franchise with an informative, one to one chat over coffee. Contact us today and we'll put a date in the diary.

To join us on our next webinar or ﬁnd out more about Platinum Business Partners go to:

http://bit.ly/PBPDiscovery Register your interest:

01202 652 103

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

01189 743 911 ovenufranchise.co.uk november 2018 | elitefranchise

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DISCOVERY DAYS

Do you dream of being your own boss? To find out more about our business opportunity visit www.monkeymusicfranchise.co.uk email jointheteam@monkeymusic.co.uk or call 01582 766464.

Discovery Day UK’S NO.1 FRYER MANAGEMENT SERVICE WEEKLY REPEAT “MAN IN A VAN” FRANCHISE HIGH-DEMAND, EXCLUSIVE TERRITORY VIRTUALLY NO COMPETITORS

Call us on 01788 550100 to find out more www.filtafryplus.co.uk | dslater@filtagroup.com

Could YOU be the next UK Franchisee?

We want you... The UK’s No1 Dry carpet, upholstery and hard floor cleaners

0800 1 80 40 20

zerodrytime.com/franchise

Butcher, baker and cabinet maker... our franchisees come from all works of life! But they all have one thing in common. They all wanted to take control of their own destiny and become their own boss.

“The teams that perform the cleaning tasks are always very thorough, professional and quick. I would certainly recommend using them”

Call us to learn about our Discovery Days

Fund Management group

Why choose Techclean? + Experience and credibility + Work from a home environment + Low cost, high margins + Operate in an ever growing market

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DISCOVERY DAYS

Our Discovery Days provide the perfect opportunity to investigate what MOLLY MAID can provide and decide if it could be right for you! We hold one to one Discover Days to ensure we can tailor the meeting to focus on your specific requirements and circumstances. Our meetings are held at MOLLY MAID House in Maidenhead, Berkshire, that way you can experience our professional and family feel environment, whilst meeting other passionate members of the team. Aaron Watson Director Business Development, Tel: 01628 583765 Email: aaron.watson@mollymaid.co.uk Web: www.mollymaid.co.uk/franchise

PREPARING CHILDREN FOR THE FUTURE Home-based, management franchise Flexible, family-friendly commitment Generous territories with at least 600 prospects Dynamic support programme Rewarding and fulfilling

t: 01530 513308 e: franchise@thebardongroup.co.uk w: computerxplorers.co.uk

Apply for up to £2,000 to run your own FLexible fun and rewarding Creation Station franchise

RELAUNCHED FOR THE DIGITAL AGE

STRICTLY B2B

Run your own educational, fun and flexible arts & crafts Creation Station franchise. Choose your hours, have fun and create positive differences within your community with your own successful business.

EXCELLENT SUPPORT AND TRAINING

CELEBRATING 40 YEARS IN BUSINESS

Robust marketing framework

ROBUST MARKETING FRAMEWORK

t: 01530 513300 e: franchise@thebardongroup.co.uk w: kallkwik.co.uk

Book a discovery meeting with us by emailing: opportunities@century21uk.com or call 0115 902 1002 A meeting is a chance for you to ﬁnd out more about the CENTURY 21 UK team and whether it is the right ﬁt for you.

Love fashion, live your passion with Suit the City Join a leading business in a booming market, beating the current trends in retail. Work from a small studio and build your business with the aid of a team of Consultant Tailors all trained by Suit the City.

www.suitfranchise.com

It’s important that you see the systems & support we offer and get the opportunity to speak to our Business Development Managers who would help you grow your business. We hold these meetings across the country on a monthly basis.

United Kingdom

0115 902 1002 opportunities@century21uk.com www.century21franchise.co.uk

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Buy a pizza delivery franchise. A large market: 49% of people in the UK eat pizza at least once a week. And a growing market: The home delivery market grew by 5.4% between 2011 and 2016. It exploits the boom in smartphones: Mobile devices have fuelled a surge in online sales, over half of pizza orders are now placed online.

Visit FranchiseSales.com to find out more about buying a pizza franchise â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and more! DPS.indd 3

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Jane Maudsley founder & managing director Little Voices

Creature

comforts

When you step out of your comfort zone, the magic happens and you have an opportunity to really grow and be successful

e’re currently running Facebook Live training videos with experts, trusted suppliers and our franchisees each week at Little Voices HQ. The sharing of best practise and ongoing learning is a massive part of our culture at Little Voices and this has been a really good way to communicate. The feedback has been incredibly positive and monthly we’re building a catalogue of learning videos for the network that contain real franchisee stories and advice. As a part of this, I posted a conceptual picture, depicting the idea of a comfort zone and the opportunities and feelings that come from staying put or stepping beyond it. These included everything from mediocrity to dreams, tiredness to excitement, settling to financial freedom and fear to no regrets. I was discussing it with a franchisee and asked for her thoughts on the picture and she said it was interesting and talked to me about the magic found when you step out of your comfort zone. I was fascinated by her response and asked what she meant by magic. She replied: “Let’s face it. It’s really cosy, DECEMber 2018 | elitefranchise

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Let’s face it. It’s really cosy, safe and warm to stay in the comfort zone – it’s the easy option. But when you do the stuff that you dread or fear, you find magic Little Voices franchisee

safe and warm to stay in the comfort zone – it’s the easy option. But when you do the stuff that you dread or fear, you find magic.” So what is that comfort zone for you? What jobs does it include? What do you happily do every week? I’ve written a list of all the stuff that I love doing. Funnily enough there are many things that I’m not so keen on contained within my extensive to-do list. I tend to push these things to the bottom of an enormous list each week. But when you take the time to analyse it you may find that if you got on with it then magic would happen. Progress, growth and most importantly profit – it’s usually the stuff you force yourself to do that has the biggest impact. Ask yourself what’s on the list of all the stuff that you put off or dread? I googled the meaning of comfort zone, which determined via Wikipedia that “a comfort zone is a psychological state in which things feel familiar to a person and they’re at ease and in control of their environment, experiencing low levels of anxiety and stress”. Psychological author Judith Bardwick considers the concept to be “a behavioural state where a person operates in an anxiety-neutral position.” So how do you find your magic and leave the comfort zone? This month

I’m committed to doing my routines differently, which means starting with the tough stuff first. Feeling the fear and doing it anyway is a great way to approach this. I’m going to work hard to start loving those things I put off and do more of them until I feel comfortable to do them with passion and conviction. I’m going to ask some better questions and seek superior answers. For example, if you ask a customer why they don’t refer you to others you might achieve two things. Firstly, something that needs addressing in the business. Secondly, perhaps a referral and more business. Dealing with uncertainty and change can be debilitating in terms of your imposed stress, yet living a compelling future seemingly requires stepping out of the familiar to reach new horizons. Well, this month one of our key head office members has gone on maternity leave and there’s further change on my horizon at Christmas time, so I’m feeling stressed. Maybe turning 40 this month may have something to do with it too. Finding a way to deal with this is important and I will – the comfort zone stress I mean, not my birthday. Here’s to a month of thinking big and out of our comfort zones to gain the greater rewards in life.

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