Elite Franchise January 2019

elitefranchisemagazine.co.uk

Really Awesome Coffee

This founder makes no secret about what his franchise is all about

JANUARY 2019 £4.50

2019

The tech, the trends and the franchise opportunities you can’t miss this year

Staff retention

What drives the franchising world’s busiest CEO Catherine Monson?

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FASTSIGNS

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ISSN 2054-9741

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Make sure your employees stay with you

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I CREATED A BUSINESS FOR MYSELF NOT BY MYSELF. I’M A FRANCHISEE. THIS IS MY MCDONALD’S.

‘Ever since I was young, I’ve wanted to build my own business. Having worked in the technology sector for over a decade, I knew what it took to manage large teams and how to be commercial – this experience set me up perfectly for becoming a franchisee.’

Reema, Franchisee in North London

SEARCH ‘MCDONALD’S FRANCHISING’

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COME AND TALK TO US AT ONE OF OUR INSIGHT DAYS IN 2019 4th January, Warwick Business School 18th January, Milton Keynes 1st-2nd February, London 15th-16th February, Birmingham 8th March, Edinburgh 22nd March, York 5th April, London 26th April, Cranfield Management Centre 17th May, Newcastle 7th June, London 21st-22nd June, Manchester 12th July, London 6th September, Bristol 20th September, Edinburgh 4th-5th October, Birmingham 25th October, Leeds 8th November, Leicester 22nd November, Manchester 6th December, London

REGISTER YOUR INTEREST AT WWW.MCDONALDS.CO.UK/FRANCHISING

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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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Franchise with us

Franchise with us

A new storage service that costs less

Nationwide fitness gyms that cost less

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Pack | Collect | Store | Access | Return

Industry-leading classes for top results

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A competitive new business model

Membership includes free group training

A growing market with great potential

Premium fitness equipment

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Successfully launched in London

No long-term customer contracts

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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

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COVER STAR

Sign up When Catherine Monson was a teenager she wanted to become a CEO. 30 years later she’s leading FASTSIGNS. So her pledge is signed, sealed and delivered 6 elitefranchise | January 2019

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contents 01.19

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 57 Chris Roberts

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That's a wrap

Chapati Man is merging Indian cuisine with British franchising.

The results are mouth-watering

FEATURES 40 One more cup

Really Awesome Coffee’s founder spills the beans

46 New year, new directions

Franchises reveal their resolutions for 2019

50 Top tech predictions for 2019

Get on top of the biggest innovations in the new year

62 Back to the near future

94 When one door closes

Will fintech transform accountancy for franchises?

The Dream Doors franchisees who made over ÂŁ1m in their first year

82 Staff retention remedies

102 Newbie franchisees on the block

88 Avoiding the misrepresentation claim

108 Stay legal in 2019

The tricks you need to ensure your employees stick with you

Lying isn't just bad but could also be illegal

These franchises may just have started in the UK but they're going far

Keep these resolutions to stay on the right side of the law this year

62 January 2019 | elitefranchise

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welcome

Volume 08 Issue 01 / 2019 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

Happy New Year

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

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nd just like that, 2018 is a thing of the past. But while it’s gone it’s not forgotten – the 2018 bfa NatWest franchise survey released at the tail-end of last year capped it off in a big way. Indeed, bfa CEO Pip Wilkins explains how the franchise industry generated a turnover of £17.2bn in 2018 – a £2.1bn rise on 2015.

With such an opportunity ahead, Chapati Man is in a good position.

We spoke with Chris Rai, the founder of the food truck-based Indian wrap franchise. Already achieving success with the likes of Glastonbury and other UK festivals, the young franchisor has an appetite for growth with more announcements on the way with 2019 ahead.

Elsewhere, Jane Maudsley didn’t wait for New Year to roll around in order to get a detox underway. In Franchise Diaries, she details why her ten-day holiday was a tech-free experience.

Of course, taking time off isn’t for everyone, reveals cover star Catherine Monson. The CEO of FASTSIGNS loves nothing more than keeping herself busy as she looks to keep scaling the network beyond 700 franchisees around the globe.

Here’s to a fantastic 2019.

SALES & MARKETING 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 Zane Zvirbule Marketing Administrator zane@cemedia.co.uk ACCOUNTS Sally Stoker Finance Manager sally.stoker@cemedia.co.uk 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

■ ZEN TERRELONGE - EDitor

Contributors

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Nikki Th’ng

Fiona Boswell

Eric Johansson

Varsha Saraogi

The CEO and cofounder of Class For Kids digs in deep this month to reveal the tech trends franchises should be aware of in 2019.

Selling a franchise is serious business. And a salesperson lying about the facts could open you up for lawsuits, Boswell explains in this issue.

Before shooting back to Sweden to celebrate Yule blót, our resident viking typed up this month’s exciting cover story about FASTSIGNS’ CEO.

Fittingly fuelled by massive amounts of caffeine, Saraogi had a chat with the founder of Really Awesome Coffee. The results can be found on page 40.

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january 2019 | 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

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news Starbucks’ first UK franchisee opens its 60th store Good news for all Starbucks aficionados out there as more stores are getting launched in the UK where you can get your daily caffeine fix.

Starbucks’ first UK franchisee, 23.5 Degrees, opened its 60th store on Friday December 14, in Sheffield. And this is the tenth store launched within six months as part of its expansion. After seeing success for its first store which opened only six years ago in Hampshire, the franchisee has been brewing success throughout the UK by capitalising on the American coffee brand.

In fact, it has invested more than £20.5m in Britain by building new stores.

Starbucks has been the pioneer of the coffee franchise market for decades and clearly it plans to continue that trend.

Events Franchise Expo South January 18 - 20 Broward County, Convention Center, 1950 Eisenhower Blvd, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316, USA

The British & International Franchise Exhibition February 1 - 2 Olympia London, Hammersmith Rd, Hammersmith, London W14 8UX

The National Franchise Exhibition February 15 - 16 National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham, B40 1NT

Franchise Asia Philippines March 27 - 28

SMX Conventiwon Center, Mall of Asia Complex, Seashell Ln, Pasay, 1300 Metro Manila, Philippines

The International Franchise Show April 5 - 6

Excel Exhibition Centre, Sandstone Lane, London E16 1XL

NatWest EWIF Awards 2019 April 30 RBS Building, 250 Bishopsgate, London EC2M 4AA

BY VARSHA SARAOGI and ABBIE JUKES

bfa & ITN Productions' new TV show, Franchising the Next Generation Given the plethora of business reality programmes out there like Shark Tank and The Apprentice, there's no denying that these have been hugely influential on entrepreneurs. And the bfa filled the gap in the franchise field after launching the show The Future is Franchising in July 2018.

Now, after that success, it's announced another collaboration with ITN Productions to create Franchising the Next Generation, premiering at bfa’s annual conference in June 2019. The newsstyle programme will take an in-depth look at how modern franchises operate, focusing on how millennial entrepreneurs are increasingly taking to franchising. Furthermore, the programme will examine why international brands look to the UK for business.

So if you’re looking to grow your franchise internationally, this TV show might have the tips you need. Make sure you tune in.

Rhythm Time is singing it from the rooftops

From social franchises being launched to champion important causes to franchisors raising money for charities, franchises are hardly strangers to pushing for change wherever needed.

Now, Rhythm Time, the franchise offering music classes supporting development in the early years, has announced it will launch the National Early Years Music Week initiative in the beginning of 2019. The event will spread the gospel about how singing and making music can benefit children and help them develop. So far, an impressive 12,000 children have already been signed up to participate.

No wonder Rhythm Time’s franchisees are singing their hearts out about this issue.

JANUARY 2019 | elitefranchise

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

Pip Wilkins chief executive bfa

Why should you make franchising your future in 2019?

Pip Wilkins, CEO of the British Franchise Association, explains why the future of franchising is bright and how it continues to grow

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t the bfa we believe 2018 was a decent year in general. Even the English football team had a solid run and Marks & Spencer’s couldn't make enough waistcoats.

While we may still argue about whether it’s ‘Yanny or Laurel’, when we look at the fantastic year franchising has had, there is no disagreement. If you’re still in doubt, look no further than the eagerly-anticipated 2018 bfa NatWest Franchise Survey.

The stats show franchising continues to grow more than ever, with the industry generating a turnover of £17.2bn in 2018, up £2.1bn since 2015.

There has also been an increase of 89,000 people employed in franchising, seeing the total people employed in the sector reach a new high at 710,000.

The figures have also shown regional development across Britain, with only Scotland displaying a slight decrease.

I see this as a fantastic opportunity in 2019 to bring the success of franchising to Scotland and seek out some Scottish entrepreneurs.

The 2019 Scottish Franchise Week will be the perfect opportunity for the bfa to find Scots looking to take charge of their life and career and be a part of a thriving industry.

Regions that have particularly benefitted are Wales, with an 18% increase in net contribution to the local economy, as well as East Midlands and Yorkshire that jumped by 14% and 11% respectively.

The diversity of franchising 2018 has seen the most diverse year for franchising yet, with 27% of new franchisees over the past two years being under 30 and 18% of all franchisees being under that age. To see young people taking steps to fulfil their entrepreneurial ambitions that otherwise may have been difficult to achieve in the wider business world is wonderful.

Along with under 30s there has been a massive increase in female franchisees, with 37% of new franchisees being women – up 20% since 2015. I'm very proud to be part of such a diverse and welcoming community. Inclusion brings with it innovation, fresh ideas and modernisation. As someone who

has been in franchising for 20 years, the evolution of this industry has been nothing short of staggering.

Franchising is an industry suitable for anyone and everyone who wants to work for themselves but not by themselves. Business ownership can be a long and difficult road but, with franchising, you'll be able to own and operate your own business under an established brand name. Not only does the franchisor support you but they will have a network of franchisees who will be more than happy to welcome someone to the franchise family and lend a supportive ear when needed.

So what I’m saying is: franchising in 2019 looks very bright indeed.

JANUARY 2019 | elitefranchise

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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

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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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07/11/2018 15:00

Sussanne Chambers founder and managing director HomeXperts

Simply the best Sadly for many individuals, New Year’s resolutions set with much enthusiasm and vigour last for less than a month. So how do we avoid falling into that trap? ell intended they may be but plenty of New Year’s resolutions will already be history even before Q1 finishes. A Bupa poll revealed 43% of people fail to keep up with their resolutions before the end of January, which jumps to 80% by the end of March. Meanwhile, Bristol University found that 88% of all resolutions fail.

The best resolution I ever made was to be the best version of myself.

However, in doing this I had to face a few disappointing facts. I’m never going to look like a supermodel. I will also never, no matter how hard I train, have the fitness of an Olympic athlete. Living up to these realities and adding a touch of realism into my expectations has meant that, for the most part, I have stuck to my resolutions for 2018.

However, this takes some thinking.

First, you need to consider what the best version of yourself looks like.

I’m not talking just about physical attributes, although there may be some elements of physicality within your vision of the best version of yourself.

The problem with resolutions is that they often focus on improving our looks. The top two resolutions within the UK, according to a YouGov Poll, are to eat better and do more exercise.

But 50% of people state they’re not confident they’ll stick to their resolutions. People tend to use their time, energy and money on improving their looks, however, being the best version of yourself should venture

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beyond achieving the perfect body and concentrate on improving your mind, character, career, relationships or education too.

Becoming the best version of yourself means being clear about your starting position and this differs from your New Year’s resolutions. You’re comparing yourself to yourself, monitoring your own performance against yourself. Get a clear vision of what the best version of you looks like.

One of the goals I set in being the best version of myself for 2018 was to compliment a stranger every day it was possible. Watching a smile spread across the face of someone I just met

gave me a lovely warm feeling. People mostly say to me “You have made my day,” so it’s always a win-win for us both. So another great area to think about is how you could help to bring the best out of people, helping them to be the best version of themselves.

Being the best version of yourself is so much more achievable than pie in the sky resolutions. Small steps can take you towards being a better person. It doesn’t all have to happen in January, it’s an ongoing project. There may be setbacks but unlike resolutions you can pick yourself up and get back on task.

Make 2019 the best year yet, creating the best version of yourself.

JANUARY 2019 | elitefranchise

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CATHERINE MONSON

18 ELITEFRANCHISE | JANUARY 2019

Sign up CATHERINE MATT MONSON FIDDES

BY ERIC JOHANSSON / PHOTOGRAPHY BY EMILIE SANDY

Whether she’s supporting Donald Trump, visiting UK franchisees or steering FASTSIGNS safely through financial downturns, Catherine Monson loves staying busy

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t’s Tuesday morning in Essex and Catherine Monson shows zero signs of jet lag. Despite the flight from the US having only touched down two days earlier, the FASTSIGNS CEO is smiling and joking with the employees and franchisee of the network’s Chelmsford centre, asking them about their day and listening to their replies. “I like to be this busy,” she says. “I’m one of those people who thinks that the busier I am, the more exciting my life [is].”

She’s certainly had her wish over the past 18 months.

At the time of the interview she’s touring Britain to see franchisees and attend the signage company’s annual UK conference. In the lead up to it, Monson has spoken in front of the Franchise Association of New Zealand, given her support for proposed healthcare legislation in front of the US congress and met president Donald Trump, who she describes as “authentic and warm and positive and polite and knowledgeable and competent.” And that’s on top of scaling the company into its tenth market and growing the network to over 700 franchisees.

When asked about how she remains energised, Monson simply shrugs and says that it’s what she lives for. “I love to go on a holiday and sit on a beach but after four or five days

that’s about all I can take,” she explains. Ever abandoning piña coladas for a chance to make an impact, this means Monson is constantly on the move to grow FASTSIGNS and spread the gospel of franchising. “I really get a lot of joy and excitement out of making a difference,” Monson reasons.

Since taking on the FASTSIGNS CEO role in 2009, she’s had plenty of opportunities to have a significant effect on people’s lives. Using her three decades of franchise sector experience, she’s safely steered the franchise through the recession via an appearance on the TV show Undercover Boss and has successfully introduced new structures and services to ensure the business is prepared for the challenges of the 21st century. While this has certainly kept her busy, Monson wouldn’t have it any other way. “It’s [in my] DNA, it’s innate,” she argues. “I was born with it. It’s the way I’m wired. I can’t turn it off. I just think it’s the way I am and I love the way I am. It’s perfect for me. It may not be perfect for anyone else [but] I’m a big believer that we all ought to do those things that make us happy.”

Fortunately for FASTSIGNS, Monson acquired a taste for running companies early on. “I fell in love with the business of business at a very young age,” she says. This is in no

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CATHERINE MONSON

small part thanks to her parents running a chain of preschools. From the age of eight, Monson helped out by mowing lawns and cleaning the buildings. She became more involved as she grew up, ending up running accounts and providing customer service in her teens.

It even got to the point that when her parents both got hospitalised at the same time during her senior year in high school, Monson led the company by herself for two weeks. The experience taught her that eventually she’d like to be doing it for her own business. “I knew in high school that my goal some day was to run a company, to be a CEO,” she says.

Fuelled by her ambition, Monson set out to make this dream a reality.

Following her studies, she got her first job at Sir Speedy, the printing and document management company. “[My next step was] to excel at it, to work really, really hard – harder than everybody else,” says Monson. And it’s safe to say she did. Starting out by doing non-managerial tasks in 1980, Monson eventually found herself being in charge of opening new centres across the US. “I’ve always worked very, very hard at doing my job and asked what more I can do,” Monson explains.

Not only did the job provide opportunities to hone her leadership skills but also her first taste of franchising, which she adored from the get-go. “What I love about franchising is that I get to help people achieve their dreams,” Monson reveals. When she eventually became Sir Speedy’s vice president of franchise development, Monson learned a key insight she’d carry throughout her career. “The most important thing is franchising unit level economics, ensuring that your model is successful [and] that franchisees can make a good profit because if they can’t [then] they’re never going to be happy,” she states.

By 1996, Sir Speedy’s leadership launched the holding company Franchise Services to help grow the network and to incorporate other franchises under its umbrella. The franchisor then bought the printing franchises PIP and Multicopy.

With the second being in Europe, Franchise Services needed someone

from the US office to go to Amsterdam to oversee the growth of the franchise and ensure Multicopy aligned to the rest of the network. Monson was more than happy to volunteer. “It was a great opportunity for me,” she says.

The new role saw the aspiring head honcho grow as a leader and to challenge her own opinions about what makes a great worker. “This is going to sound very harsh and very black and white but, in the United States, if an employee isn’t doing their job and you coach them and council them and teach them how to do their job better and they don’t [improve, then] you can let them go,” she says.

Having always worked extremely hard to get where she was at in her career, Monson was shocked to find that her previous approach wouldn’t work in the Netherlands. Employment legislations across the pond meant her inclinations to simply sack underachievers was unfeasible. She also had to consider things like people going on stress leave and different approaches to holidays. “I needed to understand I couldn’t make everybody be like myself,” Monson says.

“I needed to have more empathy and find a way to motivate them to do the best they [could].”

By 1999, the lessons she’d learned overseas would come in handy when the old president of PIP decided to step down, providing the opportunity for Monson to pick up the mantle at the 500 locations-strong company. “That was exciting,” she says.

However, this meant she had to tackle the old leadership’s legacy. With PIP essentially having been acquired by its biggest competitor, the network

was hesitant to welcome a Franchise Service-appointed president with open arms. “There was distrust and fear that we’d bought them to put them out of business,” she says. To counter concerns like these, Monson toured the entire network to talk with franchisees and listen to their concerns. During these conversations, she not only explained that no one would spend millions of dollars buying a company to close it down but also that PIP would flourish under her leadership. She explains: “What I said was, ‘Give me six months.

Let me show you what we are going to do.

Let me prove to you that we are going to bring value.’”

Still, words can only get you so far – she also had to deliver. Fortunately, Sir Speedy’s contracts with vendors and suppliers meant PIP franchisees quickly noticed some benefits from teaming up with the old competitor.

“So immediately they saw savings in their expenses,” she says. Moreover, Monson also “killed” old marketing campaigns when she “felt it was completely off target” and helped restructure the franchise model.

For example, many franchisees had previously owned multiple locations.

Under Monson’s leadership, the franchisees increased the number of outside salespeople and reduced the number of outlets, slashing overheads and making it more profitable to own a franchise. “And when you have early successes like that in your first six or nine months then you have the ability to really have people embrace you,” Monson explains. On the back of these wins, the franchise renewal rate

What I love about franchising is that I get to help people achieve their dreams

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CATHERINE MONSON

jumped from 15% to 85% in the first three years of her leadership.

And by 2008 it became clear people paid attention to her achievements when the founder and managing partner of Roark Capital Group, the then-owner of FASTSIGNS, Neal Aronson called her up. “He introduced himself and said ‘We think that you would be the perfect CEO for one of our portfolio companies,’” Monson remembers. At the time she was living in California and rather than asking what brand he was talking about she wondered where the business’s headquarters was. “He said ‘Dallas, Texas’ and I laughed out loud and said ‘There’s not a chance in heaven that I would ever leave Southern California for Dallas,’” she recalls. “Although, I didn’t use the word heaven.”

But after Monson’s slightly anticlimactic initial response, she recognised this was the opportunity she’d been waiting for ever since she trimmed the grass outside her parents’ preschools –

to become the CEO of an international business. So, in January 2009, despite her original hesitation, she found herself moving to Dallas to lead FASTSIGNS. “It’s been the best decision I’ve ever made,” Monson reveals.

Still, the role came complete with loads of different challenges. “I took over as CEO of FASTSIGNS in 2009, [which was] kind of at the beginning of the financial crisis,” Monson reveals. And as if the the economic downturn wasn’t a huge enough obstacle to overcome, the new head honcho also had to tackle hurdles like earning the trust of her franchisees and meeting the demands of the everevolving markets.

Back in 1985 Gary Salomon and Bob Schanbaum had launched the original FASTSIGNS concept on the back of technological innovations like the Apple IIc computer. This had enabled them to achieve huge success making signs. “[But] that was over 30 years ago,” Monson explains. “Today, to

be successful we have to sell more sophisticated products and services, right up to digital signs.” Recognising the company would be out of business if it failed to evolve with the times, the new CEO introduced more outside sales professionals and also endeavoured to expand the company’s offerings to include services like digital signage as well as virtual and augmented reality solutions. Not stopping there, Monson also reveals that the company is currently experimenting with holograms. “There are lots of interesting things that we're looking at,” she says.

But to get to that point she had to earn the network’s support. “One of my first priorities was to get to know the franchisees,” Monson recalls. “So in those first six months I visited [them] and held town hall meetings.” Indeed, she visited franchisees all over the US, the UK, Canada and even Australia.

And just like when she met up with the

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mATT FIDDES CATHERINE MONSON

PIP franchisees, Monson made sure to listen to the people in the network to hear how the franchise could improve, “asking ‘what do we do well, what can we do better, what are we not doing that we should be doing to help you be more successful.’”

As part of this push to learn about the woes of the people at the coalface and to boost FASTSIGNS’ brand visibility, Monson appeared on the television show Undercover Boss. The programme sees corporate chieftains pretend to be regular employees and hear first hand what other staff members think. And Monson isn’t afraid of admitting she was slightly nervous before the tape started rolling. “Everything that they get on film, they can use,” she explains.

Her trepidations were even more understandable given she had no idea where she would be placed. Luckily, she could soon breathe easy. “I was just blessed that we had five fantastic employees that care about customers, who care about doing a good job and there was nothing embarrassing,” she remembers. Still, these employees did highlight they’d like to know more about outdoor signage, prompting Monson to introduce a dedicated expert who created a bespoke curriculum and who taught the network everything about the subject.

Having raised awareness about the brand through initiatives like Undercover Boss and raised the profitability of owning a FASTSIGNS franchise, Monson could also focus on growing the network, aiming to reach 2,500 franchisees in 25 countries. The franchisor already has roughly 700 franchisees in ten countries and has signed up master franchisees in places like Spain, Greece, Italy, the US Virgin Islands and the Dominican Republic.

Moreover, FASTSIGNS is also in talks with potential partners in Germany and France. So while Monson is unclear of when the franchisor will reach its goal, she’s optimistic about the ability to do so. “I think it’s important to have big and bold goals and to do something every day towards achieving them,” she says.

Key to doing so is to find the right candidates to join the network. “We’re looking for someone who’s had some business management experience,” she says. Often this means that the ideal

aspiring franchisee has both management and sales chops, can motivate a team and posseses great people skills. “From there we’re going to teach them everything they need to know about the sign business, about the FASTSIGNS processes and business models and business systems and we’ll be with them every step of the way to help them grow their businesses,” she says.

As the company grows, so will her opportunities to weigh in on matters that affect the entire franchise sector.

For instance, Monson is a recurring commentator on Fox News and has long been a member of the International Franchise Association (IFA), an organisation she’s poised to chair in 2020. She is also a vocal advocate for president’s Trump’s proposed healthcare legislation, which was why she testified in front of the US congress in early 2018.

Monson claims the new regulations will make it easier for SMEs and franchises to provide affordable health insurance coverage to their employees.

In her role as a board member of the IFA, Monson was present when Trump signed his executive order on the matter. “I was really honoured to meet president Trump,” she says.

Moreover, Monson is impressed by how the president has lowered taxes and that the US GDP has grown during his tenure in the White House. “He’s done a lot of things that he’s said he was going to do,” she argues. “Now, do I sometimes wish he would say things in a more diplomatic manner? Of course I do.

But if you look at his actual results he’s doing a good job.”

More than 30 years have gone by since she stepped into the world of franchising. Today, Monson is a clear authority in the sector, having picked up numerous awards along the way. But her widespread acclaim is just pushing her to do even better. “What the awards mean to me is that we are doing it right but it doesn’t mean for a moment that we can become complacent and stop working hard,” she says. “We need to keep working hard.” For the moment Monson is focusing on growing FASTSIGNS but she is also looking forward to leading the IFA and to take on even more public speaking. And no matter what’s on the agenda, you can bet it will be packed with activities. “I just love having a full and exciting life and part of how I do that is to say yes to every opportunity,” Monson concludes.

22 elitefranchise | JANUARY 2019

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20/12/2018 17:03

BE PART OF THE WORKSPACE REVOLUTION AN EXCITING NEW MULTI-SITE FRANCHISE OPPORTUNITY IN A FAST-GROWING INDUSTRY With a network of 3,300 locations in 120 countries, Regus, the global leader of the flexible workspace, is now looking for franchise partners.

If you have the drive, resources and commitment to be part of a global growth story, visit regus.co.uk/franchise today, call our franchise team on +44 (0)113 280 6989 or email us at franchise.UK@regus.com

As a franchisee, you will benefit from excellent returns, using a proven operating model based on 30 years’ experience, established systems and a support infrastructure like no others.

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21/12/2018 11:27

ADVERTISING FEATURE

Finding fulfilment and time for family Becoming an ActionCOACH franchisee was nothing short of a godsend for Jeff Gosling’s work-life balance

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eff Gosling was 46 years old when he realised that now was the time to find a more fulfilling and purposeful career. He’d been working for other people for over a decade and was ready to go it alone – well, maybe not completely alone.

“As I mulled over the idea of becoming a business owner, I established that I didn’t have any fabulous ideas for a new business but I did think I could possibly take a strategic role in sales and marketing across several businesses,” Jeff says. “A good friend of mine had bought a care franchise and that peaked my interest in what franchises out there might suit me. After all my research, I got down to a shortlist of B2B opportunities I thought would suit my strengths.”

UK’s best B2B franchise 2018 Unsuprisingly, one of those franchises on Jeff’s shortlist was ActionCOACH, the UK’s best B2B franchise for 2018. He contacted their UK support team and was invited to attend their Business Excellence Forum and Awards later that month.

“Meeting other franchise partners, employed coaches and clients at this huge business conference was what cemented the decision for me,” he recalls. “I got this overwhelming feeling of teamwork and abundance with sharing of best practice and giving back to the community. Several of my family are teachers and doctors and they give so much back, so helping others is a core value for all of us. I recommend to anyone thinking of buying a franchise

Jeff enjoying quality tiime with family

to read ActionCOACH’s 14 Points of Culture and consider if that’s the type of team you’d like to work with.

“ActionCOACH was a higher investment than some of the others on my shortlist but I could see why. When you considered the intellectual property built up within the network, books and videos, systems and resources, it would take you decades to build a business coaching service on your own to be even half as effective as ActionCOACH. It was a simple commercial decision and one I made happily having experienced the culture.”

Ready to get going Before Jeff launched his franchise he completed a week of pre-training, a week at ActionCOACH Uni and Stepup Week at Action’s exclusive client

generation centre. “By November 2017, I was ready to get going,” he says. “The training had been handson and practical, it was focused on getting you up and running.

Step-up Week then gave us the opportunity to get our website live, become comfortable on the phone and speak to ActionCOACH’s sales experts about turning enquiries into meetings and then into paying clients. It gave me the sense that there is an infinite amount to learn which is why the follow-up support is so important. There are ongoing regular MasterCLASSes for me to tap into and experienced franchise partners share both business development and coaching advice.

I’m a people person and I really like being part of a wider network

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ADVERTISING FEATURE

Coaching clients to success

who are so willing to give back. There is an enjoyable shared focus on constant learning and personal development via great knowledge and resources. This is considered working ‘on your business’ as it immediately translates into greater value to clients and improves your own business.

“My first clients came through networking and my existing circle of influence. In fact, most of my clients in this first year of business have come from gathering people together and building communities for referral, whether online with LinkedIn or in person by running seminars with Action’s UK-wide strategic partners such as NatWest. My aim was to bring in one new client a month and retain those clients.

I found as I grew my community of business owners, partners and influencers that network continues to pay out.

It may take a bit longer using this approach but it has longterm benefits.

“I now have 11 one-to-one clients and an ActionCLUB of group coaching clients. My role is like having 20 projects on the go at once, including my own business. I enjoyed those projects so much back in my old work life. When I meet a business owner for the first time, they typically have little idea of how to take control of their business and, therefore, their work-life balance. Every month I enjoy seeing how my clients take steps forward with quick wins, knowing they have so many more to follow.”

Ideal work-life balance ActionCOACH encourages its franchise partners to take the 3,500 strategies and tactics guaranteed to make their clients’ businesses successful and develop their own businesses too. Jeff, for example, has been able to bring his learnings home to create his own ideal work-life balance.

“Whilst I’m happy to work hard and expect longer hours as you build a business, I was used to interrupting family time to take calls late into the evening or staying away from home on work trips with my old job. Now, working when I

should have be spending time with my two sons is a thing of the past. I’ve been able to take time back to spend with the family out on walks in the countryside, playing football, supporting the QPR football team or planning our next holiday. It’s great to have something to work towards. Our next trip is three weeks traveling along the west coast of the US and there’s no stress as I still have the ability to coach my clients via online video conferencing.

“I was pleased to grow my income to over £20,000 per month in my first year and so one of my goals for my second year in business is to consistently achieve that month in, month out. On top of that, I’ve recently started to build my own team of marketing, admin and business development part-timers as I move into phase two of building a business.

“ActionCOACH has also helped open my eyes to bringing the message of business ownership much earlier in people’s lives. The ActionCOACH Foundation aims to fill the gap where academia fails to educate young people about the opportunities and avoidable pitfalls of business ownership. I can help people like my sons by going in to colleges and explaining all this, to inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs.”

If you’re looking for a more fulfilling career 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

January 2019 | elitefranchise

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20/12/2018 17:49

ADVERTISING FEATURE

Happy New Year from all the Ovenu Team – 2019 looks amazing for our network While all parts to running Ovenu are extremely important, there’s one thing we just can’t wait to perfect for our franchisees this year

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s a quick follow-up to our last article in this magazine, we’re chuffed to have been awarded 55th place in the Elite Franchise Top 100 listings for 2019 – that’s a massive jump of 27 places from last year. We’d suggest that’s pretty decent, given there are over 1,000 franchise offerings throughout the UK. The judges clearly recognised our franchise is getting better year by year, so here’s a big thank you to them for taking this into account.

As we look towards celebrating our 25 year anniversary this April, you’d think we’d have everything in our franchise offering just about perfect by now. Of course, you’d be mostly correct and so far, as the service we offer is concerned, we’re probably 2% or 3% short of perfection. That’s fine by us, as there always has to be room for improvement in our books.

What’s most noteworthy about Ovenu is there are two very distinct parts that make up the franchise: Part one is teaching franchisees everything they need to know about providing the ultimate oven cleaning and valeting service. And part two is passing nearly 25 years of knowledge and experience on how to run a profitable business in the service industry to our franchisees.

Each of the above is inextricably

linked to the other and therefore almost equally important. We’ve popped almost in there because, if we were asked to choose between the two parts in 2019, we’d say part two just edges it.This is especially so given the continually changing online landscape that needs almost weekly amended advice to be handed over to franchisees.

What is extremely reassuring for those looking to join our franchise is that six eminently qualified professional judges of #EF100 can see we’re doing a lot of things very well indeed when it comes to part two of our franchise opportunity. And as we start 2019 with over 21,000 client reviews and testimonials, we’re maybe getting part one near the 100% mark after all.

So perhaps now is as good a time as any to get the ball rolling with an enquiry. More so as it is now more cost-effective to work with us than

against us, with opportunities available to join our network from just under the £5,000 mark.

We’re always happy to chat so call us on 01189 743911 – we look forward to hearing from you.

26 elitefranchise | January 2019

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CK !

BA TV N O

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 £4,995 + VAT Benefit from 20,000+ client reviews & testimonials for our specialist service

Find out more 01189 743 911 or via ovenufranchise.co.uk template.indd 3

20/12/2018 18:21

Frank Milner CEO Tutor Doctor

What’s in store for 2019: an educated guess Frank Milner of Tutor Doctor reveals what he thinks the future of franchising will hold ith another year done and dusted, it’s now time to focus on the next 12 months.

Business, as we know it, is evolving and there’s plenty to look forward to in 2019. Predicting industry trends is never easy – it’s not a science. But I do believe we’ll start to see a shift in momentum and direction. Partly because of Brexit and partly as we navigate the digital landscape to focus on the human elements of our businesses once again.

Technology has been and always will be developing. This year will be no different. It continues to shape daily life more than ever and feeds our constant demand for an instant, seamless service – both personally and professionally. Whether it’s paying for a coffee, arranging car repairs or enquiring about a business opportunity, we’re all expecting, nay, demanding things to be done instantaneously. That's especially true now with the majority of us living through our smartphones.

However exciting the digital revolution has been this past year, 2019 will bring back focus on the human interaction within businesses.

It’s something we’ve all lost touch with due to tech’s fast-paced nature.

With automated processes, artificial intelligence and chatbots uprising,

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it’s become scarily easy to make it all the way through a sale or even a recruitment process with little human contact. This year, it’s within our best interests to bring the personal touch back into business.

Whether it’s for a franchisee, a prospect or a customer, it’s up to us to ensure we’re offering several ways of connecting with people and getting to know them. It’s important to remember technology can only tell you so much about a customer – transactions are driven by relationships.

As customers and prospects want information at a time that best suits them, we’ll see a rise in flexible working environments to make way for the modernisation of business in 2019. With everything little more than a click away, it’s likely that both product and service-based businesses will evolve to ensure real people are available when the customer is – whether that’s in the early hours, during the working day or twilight. Prospective franchisees, more often than not, are working at least part-time during their decisionmaking process – and yes, I include parenthood in that.

To connect with prospects and support existing franchisees at their convenience, maybe the most innovative franchisors will start to

introduce a 24/7 customer service ethos and staffing structure. I don’t imagine this shift will be meteoric but many are already moving towards such models.

Of course, this year, all eyes are on Theresa May as Brexit looms in March. Whatever the deal, it will bring with it a sense of certainty.

For many, franchise recruitment has been notably slower over the last 18 months, without the usual peaks and troughs in the seasonal calendar.

People want reassurance and Brexit has been the nagging doubt in many minds since the vote back in 2016 – leading to reduced confidence for investing into any business, franchise or otherwise. Indeed, March will be a turning point – whatever the outcome. It won’t happen instantly but I hope franchisors can expect a busier year ahead.

Finally, this year, I trust that everyone in franchising will pull together more. Ours has and always will be a truly collaborative industry and that’s something we should pride ourselves on. No matter our circumstances or competitiveness, we continue to work together for the greater good. 2019 is as good a year as any for franchising to get the recognition that it deserves – so why not start now?

28 JANUARY 2019 | elitefranchise

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20/12/2018 16:33

Train to be a driving instructor at RED Driving School Be your own boss and achieve a perfect work/life balance

Becoming a driving instructor is a profession that provides unlimited job satisfaction.

You’ll be able to qualify at your own pace and be able to fit the programme around your existing commitments.

As part of your training you will be guaranteed an opportunity to join RED Driving School -the “National Driving School of the Year” and this Trainee Licence route allows you to earn as you are training.

RED is part of the DVSA’s ORDIT scheme which oversees the quality of Instructor Training and we have an impressive score of 4.6 out of a maximum 5-star rating from our Trainees.

We offer a range of courses suited to every budget and lifestyle with the option to get a full refund on your course fees.

To find out more call 0330 332 2684 quoting Elite Franchise

For full details and to find out more: Call us on: 0330 332 2684 Visit: www.reddrivingschool.com

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ADVERTISING FEATURE

9Round is boosting mental and physical health with an innovative boxing workout Britain’s fitness industry is expected to be worth £22.8bn by 2020 – and 9Round’s unique boxing workout makes it easy for franchisees to tap into

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ym memberships are anticipated to increase with such a strong emphasis for consumers to build and maintain their mental and physical health. In fact, the demand for innovative and diverse workout options both from members to step up their game and from gym owners to stay competitive has increased tenfold. But what makes a brand stand out in the demanding fitness industry and work as a promising franchise opportunity for entrepreneurs?

With the endless amount of workout options available, offering a fitness experience from experts that provides tangible results is key to staying ahead in one of the most competitive industries in the world. Moreover, consumers are actively seeking a fitness experience that shows results through a unique, full-body workout they can get done on their schedule. Cue the latest in workout options – boxing.

Boxing offers a diverse workout that is effective, burns calories, makes you sweat and boosts confidence. The best part? It can be done in 30 minutes.

But what about the franchise aspect? 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. One of the reasons why fitness and franchising go hand in hand is the ability for owners to replicate a business model that has managed to maintain prosperity throughout the globe, in addition to the breadth of support available and chance to buy into an already established brand.

Combining a fitness concept and franchise system to offer results, support and convenience is vital in providing a lucrative brand for owners. And the 9Round boxing concept excels in all three areas, which is one of the main reasons it’s been giving the fitness world the uppercut.

One of the biggest challenges for consumers is finding a workout they enjoy however also one that shows tangible results. Entrepreneurs want a business

offering that opportunity to members but also one with advantages for owners to push forward in the market. Fortunately, 9Round has managed to combine all three elements needed to build a successful worldwide brand: a competitive fitness concept, supportive franchise system and one of the top workout styles in the world.

9Round also prides itself on being one of the most affordable fitness franchises in the industry while still providing every owner with a full suite of business support. 9Round has a low cost entry, low overhead and straightforward maintenance. Aside from a timer indicating the length of each station, equipment is non-electronic with no expensive cardio machines or apparatus.

9Round was founded in 2008 by owners Heather ‘The Hero’ and Shannon ‘The Cannon’ Hudson with strong passions 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. Through their backgrounds in karate and kickboxing, Heather and Shannon quickly realized there was no fitness option

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ADVERTISING FEATURE

where members could get this kind of training. Both owners knew they wanted to take their grueling workouts and training concepts learned in the ring and create a non-intimidating, convenient circuit workout format that anyone could enjoy.

By 2012 the company grew to 100 locations and currently has over 700 9Round clubs operating in 13 countries, with over 500 in various stages of development. As 9Round continues to grow, it continues delivering on its promise to make members mentally and

physically stronger in just 30 minutes.

9Round believes every person deserves quality training on their own schedule that gives them the tools to be stronger, more confident and to take care of themselves every day. That’s why 9Round’s concept involves circuit training stations where each one starts every three minutes. Members can then show up and start at the first station at any time throughout the day. It consists of nine challenging stations, with personalized guidance and motivation from a certified trainer along the way.

Ultimately, 9Round has managed to find the perfect storm when it comes to fitness franchise opportunities.

Their workouts are designed for all

fitness levels, engage every muscle group, change every day and only take 30 minutes to complete. There’s no excuse for anyone to be left out.

If you haven’t checked out the latest in the fitness world, head to 9Round and see what is changing the face of fitness.

Learn more: 9round.co.uk/elitefranchise Email: ggray@9round.co.uk

January 2019 | elitefranchise

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20/12/2018 18:36

THE NUMBERS ARE ADDING UP FOR MATHNASIUM FRANCHISEES

With over 30 franchises awarded in the first 12 months since Mathnasium's UK launch, territories are going fast.

FIND OUT WHY THIS EXCITING AND REWARDING GLOBAL FRANCHISE IS TAKING THE UK BY STORM CONTACT US NOW FOR MORE INFORMATION AND WE GUARANTEE YOU WONT JUST BE TREATED LIKE A NUMBER Email: ukfranchise@mathnasium.com Call: 0161 791 0686 UKFranBusiness_ad_a5_Hz2.pdf

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12/11/18

10:59 AM

Multi-award winning franchise model Flexible financing assistance C

Choosing to start this business was one of the most important and worthwhile decisions that I have ever made. I knew I wanted to be in a business which was creative and would be a challenge. Above all I love the diversity of running a FASTSIGNS® centre and I have never regretted my choice.

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CM

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Innovative industry Full technical training Personalised operational support

Richard Wedgewood | FASTSIGNS Manchester

©2012 FASTSIGNS INTERNATIONAL, INC. Each location independently owned and operated.

For more information visit: www.fsfastsigns.co.uk

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20/12/2018 18:30

Nigel Toplis managing director The Bardon Group

A change of scenery With a working break in South Africa, Nigel Toplis reflects on why there’s some synergy between the country post-apartheid and his time in franchising, in that they both have a similar length of experience

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or the last seven years I’ve taken an extended break to work abroad in South Africa. Some would call it a holiday but actually I spend time writing articles, penning the odd business book and of course keeping in touch with the office.

Like many before me, Africa absolutely enchants, fascinates and frustrates me but more than anything it continuously beckons. Why? Well, the people are warm and welcoming, the landscape stunning, the food superb and the weather a consistent 33 degrees celsius or thereabouts throughout December to February.

Africa is also misunderstood and often relegated to the third division of news coverage. I’m reminded by a local hotelier as I write this that in the September week while Hurricane Florence killed 53 people in the US, floods in Nigeria killed several hundred people. One made the international news, the other didn't.

Where many Americans simply failed to follow advice, the Nigerians were failed by poverty and a lack of infrastructure. When Hurricane Michael killed a few dozen people it was classed one of the worst such events on record. On the same day a landslide in Uganda killed more than 500 people without anyone outside Africa even hearing about it.

It is what it is but maybe because of my Britishness I always favour the underdog. I fell in love with South Africa 20 odd years ago when I felt the raw emotion of a country emerging from a dark past but with conflicting emotions of hope, fear, ambition, trepidation and desire.

There are still conflicting emotions between the African traditionalists and African radicals – but when you look around the world, where is there no conflict be it between Brexiteers and remainers, Trump supporters and Trump haters, #MeToo campaigners and misogynists.

So what has Africa taught me that you can apply to franchising? The most striking lesson comes from nature and I’m very lucky to be surrounded by trees, lakes and rivers that house over 70 species of birds, plus hippos and crocodiles too numerous to count.

It’s interesting watching the hippos arriving at school every morning to learn from their elders who seek to pass on their experience as best practice, just as we franchisors would to our franchisees. Franchisees benefit hugely by having the

experience, knowledge, intellect and ongoing support of the franchisor to ensure a robust foundation is built from day one.

Working together is so much more beneficial than working in conflict. Conflict can only succeed in the short term. In the long term, building a business or indeed a new country is all about relationships. The stronger the relationships between the key players – be it politicians, landowners, businesses or franchisees and franchisors – then the greater the opportunity for development.

Similarly, if you’re playing golf and come across a crocodile simply sunning himself then etiquette suggests that you take a free drop and leave the croc to enjoy its day. Now of course the reptile could have taken exception to my presence, so it’s prudent to remember that in life and in business not everything goes smoothly all the time and you need to be prepared to confront issues.

There is a saying out here in Africa: "It is what it is. We are where we are. And we are going where we are going." With the right franchisor, that journey will be greatly rewarding.

JANUARY 2019 | elitefranchise

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20/12/2018 16:53

ADVERTISING FEATURE

Why franchising works during political and economic uncertainty Businesses face unpredictable times amidst the Brexit negotiations. However, given Driver Hire saw franchisees through the 2008 recession, franchises are clearly an exception

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rom economic ambiguity surrounding Brexit and Britain’s minority government to the increasing impact technology has on everyday life, there’s a lot to be confused by these days. However, getting into franchising is the perfect remedy. To take advantage you need a dynamic, innovative business but also a solid, stable foundation so fundamentals run smoothly at times of change. And the franchising model delivers exactly that.

A well-established way to grow In fact, the steadiness of franchising can be traced back to the 1950s and 1960s, when major fast-food brands, among other companies, used the model to expand their businesses rapidly. Then, in 1977 the British Franchise Association (bfa) was established to promote ethical franchise practices in the UK – and that’s where things turned up a notch.

UK franchising has flourished ever since and is a major contributor to the economy. For example, the 2018 bfa NatWest Franchise Survey reported Britain’s franchise industry turned over £17.2bn in a £2bn increase from 2015. “There is a lot of talk about scalable growth but within the franchise sector we are seeing it happen on a massive scale,” explained Andrew Brattesani, head of franchising at HSBC UK. “This presents some huge opportunities for ambitious and talented business owners.”

Franchising works There are lots of established principles on how to run a good business and a growing franchise network is an excellent example of them being put into practice. For instance, a business can only grow and expand through franchising if it’s based on an already proven business model. And it’s a two-way process, with the franchisor and franchisee working together for mutual success.

Take Driver Hire as a case in point: In 2017, the bfa celebrated its 40th anniversary and in the same year, Driver Hire celebrated 30 years of franchising as one of the UK’s leading and award-winning franchising brands. As an office-based management franchise, it operates in a fast-paced environment where quality service and active sales are paramount. Franchisees run their own recruitment business specialising in providing drivers and staff to major logistics companies, builders’ merchants, parcel carriers and local authorities. Given the UK’s recruitment industry is worth £35.7bn, according to the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) and KPMG, Driver Hire franchisees enjoy the benefit of a huge market as well as an established, award-winning brand that utilises the latest technology and offers ongoing support from a 90-strong head office team.

Franchising’s clearly helped Driver Hire expand, having grown strongly for five consecutive years with each one

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setting new records in turnover. In 2017/18, for example, the network exceeded £100m for the second year running.

As a result, the full-year average franchisee turnover for a single unit was £1,180,450 compared to the UK average of £400,000, according to a bfa NatWest survey.

This outstanding financial performance for Driver Hire was accompanied by bagging bronze in the 2018 bfa HSBC Franchisor of the Year awards. According to the bfa, its Franchisor of the Year winners “demonstrate excellence in franchising by providing a strong infrastructure and support for its network, ensuring franchisees have the best environment to succeed and reach their full potential.”

But what do the results look like on the ground? Well, just ask Manjit Singh, owner of Driver Hire Enfield. On a local level, Manjit has first-hand experience running a business when economic uncertainty hits and the subsequent security franchising presents.

It all began while Manjit was running his own convenience store and felt being part of a franchised network would help him achieve his full business potential. After buying the Driver Hire Enfield franchise in 2007, Manjit’s new business prospered within just two years thanks to his drive and the support and opportunities provided by Driver Hire. But by the time 2008 rolled around, it wasn’t all sunshine and roses.

Some of his key clients were hit hard by the 2008/09 recession and the Enfield office saw sales decline. At this point, Manjit especially realised the value of being part of a franchised network. “The support of my colleagues was one of the things that kept me going,” he explains. “Some franchisees were actually having record weeks in the depths of the recession, which reassured me that although things were not easy for me locally, the business itself was absolutely sound.”

A decade on, Driver Hire Enfield stands as a great example of how a franchised business can thrive even through uncertain times, with Manjit and his team now achieving turnover as high as £3m per year. You can’t find that kind of reassurance through just any business model.

T: 01274 361073 E: franchise@driverhire.co.uk W: www.driverhirefranchise.co.uk

January 2019 | 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 First class training A bespoke territory

Call Michelle Fenwick qfp today on 01325 370707 Or email michelle@heritagehealthcare.co.uk www.heritagehealthcarefranchising.co.uk template.indd 3

20/12/2018 18:32

Tony Bowman managing director etyres

The biggest challenge for franchising in 2019 With this year looking to be uncertain across all business sectors, you can protect yourself from the storm under the umbrella of a good franchisor

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tormy days lie ahead on the economic and political front, of that we can be certain. There will be ramifications in all aspects of UK life but arguably the biggest challenge ahead for anyone planning to start and grow their own business is the uncertainty that will prevail.

However, just like the threat of rain doesn’t mean we all stay indoors, an unpredictable economic climate shouldn’t spell the end of ambitions of being your own boss. I firmly believe that the antidote for uncertainty is confidence. Armed with the right questions, determination and belief in yourself you can still achieve your goals.

Investing in a franchise gives you the security of going into a business that has a tried and tested formula, proven processes and a team of experts in finance, IT, marketing and sales in place to help guide you through problems that will inevitably arise. But it's still prudent to look carefully at the type of business you choose.

Begin by narrowing down the sector you’re interested in to one which is going to be resilient in tumultuous times. Of course a business that has survived previous economic and political crises is a good starting point but you still need to ask yourself if the service it offers remains relevant today. Newer

franchises, which have emerged due to advances in technology and consumer demand, can be judged by whether they're a luxury or necessity, the latter being a much safer bet in uncertain times.

Next, consider the current trends in consumer spending. The high street is suffering badly but online is going from strength to strength, so a business that has a presence in e-commerce has a big advantage.

By continuing this filtering out process you can remove much of the uncertainty. But remember, while becoming a franchisee means you’re going to be operating under the larger brand umbrella, it won’t protect you from all elements of the storm.

This is why my final point is vital.

While nothing in life is certain, there's one thing you can control and that's your own effort. That directed into a wellestablished franchise, in a sector that isn’t under threat from economic uncertainty or current trends in consumer spending, is a formula for success. Being master of your own destiny is a phrase frequently bandied around in franchising circles and it has never been more pertinent than today, as swirling outside forces threaten to knock the UK off course.

Setting up your own business is not for the faint hearted, even at the best of times, so you need to make sure you can weather the challenges. In order to thrive and not just survive, you need to have a tremendous work ethic and use your initiative to identify and seize opportunities that might be hidden to others and always maintain a positive mind-set.

With the right franchise there's every reason to be optimistic and confident about what the future holds in 2019.

January 2019 | elitefranchise

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20/12/2018 16:13

The MJB Franchise Programme is a tried and tested programme, designed to enable you to run your own successful consultancy.

Grow a business with your coach, with you every step of the way Book your complimentary discovery session and start your growth journey today! www.mjbgraham.com/franchise • michael.graham@mjbgraham.com

SET UP YOUR OWN SUCCESSFUL SHOWROOM DĂŠcor Walls & Flooring are one of the leading distributors of PVC wall and ceiling panels and Luxury Vinyl Flooring (LVT) in the UK. Our products provide homeowners and commercial clients with an attractive and cost-effective way to update their walls and flooring offering a genuine alternative to bathroom tiles. Our panels are easy and quick to fit and hygienic, dispensing with the need for grout, and deliver a beautiful, low maintenance finish.

Commercial markets including hotels and restaurants, offices, clubs, gyms and sports venues Potential is enormous with limited competition Increased turnover by over 70% in last 24 months No previous sector experience is required Opportunity to open multiple showrooms in their exclusive territory

DECOR WALLS & FLOORING

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07557 900840

harry@decorwallsandflooring.co.uk

20/12/2018 18:34

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Really awesome coffee

One

more

cup

BY VARSHA SARAOGI

Founder of Really Awesome Coffee Kevin Haswell spills the beans about how blending tech into his journey made the business more robust for the franchise network

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any budding entrepreneurs aspire to get business advice from The Apprentice’s Lord Sugar. But even without participating in the show, viewers can learn many lessons for their next venture. For instance, it was an episode of The Apprentice which planted the seed of a mobile coffee van in the mind of Kevin Haswell, founder of Really Awesome Coffee, the mobile coffee van franchise. “It was one of the challenges where participants had to make money by selling coffee from a van and it really got me thinking,” he recalls.

Although he wasn’t looking for a potential business idea then, this image

inspired him years later. But Really Awesome Coffee isn’t his first shot at entrepreneurship. Looking back, he took on a sales role after college and instantly realised that a nine to five job wasn’t his cup of tea. And that’s when his business journey began with him spearheading an automotive glazing franchise. “I very much like the challenge and the pressure which inevitably comes with growing a business,” he says. “I couldn’t imagine doing anything different.” However, despite being successful initially, the 2008 financial crisis forced him to merge with a bigger company to save the venture. While the turn of events left

him with very little to do, it was really a blessing in disguise as it left him open to hunt for new opportunities. The lightbulb moment came when he noticed people were still queuing outside cafes to get their daily caffeine fix, despite the recession. “Coffee continued to be a growing industry and it wasn’t impacted anywhere near to what other industries were,” he adds.

Indeed, Brits today are willing to spend a few extra pounds for a good cup of morning joe. However, looking at the ubiquity of stores like Starbucks and Costa Coffee around almost every corner, one would assume the marketplace to

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Really awesome coffee

be saturated, not to mention extremely competitive. But Haswell wanted to tap into a loyal clientele without having to compete with these high street giants.

“Having seen the resilience of the coffee industry through the recession, I knew I wanted to be in it but having researched the market I thought ‘there ought to be other ways to make coffee successful without the risk,’” he recalls.

So instead of gambling on the willingness of customers to walk through the doors or hoping no other cafe opens down the road, Haswell remembered the episode of The Apprentice and made his idea of a coffee van a reality. “With a mobile concept, we could be where bigger players can’t go,” he declares.

“The whole concept is rather than being in one place, we take the proactive approach and take the coffee shop to customers. The risk is so nimble because we [can] move the cafe somewhere else.”

After devising a business plan, Haswell injected capital through a combination of bootstrapping, a bank loan and remortgaging his property. And in August 2010 he launched Really Awesome Coffee with the office in his back garden and the first coffee van parked in his driveway.

The daily grind for him during the initial days involved spreading the word

about the venture. Being a firm believer in direct marketing, he started knocking on doors to get his first potential customers by fuelling their caffeine craving. Within 18 months of building his business up from the ground, he

It’s about making sure franchisees are happy, making money and enjoying what they’re doing

franchised the company to expand throughout the UK. Given his experience with his former business, franchising wasn’t an unknown path for Haswell.

In fact, he believes it’s the ideal way to create brand awareness without extra investment. “The aim was always to create a business that could be franchised,” Haswell reveals. As his previous business had also been franchised, he could filter his experience into his new enterprise. For instance, at the time of his first venture he had no idea what the British Franchise Association was. Moreover, he admits that he may have done some franchisee recruitment errors at his old business, signing up the wrong person for the role.

Learning from his mistakes, he’s highly selective this time around. “Now, if I feel someone won’t enjoy the business or they won’t be a good fit for the network then they can’t join,” he adds.

Indeed, most franchisors January 2019 | elitefranchise

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REALLY AWESOME COFFEE

If you sell too many franchises too quickly and can’t support those franchisees, it’s not good for anyone

would agree that recruiting franchisees is no cakewalk and Haswell too had his fair share of struggles. For him, it wasn’t about the number of franchisees he took on but rather the kind of people he thought were fit to represent the business.

“If you sell too many franchises too quickly and can’t support those franchisees, it’s not good for anyone,” he says. “We’re selling a business relationship, not a used car.” Although having business experience isn’t necessary for prospective franchisees, Haswell looks for an entrepreneurial drive. “The only thing we tell our franchisees is to have a good attitude, enthusiasm about the business and, more importantly, they’ve got to be selfdisciplined,” he says. “There’s no one to force them to get out of the bed in the morning or to work efficiently.”

Once recruited, Haswell goes the extra mile to support his franchisees. Apart from training at the head office in Coventry, the franchisor appoints a franchise development manager who kickstarts the business in the franchisees’ territory. “As franchisors, we’d rather make first impressions of the business for them or with them rather than leave them on their own,” he says. Haswell even assists new franchisees in a PR launch to promote the business in their local area. And that’s not all. There is a series of structured support which they’re given including a business plan which is tracked over the first eight months. “It’s important to keep a momentum going,” he adds. “It’s a transition period from working with them and handholding to handing the business over as it grows and develops.”

Admittedly, it’s not difficult to see just why Haswell has an edge over his competitors. For him, a blend of innovation along with sufficient training is key to staying ahead in the game and hence, he launched a unique EPOS system for his franchisees.

This software tracks real-time data such as the number of transactions and the busiest location, making it easier for him to support franchisees with better business plans. Alongside that, Haswell even spearheaded the creation of a loyalty app for customers. And in the coming months, he’s planned to add a new feature where customers will get real-time notifications about their local coffee vans’ arrival timings. Additionally, they will be able to pre-order their drink and will receive a notification when it’s ready to be picked up. “They can even put in a request to pick it up from the reception,” he adds. “I don’t know the exact effect it will have but I’d expect this time next year the financials of the franchise will be very different.”

Clearly the franchisor is sharpening his focus on customer experience to stay ahead of rivals.

Given his constant ambition to scale and improve, it’s easy to smell the aroma of success for this franchise. Today the franchise boasts having 40 franchisees under its belt with many more in the pipeline set to launch this year. “Over the next five years or so, we can potentially have around 100 to 150 franchisees in the UK,” Haswell reveals. And he clearly seems to have the right attitude to see the Really Awesome Coffee network expand rapidly. “It’s about making sure franchisees are happy, making money and enjoying what they’re doing,” he concludes.

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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

Contact for a FREE brochure NOW Visit www.helenogrady.co.uk Call: 01481 200250 or email: nigel@ helenogrady.co.uk

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.

www.everymanbarbers.co.uk

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noel@everymanbarbers.co.uk 07968 625943

20/12/2018 18:46

ADVERTISING FEATURE

New Year, new you, new venture? We’ve got the keys SMART repair was a long-time trade secret in the automotive sector but Restore Automotive lets the public in on it – and 2019’s the best time to join them

T

he SMART repair industry is a growing market, with the number of cars on the road increasing along with the average age of ownership. This indicates people are not only buying new vehicles but also investing more into maintaining their cars.

The SMART repair concept is an inside trade secret in the automotive sector, with main dealers, body shops and car sellers having utilised such faster and cheaper repair methods for over 20 years. Until recently, the general public were kept in the dark

about the technology but light has been cast across the retail market and opened up the floodgates for vehicle owners that have suffered damage to their beloved automobiles. Our aim is to continue building on this success so SMART repair is the first logical choice for minor cosmetic repairs. So why should you join us on this unique endeavour?

The opportunity

As a mobile service your overheads are reduced, providing a profitable business opportunity for those with desire to not only succeed but thrive in business and offer a first-class service to customers.

If you’ve dreamed of running your own business but don’t know where to begin, Restore Automotive will give you the keys to a head start. In fact, let us give you a few years leap, since we’ve already done all the testing and experienced the mistakes to find out what does and does not work.

For more information visit www.restorefranchise.com Let us teach you the most successful, profitable and best systemised operating system to hit the road running and not only run and own a business but achieve prosperity and fulfillment along the way.

44 elitefranchise | January 2019

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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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24/09/2018 18:06

New Year's resolutions

New Year's resolutions can easily fall to the wayside for many once the reality of getting back to a routine in January sinks in.

However, these franchises prove sticking to them reaps massive rewards

New Year, new directions

By angus shaw

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new year's resolutions

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any people are raring to turn over a new leaf, wipe a slate clean and so on come New Year's Day. With franchisors and franchisees being no exception, it’s the best time for energised networks to strive for fresh directions or stamp out bad habits. However, while pledges are easy to make with champagne flowing and fireworks cracking, sticking to them over the year takes dedication. And that’s something these franchises have no problem with as 2019 arrives.

What will your franchisees have to do to realise such pledges?

With our franchisees being the heart of our promises, it’s now up to them to decide how much they take from the new processes. With the new support structure, they have the opportunity to receive a much more specialised service based on their needs and that’s how we plan to develop in the future.

Every franchisee will be using the new CRM system by the new year so they need to fully embrace the processes to make the most out of it. We will also be providing support during the launch to avoid any issues.

Frank Milner, president of tutoring franchise Tutor Doctor

Matt O’Neil, head of partner recruitment at business consultancy franchise Expense Reduction Analysts UK

What New Year’s resolutions did you fulfil last year?

Our very first goal was to complete a rebrand. We realised franchisees would benefit from changing the look and feel of the business and welcoming a new brand identity would be embraced by our whole network. We also pledged to design our very own launch support programme that would facilitate franchisees towards achieving profitability as soon as possible from the launch of their business – especially within their first year.

What New Year’s resolutions did you fulfil last year?

2018 was a year of substantial change for the Expense Reduction Analysts (ERA) UK network. A change of ownership in April led to ERA UK becoming a part of the wider ERA Global network of more than 650 franchisees across 37 countries.

The new franchisees pledged to integrate the UK business seamlessly with the international organisation during the remainder of 2018.

New year's resolutions can easily fall to the wayside for many once the reality of getting back to a routine in January sinks in. However, these franchises prove sticking to them reaps massive rewards

What are you vowing to change about your franchise this year?

We plan to create a next-generation, custom-built customer relationship management (CRM) system that would enhance the potential for each franchisee and optimise the efficiency of their business. With the first phase beginning in December 2018, January will bring further development in the shape of a mobile app that will provide a portal for families, tutors and education consultants to access information. It will allow everyone that’s connected to us to have an involvement in the tutoring process. Combining that with the launch of a new and improved support structure in January will create an enhanced introduction to the franchise for new franchisees.

What are you vowing to change about your franchise this year?

We aim to create a new look and feel to align sales and marketing collateral and give the brand and business a lift.

What needs to happen in order to stick to those vows?

We just need to complete the work. All the necessary wheels are in motion in order to create a new vertical marketing strategy.

The central marketing function has been bolstered through the hire of a new vertical sales coordinator who will work with franchisees globally to develop initiatives and sales strategies to attack our industry verticals.

What will your franchisees have to do to realise such pledges?

Franchisees across the world will be involved in updated training and ongoing personal development opportunities as the ERA franchise continues to innovate and develop.

Representative groups of franchisees from across the globe

When you see there’s a 12.5% “With our franchisees being the optional service charge added to heart ourlike promises, it’s Inow up the bill, of I quite that. Because don’t reallyto carry any cash, I do my to them decide on how much they best tofrom avoid cash altogether and take the new processes,” pay everything on a card Frank Milner, Tutor Doctor

James Ebbage, Café Rogue Bury St Edmunds

January 2019 | elitefranchise

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new year's resolutions

“[This] year, we aim to create a new look and feel to align sales and marketing collateral and give the brand and business a lift,” Matt O’Neil, Expense Reduction Analysts

have been consulted during the integration process, as systems are aligned and the opportunities afforded by the two businesses coming together realise their potential.

Lisa Law, national franchise manager at tools franchise Snap-on What New Year’s resolutions did you fulfil last year?

I believe we surpassed our goals for strategic development in 2018. We launched 124 new products that were designed, tested and manufactured from ideas, feedback and direct input from franchisees. We launched a dedicated in-house social media team for franchisees and now provide the structure, content and training for our network to utilise social media effectively. We launched seven new diagnostic trucks with one per region and employed seven new diagnostic sales reps who spend two days with a different franchisee every week. As ever, we do all of this at no cost to our new or existing franchisees, so the impact on the network has been incredibly positive.

What are you vowing to change about your franchise this year?

It’s not a change as such, more a continuation of our commitment to open up the Snap-on franchise opportunity to a wider audience. We know lots of people have always wanted to be their own boss sometimes but they’ve found the startup costs that little bit too high. So in October 2018, we launched a brand new special offer on our franchise startup costs meaning prospects can now join us in a selection of prime territories for less than £12,000. Usual business startup costs are £24,143 but for a limited time, prospects only need to pay £11,755 and then Snap-on will fund the rest. It’s really that simple.

What will your franchisees have to do to realise such pledges?

Nothing. We ensure the only thing our franchisees need to focus on is their own business. Of course, we get lots of referrals from within our network – franchisees put friends, family and even customers forward for the franchise if they think they’d be a great match. To help those inclined to do so, we’ve introduced a professional referral kit on top of all the usual fortnightly marketing collateral we provide to franchisees. This means they can

quickly and easily pass on information and collect details for our recruitment team to follow up on.

Dan Archer, managing director of homecare franchise Visiting Angels What New Year’s resolutions did you fulfil last year?

The pledge we made in January 2018 was to be in a position to launch Visiting Angels, which is very well established elsewhere in the world, in the UK in October 2018. We started the business in the UK in August 2017, so around about this time last year we were really just getting going as a pilot business. Prior to recruiting franchisees I wanted to make sure that I and the rest of my team had the practical experience of running the model in the UK. So this time last year, our New Year’s resolutions were to be in a position to launch the franchise in October and that’s exactly what we did.

What are you vowing to change about your franchise this year?

We’ve got a couple of people who are going through the process of due diligence at the moment so the first challenge is helping those people to start and then it's going to be a case of attracting interest from more people who are suitable candidates as well. We hope by the end of 2019 we’ll have ten franchisees in the UK. Obviously they’ll be at varying stages of development but we hope to be able to help them be as successful as we’ve been.

What will your franchisees have to do to realise such pledges?

The best habit for me and our franchisees to get into is making sure we’re sticking to the plan we have. That’s a challenge when you have your own business because there’s always pressure on your time but we always come back to remind ourselves the thing that makes us different is we focus on the needs of the caregiver.

If we put the caregiver first, they’re then able to make sure the families we support are put first. It seems quite simple but it’s something a lot of companies appear to struggle with. So the good habit is just to keep remembering that the most important people in our business are caregivers. Because without them, we haven't got a product or business.

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TECH TRENDS

Top tech trends: Predictions for franchises in 2019

BY NIKKI TH’NG, CEO AND CO-FOUNDER, CLASSFORKIDS

Tech is transforming every industry on the planet. So franchises better make sure they are on top of the latest innovations that will shape their future in 2019 50 ELITEFRANCHISE | JANUARY 2019

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s we look forward to another new year, the world of franchising continues to evolve and develop with increasing pace as franchisors and franchisees across the country continue to look for new ways to grow their business networks while reducing pressure and risk. There have been a number of key developments over the last year and certain trends are starting to take shape as we embark on another 12-month journey of discovery and change.

Looking at the last year in retrospect, the most disruptive event for franchises and many other businesses during 2018 was undoubtedly meeting the compliance criteria of the new

TECH TRENDS

General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Many franchisors and franchisees found themselves revisiting a student-like scenario having left most of their homework to the last minute.

Then began the battle as hundreds of businesses raced to understand the new legislation, in all its varying shades of grey, before sticking their answer down and hoping for the best.

For franchisees, GDPR created a mixture of fear, confusion and subsequent cost. The need to be absolutely clear on why and how personal data is stored, having a set of compliant processes that ensure customers, or data subjects, have accepted the terms by which you store and use their personal data, threw many businesses into panic.

For larger franchises in particular, the impact of GDPR was a complex unravelling of marketing permissions, databases, registration forms and cookie policies. Having spoken to a number of franchises, the outcome has been generally positive.

With more focused mailing lists, better marketing practices, clearer processes for removing customer data and a healthy audit on systems that were in need of an overhaul, many franchises are now operating more efficiently.

The second major development for franchisees has been the volume of businesses moving from cash payments to contactless or online payments. With new tools like contactless debit cards, Apple Pay and Android Pay, consumers are choosing the convenience of making payments on-the-go. Businesses across the country have been adopting contactless systems at point of sale and updating their websites to make online payments as simple as possible – this will only increase over the next year.

In terms of the demands and needs from franchisees, they’re constantly being tasked with demonstrating measurable value for their franchisees. Operationally that means logistics, process and training but more often than not the tension comes from brand and marketing and the addition of new prospects and customers. The challenge for franchisees during 2019 is getting up to speed with the rapid pace and changes from online tools and marketing practices. Franchises are having to adapt to new social networks and algorithms from a technology perspective and franchisors often turn to things like website revamps to demonstrate a positive investment in their brand, when in fact this can absolutely be the wrong place to spend money.

Highly targeted, segmented campaigns are where small and fast-growing franchise businesses are really disrupting the incumbents today. Franchises are also displaying a growing need for more data and insight to influence business decisions.

Again, this is often within the marketing and sales funnel.

JANUARY 2019 | ELITEFRANCHISE

51

Tech trends

And all of this is just the beginning. Like it or not, 2019 promises to be another year of change and adjustment for the growing franchise industry. Innovation is becoming increasingly important in an ever-competitive market and franchisors will need to keep taking bigger steps forward to ensure they stay relevant, up to date and as agile as they can.

The question is, what key tech trends can we expect to see over the next 12 months?

Well, there are at least five tech trends to prepare for.

(1) Growth of the cashless society This fast-moving trend shows no signs of stopping. The reality is, cash is becoming more and more unnecessary as fintech continues to take over small and large businesses around the UK, particularly in the case of children’s activity franchises.

According to the Bank of England, cash withdrawals continue to drop by 5% each year and by 2026, it’s predicted that cash will only be used by 21% of the population.

(2) Access and subscriptions for the masses The trend for access over ownership is well and truly established, from the early days of Apple Music and Spotify, to Netflix and Amazon Prime, modern households expect to own a suite of subscriptions as opposed to libraries of goods. This is reaching far into the service sector, with franchised gyms and health clubs continuing to boom and develop in ever-increasing niches. In the world of children’s activities it’s no different. Just like insurance or TV licences, parents often prefer to spread their payments over 12 months to help with their cashflow and budgets.

(3) From photo to video Alongside the boom in smartphones came a steady decrease in the price of storage and a dramatic increase in the resolution and megapixels on phone cameras. These two developments have led to a world where shooting short video is now many people’s preferred method for capturing memories. With more social media platforms now supporting video and multiple options for free software that can add subtitles, the return of the home video can be an extremely effective marketing tool for franchises wanting to communicate with their audience.

(4) From social channels to private networks Whilst they remain popular, social networks like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn are losing the battle with younger consumers to more closed platforms like Instagram, Snapchat, and WhatsApp. Franchise businesses that are targeting these audiences would do well to invest time in these platforms.

(5) Social listening For franchises wanting to make use of social media for marketing, the term ‘social listening’ is worth researching online. Franchise brands are able to monitor multiple platforms for a variety of terms and phrases to help them discover who is talking about them, where and with whom which can provide valuable insight.

There’s no way to completely safeguard against any eventuality.

However, by looking into these trends, your franchise will be a little bit more prepared for what 2019 throws its way.

52 elitefranchise | January 2019

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

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

Industry leading brand Established business, significant track record Permanent support team Lucrative and transferable business Exclusive territory Innovative and cutting edge technology Full training, no industry experience needed Proven, scalable and flexible opportunity

“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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ADVERTISING FEATURE

Relocation, relocation, relocation Investing in a franchise offers a safe and rewarding way to take control of your work-life balance – and considering relocating can open up the possibilities even further

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iverford continues the search for like-minded people to join our network. In fact, we currently have a number of resale territories ranging in size across the UK, so for those thinking of relocating, we may just have the right sized business opportunity for you – and a new place to call home.

With over 30 years of farming experience, Riverford are one of the UK’s largest and leading veg box schemes, delivering to approximately 50,000 homes each week via our network of franchisees.

Many of our existing franchisees relocated to take advantage of running their own Riverford business, so we’re no strangers to guiding applicants through our process and helping them launch their business whilst moving home.

In 2012, Alan & Vicki Mowat were searching for a career they could feel proud of and decided to look at franchise options. This led to them relocating their family from London to Bath. “We always had dreams of running our own business – working together, becoming our own bosses and taking control of our own destinies,” Vicki says. “Our lifestyle was pretty hectic when living in London, with two young children and two full-time, very busy jobs. We were juggling work and childcare like crazy – it was a bit of a military operation, especially when one of us had to be away for work.

“I’d always wanted to move back to Bath and when we heard that the Riverford franchise was up for sale, it felt like serendipity.

“There were several reasons why we chose a franchise instead of starting a business from scratch ourselves –

one being that a franchise provides a proven business model. Riverford in particular offered lots of support and information early in the process about what we could expect our income to be. It provided a positive cash flow from day one and meant we could focus our efforts on what we do best, rather than having to think about every single strategic and operational aspect of running a whole new business.”

Also in 2012, Steve and Lynn Allen moved from Nottingham to Cornwall with their two young boys. The couple were initially interested in Riverford’s Exeter & East Devon franchise but the territory sold before they had a chance to formally register their interest. It was during a later visit to the Riverford franchise team at an exhibition that they learnt the Cornwall franchise

was about to go on the market, so they focused their attention on this business instead.

“We’d already been Riverford customers for about five years and loved getting our organic food boxes delivered each week,” Lynn says. “Being existing customers, we already knew that it was a franchise. So when we decided to look at buying our own business, it seemed natural for us to start with a company we believed in.

“We did look at other franchise opportunities but always came back to Riverford. The fact that it was organic, and focused on sustainability and ethics, were additional pull factors.

“The investment cost for the Cornwall franchise was higher than we originally intended to consider, so we were nervous about making the investment.

54 elitefranchise | January 2019

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ADVERTISING FEATURE

“When we decided to look at buying our own business, it seemed natural for us to start with a company we believed in” But we knew we would bitterly regret it if the territory went to another buyer and we missed out again.

“Relocating far away from our family was also a huge consideration, so it wasn’t a snap decision. It was the start of not just a new business but a whole a new life. But once we’d committed, everything fell into place.

Our house sold within eight weeks and we secured the additional funding we needed from the bank to see the purchase through.”

There’s a lot to consider when thinking of running your own business, whether that includes a relocation or

not. Therefore the Riverford franchise team actively encourage applicants to speak to as many of our current franchisees as possible, spend time in the office with them, go out on a delivery round and attend any live marketing events.

It’s important to experience life as a Riverford business owner. And although we provide all the facts and figures needed to formulate a business plan, there’s a lot of research to be done personally. We’ll therefore also put applicants in touch with our franchisees who have relocated so they can hear their stories.

We encourage applicants to be honest with themselves and have a clear idea of what they want to get out of the business right from the start.

We aim to provide as much information as we can and are fully transparent during our recruitment process, keeping applicants informed throughout. Our process is designed

to work for both parties and enable applicants to make a very clear, informed decision about whether running a Riverford franchise is the right business for them. Equally, it helps us to evaluate if we feel they are right for our business.

By the time they reach their first trading day, each of our franchisees truly understands what it’s like to live life on the veg.

To find out more, call us on 01803 227 380 Email franchise@riverford.co.uk or visit riverford.co.uk/franchise

January 2019 | elitefranchise

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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.

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Chris Roberts director Franchise Finance

Business planning for the year ahead With a great business plan in place, getting your new business and 2019 off to a good start can be easier than you think

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he new year and the month of January in particular is the time when people consider their wishes and dreams for their existing or proposed new businesses. The question then becomes “How do you turn these wishes and dreams into reality?”

Well the answer is reasonably easy. It’s actually the same answer to the question: How do you eat an elephant? Answer: In bite-sized chunks. Essentially, you do it in a methodical and planned way, step by step and fully checking financial viability. Some people do set up businesses or run their existing companies without a proper business plan but many of these fail within the first few years.

How many shops have you seen open up near to you and then close down within a relatively short space of time? They will probably fall into the non-planning category. There is a very true saying in business: “Failing to plan is planning to fail.” Don’t let that happen to you. Wishes and dreams rarely come true but properly planned desires often do.

So, what is the business planning process that will help you?

Well, first of all you need to set your SMART business objectives. The S in SMART stands for specific as in precise and measurable so you can actually see how well you’re doing and make management decisions that will get you back on course if necessary. The A and R stand for achievable and realistic. By all means feel free to reach for the sky but look at things from all angles and make sure it will actually be possible with hard work to achieve your goals and that you're not being overly optimistic. Finally, the T stands for time-based so that you and your team have a focused time limit to work towards.

Next, you need to understand your market both nationally and locally.

That includes your competition within that marketplace. If you spend some time on the internet you'll be able to find most of what you need but depending on the nature of your business, don’t forget to physically go out and walk and drive around your territory. See for yourself first hand

what is out there, what the existing and upcoming opportunities are and which competitors may be out to get you. Perhaps some mystery shopping to help you understand pricing and service levels would also assist you.

Time then, when you're sufficiently informed about what's out there and what you’re trying to achieve, to build your own operating strategy and marketing plan. The former should be a step by step approach stating how you'll achieve each business objective and the latter covers the various marketing options you’re going to adopt, such as social media, PR, print and perhaps even sponsorship.

Next on the list is an assessment of the physical and human resources you’ll need to achieve all of the above.

This will include the type and size of property, any necessary equipment, machinery and any potential vehicles plus the type and size of team you’ll need to build and train. All of the above needs to be costed into the financial part of your plan which you should do last.

A monthly profit and loss projection will help you get to the point where this is all worthwhile doing and a monthly cashflow forecast will help you identify whether you can actually afford – including any borrowing – to do it.

Your projected balance sheet will show you what the business is going to look like in monetary terms in the future, how strong it will be and the degree of solvency that will hopefully give you a safety net if things take a little longer than expected.

Good luck, be safe and have fun.

JANUARY 2019 | elitefranchise

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20/12/2018 16:33

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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20/12/2018 19:32

ADVERTISING FEATURE

First Class Learning sees students reach their full potential From limited resources to an increased numbers of students, traditional schools are facing tough times. Thankfully, First Class Learning offers another way Since its beginning in 2003, First Class Learning has been dedicated to developing key skills in maths and English and building long-lasting confidence in learners. The business has grown steadily and now sees over 270 tuition centres throughout the UK. So it’s no wonder First Class Learning is currently the fastest growing UK-based tuition franchise.

What sets First Class Learning apart from other tuition franchises is our exclusively designed learning material, which has close reference to the National Curriculum and is constantly reviewed, improved and updated to reflect changes in the curriculum.

Our learning method is worksheet based, which we believe is more beneficial to young learners than digital learning by reinforcing the teachings and exam structures taught in schools. The

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worksheets are printed on light blue paper with a matte finish, which helps reduce the visual stress experienced by some learners with learning difficulties such as dyslexia or scotopic sensitivity, otherwise known as Meares-Irlen Syndrome.

First Class Learning offers personalised learning in maths and English for children from four to sixteen, with ambition to help them overcome obstacles and reach their full potential. With the National Curriculum’s requirements becoming more stringent and as schools struggle with diminishing resources, many more parents are looking to enlist specialist support for their child’s education.

Many First Class Learning franchisees are former teachers who want to continue working with children but without the pressures and restrictions of working in a school. Less marking, more flexible working and regaining the

enjoyment of teaching are all reasons that former teachers give for taking up a First Class Learning franchise.

At First Class Learning, we believe no child should be left behind. We know that in today’s increasingly competitive world, a winning mindset can make all the difference. Not just for passing exams but for achieving a child’s full potential. We don’t allow our students to be beaten by doubt. They take on maths and English and come out on top. Winners aren’t born, they are made. At First Class Learning, we help make them every day.

To find out more about First Class Learning and becoming a franchisee, visit: https://www.firstclasslearning. co.uk/own-a-franchise Call: 01183 218925 or email: info@firstclasslearning.co.uk

Want to join a small but growing team, and be a part of a fun and creative low cost children’s franchise?

Do you: • Enjoy working with children • Love cooking • Want a low start-up cost for running your own business?

Sticky Fingers Children’s party and cookery workshop franchise could be for you!

By investing, you will receive an equipment starter pack with everything you need to run regular supply of eager customers and give help with setting up your accounts. Purchase price includes full start-up and ongoing training

Does this sound like an exciting opportunity for you? Contact us today! stickyfingerscookeryparties.co.uk

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07745 305090

janet@stickyfingerscookeryparties.co.uk

21/12/2018 10:03

FINTECH

Back to the

BY JAMES THOMAS,

FRANCHISE RELATIONSHIP

MANAGER, D&T CHARTERED ACCOUNTANTS

near future

With the advent of financial technology and artificial intelligence entering all sectors, no industry can stand still. So is this the end of accountancy as we know it?

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lthough Marty McFly didn’t quite get the hoverboard right, I think we can all agree our current personal and professional landscape looks somewhat different to how it did when Back to the Future II first hit cinemas in 1989. Technological advances are flying – or hovering – at us at an everincreasing rate and this of course drives through into our everyday working lives.

For better or worse, all companies have had to adapt to this exponential advancement in technology, which is no longer just limited to updating your computers every few years.

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Regardless of sector or industry we’ve all been affected and accountancy is no exception to this trend.

With the right systems and tools, our computers can easily perform tasks like tax preparation, reconciliations and make short work of bookkeeping. Increasingly sophisticated technologies allow accountants to enhance their traditional ways of working, meaning they’re no longer simply bean counters but are able to use these tools to be of even greater value to their clients.

At d&t we pride ourselves on our ability to benchmark and consolidate our franchise clients’ financial data and transform

FINTECH

that into network-wide improvements that can streamline accounts and increase that ever-elusive profit margin.

All this is driven by technology and software to support our team.

As a profession, accountancy is certainly not exempt from technologydriven transformation. In fact, fintech is radically disruptive to traditional accountancy on many fronts and, as it will in many sectors, artificial intelligence is very likely to replace many job functions.

Now you may be thinking I’m slowly writing myself out of a job. But while this is a concerning prospect for many in the industry, the most forward-looking firms are actually very comfortable about the fact that provision of basic compliance services will no longer require the time of expensive qualified professionals in the near future. Cloud-based technology can be faster, more effective and even more accurate than us error-prone humans.

However, technology is changing the game, not the rules. And this is another instance where we, as an industry, need to readjust our thinking and allow ourselves to adapt to this change, embracing the software and technology and using it to better service our clients.

So how would this work? By freeing up an accountant’s time, they’re able to focus on providing higher-value services, using their professional insight and capabilities to read the numbers and translate

For better or worse all companies have had to adapt to this exponential advancement in technology them into tangible, real advice and recommendations. And in all actuality this will likely bring down your fees for completing core compliance, whilst offering you a smorgasbord of subsidiary services to supplement the growth of your business.

As we usher ourselves into this new era, that too will change. One of our directors is loud, extroverted, tattooed and rarely seen out of his designer jeans and trainers – and yet he’s heading two financial service firms.

Accountants can, of course, be as interesting and diverse as any other professions – no, really – but at the same time, who would want to be the client of an accountant that wasn’t good with numbers?

I’d argue that number-crunching alone hasn’t been enough for some time and, especially looking towards the near future, just being good with numbers isn’t enough anymore. The accountancy firm of the future will of course need numbers staff but the true value they can offer clients will be in using those figures and wealth of business experience and acumen to help clients succeed, not just in compliance. Obviously the numbers

will always be important but the insight and advice they’re able to offer is far more valuable, enabling business owners to overcome obstacles, maximise opportunities and minimise threats to their operation.

Business is a complex web of finance, processes, products, sales, marketing, innovation and people. A business might be familyowned, franchised or have complex shareholding arrangements. There will be multiple motivations with varied short and long-term goals.

That’s why the best firms won’t just have accountants to provide advice – they’ll have a team of experts who can offer guidance and insight from a range of perspectives and in various formats to suit clients’ purposes.

Does this mean all accounting services as we know it will become redundant? Of course not. There will always be a need in both business and personal lives. All it means is the landscape will shift, together with our involvement within it. And who knows, when it finally does, maybe we’ll be heading to work on pink hoverboards.

After all, where we’re going, we may not need roads.

JANUARY 2019 | ELITEFRANCHISE

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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. We’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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21/12/2018 14:09

ADVERTISING FEATURE

Boogie Beat most certainly changed my life for the better Emma Quinn reveals why she signed up to become the Boogie Beat franchisee of Derby for the good of her children

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fter having my second child, I felt really reluctant to go back to my primary teaching job.

Even though part-time, the workload was unmanageable and I felt my own poor children were suffering. That’s when I started looking at franchises.

I came across Boogie Beat Music and Movement and with a background in dance and education I knew it would be perfect for me. After meeting Nicky and Lisa and watching one of their fabulous classes in action I soon made the decision to buy and run a franchise in the Derby and Nottingham areas.

I started off building up my business alongside my teaching job. I gained a great reputation in schools, nurseries and pre-schools with lively and active session plans provided. It meant that in 2016, I was able to leave the teaching profession and do Boogie Beat full time - this is by far the best decision

I’ve ever made. My husband got his wife back, I was able to do the school runs, go to school assemblies and best of all, be a calm and relaxed mummy to my children without the stress of school workloads to think about.

Nicky and Lisa give great support and training on all aspects of the business.

They provide weekly training on lesson plan content, support with marketing and encourage all franchisees to share ideas and advice. For example, I recently started introducing intergenerational workshops which have proved so popular I now have two class teachers running them while I enjoy my third baby.

Boogie Beat most certainly changed my life for the better and I can honestly say I love my job.

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

January 2019 | elitefranchise

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ADVERTISING FEATURE

Cafe2U is the UK’s leading mobile coffee franchise Poised for success in a booming industry, this franchise has bagged some impressive awards

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afe2U UK is delighted to be listed as one of the UK’s top 50 franchises in Elite Franchise Magazine’s annual list. And what’s more, Cafe2U is confirmed as the top mobile coffee franchise in the country too.

This will come as no surprise to both its franchisees and customers, who get to experience the business each day.

After all, its growing network of almost 100 vans serves thousands of happy customers in non-traditional locations all over the UK. It’s no fluke either – Cafe2U is underpinned by three key beliefs. Firstly, it takes pride in delivering consistent high quality, be it coffee, food or customer experience.

Secondly, it recruits, trains and supports the best franchisees to the utmost of its ability. And last but not least, it cares about its customers, people, suppliers and the planet.

Indeed, the Allegra UK Coffee Portal Report 2018 made for a very interesting read when it was released earlier this year. For instance, now worth a staggering £9.6bn, the UK coffee market underwent a coming of age in the last 12 months, recording a 10.5% branded market increase and 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 is the convenience of the location and the quality of the coffee – with the preferred drink of choice still being the well-loved latte. All this makes pleasant reading for anybody remotely linked or interested in the UK coffee market and is 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 £17.2bn to the UK economy, as well as employs more than 710,000 people. What’s more, the hotel and catering industry is one of the fastest growing sectors according to the bfa NatWest survey released in December 2018. To straddle these two burgeoning markets at a time when others are struggling is a unique and exciting opportunity.

As the fourth largest coffee brand in the UK by outlet number and largest mobile coffee offering, a career as a Cafe2U franchise can be profitable and we’re proud of the position we find ourselves in. By its very nature, we operate in a less competitive space than

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ADVERTISING FEATURE

those on the high street, in shopping centres or at transport hubs.

However, we’re still able to offer the experience of coffee shopquality espresso at workplaces or events. This is underlined by the demands of the customer who is looking for a higher standard of coffee than that currently available at their workplace.

This includes receiving great coffee in the most convenient fashion. And ultimately, there’s nothing more convenient than coffee coming straight to your door. Cafe2U franchisees can capitalise on this need with carefully planned rounds to ensure they operate in areas with less competition. After all, while most workplaces have instant coffee available, and some even offer a canteen service, employees up and down the country still opt to spend money on high-quality coffee from mobile cafés.

Bringing a workforce outside for a few minutes also sees other benefits. For example, 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 go out into the fresh air to socialise, relax, text a friend or answer the daily quiz question posed by their friendly barista.

In fact, many HR departments are encouraging a break for their workers in this way. As consumers become more discerning, however, it’s important to continually invest in developing a product range and ensure franchisees offers the latest ontrend coffees and twists. This has seen us add drinks such as turmeric and matcha lattes, as well as respond to preferences for alternative milks by adding the likes of coconut milk to the back of the van.

So what better time is there to join one of the UK’s top 50 franchises and the top mobile coffee franchise in the country too?

To learn more and book on, contact Martyn on 07767 000005 or visit http://www.cafe2u.co.uk/franchise-opportunities

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

January 2019 | elitefranchise

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Combine the certainty

of franchising with

the security of property Minimise the risks and maximise your returns by following a robust specialist property investment model, generating a 15% average ROI consistently since 2007.

Find out more about our proven franchise model at one of our exclusive Discovery Days - secure your place today.

01202 652 101

platinumpropertypartners.co.uk

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21/12/2018 10:13

Be your own boss and build a successful multi-van windscreen and glass repairs franchise A Screen Rescue franchise provides you with the opportunity to buy and run your own multi-van repairs business, where you can achieve a turnover of £75,000 p.a. from each operating van.

Screen Rescue is a UK based, privately owned independent family run business with a truly unique franchise offering now available across the UK.

Why choose Screen Rescue?

Investing in a Screen Rescue franchise provides you with the opportunity to own and run your own multi-van repairs service following a proven, scalable business model that returns high profitability levels yearupon-year, whether operating from one van or more.

Contact us for more info

01728 860762 info@screen-rescue.co.uk

This is an exciting franchise opportunity for any individual wishing to: • • • • • • • • • • •

Own and run a solid business Turnover £75,000 pa from each operating van Generate healthy profits Benefit from multiple revenue streams Enjoy daily cash flow Develop lifelong customer relationships Operate a unique repeat order business model Work with creditworthy commercial automotive clients Employ and manage a growing team Build a sizeable business, expanding to at least 3 vans Achieve earnings in excess of £65,000* pa when operating two vans

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!

LAST REMAINING TERRITORIES IN THE UK

OVER 350

FRANCH ISES WORLDWIDE

01788 550100 www.filtafryplus.co.uk | dslater@filtagroup.com

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21/12/2018 10:18

ADVERTISING FEATURE

How fitness franchising will take shape in 2019 2018 was an impactful year for the fitness franchise industry.

And with a brand new year underway, it’s set to go even bigger

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his year, the fitness industry’s focus was on incredible growth and the continuation of a period called the golden age of fitness, which first began in 2017. Predictions from Leisure DB’s 2017 State of the Industry report suggested the UK would hit over 7,000 gyms, memberships would spike to in excess of ten million and the industry’s market value would reach £5bn, with a penetration rate of over 15%.

But did these predictions check out? Here’s what Britain’s fitness industry reached based off Leisure DB’s 2018 State of the Industry report: 7,038 gyms, 9.9 million memberships, a £4.9bn market value and a 14.9% penetration rate.

The growth prediction was spot on and the other figures didn’t fall short either, proving the fitness

industry is still very much in its golden age – and it isn’t showing signs of slowing anytime soon. With big expectations for another prosperous year ahead, there are a series of exciting developments that could unfold in 2019.

The low-cost market will continue to thrive Almost 100 new low-cost clubs popped up in the past year, now accounting for 17% of the health club market value. Indeed, sitting firmly within the low-cost market with over 100 clubs in operation, énergie Fitness has big plans to expand its network in 2019.

Driving a new focus on growth, énergie’s newly appointed CEO, Neil King, highlighted what the UK’s leading fitness franchisor has in store: “One of the key lessons we’ve learned in our 15 years in business is to remain focused on what we’re good at – which is franchising world-class fitness concepts – and avoid straying into areas that dilute our mission. Our aim is to own the high-service, low-cost space.”

Gym classes will dive into the boutique space There are plenty of boutique gyms entering the market but it doesn’t stop there, because traditional gyms are now transforming their programming to offer boutique-style classes alongside classics likes spin and Zumba.

Ahead of the curve with a boutique class offering, énergie Fitness launched a new signature concept named thé YARD Club Edition in 2017. Developing and delivering a series of classes focused around high intensity interval training with an emphasis on boxing, it’s now found within over 30 énergie Fitness clubs across the UK – with plans to be installed in 45 gyms by the end of 2019.

Not stopping there, énergie has also introduced a new BLAST series – a version of thé YARD developed for clubs with smaller studio spaces. This diverse and innovative product provides a series of small group training sessions lasting 20 to 30 minutes, bringing variety, quality and results to members.

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ADVERTISING FEATURE

Flexible memberships and digital operations will fly Leading gym brands within the industry are putting a new focus on the consumer experience to offer the most user-friendly processes from start to finish. This includes everything from the membership offering and joining process to the way members can take advantage of classes and additional benefits within the gym.

To cater to this advancement, énergie have recently launched a new dual-membership offering. Designed to make fitness even more accessible and tailored to suit individual needs, the lower-tier Classic membership includes unlimited access to the gym and a number of classes, while the new WOW! membership offers a host of additional benefits, including access to signature classes, priority class booking, personalised fitness experiences and exclusive

WOW! member discounts.

This goes hand-in-hand with continued app developments and a brand new joining zone, making it easier than ever for consumers to take the first step to embarking on a healthier lifestyle.

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.

January 2019 | elitefranchise

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21/12/2018 10:22

That’s a

wrap ijcken

By Anne Stru

Having already become a hit across UK festivals, Chapati Man has now signed up its first international master franchise and aims to add some flavour to every major British city with its Indian food trucks

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eftover grub, a food truck and zero knowledge of the catering business – for many, this may sound like the beginning of a joke. However, not for Chris Rai and his wife Andrea, who made a solid business out of their Chapati Man food truck. Having already recruited its master franchise in Sri Lanka, the franchisor is now on track to expand across Asia as well and wants to launch franchises in every major UK city.

But with Rai having a career working for the government and his wife being a textile designer, launching their own business wasn’t a priority. At least, not until Rai’s colleagues complimented him on the Indian wraps he brought to lunch, which sparked a new business idea. “I used to take leftover curry in a chapati to work and [my] colleagues used to say ‘oh that looks really nice’ and it all stemmed from there,” explains Rai. January 2019 | elitefranchise

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Chapati Man

We don’t see us having 50, 60 or 70 franchises. It doesn’t work like that in our food truck game It all started when Rai’s parents brought over their knowledge of spices and cooking experience to England in 1960. “I was taught to cook quality Indian food by my mum from a very young age,” Rai recalls. Using his mum’s culinary knowledge, he started working on a business plan with his wife. Not long after in 2007, Chapati Man was born and was set to take over UK festivals in a colourful food truck. “I always wanted to run my own business but we had no idea of the catering trade,” he adds. However, he did possess the passion and drive to make the future of this business a bright one.

Encouraged to make the Chapati Man story a successful one, the husband and wife team worked long hours to make their dream come true. “During the first year, we continued to work in our full time jobs whilst running the business,” Rai explains. “We’d come back from a festival on a Sunday night at [3 or 4am] and would be up for work again at seven o’clock that morning.” Although it was hard work, it kept a steady cashflow coming into their business. Luckily, the duo managed to do it all on their own and eventually invested in a bespoke catering trailer and the equipment needed to hit the roads with their original curry in a wrap. “We started doing all the big music festivals around the UK like Bestival, Camp Bestival, Lovebox

Weekender [and] big sports events like the British Grand Prix,” Rai remembers.

These efforts certainly paid off with Chapati Man being voted the number one food caterer in its first year at the Glastonbury festival in 2017. “There are over 350 catering trailers down there so we must be doing something right,” Rai ponders.

This was a big achievement for the new brand which got to cater at the festival in its debut year. Normally, newly launched businesses don’t make the cut for quite some time. The wraps also managed to hit the right spot. “Our chicken saag wrap won sandwich designer of the year award back in 2011,” says Rai. The couple also familiarised people with the brand by landing huge deals with supermarkets that started adding these Indian wraps to the shelves. “Our wraps are being sold in Morrisons across [more than 400] stores and we also managed to get our Indian snacking products into Waitrose, which is a big achievement,” says Rai. For a young brand, this was a great way to get the exposure it needed. The popularity of the brand grew rapidly as they noticed there was more demand than they could handle. With only one food truck and a lot more hungry people, franchising was the only way to keep the same quality. Following these

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Chapati Man

achievements, Rai began to work on getting the franchise model together when the idea was proposed by experts in the field. “I was approached by a franchising company about 18 months [ago] and they [told] me that they thought our brand and concept could be really good for franchising and that kind of sped up the process a bit,” Rai explains. However, putting this model together was quite the challenge as the franchisor claims the street food truck concept such as this one had never been attempted in the UK before. At the same time, the pair also ensured the concept could easily be converted into a fixed property. “The franchise is not solely based on food trucks,” says Rai. “A lot of the people are interested in fixed kiosks and shops. The food truck concept adopted by us is a business on wheels but the model is easily transferable into a fixed premises.” The duo worked together with the experts for around five months to make sure everything was how they wanted it to be untill they launched it back in the spring of 2018.

For the model to be utilised, Rai was eager to find his first franchisee and as a result, he signed up to loads of different platforms to boost his recruitment. Still, he says it’s a difficult process as the concept may get many people interested but not necessarily “100% over the line.” Luckily, he soon had his chance when he got in touch with someone he met when he visited Sri Lanka with his family. He sent over the franchise ideas he had to the potential franchisee and it didn’t take long before the person gave the concept the thumbs up. And finally, the aspiring franchisor signed up the first franchisee,

I used to take leftover curry in a chapati to work and [my] colleagues used to say ‘oh that looks really nice’ and it all stemmed from there

expanding the brand to Sri Lanka with plans of taking over Asia.

“It’s quite ironic that I’m paying for these listings on various different franchise sites and I actually got this contact myself and worked on the deal from scratch,” Rai ponders.

To ensure the franchises can provide Chapati Man’s quality service, Rai looks for people who share his passion and believe in the brand. “We’re looking for people who can see the vision in taking the Chapati Man brand and concept to the next level,” explains Rai. After he finds a promising candidate, he teaches them everything they need to know about the business. “They get ten and a half days of actual onsite training,” he suggests. “[They can] see the actual process we use in terms of how we make, package and heat the product.”

With more people believing in his brand, Rai desires to see his franchise roll all over Britain. “We don’t see us having 50, 60 or 70 franchises,” he shrugs. “It doesn’t work like that in our food truck game.” While he’s being careful to find the right franchisees, his aspirations are ambitious to say the least. “The idea is to sell a Chapati Man franchise in every major UK city from Manchester and Birmingham to Leeds and Liverpool,” Rai reveals. He’s also hoping to top this with a master franchise in Europe.

While it’s still early days for Chapati Man, it doesn’t hold Rai back from taking the UK by storm. “We have got some more exciting announcements coming up soon,” says Rai. Who knows, you might spot the Chapati Man rocking up to your local high street. Make sure you sink your teeth into its wraps.

January 2019 | elitefranchise

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Today we cleaned 17 homes yet never left our house!

Imagine owning your own domestic cleaning franchise, earning over ÂŁ65,000 per year and never doing any cleaning yourself!

You can work from home at times that suit you, your children and your lifestyle and your other commitments.

AT LAST! A real business that is proven to work and that you can really be proud to say you own.

Ralph and Hazel Watson Franchisees in Fife, Scotland

British Franchise Association’s advice on picking the right franchise:

Proven Business Model

1. You should be able to recover your initial franchise fee in the first year

First Class Training

2. You should have a reliable residual income from regular clients

You not only get a lucrative business model for your potential franchisees to follow, you also get a proven Franchise Sales model to follow.

You will be trained in house in the art of franchise sales but also in the core business model you will sell to your potential franchisees.

3. You can build an asset that can be sold at a profit 4. Totally free access to the existing franchisee network 5. Well proven systems and procedures with ongoing training and support

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Custom Technology

Part of the package includes bespoke software designed to help you and your franchisees manage their business efficiently.

03/05/2018 15:18

Are you dreaming of owning your own photographic business? take that exciting step now!

0800 622 6008 For more information about joining Photography for Little People Franchise: Jan Massey 01207 299500 OR 07826841224 jan@photographyforlittlepeople.com

Benefit from becoming a Suit the City franchisee Join a leading business in a growing market, beating the current trends in retail Build your business with the aid of a team of Consultant Tailors all trained by Suit the City Low overheads - no stock, no waste and you can work from home or a small studio Supply professional clients with high quality, luxury products: you will have a high rate of repeat business and referrals Full training and support is given during the first three months and then on an on-going basis For more information please call us or visit our website

www.suitthecity.com

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ADVERTISING FEATURE

Get fit, get social and grow your own fitness business The One Element franchise team will help you build your own fitness community and give you the skills and knowledge to grow a successful business

O

wning a fitness business has to be one of the most rewarding and enjoyable careers you can have. Inspiring members to make positive life changes, gain significant fitness and improve their general wellbeing is lifechanging for you and them.

Since our establishment in 2007 as the outdoor fitness and social company, One Element has used its unique business model to go from strength-to-strength. In that same period, we have witnessed many other south-west London group training companies or bootcamps come and go. The reason One Element has succeeded and sees continued growth

where others have not is due to our deep understanding of the market, our fitness expertise and continued investment in developing and improving our business model.

Confidence in One Element Providing some insight into One Element, Kate Manning, the latest One Element franchisee, states: “I’ve been involved with One Element on many levels – first as a member, then in 2012 I became a One Element trainer and since December 2018 the franchise owner of the Tooting London territory. “Over my ten years association with One Element I’ve always been hugely impressed by

the business model and Tom and the team’s support. That includes the time they invest teaching the trainers the One Element methodology, the innovation and effectiveness of their sessions and the communities they create. My confidence in the business model combined with the support I’ve always received leaves me in no doubt I can rely on the OEHQ team and draw from their experience and knowledge for me to make a success of my franchise.”

One Element founder Tom Marien says: “It’s great to have Kate as the newest One Element franchisee.

We’re really excited to have her in this leadership role. Through her long involvement with us and the confidence she has in the business model, I am thrilled she has decided to take ownership of the Tooting franchise territory. Not only does she understand how One Element works and the benefits we bring to

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our members but she also shares our vision for growing One Element.”

Launching a fitness business If you are planning on launching an outdoor fitness business you need to understand your key success factors to help accomplish your business goals.

At One Element we have spent years developing our key success factors, which include: brand; marketing and communications; member or customer retention strategy; trainer recruitment and training; exceptional customer service and operations – which includes member management systems, pricing policies and fitness session programmes.

We have a strong brand based on social fitness being positive, inclusive, challenging and fun. We’ve developed clear messaging from training to socials and across our suite of marketing material, which makes it straightforward to build your business in your local community.

In order to improve member retention we have worked hard to understand our members’ journeys.

We use a market-leading CRM system to help you manage members and ensure they stay engaged, renew their memberships and build communities through the combination of fitness training and social events.

One Element was developed by Marien who drew on his experience as a London gym manager and member of various rugby clubs over many years.

He recognised the importance of the club’s socials to improve retention and build a community, which is an intrinsic part of the One Element framework.

We have a calendar of activities from local sports and social events to more

intrepid trips, including to Everest Base Camp and ski holidays.

A trainer can make or break a park location. We have therefore developed an effective trainer recruitment process, training programme and in-depth session plans to give you confidence that your trainers can deliver the unique One Element experience and make sales to help grow your business. The training sessions are also managed centrally for all franchises, ensuring they use the same session plans to guarantee consistency and effectiveness.

A unique and exciting fitness brand One Element is a truly special and exciting fitness brand. For example, our members are put through their paces with our unique sports style HiiT sessions which appeal to all ages. The sessions are all outdoors and based on power, strength and endurance using Periodisation Theory.

As a result, members become fitter, faster and stronger in a safe and sustainable timeframe.

Unsurprisingly, training programmes are central to the success of a fitness company. A principle we stick to at One Element is that most people join because they want to get fit in a group environment. They stay because of the combination of our programmes and friends they make. As a One Element franchise owner you are the driving force behind these two elements.

Programmes need to be diverse and give members health and fitness gains over every other programme measurable. At One Element we now have nearly 50 truly unique sports style training sessions unlike anything you will see at any other fitness company.

After all, some of our 500 south-west London members have been coming for 10 years, so we must be doing something right.

Fitness is a fast-growing, continually evolving sector and is expected to grow even more in the next few years.

It’s therefore a fantastic time to get involved and be part of a leading brand.

One Element is a year-round fitness business but there’s no denying spring is a great time to start your own One Element and capitalise on the improved weather, as well as increase people’s motivation to change their habits. So why not join our other 2019 franchise launches and become part of our successful One Element network and be a genuine force for positive change?

If you have entrepreneurial spirit, don’t want to be stuck behind a desk and have the passion and ability to bring people together, then we’d love to hear from you. Call us on 07778507227 or email franchise@one-element.co.uk

January 2019 | elitefranchise

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ADVERTISING FEATURE

Changing work life for the better Working in today’s world often feels like being a caught in a time-loop where you constantly fail to get your work-life balance together. That was certainly the case for Mitch Howey. But now she has escaped the rat race by successfully launching MyWaggyTails in Chinnor. Find out how she did it MyWaggyTails I set up MyWaggyTails as a franchise that provides professional services to pets and their two-legged guardians in four main areas: dog boarding in our home from home doggy hotel, doggy day-care, dog walking and home visits for various other pets. With help from my brother who conveniently had a career in business and marketing, the business took off like a train. And 18 months after I first launched my business I was making £30,000 a year. And it’s built steadily from there.

Working from home Operating a MyWaggyTails franchise from home is ideal for those who want the freedom of their own business, a sustainable income, to escape the confines of the office, someone with part-time family commitments, keen to escape the rat race and the soulless hours lost, to supplement the family income or who have time on their hands and want to keep both active and mentally alert. It’s perfect for animal lovers and for those who love the outdoors and exercise.

Simply, MyWaggyTails provides you with the brand, training, marketing, systems and the business knowhow. And that leaves you to work your magic and share the love with the pets in your charge.

Our big difference?

The main point of difference is the personal touch – dogs visit and stay in your family home and you visit them. There are no kennels. It’s very much about providing a ‘home from home’ service for four-legged friends when their guardians are away, whether for part of the working week, business trips abroad, weekend breaks or annual holidays.

Only the diamonds in the rough Yes, you vet every dog in advance. And you say “no, sorry” to any you don’t like or trust because the wellbeing of the other pets, happy owners and your wellbeing are all of paramount importance. It’s amazing how many small and medium sized dogs are out there. You quickly fill up with your regulars, so the dogs become an extended part of your family. Daycare and walks are the most popular.

To find out more, visit MyWaggyTails.co.uk/franchise.

Call 0203 393 2093, or email Randle@mywaggytails. co.uk

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Be

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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Hr

Staff retention remedies

By DaviD Glover,

managing director, Caremark

as business owners, one of the biggest headaches can be caused by employee recruitment. David Glover, managing director of caremark, explains how improving staff retention can be one of the best medecines any people go into business ownership not realising they have to be the HR manager as well as the bookkeeper, sales person and candlestick maker. And recruitment can take up a huge amount of your time if you aren’t careful.

By working in service industries like social care, retail and hospitality, you’ll find staff turnover can be much greater than other sectors. According to the British Chambers of Commerce, the percentage of services firms finding it difficult to fill vacancies has risen to an all-time high to almost 75% of companies. This means you could be trapped in a perpetual cycle of recruitment. So, how can you slow it down?

At Caremark, we’re in one of those sectors where we see above the UK average employee turnover rate of 15% where, according to the latest Skills for Care survey, turnover in domiciliary care is 37.4%. Roughly around half of our care workers see their job as a long-term career and the other half think of care work as a stop-gap. To improve staff retention rates, we’ve had to deliver a combination of messages, training and benefits.

Here are the top things found to have the greatest impact on reducing staff turnover that should work in any franchise.

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Firstly, it’s important to remember that throwing money at a problem won’t solve it. Yes, you can ensure you offer competitive salaries or hourly rates of pay but people value so many other things over money when it comes to their job. Staff turnover rates are intrinsically linked to emotional wellbeing. A study at the University of Warwick found companies that invest in employee support and satisfaction tend to succeed in generating happier workers. In fact, at Google, staff satisfaction rose by 37% as a result of those initiatives, suggesting financial incentives aren’t enough to make workers happy and, subsequently, highly-productive loyal employees.

To ensure high retention rates, employee engagement is the name of the game. It may sound time-consuming but regularly assessing staff satisfaction can engender a transparent environment and allow issues to be tackled swiftly. Start by ascertaining how engaged your staff are and work on how you can bring them together. You will gain a greater dynamic of understanding between people holding different roles and better communication often leads to a happier workforce. For instance, during 2018, we started a culture campaign to reach every part of Caremark and ensure everyone feels part of our team. Importantly, we listened to our staff rather than management just declaring

HR

the state of play. Following on from that, you can delve deeper into creating employee satisfaction by ensuring a thorough training programme. This can improve retention in two ways. Many people like to live by rules and follow habits, so for them, training gives standards to meet and processes to follow. For those people who never considered the role a long-term opportunity, it professionalises the job and they begin to think of it as a career.

A research project by Middlesex University’s Institute for Work-based Learning found 74% of UK workers felt they were not reaching their potential and wished they’d received more job training. Whichever group your employees sit within, you’ll improve standards and retention by offering more training opportunities. Add into the mix a buddy system or mentorship programme and the positive trajectory continues.

Finally, introducing a system of recognition for outstanding achievement builds on the first two steps.

This really doesn’t have to cost much. We don’t use

shiny trophies or financial rewards but our staff enjoy the formal appreciation they receive. You can get managers to put forward people each week or month for recognition but we also take recommendations from other staff and clients.

When certificates for employee of the month are awarded, take photos and share across the business – you could use a WhatsApp group, closed Facebook group or newsletter. Explaining the reasons behind the award gives everyone a heightened standard to reach for. All of our awards are achievable, they’re not just about sales targets.

They’re awarded for exemplary customer service, acts of kindness or, perhaps, suggesting a more effective and dignified manner of facilitating personal care.

Whilst not all staff turnover is bad, when you consider that, according to a study by the Society for Human Resource Management, employers will often spend six to nine months of an employee’s salary locating and training a replacement, it really does pay to keep staff turnover to a minimum.

January 2019 | elitefranchise

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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

ADVERTISING FEATURE

Bodystreet predicts the future of fitness and it’s looking bright for its franchisees Britain’s £5bn fitness industry is incredibly lucrative and Bodystreet knows how to make the most of it

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ADVERTISING FEATURE

What does the future of the fitness industry look like?

Even the experts find it hard to predict what’s likely to happen in the future.

Just take Brexit, for example. No one knows what’s going to happen when we leave Europe because there’s simply no evidence to rely on.

The fitness industry, however, has many clues foreshadowing what could unfold in the future. For instance, one out of seven Brits are gym members and the total market value of UK fitness is almost £5bn – up 2.9% from last year – as well as membership numbers having grown by 2% in the same period. And there seems to be no slowdown in British fitness memberships and participation.

So, what’s driving the uptake?

There’re several reasonsfor the growth in participation, such as an increased understanding of the importance of healthy living – including the rise of healthrelated illnesses like diabetes, cancer etcetera – a greater exposure of health and wellbeing in the press and social media and the rising popularity of wearable performance monitoring tech. These changes in consumer behaviour, which were once thought of as obligatory and mildly inconvenient by consumers, have become fun hobbies. Now, fitness is more than a routine part of a person’s day – it’s a lifestyle.

So are the trends here to stay?

Who knows? But there doesn’t appear to be a downturn anytime soon. The estimated market size of wellness and fitness is expected to increase by £1.4bn to £22.4bn between 2018 and 2020, according to Statista.

The foreseeable future looks promising, that’s for sure. There’s never been a better time to be involved in health and fitness. But which operator or franchisor should you partner with?

Why Bodystreet and why choose our franchise?

Bodystreet have been offering clients whole-body workouts using personal trainers for over ten years – we are the experts at what we do. We shouldn’t be confused with the large traditional gyms.

Our studios are relatively small spaces – about 800 square feet – highly focused on the individual client’s goals and not on gaining thousands of members who never come to train.

Clients train using our proven system for just 20 minutes once a week, so even the busiest of people have no excuse not to train.

We also back our franchisees with award-winning support. For instance, Bodystreet GmbH, our German franchisor, won Franchisor of the Year and Bodystreet UK, as well as being a bfa member, was recently awarded in Elite Franchise Magazine’s Top 100 franchises.

This is in addition to Bodystreet

helping franchisees find the right studio location, set up and fit out, giving support in recruiting staff, providing intensive initial training, offering launch support, supplying ongoing development and continued professional training and aiding the development of our franchisees’ teams.

While we don’t know precisely what the future will bring, keeping fit and healthy is becoming something many are taking a personal responsibility over. Bodystreet offers clients the possibility to achieve their personal fitness goals in an easy to access way.

If you have a desire to help people achieve their own goals and do something that brings value and satisfaction, maybe a closer look at Bodystreet would be worthwhile.

Visit www.bodystreetuk.co.uk or call 01908 766220 for more information on our franchise opportunities.

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20/12/2018 17:41

Recruiting safely

Avoiding the

misrepresentation claim

By Fiona Boswell, partner and head of franchising and commercial services, Fraser Brown Solicitors

When a salesperson misrepresented the facts to prospective franchisees it landed the franchisor in court. This is how you can learn from their mistake

W

ith many franchise shows coming up, franchisors will be focusing on recruitment strategies. However, they better ensure they stay on the right side of the law when sourcing talent for their networks. This article highlights a relevant recent case to avoid unlawful practices during the recruitment stage.

It’s a standard franchisee argument for those seeking early release from a franchise contract to claim information was misstated which induced them to enter into the contract. In order to successfully establish grounds for fraudulent misrepresentation, a franchisee must have evidence of such misrepresentations, demonstrate reliance placed on such evidence and demonstrate that such representations were made fraudulently.

This has often proved a high standard to meet and has been a costly exercise resulting in many franchisee claims settling long before court proceedings even commence.

That wasn’t the case with a recent claim that went all the way and was successfully won by the claimant franchisees. This case should serve as a warning to franchisors of the dangers of overstating achievable revenue and forecasts when sourcing talent to your network.

The salient facts In this case four franchisees entered into joint venture hybrid franchises with a well-known high street optical retailer. They were told the standard practice was that the franchise agreements were non-negotiable, they weren’t advised to take their own legal advice and accordingly none of them did so.

Prior to signing the franchise agreement the franchisees were given misrepresented facts about the performance of their store by a member of the franchisor’s sales teams. This included overstated information about the volume of eye tests conducted on a daily basis at each store and actual

performance metrics for each stop. The franchisor then operated a fast track prospect onboarding process designed to accelerate, without following proper procedures, the acquisition of franchises by prospects.

The franchise agreement also included a clause typical of most franchise agreements to exclude pre-contract statements unless made fraudulently. Such clauses are common to franchise agreements and as part of a standard franchise agreement review would be drawn to the attention of your franchisee. But in this instance the franchisees weren’t directed to seek independent advice and therefore didn’t do so.

The verdict The court held that, firstly, the representations made about the stores by the optical retailer’s employee were made fraudulently – either with knowledge of those representations being incorrect or made recklessly without adequate verification.

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Recruiting safely

Secondly, the court was of the opinion the clause excluding pre-contract statements was unreasonable in law. When reaching its verdict it took into account the fact that the franchisees weren’t made aware of its inclusion in the contract and the fact that the franchisor had stronger bargaining power.

Word to the wise So where does that leave you? Well, it’s vital that franchisors encourage franchisees to get their contracts checked. That way ignorance cannot be a valid argument.

Franchisors should also consider checking the enforceability of their pre-contract statement exclusion clauses in the light of this decision.

Staff at all levels must be made aware of the impact of overstating store performance or any untruths or nonverifiable information that may induce taking a franchise.

Staff at all levels must be made aware of the impact of overstating store performance or any untruths or non-verifiable information that may induce taking a franchise The courts have sided with the franchisee in the face of the B2B contract between the parties. Taking into consideration inequality of bargaining position, unscrupulous franchisors that engage in extreme practices to sell franchises or who

fail to adequately police rogue staff should beware.

So when you go out to the shows this season, make sure you take all the precautions you can to avoid your recruitment drive becoming a legal nightmare.

JANUARY 2019 | elitefranchise

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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

M

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 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, was the eureka moment and the birth of DE Photo was now on the horizon.

Back in those early days, a young nine-year-old Olly would always want to be with his Dad at every event and became the expert in serving customers and printing their photos. 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 attended. 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 programme, 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 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.

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Photos from all events are also available to view and buy on DE Photo’s superb website, www. dephoto.biz, following each event and remain there indefinitely.

Focusing on the future DE Photo has recently launched two new add-on brands – 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 the full franchise information brochure here: http://www.dephoto.biz/

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ADVERTISING FEATURE

Flexible franchising is a piece of cake Whether part-time or full-time, there’s nothing stopping you from achieving your dream with this franchise

A

t Cup the Cake, we certainly understand that in today’s financial climate it’s important for both mums and dads to work. So what better opportunity is there than to work from home, have fun and still be able to spend time with your little angels?

With us you get just that. What’s more, we don’t breathe over your shoulder or ask for any of your profits. Your earning potential completely depends on you. A delectable 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 because you earned it – it’s yours.

An idea inspired with your angelic children in mind Your business will be set up for you from scratch. Included with your startup pack is a comprehensive kit equipping you with all the basics needed to best service your customers. Comprehensive initial training is included with the option to further advance with our ongoing training.

At Cup the Cake the sky is the limit. Our unique selling point is we create cupcakes with unconditional love and enthusiasm for our customers, regardless of the occasion.

We thrive on our creative abilities. Cup the Cake makes everything from cupcakes with a unique splendour and wedding cupcakes with a flair to something quick and simple to take to the office and unique no-two-the-same designs for birthdays.

Not only will you still be with your angels and work from home but you’ll also be in a position to earn a cash income greatly influenced by the amount of hours you invest into your business venture. Whether it be part-time or full-time.

Cup the Cake offers three entry packages. The first, Fairy, offers the opportunity to start something on a smaller scale with abundant potential. Included is your complete online set up, website, admin, booking and payment portals, order requests, store front, Facebook page, email address, training, ongoing support and even hosting your website for six months. Your complete online set-up and training await you.

All you need to do is have fun while you earn.

The second option is called Cherub. It includes the set up found with the Fairy package as well as business cards, car magnets and an online marketing boost. Your set up will also include your business registration with Companies House, guidance with regards to your business banking account options and accounting software. Your starter kit is comprehensive and will equip you with all the basics needed to get those orders out to your customers.

Thirdly is Angelic which includes all as stated in Cherub plus an electric mixer and an edible image printer set up for all your creative toppers as well as a turntable for your masterful creations, an airbrush set up with a compressor, edible colours and a fondant steamer for brightening up your unique designs. Got a taste for it? Get in touch.

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

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

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

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

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

s so pleased my area was still available as The Creation Station really ticks all the boxes for me and my family.�

Inspiring imaginations in North Watford, Hertfordshire

thecreationstation.co.uk/run-your-own-franchise

As seen on.

01395 239700

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Clive and angela coldwell

When one door closes Many dream of working for one of the biggest companies in the world. But these franchisees swapped careers at Siemens for control over their destiny with Dream Doors

By ANGUS SHAW

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live and Angela Coldwell, franchisees of Dream Doors, the kitchen refurbishment franchise, met and married while working for Siemens. But eventually, the corporate jungle took its toll and the couple abandoned the wild with nothing more than a rough idea of where they’d like to go. Now, having broken records at Dream Doors by generating £1m in ten months, they admit that the leap of faith was for the best.

Although Siemens brought the pair together, a redundancy notice saw Clive evaluating his future. There was the option to take another job within the company but by that point, he had his fill of constantly jetting off to European meetings as senior manager.

“So I decided to take my cheque and run away,” he recalls. Angela didn’t leave her husband hanging and opted for voluntary redundancy around seven months later to join the adventure. “I was put at risk of redundancy anyway and felt like it was meant to be,” she explains.

Having amassed years of engineering and management experience, it’s not like the couple had nowhere to run. After spending time at the drawing board, they launched their own “extreme DIY” business, as Clive describes it. This saw them take a refreshing move from the sheen of corporatism and get their hands dirty with property maintenance. “We’d take a roof off a house and rebuild it, that sort of thing,” Clive explains. Business

“Doing this is significantly more stressful than working in corporate land” Clive Coldwell, Dream Doors Poole

boomed and their hands were full again. However, they eventually sought a more substantial business beyond solo handiwork. “We wanted to build a proper business in its own right rather than just being a man in a van type of setup,” he remembers.

Clive credits his wife for what was to come next. Much like a discovery within the glossy pages of Elite Franchise, she found what they were looking for in a magazine. “Yes, I take full blame,” Angela laughs. “I was just reading an article sat in a hospital waiting room I think and didn’t really understand what franchising was at the time.” She realised the model provided supplies and training across a wide variety of industries presented more options to go big, fast. After all, the duo didn’t want to start from scratch again. “It seemed a good way to leapfrog, if you like, a lot of that initial learning curve and join some way up rather than starting at the bottom,” Clive explains.

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Clive and Angela COLDWELL

“In our normal style we kind of broke all the rules in Dream Doors and already started to look at the showroom before we even signed the franchise agreement” Clive Coldwell, Dream Doors Poole

They chatted with a few franchises but it was Angela, ever the pioneer, who discovered Dream Doors on the web.

Not only were the couple accustomed to kitchen fitting through their DIY business but more importantly, Dream Doors felt like an established brand compared to alternatives. “Dream Doors was more professional,” Clive says. “A lot of the others we looked at were more of that one man in a van.”

While Dream Doors certainly seemed like their dream, the couple didn’t want to make brash decisions. So before even touching base with HQ, they took a trip to Dream Doors Dorchester and scouted the franchise’s frontlines. After speaking with staff and viewing the setup, they felt very impressed. They soon shook hands with franchise heads in Gosport and made their decision. “We drove away from the meeting there and made our minds up straight away about what it was that we wanted to do,” Clive recalls. Thus they were set to become the franchisees of Dream Doors Poole.

The franchise’s initial training clued the two up on sales, providing quotations and the product catalogues.

But the franchisor didn’t shoot its bolt there as training never truly ends.

“It’s not just a one-off go and do some training, it’s that ongoing support in the Dream Doors model,” Clive stresses. Indeed, while Angela admits their first bout of training didn’t cover much technical knowhow, things have changed. “When you look back on it now, training has significantly moved on,” she says. “Back in our time it was

definitely more sales-orientated.”

Nevertheless, they were ready.

Franchisees’ first few months are usually marketing driven, with a view to eventually open a showroom as the face of their business. That can take time but fortunately, Clive and Angela are mavericks. “In our normal style we kind of broke all the rules in Dream Doors and already started to look at the showroom before we even signed the franchise agreement,” Clive laughs. This meant they opened doors in Poole within three months of wrapping up training, quicker than any other franchisee at the time. “By the time we signed up on Dream Doors we were virtually at the point of agreeing terms on a premises for a showroom,” Clive continues.

As well as Dream Doors providing promotional material for the showroom’s opening day, Troy Tappenden, managing director of Dream Doors, and a bunch of journalists came down to see the ribbon cutting ceremony. While it generated impressive footfall, Clive doesn’t hide how draining the day was. “It was knackering,” he says. “We finally sat down in the showroom at about half five in the afternoon and [were] totally shattered because it was such a mad full-on day.” It would have been even more exhausting without their development manager on hand during such

early days. “He spent a day a week with us, whether that was coming out on customer calls or whether we were sat down having endless debates about how we were going to design and lay out our showroom,” Clive adds.

As well as launching a second showroom in Christchurch, consistent help has seen Clive and Angela smash some seriously impressive records. For instance, between January and October 2018 the Coldwells generated £1m – one of only two franchisees to hit that mark, according to Clive – by tallying £100,000 each month. And there’s only one way to do that.

“Work hard,” Clive chuckles. Having a loyal team helps too. In fact, staff rarely leave Dream Doors Poole and Christchurch and bolster customer loyalty. “The guys are dedicated, good, quick and keen, [which] gets the business recommendations and referrals,’ Angela says. “They’re the ones you want.”

Franchising has definitely put more on this pair’s plate. “Doing this is significantly more stressful than working in corporate land,” Clive admits. “Whatever happens, the buck stops here.” But given that’s the small price to pay for control over their destiny with an established brand, no one’s looking back. “Would I go back and do what I did before?

Absolutely not,” Clive concludes. “We get to sit down over dinner and talk about what we want to do and where we’re going. I like that ability.”

January 2019 | elitefranchise

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ADVERTISING FEATURE

FASTSIGNS franchisees make digital signs no longer exclusive to big corporations The FASTSIGNS franchise offering keeps their network at the forefront of technology and consumer tastes, enabling people to become their own boss in the dynamic and creative signage industry

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ranchising lets people be in business for themselves but not by themselves. For FASTSIGNS, this means helping franchisees grow profitable businesses in the signage industry, with over 700 centres operating

in ten countries worldwide and 21 residing in the UK. Each centre has its own territory, which serves the B2B community by providing eye-catching signs and graphics for business facilities and events.

One of FASTSIGNS-measurable key performance indicators is its franchisees’ satisfaction, which is ensured through state of the art training.

This guarentees franchisees remain at the forefront of traditional signmaking practices and are equipped to provide cutting edge digital signage solutions for customers.

Today, when you walk into hospitals, car showrooms, fast food or retail premises, members of the British public are likely to see highly visual and engaging digital signs. These allow businesses to create animated and immersive marketing messages

and deliver numerous adverts, information and displays at any time. A solution that was previously exclusive to large corporations, FASTSIGNS has worked to make digital signage more affordable for SMEs, where this type of signage has an exponential impact.

As an example of this solution’s success, Richard Wedgwood, director of FASTSIGNS Manchester, oversaw a project to replace static light boxes with digital displays. “The customer wanted three large screens installed in their parking bays,” he explains.

“They have since told me they have customers just stand and watch the screens to see what is coming next.”

With results like that, FASTSIGNS is clearly on to something.

FASTSIGNS offers an exciting, future-focused business opportunity with a startup cost of £120,000.

Potential franchisees benefit from its state of the art training, better access to the B2B market, protected territory, grand opening support, marketing plan support and dedicated business consultants.

For more information about the FASTSIGNS franchise opportunity, visit: www.fsfastsigns.co.uk

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ADVERTISING FEATURE

A new way forward Supporting the Continued Success and Growth of the UK Franchise Sector

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ormed way back in 2012, the Approved Franchise Association (AFA) was established to offer aspiring & more established franchisors a new opportunity to have their franchise opportunities assessed and approved in a quick, fair & cost-effective way with successful applicants subsequently being permitted to use the association’s Seal of Approval.

There was also the opportunity for franchisors and trade partners to freely advertise their franchise opportunities and offerings on the Association’s own website. At last, a British franchise association was being formed that was going to promote their members whole-heartedly to the world at large

and encourage economy of scale promotions to help recruit franchisees.

This fresh approach has clearly struck a chord over the past 7 years with the AFA now having an extremely strong & loyal membership which is growing rapidly & with the Seal of Approval becoming more & more prevalent in both the online and offline media.

The past 12 months have seen the association attending more franchise exhibitions than ever before, hosting their own local shows and a number of free to attend face-to-face meet ups across the UK for franchisor and partner members.

The AFA acknowledges and understands that the franchise sector

is 100% dependant on real live people and that the best way for people to interact and understand each other is to meet face-to-face.

The AFA’s CEO is Claire Robinson so, if you’re a franchisor or supplier to the franchise sector and you like what you see above, why not give Claire a call on 0208 088 2400 and see how becoming an integral part of the AFA could help you and your business?

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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 established in 1987 is the premier leaflet distribution network in the UK, with nearly 70 offices we have representation in England Ireland Scotland and Wales.

Our franchise network uses the unique DOR2-DOR system with fully trained and carefully monitored adult Post People™.

The DOR-2-DOR website is No.1 in Google nationally and we have developed a bespoke software system (D2D-Works) to manage our Post People, feed weekly reports to clients and maximise profitability for our franchisees.

Contact:Jeff Frankling - Founder & CEO 01582 250 000 franchise@dor2dor.com www.dor2dor.com

TOTS PLAY Tots Play is an award winning multi-activity programme of developmental play classes for babies and toddlers from birth to 4 years.

One of the reasons our customers love Tots Play is that it offers a little bit of (almost!) everything.

Instead of having to choose between a music, massage, yoga, sensory, signing or physical play class for their little one, they can give their child all these experiences in one programme - and have lots of fun too!

As a Tots Play franchisee you really can work around your family, earn a great income AND love what you do!

Find out more at www.totsplay.co.uk/franchise Or contact Helen on 01633 894963

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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/

21/12/2018 10:57

ADVERTISING FEATURE

Why your business model is key to building a successful franchise Sport4Kids’ mission is to help franchisees build a growth-focused sports business with huge potential. The franchisor is all about helping a strong network of franchisees to build large businesses of their own

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port4Kids is revolutionising the children’s sports and franchise landscape. At the core is a business model that focuses on the interests of the franchisee.

Steve Jones, CEO at Sport4Kids, explains: “From the beginning we put ourselves in the shoes of the franchisee.

We wanted to give them a platform to build a large legacy business. To do this the business model has to drive growth, revenues and positive cashflows.

“Our franchisees all have corporate backgrounds with the ability to invest and lead a growth business. The Sport4Kids business model is designed to help them make money faster and in a more reliable way than other sports franchise formats.”

The business model maximises the opportunities to earn. It is designed to be a multisports, multi-revenue, multi-market business network that looks to transform the children sports market and create a network of successful sports entrepreneurs, each of which have a clearly growth-focused and scalable business.

Dr Mark Gould, COO at Sport4Kids, shares: “The vision we had from the start was to build a business platform that could provide investor leaders with the ability to grow a large business. Creating the potential for scale and market domination in our business platform is a key part of our DNA.” The jewel in the Sport4Kids franchise network is the power of the business model, which has several key elements.

For starters, multiple service lines provide continued growth opportunities and entry points into schools and also align to market changes over time. This enables franchisees to align to local market needs and generate many sources of income reducing risk and maximising growth.

Moreover, franchisees enjoy multiple routes to market. Firstly, direct to parents for weekend skills classes, sports club structure, events and parties. Secondly, via nurseries directly and to parents and thirdly to schools for their direct provision and as a route to parents for after school clubs, holiday camps and breakfast clubs.

Sport4Kids’ model operates seven days per week. This maximises revenue and utilisation opportunities but also provides the ability to build a strong coaching squad. Weekends are an entry point for trainee sports entertainers to graduate through support coaching to leading and then onto nurseries and school provision where more experienced staff are required. Other coaching companies struggle with numbers and quality of staff. This is the core of being able to offer a career path.

Additionally, the Sport4Kids business model generates a positive and predicable cashflow.

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Sport4Kids was the first operator outside of the gym sector to use membership and monthly recurring payments. This reduces administration and provides consistent and sticky income from the membership base.

Schools pay termly in advance and major costs such as coaches and venues are monthly in arrears. Franchisees can rely on steady income and plan a growth business based upon a positive cashflow.

Sport4Kids operates all year round, which means franchisees can maximise revenue opportunities, return against assets and keep their incomes consistent all year round. This enables the use of permanent staff to cover overheads and support growth. Traditional down times for other models include summer and Christmas downturns which have been addressed with skill classes, camps and nursery services.

Sport4Kids provides longer customer lifetime value.

The franchisor provides services to children as young as 18 months old up 14 years old. It will increase through to adulthood by retention as the children grow.

Competition is polarised to either 18 months to five years or from seven and upwards.

Through a wider range of services to families, Sport4Kids aims to take a bigger share of the family sports and entertainment budget with an extensive range of services. Added value service lines such as sports equipment through the S4K Shop and photographs via S4K Photography are part of this evolution.

S4K’s Ofsted accreditation enables a range of childcare product options and supports camps, after school and pre-school care functions. It provides credibility with schools and vat Tax benefits where childcare status provides VAT exemption.

Sport4Kids’ premium position and pricing enables gross margin contribution and re-investment into quality, training and new product development and support functions at a local level.

Franchisees benifit from larger territory sizes compared to competitor models providing longer term growth opportunities and a scalable business.

The franchisor’s continued R&D provides innovation and continual improvement in quality and the experience to keep ahead of competition. This provides the ability to react to changes in market and continued new revenue opportunities.

Finally, the core team has taken a big part of the value chain so that the franchisee can focus on the growth of their business. Automation, IT systems, product development, marketing, training, process development and several other assets reduce costs for the franchisee and maximise effort on the growth of their business.

Summing up the power of the Sport4Kids business model, Gould says: “The S4K Network is very much a collaborative model which focuses on generating growth focused businesses for each franchise. The business model delivers so many benefits and it is the economies of scale and working with great people that will help S4K dominate the market.”

Escape the corporate grind and join the revolution Sport4Kids is designed to build a big business for franchisees. So if you’d like to escape the corporate grind, create a new lifestyle and legacy for you and your family, why not look into Sport4Kids and build yourself a new future.

Contact us for more details T: 0300 303 3866 W: www.s4kfranchising.com

January 2019 | elitefranchise

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Fresh Faces

Newbie franchises on the block

By VARSHA SARAOGI

With the arrival of 2019, we bring you the newest franchises that aim for excellance by going full steam ahead in their respective industries to grow their networks

When refurbishing a house, one of the most important components to consider is the flooring. And the 15-year-old Cornwallbased resin flooring company, Oltco, has gone from strength to strength due to its priority on quality. This is why it stepped into franchising in 2018, looking to expand further. It signed its first franchisee in Blackpool and within a few months is already taking the territory by storm. Given the company’s reputation and clients include the likes of Wembley Stadium, the NHS, British Airways and John Lewis, Oltco has built a strong foundation for potential franchisees. Looking at this franchise’s plans, you shouldn’t be floored by its rapid success.

Indian food isn’t just about curry and this franchise is here to prove so. Getting experimental in the kitchen by mixing two cultures can be challenging and sometimes a disastrous, especially if you blend the wrong flavours. But now, India-based franchise Burger Singh is here to disrupt archetypal burgers by infusing them with Indian spices. With the master franchisee having signed the dotted line in December 2018 and already seeing two pop-ups in London, the franchise is looking for a standalone store around the M25 to get more foodies to experience this new concept.

Looking at the drool-worthy chicken and lamb burger options on the menu, we can be sure this franchisor isn’t winging it.

Weekends for families in the UK just got more awesome with the addition of another adventure attraction. Innovation Leisure has been responsible for many indoor adventure places for adults and children with operations such as Kick Air, Paragon Creative, Futures Leisure and Total Ninja. By re-branding Total Ninja as Ninja Warrior UK, the company is expected to accelerate the growth of its family entertainment centre concept. As the franchise was a joint venture between Innovation Leisure and ITV, franchisees get ads worth £50,000 on the ITV channel. Following the first franchisee who recently launched a centre in Stoke-on-Trent in late 2018, a couple more are already in the pipeline. We can be sure this franchise is jumping to even more exciting times ahead.

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Fresh Faces

There are no questions you moustache this franchise because it doesn’t believe in taking shortcuts. UK-based Everyman Barbers is indeed a cut above the rest when it comes to franchising and expansion. Apart from giving every customer a good head, the franchisor is up to date by offering tech with its loyalty app. Admittedly, the franchise thrives on quality over quantity and prioritises customer experience. Hence it offers a beer or spirit to clients. With a considerable number of franchisees on its roster already, it’s increasingly looking for potential franchisees with a passion to excel. Since a good haircut can go a long way for every man, we’re sure this business is to dye for.

As important as it might be to include gym time in our routines, it’s a task we’re all guilty of forgetting. However, this Norwegian franchise definitely has the chops to lure in customers with its eclectic classes. And it’s now packing a serious punch when it comes to expanding internationally. Having started in 1998, HITIO was launched as a taekwondo centre. The concept then evolved into a gym along with a sports offering. The franchise already has 32 clubs nationwide and is now looking to pump its strength in Britain as well as Europe. Based on how fitness franchises are making all kinds of gains, the industry looks like it will keep growing without breaking a sweat.

What can be better than a cup of seasonal frozen yoghurt topped with fresh fruits? Getting them served through a robot kiosk in less than 60 seconds. This California-based franchise is serving frozen yoghurt and ice cream through robot vending machines which can be installed in malls, airports, stadiums, universities and even museums. With more than 285 franchisees in the US, Canada and Australia already, it’s now entering Blighty and is actively looking for potential franchisees.

With technology progressing like the speed of light, more franchises are embracing artificial intelligence in their operations and we’re sure more consumers will joyfully scream at the thought of being served a cup of frozen yoghurt through a Transformersesque robot.

This franchise is definitely scrubbing up nicely when it comes to cleaning services. SOLVED365 has spun out of Total Solutions Group, the cleaning and restorations solutions company launched in 2014. It entered the franchise market in September 2018 and is actively looking for potential franchisees with the expertise and procedures to cater to both local and national regions. The franchisees will be providing commercial contract cleaning services. To do so, they’ll receive full support around HR, health and safety, marketing and will have a 24/7 helpline.

Given cleaning will always remain a necessity, this is one franchise to keep in mind.

Having a presentable physical appearance is essential when making a good first impression. After all, it’s the first thing you notice in a person. Given how Italian textiles are second to none, this bel paese brand is blending luxury with a modern style at a bargain with its bags and accessories. The company recently decided to spread its wings internationally and offer franchise licences across the globe after it opened its first company-operated store in Solihull. While it’s a dream for many to own an Hermès Birkin bag, why not try some by Y Not for your next evening soiree?

JANUARY 2019 | elitefranchise

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platinumbusinesspartners.co.uk platinumbusinesspartners.co.uk

CASE STUDY: Nigel & Glenn

Pet Supplies

April ‘16

£3,500

CATEGORY

DATE JOINED

MONTHLY NET PROFIT

“

Brothers, Nigel and Glenn Chilcott, are no strangers to working together. For the past two years, they’ve been building a property business together after leaving their corporate IT careers in London. But they needed another income stream, and joining an online retail franchise seemed the perfect way to do it and keep them away from the typical nine-to-five existence.

Despite not having any direct experience of the ecommerce world, other than from a consumer perspective, Nigel and Glenn believed they had some valuable transferable skills that would benefit their business. In addition, they both had the enthusiasm and determination to make it work.

They decided to join Platinum Business Partners in April 2016. Nigel commented: “We realised that you could probably do this on your own, but that it would take a lot longer, not only to get started but to become profitable too. Being taught by mentors who have been there, done it and made the mistakes, as well as being part of a support network, is hugely beneficial. We like the way that Platinum operates with integrity and in the medium to long-term, the franchise fee will become a very cost-effective investment.”

Our focus now is on increasing our sales to 100+ units per day at a minimum of a 20% net profit margin. We also have plans to sell our current brand by December 2018 and develop another two.

“

Low start-up costs and unlimited potential made this online retail business a ‘no-brainer’

Glenn and Nigel sold their first product on Amazon on18th September 2016. Within nine months of trading, they’ve achieved a six-figure sales revenue and last month’s net profit was more than £3,500.

PLAT003

Cup the Cake is about a challenge where the sky is the limit Start your business from the comfort of your own home with no monthly royalties to pay out, what you earn is yours to keep. With three packages to choose from there is something to fit everyone’s needs and skill level!

To learn more about the business options available contact: t: 07799 453621 e: hello@cupthecake.com w: cupthecake.com

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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

LEGAL RESOLUTIONS

Stay legal in 2019

By KATE LEGG, CEO, KOMERSE

From GDPR to trademarks, staying on top of legal challenges is a great resolution for 2019

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t’s that time of year again, when we resolve to become better versions of ourselves. If you’re looking for some new year’s inspiration that you might actually stick to, here are some ideas for resolutions to help your business.

Get on top of data protection There was a time last summer when you couldn’t go anywhere without being stalked by notices asking whether you would like to opt in to mailing lists and give your consent to cookies. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) launched in May in a cloud of publicity, with businesses everywhere fearing the consequences. If you haven’t gotten on top of your data protection obligations yet, then now’s the time. It’s really not that bad. Promise.

Start by defining the who, what, where, why and how. So, who do you collect or hold information on? GDPR only relates to information about living individuals, for example, employees and customers.

Secondly, ask yourself why you’re collecting the information? For example, in the case of employees, it will be to fulfil your obligations

as employer, to maintain HR files and deal with payroll and autoenrolment. In the case of customers, your why will include holding data to send marketing communications and process orders and payments.

Once you know the why, you can then assess how much information – the what – you need to properly complete those purposes. Your duties as a data controller include collecting enough information to be able to fulfil your obligations properly but collecting no more than necessary. For example, it may be sufficient to confirm that someone is over the age of 18 but you might not need their full date of birth.

Which leads us to where the data is kept. Data controllers are under obligation to keep information secure. To do this, you’ll need to consider where it’s held and the nature of that information. The more sensitive data will require higher levels of security. Appropriate measures could range from storing papers in a locked filing cabinet with limited access to the key or, in the case of data held in electronic form, using encryption technology, strong

passwords and having a robust backup system.

So how will you use the information? If it’s disclosed to third parties you’ll need to check that arrangements with those third parties are GDPR-compliant. For example, you may transfer employee data to a third party payroll provider.

Similarly, you may need consent for certain processing like marketing opt-ins in which case, how is that consent obtained and documented?

You can also consider mapping information from cradle to grave.

Think about a piece of data that you collect and the complete journey information goes on from the point at which you collect it to the moment you dispose it and potentially everything in between.

Once you have a clear understanding of what information is being processed, why and how, it will be much easier to spot any GDPR holes that need to be fixed. You can then update policies and procedures and make sure key documents like privacy policies are up-to-date. Ensure you document the process to address accountability obligations in GDPR.

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Review and update terms and conditions Many businesses have a tendency to prepare their terms and conditions but then forget all about them. Yet in the event of a dispute with customers, your terms and conditions will be one of the first things your solicitor asks to see. A good set of terms and conditions will be both a sword – for example to assist in debt collection from problem payers – and a shield against liability and other claims.

In the case of franchise networks, terms and conditions are even more important since all franchisees in the network are likely to be relying on the same document.

Standard terms should be updated every time your commercial terms change. If you evolve the way you calculate charges or payment terms, then the standard terms should reflect that. They should also be periodically reviewed and updated to comply with the latest law.

For example, there have been significant legislative changes in recent years for anyone dealing with consumers and especially

businesses that sell online or via phone or mail order. In addition, case law is constantly evolving which can impact on the way companies are able to limit their liability in terms and conditions.

No matter how good a set of terms and conditions, they won’t help unless they’re properly incorporated into the contracts with customers. So it’s a good idea to review how terms are being used in practice as well as what’s in them. Make sure staff are aware of how to incorporate terms into contracts and check that everyone is using the most updated set.

Check trademarks Like terms and conditions, many franchisors register their trademarks early on and then forget all about them. Don’t do that as it’s a good idea to review them from time to time.

First, check the trademarks that are actually in use compared with ones on the register. Logos and brands often evolve over time and so it may well be that the logo now being used is different to the form that

was registered several years ago. The difficulty with this is that registering a trademark only confers protection over the mark that was registered. So if the brand has changed, it may be time to submit a new application.

Second, check whether anyone else is using the same or a confusingly similar mark without your permission and if so, take action. It’s important to police the use of a trademark because if a mark becomes widely used, it will lose its distinctive character and no longer be protected. For example, pre-Dyson, Hoover became a generic term for vacuum cleaners. In addition, the longer an unauthorised person continues to use a brand without permission, the harder it will be to stop them in future. As a result, it’s a good idea to regularly check whether any identical or similar marks are in use, whether applications for new, similar marks are being lodged and to take action to stop any potential infringements as soon as you become aware of them.

While there are certainly more challenges on the horizon, keeping these resolutions will ensure 2019 is off to a good start. jANUARY 2019 | elitefranchise

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ON SALE NOW Pre-order the printed edition now at www.newsstand.co.uk SPONSORED BY

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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

USE THIS EF 100F.indd 2

21/12/2018 11:23

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...

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

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• The UK’s favourite place to buy or sell a business

www.daltonsbusiness.com Untitled-3 Untitled-12 1 1

12/01/2018 05/10/2017 17:53 17:14

ARE YOU LOOKING FOR A FRANCHISE OPPORTUNITY IN IRELAND OR SCOTLAND? Our recruitment franchise could be what you’re looking for Law Staff Legal Recruitment is an award-winning legal recruitment company situated in Cambridgeshire. Established in 2002 by Marcus Stevens, our Company Director, the business has grown over 16 years and now employs over 25 members of staff, ranging from experienced Recruitment Consultants to our exceptional Recruitment Assistants and Marketing Executives, including an excellent accounts team.

We operate from our own bespoke database system, with over 25,000 registered candidates actively seeking new employment opportunities in the UK alone. We pride ourselves on our strong brand and commitment to excellent service, working with top tier ‘Magic Circle’ firms, through regional heavyweights to the smallest niche practices. Each one is awarded the same level of specialist attention to ensure we are recruiting the right person for the vacancy. Working collectively we ensure that we produce tailored campaigns catering for individual client’s needs.

As we expand in 2018 we are looking for exceptional people to help build on our success, expanding our brand into Ireland and Scotland. Get in touch if you are ready for that next step in owning your own piece of this incredible business.

Why choose a Law Staff franchise?

Low set up cost

Continual support

Fantastic earning potential

Experienced Training given

Start working from home!

Flexible working

W: www.law-staff.co.uk T: 01954 208062 E: psweeney@law-staff.co.uk template.indd 3

21/12/2018 11:08

ADVERTISING FEATURE

Is buying a franchise really right for you?

While the benefits of franchising are crystal clear, getting into it with the right attitude is paramount

D

o you ever dream about being your own boss? What about buying your own franchise? Although both answers may be affirmative, here’s the real question: is franchising the right option for you? Before giving a verdict, you must first consider the many traits a franchisee should possess.

Who is the perfect franchisee?

As a franchisee, you are certainly your own boss – but you must also be open to listening to your franchisor’s advice. This requires being level-headed and amenable to other people’s opinions, which can see you take a step back and realise you may be going wrong somewhere. “You need to put your faith in the franchisor and take their advice,” says Adrian Steel, franchisee of Wilkins Chimney Sweep.

“After all, they’ve been successful with the model and you’d be foolish not to take their advice.” Adrian also regards the ideal franchisee as being driven to “make the business a success ... as just buying a business isn’t enough,” as well as “draw[ing] on any experiences you’ve had in any previous jobs.”

However, previous experience could be in anything as long as the skills are transferable. So if you’re hard working, open to advice, in need of a little support yet keen to be your own boss, you indeed have the makings of the perfect franchisee.

I’m not sure I want to run a fast food business Contrary to popular belief, franchising is not just limited to fast-food restaurants. In fact, the industry now represents nearly every business sector. At

114 elITefrAnCHISe | jAnuArY 2019

ADVERTISING FEATURE

FranchiseSales.com, for example, there’s a wide range to choose from. This includes café and coffee franchises, where the coffee industry currently sees all-time high successes; work-from-home franchises in which franchisees needn’t spend money renting an office; as well as franchises in cleaning, gardening, automotive, property, education, fitness and many, many more.

It’s great to aim for an industry you have some knowledge of, whether that

be from education to sign-making.

Having said that, most franchisors offer comprehensive training and support whatever the business, which means investing in sectors with no direct previous experience is very common and achievable.

Sounds great so for. But why is franchising such an attractive option?

Well, compared to other business models, it brings some serious benefits you can’t find just anywhere.

Low risk means high security Franchises have tight, tried and tested business plans with proven results. Moreover, franchisors want you to succeed just as much as you, meaning support can be unparalleled. “It has always been my dream to spend my time caring for animals but as I had no experience of running a business, I did not think having my own business could ever be an option,” says Diane Routledge, franchisee of Paw Pals. “When I discovered Paw Pals, it seemed the ideal solution to buy a franchise and gain the support of a well-established company to help me set up my branch from scratch, something I would not have been able to do on my own.”

A chance to develop If you want bigger challenges and more responsibility, franchisors will be raring to have you as a franchisee.

For example, Michael Malloy, franchisee of Bang & Olufsen Bath, used to be a frustrated shop worker who kept approaching his previous boss for more responsibilities.

“Coincidentally, around six weeks after those initial discussions I read an advert in a national Sunday newspaper offering franchise opportunities,” he recalls. “I had been self-employed earlier in my working life and was very keen to enjoy the opportunity again. The timing just could not have been better.”

Unprecedented flexibility Quite simply, owning a franchise often means a better work-life balance.

Remember: you are your own boss so you work the hours you want as per your convenience. “After having my daughter my priorities changed,” says Shobhana Sankar, franchisee of The Creation Station. “I wanted to be there for my daughter and my family.

Running my own franchise with a brand that shared my family values and personal values was the obvious choice for me.”

Indulge in a passion As mentioned, there are plenty of sectors in the franchise industry to explore. So if you’ve always had a passion for something, why not make a career out of it? Take Paw Pals franchisee Caroline Newbury, who says she found the franchise on a website and became inspired by their genuine and friendly passion for animals. “I am a big lover of the great outdoors and after sitting behind a desk for 25 years, despite having had some great jobs, I was ready to fulfil my dream and make my own success, as well as doing something I love – not many people can say that.”

Good second job option If you would like another source of income, then owning a franchise on the side can also be an ideal opportunity. As long as you have enough resources to employ someone to run it for you, it can be a highly lucrative venture as well as provide a great work-life balance.

If you haven’t already, you must be bursting at the seams to start scanning for what franchise opportunities are out there. Well, FranchiseSales.com has everything you need to get cracking.

JANuARy 2019 | elITeFRANCHISe

115

Franchise Resales

Buy an existing franchise

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Search 100s of franchise resales now Visit bfsale.co.uk/eliteresales

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an altogether friendly bookkeeping experience

Merry Maids has been one of the most successful home cleaning franchise operations in the world for the past 37 years, with almost 100 franchises in the UK. If you’d like to hit the ground running, perhaps one of our existing Merry Maids businesses is for you.

Northampton

Investment: £60,000 Established: 2005 Turnover: £140,000

Wigan

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 Resales.indd 1

www.franchisesales.com

31/08/2018 11:30

FRANCHISE RESALES

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

North Hertfordshire Investment: TBC Established: 1997 Turnover: £160,000

It’s been great and has exceeded expectations! I love the variety of clients that I get to meet and work with, ranging from new startups through to established businesses and also landlords and retirees.

A resale opportunity has arisen in one of our Franchises based in North Hertfordshire.

The franchisee started in 1997 and operates from office premises. The business is well known in the local business community servicing around 290 clients and has Gross Recurring Fees of circa £156K. This represents an excellent foundation upon which a new franchisee can further develop an already established business. The business has enjoyed regular growth, with the majority of new clients coming from recommendations and inbound leads generated from the support centre.

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

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

John Biggs - Franchisee

chat: 0800 0188 297 or visit us at www.taxassistfranchise.co.uk

West Midlands Investment: TBC Established: 2009 Turnover: c£90,000

I am happy to report that I now have over 400 clients, which generate an income and flexibility in how I work that could not have been achieved on the corporate ladder I stepped off.

Alex Smith - Franchisee

sponsored by Resales.indd 2

A resale opportunity has arisen in one of our Franchises based in West Midlands.

The franchisee started in 2009 and operates from a prominent shop front location so any purchaser would be walking into a readymade business with a fully fitted shop, complete with furniture, IT and telephone systems along with experienced staff.

The business has Gross Recurring Fees of circa £85K and services around 139 clients.

This opportunity provides huge potential and represents an excellent foundation upon which a new franchisee can further develop an established business.

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

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

www.franchisesales.com

31/08/2018 11:30

FRANCHISE FOCUS

AUTOMOTIVE Chips Away

Mac Tools

Restore Automotive

£: 29,995+VAT

£: 5,000

£: 24,997

chipsaway.co.uk

mactools-franchise.co.uk

restorefranchise.com

Revive!

Snap-on Tools

SuperGlass

£: 27,500

£: 16,037

£: 15,000

revivefranchise.com

snaponfranchise.co.uk

superglassukfranchise.com

ActionCOACH

Business Doctors

CPA Online

£: 27,000+

£: n/a

£: 7,375+VAT

actioncoach.co.uk

businessdoctorsfranchise.com

cpa.co.uk

Expense Reduction Analysts

Falcon Commercial

Jackson Fire & Security

£: 39,900

£: n/a

£: 39,500+VAT

erafranchise.net

falconcommercial.co.uk

jacksonfire.co.uk/franchise

MJB Graham Consultancy

PA4You

Platinum Business Partners

£: P.O.A

£: n/a

£: 30,000+VAT

www.mjbgraham.com/franchise

pa4you.co.uk

platinumbusinesspartners.co.uk

Regus

The HR Dept

Zeb PA

£: n/a

£: n/a

£: n/a

regus.co.uk

hrdept.co.uk

zebpafranchise.co.uk

Ableworld

Bluebird Care

Caremark

£:75,000

£: 115,000

£: 100,000

ableworldfranchise.co.uk

bluebirdcarefranchise.co.uk

caremarkfranchises.com

Fosse Healthcare

Heritage Healthcare

Home Instead Senior Care

£: 50,000

£: 29,995+VAT

£: 90,000+

fossefranchise.co.uk

heritagehealthcarefranchising.co.uk

homeinstead.co.uk/franchise

Kare Plus

Radfield Home Care

Right at Home

£: 40,000

£: 75,000

£: 37,000+VAT

franchising.kareplus.co.uk

radfieldhomecarefranchising.co.uk

rightathomefranchising.co.uk

Arising Cleaning Franchise

Betterclean Services

Blue Sky Guttering Ltd

£: 2,995+

£: 19,600+

£: n/a

arisingcleaningfranchise.co.uk

bettercleanfranchise.co.uk

franchise.blueskyguttering.co.uk

BUSINESS

CARE

CLEANING

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

Clever Tutors

ComputerXplorers

£: 10,000

£: 3,000

£: 29,500

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

clevertutors.com

computerxplorers.co.uk

diddi dance

Helen O’Grady

Kiddley Divey

£: 4,995+VAT

£: 15,000

£: 5,997+VAT

diddidance.com

helenogrady.co.uk

kiddleydivey.co.uk/join-our-team

COFFEE

CHILDREN

SPONSORED BY

WWW.FRANCHISESALES.COM

FRANCHISE FOCUS

CHILDREN Kumon

Mad Science

Magikats Maths and English

£: 3,000

£: 23,500

£: 10,000+VAT

kumon.co.uk

madscience.org

educationalfranchise.co.uk

Mathnasium

Monkey Music

Popkidz

£:40,000

£: 13,975+VAT

£: 25,000

mathnasium.com/franchise

monkeymusic.co.uk

popkidz.co.uk

Puddle Ducks

Spaghetti Maths

Sport4Kids

£: 18,975

£: £10,750

P.O.A

puddleducks.com/franchising

franchise.spaghettimaths.co.uk

www.s4kfranchising.com

Stagecoach

Swimtime

The Creation Station

£: 14,995+VAT

£: 18,000+VAT

£: 7,999+VAT

stagecoachfranchise.com

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

ENERGY Gas-Elec

Green Square

£: 16,500+VAT

£: 75,000

gas-elec.co.uk/franchise

greensquare.co.uk/renewablefranchise

FASHION & CLOTHING 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

£: 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

Chopstix Noodle Bar

£: 55,000

£: 100,000

£: 59,000

beatonstearooms.co.uk

broccolifranchise.com

chopstixgroup.com

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

Warrens Bakery

£: 86,000 - 222,000

£: 18,500

subwayfranchising.com

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

£: 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

Now Boarding Pet Hotels

OSCAR

£: 10,000+VAT

£: n/a

£: 8,995+VAT

barkingmad.uk.com

nowboardingpethotels.co.uk/franchise

oscar.co.uk

Trophy Pet Foods

We Love Pets

£: 13,995+VAT

£: 9,999+VAT

trophypetfoods.co.uk

welovepetsfranchise.co.uk

PHOTOGRAPHY ABC Photography Limited

Photography for Little People

White Box

£: n/a

£: 15,000

£: n/a

abcphotography.co.uk

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

PRINT

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

Select Appointments

£: 35,000+

£: n/a

£: 24,750

driverhirefranchise.co.uk

law-staff.co.uk

selectfranchising.co.uk

Award Leisure

CeX

Cash Generator

£: 77,000

£: 150,000 - £250,000

£: 80,000

awardleisurefranchise.co.uk

webuy.com/franchising

cgfranchising.co.uk

Local Appliance Rentals

One Stop

£: 50,000+

£: 92pw+VAT

localappliancerentals.co.uk

openaonestop.co.uk

RETAIL

SPORT & FITNESS A-Star Sports

Anytime Fitness

Be A Better You

£: n/a

£: 110,000

£: 20,000

a-starsports.co.uk

anytimefitness.co.uk

beabetteryou.com

Body Street

Busylizzy

Energie Fitness

£: P.O.A

£: 17,000+VAT

£: 95,000

www.bodystreetuk.co.uk

busylizzyfranchise.co.uk

energiefranchise.com

Fitness Space

Premier

YourZone45

£: 24,950

£: 14,950 ex. VAT

£: 60,000

fitnessspace.com

makesportyourbusiness.com

yourzone45.co.uk

TECHNOLOGY & SOFTWARE 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

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

124 elitefranchise | january 2019

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DISCOVERY DAYS

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.

RELAUNCHED FOR THE DIGITAL AGE

STRICTLY B2B

EXCELLENT SUPPORT AND TRAINING

CELEBRATING 40 YEARS IN BUSINESS

Robust marketing framework

01189 743 911 ovenufranchise.co.uk 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

ROBUST MARKETING FRAMEWORK

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

make their

FUTURE your

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

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

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

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

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

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

january 2019 | elitefranchise

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DISCOVERY DAYS

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

Your Discovery Day Invitation

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

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.

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

“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

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

Could YOU be the next UK Franchisee?

CREATE THE WORK/LIFE BALANCE YOU WANT

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.

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 Please contact us for more information regarding available territories

126 elitefranchise | January 2019

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DISCOVERY DAYS

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

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

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 Love fashion, live your passion with Suit the City

Innovative equipment and smart technology

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.

Support and training from committed team

www.suitfranchise.com

Join the orange coffee revolution

Visit www.easy.coffee/franchise or call us on

0333 433 0311 Franchise Opportunities with Driver Hire

Multi-award winning franchise model Flexible financing assistance Innovative industry Full technical training Personalised operational support

For more information visit: www.fsfastsigns.co.uk

- ‘Franchisor of the Year’ award winner - five times - Average franchise turnover of £1,180,450 in 2017/18 (3 x franchise industry average) - Average net profit more than £130,000 - Franchising successfully since 1987

driverhirefranchise.co.uk january 2019 | elitefranchise

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Buy a coffee franchise.

Coffee is big business: 2.2 billion coffee cups are consumed every year in coffee shops.

It makes lots of money: Industry turnover is approx. £7.9 billion and sales have increased 10% since 2015.

And it’s growing: Analysts predict the coffee shop sector will exceed 30,000 outlets and produce £15 billion turnover by 2025.

Visit FranchiseSales.com to find out more about buying a coffee franchise – and more!

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Jane Maudsley founder & managing director Little Voices

No-go gadgets After ten tech-free days and a complete shut-off from work, Jane Maudsley shares the benefits of casting her devices out of reach

I

write this month’s Franchise Diary on the back of a two-week holiday.

While that in itself is perhaps very normal for most people, it was the first fortnight off work I’ve had in five years – I usually only take a week or a few days off at a time.

So, the first lesson from my time off is to book more holidays and ensure they’re extended periods – whatever business you’re running. After all, you’re unable to give people everything when running on empty. As if the length of time wasn’t enough, I took the decision to also make this holiday a tech-free one without all things social media, iPhone and laptop.

The key question I asked myself was “Could I do it? Really? Could I?” Like anything, you’ll only complete your goal with a really strong reason why it’s important. Why was it so vital for me to have a break from LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, emails and so on? The answer – to really have a complete rest and a break. I also have an awful habit of getting distracted on my phone dealing with something and ignoring what those around me are

asking, whether that’s my daughter, partner or sometimes even someone in the office. I’m constantly having to say “What was that?”

I needed to be present during this holiday with my partner. I needed uninterrupted time with him without the world in between us. And that’s what our tech is – access to the world and everyone thinking you’re always available.

As a result, it has a real way of interrupting your life. We use social media a lot at Little Voices for many reasons and seeing the posts, interacting with things and reading about the business wouldn’t enable me to switch off. We also have lots of groups on Facebook that provide forums for our people and I’d be unable to ignore posts and requests for help if I saw them. I’d get easily distracted and find my time sucked away. I don’t use social media to post my lunch and my holiday photos so my friends feel like they’re away with me on my vacation and, even if I did, that holiday needed to be something else – a personal JANUARY 2019 | elitefranchise

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collection of memories for us to share, not posting for likes as is the new culture.

And I did it. I managed 14 days away from social media and my phone and it was absolute bliss – without doubt, I’ll be doing it again. Most importantly, I’ve made good changes to the way I work since. It really was the best thing I’ve ever done for myself, providing a space to thoroughly relax, refuel and reenergise. I highly recommend it and, believe me, if your why is strong enough, you can achieve the seemingly impossible.

The niggling ache in my thumb joints had relaxed – perhaps a physical symptom of the 21st century tech generation, which I believe it was down to all the scrolling I’d been doing. Moreover, no alarms were required so I didn’t need my phone beside the bed. I was enjoying quality time with my partner to celebrate my 40th birthday and the things we saw. The places we visited were for us, not the world. So I didn’t need the camera. I needed to be away from the day-to-day and I had left a very capable team of staff and franchisees in control of all things social media. And in the event there was an emergency that couldn’t wait, they could have got hold of me on my partner’s phone.

So what else did I learn and what have I changed as a result? Honestly when you reflect on your habits, some of

them are killing your productivity in business. What purpose does checking the news, your personal social channels and emails serve as soon as you open your eyes? Absolutely nothing. That habit needed to be broken and for me it has been. Therefore, I’ve removed all of that stuff from my personal mobile. It serves no purpose towards my business and personal goals and, frankly, it’s unnecessary noise – so it’s gone. I realised on my tech-free holiday that really I’m not interested in reading about everyone else’s holidays and meals, issues and opinions. It’s like going to a coffee shop and listening to the conversations around you – meaningless.

Unless you have a lot of time on your hands and it’s of interest to you, I suspect that’s not a hobby of yours. So ditch the social media eating your time and productivity to push it towards what really matters.

Furthermore, I haven’t had emails on my phone for five years and neither will they return but I’ve gone one step further since returning. I’m not checking my emails – I’m just giving my response to them once a day. In two weeks I had no emails that couldn’t wait until I returned, so I don’t need to check my inbox every hour while at work.

I can safely say, I believe there’s been an amazing outcome after this round of tech-free days. So why not try it? I don’t think that you’ll regret it – if the why is strong enough you’ll be able to achieve it.

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