Elite Business Magazine Sept 2016

September 2016 ÂŁ4.50

Breaking up is hard to do How to avoid heartache when partnerships fall apart

elitefranchisemagazine.co.uk

Spun Candy

How James Ellender became a real-life Willy Wonka

Shuttercraft The franchise sheds some light on its successful transformation

Keeping busy To say Lisa Curteis is a hard worker is an understatement. In the early years of Rosemary Bookkeeping, its director was scarcely able to switch off – even when she went into hospital to give birth to her son. But the hard work has definitely paid off, seeing her head up an award-winning franchise network

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philipphilipo-fish o-fish I am I am a franchisee a franchisee && this this is my is my McDonald’s McDonald’s ‘We’re ‘We’re very very active active in the in the community, community, likelike helping helping local local business business groups groups andand sponsoring sponsoring grassroots grassroots football football teams. teams.

TheThe most most satisfying satisfying partpart of being of being a franchisee a franchisee is developing is developing my my people. people.

Seeing Seeing them them enjoy enjoy themselves themselves andand be proud be proud to work to work at McDonald’s at McDonald’s – that’s – that’s thethe bestbest thing.’ thing.’

Phil,Phil, operates operates 6 restaurants 6 restaurants in North in North Wales Wales

www.mcdonalds.co.uk/franchising www.mcdonalds.co.uk/franchising

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Develop your

sustainable business growth strategy PRESENTING business leaders & successful entrepreneurs, including:

Lara Morgan

Mark Foster

Oli Barrett MBE

Lara Morgan is best known for growing Pacific Direct, from start-up to successful exit, and now invests her time in fast growth companies. Lara is founder of Company Shortcuts and represents UKTI as an Export Ambassador.

Since retiring from swimming, Mark Foster has become a familiar face on television including appearing on Strictly Come Dancing. Inspired by this experience, Foster teamed up with Natalie Lowe and Ian Waite and formed Fitsteps.

Oli Barrett MBE is one of GQ magazine’s 100 most connected men in 2016.

Co-founder of Cospa which helps companies and causes to create and grow ventures which make both money and a difference.

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05/08/2016 09:43

The event for SMEs looking to grow, develop or diversify business

80+ free to attend seminars and workshops – be inspired by business leaders 150+ SME friendly suppliers and service providers in the exhibition Conference hosting a speaker line-up of successful entrepreneurs and titans of industry Network with thousands of SME owners and decision-makers and dedicated drop-in areas

Join the very best of the UK’s small and medium sized businesses to secure growth and build a smarter enterprise.

Register for your FREE ticket

elitebusinessevent.co.uk

@EliteBizEvents

EBL DPS July 2016 (EF).indd 2

EliteBizEvent

Elite Business Live

05/08/2016 09:43

CONTENTS

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46 REGULARS 9 Editor’s letter 10 Contributors 13 News & events 81 Franchise diaries COLUMNS 15 Pip Wilkins 17 Claire Robinson 27 Nigel Toplis 29 Tony Bowman

40 Finding the sweet spot

58 No need for speed

Spun Candy is giving franchisees something to sink their teeth into

Franchisors and F1 drivers come from different worlds but both have to manage their stress

46 Alternative route

62 Get app and go

54 Making a marketing map

68 Leave: a paper trail

Revealing the new alternative ways to fund your franchise

Knowing how you’ll get from A to B is vital for your marketing success

The lifesaver apps for the franchisee on the move

The ins and outs of how Brexit stands to impact franchising legislation

FEATURES

30 Grand designs

How Shuttercraft is transforming its business to reach the next level

34 End of a love affair How to avoid costly heartbreaks when partnerships fall apart

FREE INFORMATION SERVICE Don’t miss our free information service for franchisees. You can find this at the back of the magazine.

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18 THE ELITE INTERVIEW

Lisa Curteis reveals the secrets behind Rosemary Bookkeeping’s success

September 2016 | elitefranchise

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SUPPORTING BRITISH BUSINESS

WE COMMIT TO GROW OUR LENDING TO BRITISH BUSINESS

We help brilliant British businesses grow. In the last four years we have helped over 500,000 businesses start up, and we back over 80% of the FTSE 100.

We approve 8 out of 10 loans and are lending to all types of businesses across Britain.

To find out how we can support your business, please contact Richard Holden, Head of Franchising on 07802 324018 or at franchising@lloydsbanking.com Find out more at lloydsbank.com/business

Any property given as security, which may include your home, may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage or other debts secured on it.

All lending is subject to a satisfactory credit assessment.

Over 500,000 start-up figure relates to Lloyds Banking Group, correct as at December 2014. Lloyds Bank FTSE 100 figure correct as at January 2015. 8 out of 10 relates to period April 2012 – November 2014.

Calls may be monitored or recorded. Please note that any data sent via e-mail is not secure and could be read by others. Authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority under Registration Number 119278. We subscribe to The Lending Code; copies of the Code can be obtained from www.lendingstandardsboard.org.uk. The Lloyds Banking Group includes companies using brands including Lloyds Bank, Halifax and Bank of Scotland and their associated companies. More information on the Lloyds Banking Group can be found at lloydsbankinggroup.com

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WELCOME

VOLUME 04 ISSUE 09 / 2016

EDITORIAL Josh Russell – Acting Editor josh.russell@cemedia.co.uk Maria Barr – Acting Web Editor maria.barr@cemedia.co.uk Eric Johansson - Feature Writer eric.johansson@cemedia.co.uk DESIGN/PRODUCTION Leona Connor – Head Designer leona.connor@cemedia.co.uk Jenny Allen – Junior Designer jenny.allen@cemedia.co.uk Dan Lecount – Web Development Manager dan@cemedia.co.uk SALES Gemma Campion – Sales Manager gemma.campion@cemedia.co.uk MARKETING David Thomas – Group Marketing Manager david.thomas@cemedia.co.uk Laura Hyde – Marketing Assistant laura.hyde@cemedia.co.uk Mark Walker - Marketing Assistant mark.walker@cemedia.co.uk CIRCULATION Paul Kirby – Circulation & Data Manager paul.kirby@cemedia.co.uk ACCOUNTS Sally Stoker – Finance Manager sally.stoker@cemedia.co.uk ADMINISTRATION Rosie Maughan – Administrator rosie.maughan@cemedia.co.uk DIRECTOR Scott English – Managing Director scott.english@cemedia.co.uk Circulation enquiries: CE Media Call: 0124 567 3700 Elite Franchise is published by CE Media, 1st Floor, Regency House, 16 Victoria Road, Chelmsford, CM1 1NZ Copyright 2016. 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 CE Media Limited cannot be held responsible for such variation. cemedia.co.uk

Focusing on the 10% T

here is some truth in the old adage that genius is 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration. But whilst my favourite franchise stories certainly come with sweat by the bucket-load, you can’t rule out the importance of an epiphany in setting an entrepreneur on their path to franchising greatness.

Whether it’s looking at how a heart attack can bring on a realisation that it’s time to address the stress and box smarter with the way you run your business or how a fantastic sports season can impart valuable lessons on furthering the franchise industry, there’s no arguing that sudden flashes of inspiration aren’t driving the

industry forward. Everywhere you look, people are putting their epiphanies to work and building better and more succesful franchises as a result.

If anyone can appreciate this, it’s this month’s cover star Lisa Curteis. After a dawning realisation in Piccadilly Circus helped her see she hadn’t yet reached her full potential, she made the jump into entrepreneurialism and hasn’t looked back. She has since helped grow Rosemary Bookkeeping into an awardwinning franchise with over 20 franchisees and is now committing to helping others follow in her footsteps.

Here’s hoping her story inspires plenty of epiphanies of its own.

JOSH RUSSELL - ACTING EDITOR josh.russell@cemedia.co.uk

September 2016 | elitefranchise

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CONTRIBUTORS

Maria barr

She may be Elite Franchise’s freshest face, but Barr is already gracing these hallowed pages with linguistic somersaults. Having recently returned from Singapore’s world of PR, this former food blogger is busy familiarising herself with London’s eateries one bite at the time. This month, when she wasn’t busy snacking away in the Big Smoke, Barr penned pieces about a global confectionary business and what it takes to rebrand an established shutter franchise.

TONY BOWMAN

We all get by with a little help from our friends whether we’re competing in the Olympics or running a franchise. This month, Bowman shows how helping each other has become vital after the Brexit vote. Later this month, he’ll reveal how the referendum has affected the franchising community at the bfa London and South East Forum. In these challenging times, it seems everyone needs someone to say “I’ll be there for you”.

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KATE LEGG

The shockwaves of the referendum quake slowly subsided during the summer and left franchisees and franchisors pondering the question: what’s next? Fortunately, our resident legal eagle offers some guidance.

Fresh from a three-week holiday in Canada, where she took in the wonders of the Niagara Falls, Legg is back to the salt mines and explains in this issue how Brexit will affect the legal landscape for UK franchises.

NICK HARRIS

When Harris is not writing about how a structured approach to sales and marketing can boost franchises’ growth he spends his time as franchise sales director at Northwood, the estate and lettings agent. Given that he successfully launched, developed and sold his own franchise, knows a thing or two about the franchising journey. This month he has drafted a road map to ensure you don’t get lost along the way to marketing success.

elitefranchise | September 2016

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SINCE 1994

Your existing skills could be the answer

Looking to escape the corporate world?

Many of our franchisees decided to leave employment behind and use their existing skills to build a better lifestyle and a future for themselves. Our franchisees come from all walks of life, each with varying knowledge and experience. We find this makes us a stronger network because it allows you to draw on their knowledge to fill in your skill gaps. Out network of 200+ consultants is waiting for you…

Auditel is the UK’s pioneer of strategic cost management. We assist and educate our clients to make smarter buying and management decisions, leading to business longevity and growth. Our franchisees become invaluable, outsourced board level members of the companies they serve.

The Auditel franchise is ideal for professionals who: Have previous business management experience Possess a strong desire to work for themselves Are ambitious and motivated to build a profitable business Have strong business development and negotiation skills Recognised the combined skillset and knowledge of the network to be a large asset to achieving success

Dean Cooper

Auditel gives you the opportunity to transfer your existing skills into your own business and something you can enjoy doing whilst reaping the rewards of your success. If you’re ready to take the leap, we’re ready to hear from you!

If you’d like to learn more about our award-winning training programme, book onto a forthcoming Discovery Day and meet some of the training team.

“I joined Auditel to take control and be responsible for my earnings. I wanted to do something similar to my previous career but far enough removed for it to be different.”

Franchisee since 2014

http://auditelfranchise.co.uk

0800 583 3355

recruitment@auditel.co.uk ARCM001

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A new concept in franchising Game developers Project M Global are offering the world’s first franchise opportunity where you can be part of a unique mobile gaming concept and the good news is you do not need to know anything about gaming to be part of this very lucrative market.

The mobile gaming industry has now outgrown both the movie and music market and has become the biggest entertainment medium in the world.

Everyone has heard about the multi-million dollar global success of games such as Angry Birds and Candy Crush, but until now the opportunity to tap into this booming market and be part of the next new game that everyone wants to play has not been there.

Join a $93 billion global market Training and support

What is in it for you

• Training at the Tech Hub in London (monthly training days before and after game launch) • Design toolkit • Operations and business manuals • Video tutorials via our website • A monthly discovery day at the Tech Hub in London to meet the team and knowledge sharing

• Whatever your employment status, you can be the master of your own destiny • Work the hours that suit you • Low start-up costs, work from the comfort of your own home or office • Expected high returns • Quarterly pay outs from launch of the game • It’s a business the whole family can get involved in (including the kids)

Investment Level from £17,500 - £160k + VAT

Next Step To find out more about this unique franchise opportunity, please contact us via any of the below.

0207 608 5591 info@projectmglobal.com www.projectmglobal.com PROJ001 Project M FP June16.indd 1

31/05/2016 14:15

NEWS Domino’s takes a slice of the skies

Given the number of companies looking into drone deliveries, the skies seem destined to become more crowded in the near future.

And it looks like Domino’s, the food franchise, could be the first to make commercial drone deliveries a reality.

The company has announced plans to trial a store-to-door delivery system using unmanned aerial vehicles later this year by demonstrating the first stage of its scheme in Auckland. It’s no coincidence this first demonstration took place in New Zealand, given that the country became the first nation in the world to legalise commercial drone deliveries in 2015. “This is the future,” said Don Meij, group managing director and CEO at Domino’s.

If the trial proves successful, Domino’s will look to roll out drone deliveries in Australia, Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Japan and Germany. And while there are no plans to take the scheme to the UK just yet, Domino’s new programme is certainly giving hope to anyone feeling like giving their inner Gordon Ramsay a night off.

The bfa brings on board new recruit to manage media created role. “It is exciting to be starting a role where I can introduce concepts, assist in raising the awareness of a great business model and have an input in the strategic direction of the Association,” she said.

And here we thought our relationship with the bfa couldn’t get any better.

Prelude Group - Maximise Capital Value September 12 40 Portland Place London W1B 1NB bfa Chairman’s Charity Day: Golf September 15 The Warwickshire Golf & Country Club, Leek Wootton, Warwick CV35 7QT

A spoonful of sugar may help the medicine go down but it is a terrible cure for obesity. And with six out of ten Brits being overweight or obese according to the Health Survey for England, it’s clear we need something to remedy the related health issues.

In an attempt to tackle this head-on, the government is implementing a new sugar tax on hospital cafes by 2020. And keen to follow on from its good example, Muffin Break, the food franchise, has introduced healthier food options at a selection of hospital outlets. As well as upping the number of salad options on its menu, it’s removing temptation in the form of biscuits and crisps from till points, replacing them with bowls of fruit and a new porridge option.

When it comes to kicking a sugar habit, every little bit counts. Muffin Break is doing its part.– the question is if other franchises will follow suit as Brits start to lose their sweet tooths?

EWIF National Conference September 22 The Stratford Q Hotel, Arden Street, Stratford-Upon-Avon, CV37 6QQ

The National Franchise Exhibition September 30 – October 1 National Exhibition Centre, North Ave, Birmingham B40 1NT

bfa HSBC Franchisee of the Year Awards 2016 September 29 Birmingham Town Hall, Victoria Square, Birmingham B3 3DQ

Coconut Creatives - How to market your franchise workshop October 11-12 Yew Lodge Hotel, Kegworth, Derbyshire, DE74 2DF

A full event listing is available on our website: elitefranchisemagazine.co.uk/events

September 2016 | elitefranchise

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WORDS: ERIC JOHANSSON

Events

In a drive to boost the bfa’s relationship with the media, the business community and the world of academia, the organisation has just appointed Emma Wilsdon as its new external relations and training manager.

Having cut her teeth at Guinot and Sage, Wilsdon is now eager to make her mark in this newly

Muffin to laugh about

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BIO-RITE Working with the NHS

FRANCHISE OPPORTUNITY BENEFITS: • A BFA provisional member • 40 years experience in infection control • Providing services to the NHS, Local Authorities, Care and Nursing Homes and other institutions where infections are a threat • Job security, a growing market and high income potential • Large and exclusive territory • Comprehensive training and full business support

THE MARK OF QUALITY IN INFECTION PREVENTION AND CONTROL

Call 01420 549 659 | franchising@bio-rite.com

www.bio-rite.com/franchise EliteBusiness0916.indd 1 Untitled-2 1

BIOR001

07/09/2016 14:15 19:41 05/08/2016

Pip Wilkins, chief executive, bfa

Team spirit: franchise lessons from the sports world From the Euro 2016 underdogs beating the odds to Team GB’s Olympic glory, this summer was rich with sporting success stories franchisors can learn from It’s been a wonderful few sum of your parts. Rank outsiders months for sports fanatics. when Euro 2016 began, Iceland’s win We’ve had Leicester City shocking the against England perfectly highlighted country with the ultimate underdog the power of teamwork. And Wales Premier League win, inspiring showed the importance of working as Icelanders and Welsh wonders at Euro a team even when you have superstar 2016 and a remarkable result in Rio players like Gareth Bale in the mix, from our Olympic athletes. What’s this who made no attempt to be a onegot to do with franchising, you may man show and instead worked with ask? As it turns out, there are quite his team. a few business lessons to be learned We also saw teamwork in action from the sporting world. during the Euro 2016 final when The Leicester City fairytale has Cristiano Ronaldo went off early after already become part of football getting injured, seemingly taking folklore. The team was a favourite for Portugal’s hopes with him. But, in relegation and had odds of 5,000fact, his departure had a galvanising 1 to win the Premier League title effect on his teammates. With their last August. At that point, manager star striker cheering on from the Claudio Ranieri did what every great sidelines, they pulled together to leader does with their team: he played deliver a crushing extra-time blow to its strengths. Ranieri’s focus on to France. You could also argue pace, teamwork and counter-attacking that Ronaldo looked like more of a maximised the team’s team player from best qualities. In the the sidelines, acting It’s like they’ve end, the sense of almost like a second taken the togetherness among manager rather than franchising formula giving them a hard players gave Leicester and applied it to City an edge over time for not passing some of its toughest the ball. elite sport – with competition. Those Similarly, we incredible results are principles that could all learn a lot every franchisee and from Team GB’s franchisor would do well to heed. performance in Rio – in particular In a similar vein, Wales and Iceland their mentality, attitude and are striking examples of how it’s approach. There are parallels with possible to become far more than the franchising too: you have a group of

individuals striving for maximum performance who are brought together under a larger umbrella and are driving each other on to greater heights. It’s like they’ve taken the franchising formula and applied it to elite sport – with incredible results.

No doubt many smart franchising professionals will have noted the role of teamwork in driving sporting success over the past few months.

Applying philosophies from sport to business might not result in gold medals but it will certainly strengthen any franchise offering.

September 2016 | elitefranchise

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ADVERTISING FEATURE

A high concept For a working life you will really enjoy, give Concept Building Solutions a try

“F

ind something you love to do and you’ll never have to work a day in your life”.

It’s a phrase everyone knows and it has been attributed to different people. But regardless of who coined the phrase, the meaning remains the same.

It’s also what Concept looks for in a franchisee: the desire to enjoy working life. As a provider of a free representation service to building

insurance policyholders, it is imperative that franchisees have a passion for ensuring the policyholder receives the best representation possible and is treated fairly during the claim process.

This is probably why Concept franchisees really enjoy what they do. Every day, they are engaged in removing stressful situations for their clients. They also ensure that the policyholder’s home or business premises are restored to pre-loss conditions as soon as possible and with minimal disruption to their busy lives.

Of course, you cannot live on enjoyment and happiness alone – making money does help. Enjoying what you do and providing a muchneeded service while making a six-figure income is a great recipe. It’s

why the Concept Building Solutions franchise has continued to grow and prosper for the last 13 years.

The Concept franchise is costed at £27,995 plus vat and can be funded via startup loans of up to £25,000 over five years at six percent unsecured.

It is a complete turnkey franchise package. The highest level of training, mentoring and support is provided over a six-month period to ensure success. Due to this high level of training and support, experience in building or insurance is not a necessity. However, a passion for customer service and the ability to communicate effectively are. “…the Concept Building Solutions franchise has continued to grow and prosper over the last 13 years”

Insurance claims management & building repair HOW HAPPY ARE YOU IN YOUR WORK?...

Take the Concept test and find out.

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HAVE AN IDEAL WORK/LIFE BALANCE? WANT ALL THE TRAINING OVER A SIX MONTH PERIOD THAT YOU NEED TO ENSURE YOUR SUCCESS? WANT TO WORK FOR YOURSELF BUT NOT BY YOURSELF, HAVE ALL THE SUPPORT YOU NEED WHEN YOU NEED IT?

WORK FROM DAY ONE WITH THE BACKING OF 14 YEARS OF SUCCESSFUL TRADING BEHIND YOU? WANT TO PROVIDE A FREE SERVICE IN A RECESSION PROOF SECTOR? WORK IN THE MARKET SECTOR OF YOUR CHOICE? NEVER FACE THE RISK OF REDUNDANCY?

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elitefranchise | September 2016

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WELL COULD YOU ANSWER YES TO MOST OF THE QUESTIONS? YOU COULD IF YOU WERE A CONCEPT BUILDING SOLUTIONS FRANCHISEE

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01/09/2016 14:25

Claire Robinson, managing director, Extra Help

Great customer service starts at home How to create a customercentric franchise that makes both customers and franchisees happy Harry Gordon Selfridge, founder of Selfridges, believed that the customer is always right. And over a century later his mantra still holds true. Providing good customer service is one of the most important things a business can do. Great service can encourage customers to recommend your business to friends and family. But they’re just as likely to be turned off by poor customer service and warn other people about their negative experience.

Throw social media into the mix and the stakes are even higher.

For the most part, customers are prepared to overlook a mistake as long as they see that the company is making an effort to resolve and acknowledge the problem. At some point, all business owners will have to deal with difficult customers and resolve issues. And as a franchisee in a customer-facing role, it’s something you’re destined to experience at some point.

Great customer service starts at home, so it’s important that a franchisor ensures its franchisees are happy and feel supported at all times. The key to cultivating a culture of support is to have an opendoor policy to ensure the lines of communication are always open.

Regular networking meetings and company events are useful for allowing franchisors to communicate new information and giving franchisees the chance to ask questions. When a franchisee feels supported, they’ll be more likely to put their customers first too.

The next step is to provide the necessary training and tools for franchisees to manage customer issues, regardless of whether they have immediate control over them or if it’s a direct response to something they did or didn’t do. The most valuable piece of advice we give our franchisees is to always acknowledge the customers’ feelings and views. That said, empathising with them and taking their issues seriously is completely different to believing that the

customer is always right. Instead it’s about respecting their views – even if you don’t agree with them.

Franchisors should also consider implementing a complaint escalation process, which will ensure that any serious issues are passed on to the head office. This demonstrates to customers that their problems are being treated seriously. It also allows franchisees to continue to concentrate on the day-to-day operations confident that their customers are being looked after.

For franchises that are part of an established brand, people expect a consistent level of product or service quality. The reality is that in business problems are bound to arise but it’s how you handle those problems that makes all the difference.

September 2016 | elitefranchise

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Lisa Curteis

BY JOSH RUSSELL / PHOTOGRAPHY BY Natalie Seery

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Lisa Curteis

Balancing the books

A revelation in Picadilly Circus made Lisa Curteis realise she wasn’t where she wanted to be in her life.

Since then she has dedicated her life to Rosemary Bookkeeping and enabling people to get fulfilment out of their full-time work

I

t’s not often TfL is credited with inspiring a major epiphany but seeing a London bus in heavy Piccadilly Circus traffic brought on perhaps one of the most pivotal realisations of Lisa Curteis’s life. “I was outside the tube station having a bit of a heated conversation with one of my then directors,” she says. “I thought: ‘if I got hit by that bus, have I done my best?’”

Realising there was still a great deal she wanted to achieve with her life, she quit her job and this set her on a path that would eventually see her become director of Rosemary Bookkeeping, an outsourced bookkeeping franchise with 21 franchisees across the UK. Curteis grew up in Bushey and attended the local comprehensive but doesn’t feel she was a natural academic. “I’ll never forget playing Scrabble with my dad and my older sister,” she says. “I scored about 20 points.” Despite this, she was incredibly determined and hard working, something evidenced by the fact that not long after leaving school she was snapped up for a role as PA to the personnel director of the Bank of England. However, after a few years, she began to feel that the City was not for her. “I was looking at people who had been there for 30 years and thinking ‘I don’t want that to be me’,” she says.

Part of this lack of enthusiasm was down to the fact that Curteis had always dreamed of becoming an entrepreneur. “From my late teens, I’d wanted to run my own business,” she says. “I used to chat to a friend and ask: ‘what can we do to start our own company?’” After leaving the Bank of England and spending several weeks travelling round the US, Curteis found a new role working for the Index Group, the consulting arm of CSC, a provider of next-generation technology solutions and services. But whilst this gave her experience of skills in disciplines such as marketing, finance, HR and operations, Curteis was still on the lookout for something that would allow her to flex her entrepreneurial muscles. Fortunately this opportunity came when she was offered a position at the new venture Corven.

Founded by three former colleagues at CSC, Corven provided management consultancy to FTSE 100 companies and gave Curteis her first real taste of the startup life. “It was very entrepreneurial,” she says. “I really got involved at the grassroots.” Having been brought in at the ground floor, Curteis became a jack of all trades, heading up all of the fledgling company’s back office functions from recruitment to marketing.

And over the course of the next decade, she

September 2016 | elitefranchise

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Lisa Curteis

saw it grow from a core team of four to a thriving business in the capital with over 50 employees. “From an initial $45,000 investment made by the partners, it developed into a £10m concern,” she says.

However, by this time, Curteis was beginning to get itchy feet. “Working with Corven was supposed to be part of my five-year plan and, by this point, ten years had passed,” she says. And after having her realisation in Piccadilly Circus, she knew that the time was right to make good her ambitions of owning her own business. “I started chatting to some friends of my sister who ran a local bookkeeping business,” she says. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Having been founded in 2002 by Claire Watson-Bardot, the company that would become Rosemary Bookkeeping had reached a crossroads. It had a proven model but Watson-Bardot was still trying to find the right strategy to help her scale the business. Fortunately, when she was at CSC, Curteis had studied for her higher national certificate and this had brought her into contact with the perfect model to grow the business further. “I’d learned about textbook franchising from my college days,” she says. “It quickly became clear that was the answer.”

Before kickstarting its franchising drive, the business’s branding needed a refresh, something that was inevitably influenced by its target market of micro- and small businesses. “When startups take on a bookkeeper for the first time, you could be the first person that they’re allowing into their business,” says Curteis. “They’re sharing a lot with you so they’ve got to trust you.” Because of this, rather than plumping for a name that appealed to corporate sensibilities, the team settled for the softer and more small-business friendly Rosemary Bookkeeping – although Curteis admits they may have also had an ulterior motive for their choice of name. “At the time, the main software we used was Sage – it was Sage and Rosemary,” she laughs. “It seems a bit cheesy now.”

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I’d learned about textbook franchising from my college days; it quickly became clear that was the answer But it wasn’t just the company’s branding that needed a breath of fresh air: it became clear it could use some extra help in the boardroom. This came in the form of Curteis’s now business partner and fellow director Joanna Dennis, with whom she had worked at CSC. “We’ve known each other for a long time and always worked really well together,” she says. Having been part of a gym business, served as chief operating officer of a company making gin and vodka and worked in locations across Europe, Asia and Australasia, there were few better placed than Dennis to inject some startup spirt into the business. “Jo’s not your stereotypical accountant,” Curteis says. “She’s a very entrepreneurial person.”

And this wasn’t the only assistance the fledgling franchise had: helping it iron out the kinks in its model and gear up for franchising was Peter Williams, an experienced franchise consultant. “Peter set us on our way and guided us in the early days,” Curteis says. Not only did he give the new franchise input on considerations like putting together an ops manual and

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Lisa Curteis

joining the bfa but he also advised them on launching a pilot to test the model.

After conducting a six-month trial in Woking, Rosemary Bookkeeping’s team knew it was ready to roll things out to the public. “We launched at The National Franchise Exhibition in 2009 and, off the back of that, signed our first franchisee in early 2010,” she says.

Unwilling to rest on its laurels, Rosemary Bookkeeping quickly began to sign more franchisees to its network.

But making a name for your franchise when you have only limited funds at your disposal can be a slow and arduous process. “Back then, it was very much about getting in magazines and going to exhibitions,” says Curteis. Fortunately, as time passed, another channel has come into its own for Rosemary Bookkeeping: social media. “Nowadays, people find us through Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn,” she says. “That’s much easier: you can control your costs and you can dip in and out depending on where and who you want to target.”

To do this, however, a franchise must properly identify the kinds of people it wants to focus on. Whilst Rosemary Bookkeeping does look for things like basic numeracy, character is as important as skill set. “They’ve got to be Positive Peters rather than Negative Nancies,” Curteis explains. Running a business full-time requires a significant amount of determination and, because of this, Rosemary Bookkeeping has found that its best performing franchisees are those able to steer into a headwind. “The way I see it is when life comes at you, how do you handle it?” says Curteis. “We’ve had franchisees whose spouses have been close to death, who’ve had major disabilities themselves and they’re still firing forward.”

This becomes especially important when juggling the demands of work and family. “As a working mum, you’re your own worst critic,” says Curteis. “You’re always thinking: ‘How am I balancing things?

As a working Am I doing this right?’” Certainly in mum, you’re your the early days of the franchise, Curteis she didn’t have the balance quite own worst critic. admits right; even when she went into labour You’re always with her son, she struggled to switch off thinking: ‘How for long. “My friends were coming in am I balancing to meet me after he was born and I was already on my iPad sending messages,” things? Am I she says. With time, not only has Curteis doing this right?’ achieved a much better work-life balance for herself but has also helped create an environment where franchisees can fit full-time employment around their home lives. “Really it’s about getting that harmony and not having to apologise for it,” she says.

Once Rosemary Bookkeeping has found a candidate with the right stuff, they are given comprehensive training to get them up to speed. After kicking off with a week of getting-to-market training – which educates franchisees on reaching their customer base and the ins and outs of sales and marketing – candidates then move on to a 12-week launch programme that blends technical and practical elements. “It’s based on open learning but there are dedicated mentoring, coaching and weekly onboarding calls,” says Curteis. When this has been completed, franchisees still aren’t simply left to fend for themselves: Rosemary Bookkeeping provides a whole host of ongoing support, including a buddy system, a help desk and knowledge banks.

Ever since Rosemary Bookkeeping launched as a franchise, it has recognised the importance of backing up this support with a strong head-office team.

“At one stage, we had four directors, all with experience in different business September 2016 | elitefranchise

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07/09/2016 20:05

Lisa Curteis

With time you learn it’s not about the quantity of franchisees you sign: it’s about the quality

disciplines,” Curteis says. “Claire was the bookkeeper, Sarah [Carlile] headed up the marketing, I did the franchise recruitment and Jo was the technical accountant.” While there have been some changes at the board level over the years and Dennis and Curteis’s roles have become more strategic and less hands-on, the franchise recognises a strong support function is still as important as ever.

“The success of the business relies on the franchisees and the head-office team coming together,” says Curteis.

“It’s about growing as a partnership.”

Curteis hasn’t only focused her attention on forming closer ties within the network however. In 2013, she was approached by Pip Wilkins, now CEO of the bfa, who asked her to join the organisation’s associate board. “It represents the smaller 22

brands: there are 901 franchisors in the UK, two-thirds of which have 20 or less units,” says Curteis. The needs of an international franchisor will differ significantly from those just starting out and, whilst Curteis’s term ended in 2015, she relished the opportunity to speak for her franchise and those like it. “I’m quite vocal: I’m not able to just sit back and nod,” she says. “To be able to have a voice about how you’re represented is a fabulous opportunity.”

It does seem this concerted effort has paid off. Not only has Rosemary Bookkeeping reached 21 territories but it has been nominated for a string of awards, something Curteis feels can prove invaluable in acknowledging employees’ and franchisees’ hard work. “It’s about the recognition it gives them when

we put them forward,” she says.

“People like receiving accolades for their efforts.” One example she gives is that of Steve Brown, the Rosemary Bookkeeping franchisee for Newbury, who recently received a nomination for Olderpreneur Franchisee of the Year at the bfa HSBC Franchisee of the Year Awards 2016. “They’ve had lots of challenges in their franchise and he’s worked very hard, so having that is huge for them,” she says.

In terms of Rosemary Bookkeeping’s plans for the future, Curteis shies away from putting a number on things.

“When we started out, we had these great aspirations: ‘we’re going to have 50 by this stage’,” she says. “But with time you learn it’s not about the quantity of franchisees you sign: it’s about the quality.” With this in mind, Rosemary Bookkeeping is focusing its attention on securing the right candidates rather than just churning through as many as possible. “That’s my target: fewer leads with a better conversion rate,” she says.

But this isn’t Curteis’s only ambition for the future: she has personal goals she’s looking to fulfil too.

“Entrepreneurship isn’t all about making money,” she says. “Giving back, in whatever form, helps you feel more fulfilled.” After Curteis’s mother was diagnosed with cancer, she began raising money for Cancer Research UK and a slew of other local and national charities, something that continues to this day. On top of this, having acted as a mentor in 2014 for the government’s Start Up Loans scheme, which helps young people between 18 and 30 to get a business idea off the ground Curteis is eager to continue helping the younger generation follow in her footsteps. “Those are my personal goals,” she concludes. “Supporting, sharing and moving forward.”

elitefranchise | September 2016

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07/09/2016 20:06

ARCM001

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01/09/2016 16:49

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Creating a better life

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J

eff Shrimpton admits to having the realisation that he stopped working for other people and began to work for a lunatic – himself – when he chose to start his own business after 15 years of frustration in the nightclub management business. But don’t take our word for it. Here’s the man himself.

“I decided to set up a business with my wife, Lucy,” says Shrimpton.

“Soon, our marketing and events company had gained clients like Sainsbury’s and Ted Baker. But as I began to get a grip of my inner lunatic, it dawned on me that I was never actually part of these wonderful events, I was just stuck behind a computer screen. So, I decided to find a buyer for the business.

“During the sale of the business, I set up an online marketing consultancy. Even though the main service was lead through online

marketing, I found many of my clients didn’t have a sales process or framework to deal with leads as they came in and so I began coaching them around systems and how they could improve business performance.

I had never really considered myself as a business coach. But I now found myself coaching and knew I needed more substance behind me if I wanted to do more of it and make it a fulltime career then.

“I put a call in to ActionCOACH, spoke to one of their team and went on a discovery day. To be truthful, I would have signed the agreement by 11am on that day as it just seemed right for me. It was only five or six weeks from my first enquiry to arriving in Las Vegas for initial training in September 2015. I liken that training to standing in a wind tunnel but it’s information coming at you – it was hardcore learning for ten days.

Jeff Shrimpton having a transformational impact on a client’s business and life

24

“I attended the UK franchise conference in Grantham in October 2015 and the Monday morning following that I launched my new ActionCOACH business in Southampton. I did exactly what I promised to do during my training in Las Vegas, I went and knocked on the doors of some local businesses to challenge my biggest fears of cold calling. However, we have lots of other sales and marketing techniques and support from the franchise team.

I got my first client within seven working days of launch, I followed the sales process and I realised I had it in the bag when they started asking buying questions that had been discussed during training – it was difficult to keep a straight face and hide my shaking hands!

Clients almost handed on a plate “So far I have used our client generation centre to secure several one-to-one clients with the latest two almost handed to me on a plate as the centre had booked the sales meetings with the prospects and then our sales closing genius, Jon Asquith, sat in on those meetings to guide me. I regularly hold seminars with our online marketing partner, Luv4 Marketing, helping to fill the room.

From one seminar I signed a one-toone client and five group clients and it’s working out that the seminars are allowing me to acquire a new client at the cost of £17 per lead – that’s just one of the many ways I measure my business success.

“One of my clients left school at the age of 14 and now has a £2m turnover business. We set him some goals in

elitefranchise | September 2016

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07/09/2016 10:58

ADVERTISING FEATURE

Jeff Shrimpton creating a better life for his family

January and he met them in 45 days. We are now on track to grow his business to £10m in the next five years. That feels great and not just for me, but for my client too. That is what it’s all about as a business coach. Once you are making enough to pay the family bills, it stops becoming about me and instead it’s all about the clients.

Life-changing role “When I first met one of my clients he was working 80-90 hours a week and had lost his marriage. In his latest session he told me he’d taken time out of his business to see friends and was happy to report that his business hadn’t fallen apart without him – real progress. The thing I enjoy the most is removing the box of limiting beliefs that my clients can often put around themselves. Remove the box and see the endless possibilities – that’s brilliant.

“The UK franchise support team are creative and inspirational. I don’t lean on them too much but do use the structures and processes they’ve created to support all the franchise owners. In fact, they fund new franchise owners to have one-to-one coaching from a master coach until you reach a good level of client income.

£24,000 a month in 12 months “I never thought I would be wealthy or successful but my mindset has changed. Now I’m driven to achieve both. I’m aiming for £24,000 a month in client income by September 2016. If I hit that target then I’ve promised myself a Maserati. Lucy is now looking for our family dream home and our children are able to attend one of the best schools in the UK. We could not have dreamed of any of this before joining ActionCOACH. “I try to inject warmth into what I do. I like clients who want to have fun with their coaching and I can’t help but become emotionally engaged in their happiness. As a business owner, I know it can be lonely and you can get in your own way sometimes.

My mission is to help business owners be greater than they thought possible in order to create a successful business that works like clockwork and a life that is full of fun, abundance and wonderful experiences.”

Would you enjoy improving the lives of business owners while you grow your own income and develop the life you really desire? Contact ActionCOACH on 01284 701 648 or watch the opportunity overview video at: actioncoach.co.uk September 2016 | elitefranchise

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07/07/2016 10:36 18:14 27/03/2015

Nigel Toplis, managing director, The Bardon Group

How to pick the perfect franchise Learning to identify the right franchise opportunity for you isn’t always easy. But there are certain criteria any business you’re planning to buy should meet Death and taxes: these are the only two things in life that are guaranteed. Whilst all the research indicates that a franchise is many times less risky than an individual startup, franchising nevertheless still involves risks. Because of this, there are a number of key steps a potential franchisee needs to consider when weighing up whether or not a franchise is right for them.

The first stage in this evaluation seems fairly basic: make sure you can actually afford the franchise and don’t over-borrow.

Seem obvious? It is but I’ve come across too many budding franchisees who’ve borrowed from the bank, family, friends and more – and then wondered why they got into trouble. And if you can afford the franchise, do you actually see yourself in If you are not the business? A franchise is not a job; you convinced the can’t just walk away at 5pm because you will be responsible for every aspect of it. business is for If you aren’t convinced the business is for you, don’t buy you, don’t buy it.

If you have the cash and commitment required for a given opportunity, next you need to establish that its support structure is robust. It should cover all the key aspects of the business: sales, marketing, finance, business planning, supplier network and administration. Take

it

some time to read the operations manual whilst in the building, so you can get a feel for the strength and breadth of the support the system offers. I would also check that the franchisor employs ‘real’ people and that support is not only made available via the telephone or online.

The financials are also incredibly important. One of the first things I would want to know is whether this business offer more than one way of generating revenue. If not, then how robust is the single income stream?

And while it is obviously important for a potential franchisee to know how they are going to make money, it’s just as vital to understand how the franchisor makes its own. If it is through ongoing royalties based on performance then the franchisor has a vested interest in helping you to grow the business; if they get most of their income from simply recruiting and churning franchisees then you might want to think again.

Another thing to look out for is franchises that have been in business for a number of years; longevity is vital. You want the franchisor to be stable and successful because this means you can ensure you’re joining a franchise that is making money.

Ask the franchisor for access to their last three years’ accounts to check its financial stability.

Ultimately the more effort you put in buying a franchise, the better. Be thorough, do your homework and don’t rush.

September 2016 | elitefranchise

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TAXA001 04/04/2016 13:36

Tony Bowman, managing director, etyres

Affinity and beyond – how camaraderie can boost franchising Even franchisees or franchisors from wildly different industries have a lot in common and as the industry grows collaboration will be key When two runners stopped mid-race to help each other after falling over in the women’s 5,000m heat in Rio last month, they were rightly praised for embodying the Olympic spirit. There’s nothing But if we look at the bigger picture, better than witnessing people helping there’s a natural affinity between each other and, given the scale of everyone involved in this dynamic Britain’s franchise industry, it makes industry. At etyres, we’ve developed sense that we adopt this thinking. excellent working relationships with Over 900 franchise brands operate fellow franchise businesses such as in the UK today and the total Snap-on Tools and Pirtek over the number of people employed in years. Many of our franchise owners the industry currently sits at also use Moreland Insurance 621,000, according to the Brokers, an affiliate member of There’s latest figures from the bfa. the bfa, to secure the most a natural Even more impressive competitive rates for is that franchising’s their business. affinity between contribution to As a long-time everyone involved the UK economy member of the bfa in this dynamic is estimated to be in and chair of its London industry excess of £15bn. And there and South East regional is a very important message forum, I regularly see first-hand behind these figures: both how franchisors gravitate towards franchisees and franchisors alike fellow members they can do business have a huge opportunity to band with. We’re all keen to develop and together and collaborate. share best practice and leads with each We often talk about the sense of other. But the most powerful shared camaraderie that exists between aim is a desire for success, whether as franchise owners within a business. a franchise owner or franchisor. Just as

like-minded people join the same clubs and associations, franchising attracts ambitious and aspirational people. Whether they’re running a fast-food restaurant or a pet-grooming business, the determination to succeed and do well is a common bond.

If we make aspiring to help others with a shared common goal part of our everyday business practice, we should all be able to enjoy the benefits. Just as franchisors invest heavily in training and communicating with franchisees, extending that spirit of learning and development to other franchises – even competitors – could pay dividends for the industry as a whole.

Britain’s franchise industry is not just surviving – it’s thriving.

And by joining forces, we can ensure we continue riding this wave of success together.

September 2016 | elitefranchise

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07/09/2016 19:31

SHUTTERCRAFT

Grand Designs With a little help from franchise manager Sean Goldsmith, Shuttercraft is renovating its brand and business model from the ground up

BY MARIA BARR

S

huttercraft – which installs premium, madeto-order shutters – was founded in the 2002

by Rob James and his sister and brotherin-law Fiona and Richard Vlasto. They spotted an opportunity to take advantage of the market for quality shutters, which was in its infancy at the time. After finding a partner in China to help manufacture the product to the right standard, its first franchisee came on board. And within five years the franchise network has steadily mushroomed to include 19 franchisees.

While pleased with the growth, Shuttercraft knew it was lacking in some key areas. Not only were consumers exhibiting a relatively low level of awareness of its brand but its executive team also wanted to emphasise its key points of difference: its people and services. “We needed to fine-tune it, make our branding a little bit better and provide a more inclusive programme,” explains Mark Stradling, the franchise’s business development manager.

For the past six months, Shuttercraft has frozen franchisee recruitment, instead focusing on upping the number of area managers in the network and making strategic new hires like Sean Goldsmith as franchise manager. With a leadership team that was keen to grow the business and willing to invest in

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elitefranchise | September 2016

it, Goldsmith was effectively given a blank slate to help the company evolve from being a man with a van business into a service-driven company with a more people-centric brand identity. “I relished the opportunity,” he recalls.

Goldsmith and his team have painstakingly mapped out the entire customer journey, working out where improvements were most needed. The first order of the day was making sure the level of service the franchisees offered was consistent, as well as investing more in the service element of the business. “We know our products are great,” he explains. “But we wanted to make it about the person and the experience.”

As well as implementing streamlined customer management and accounting software on an operational level, the team reimagined what the company should stand for. And trust is at the heart of the new brand they’ve crafted. “Our customers want to support a local business but they want the safety and security that comes with a larger brand,” explains Goldsmith.

SHUTTERCRAFT

As far as we can, we’re trying to personalise the experience and deliver a better service to go with our product

And for Shuttercraft, that personal approach should be consistent throughout the country and across every touchpoint, from the moment a potential customer discovers the brand to when they’re sitting in an armchair in their living room admiring their new blinds. “As far as we can, we’re trying to personalise the experience and deliver a better service to go with our product,” says Goldsmith. “In this digital age, sometimes the old-school methods work best.” Being more conscientious towards customers can have a transformative effect, whether that’s through something simple like taking your shoes off when you arrive or a more thoughtful effort like leaving a handwritten note with flowers for customers. “Those moments are magical,” he says.

Part of the new approach is also about capitalising on organic word of mouth by enhancing the franchise’s digital presence. “We’re very lucky to have photogenic products that people notice in their neighbours’ windows,” Goldsmith says. Having such an attention-grabbing product means that Shuttercraft often finds itself gaining new clients through word of mouth alone. “Referrals are a huge source of new business for us,” he says. “One franchisee got six new customers off the back of one referral.”

To tap into that recommendation culture Shuttercraft is investing more in photography, platforms like Instagram, video and making its website mobile-friendly – especially given that 80% of its traffic comes from a mobile device.

But crafting a fresh brand identity and rolling out a shiny new website is only half the battle.

Since the franchisees are often the ones with the most direct customer contact, they need to be roving brand ambassadors. And for the brand to resonate consistently, franchisees have to be on the same page. “There was no point in having two franchisees doing things in very different ways,” Goldsmith says.

To this end, Shuttercraft has invested in new online training software, which franchisees can access remotely. Twice a month, they log on to learn different aspects of the business and become September 2016 | elitefranchise

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Shuttercraft

usually know what they want style-wise but need someone with good communication skills to help them understand what is possible within the space they have. “It just makes sense that a woman would excel in this role,” he adds. “If I could get, at least 50% of all our franchisees would be women.”

So if being a franchisee is so suited to women, why aren’t they signing up in their droves?

According to Goldsmith, franchising as an industry “has a problem” and isn’t doing a good enough job at marketing itself to women.

He believes that there’s an overemphasis on facts and figures at the expense of highlighting other draws like finding fulfilling work, having fun, achieving a work-life balance and gaining access to support and training. “To appeal to women, we need to sell to the heart – not just the head,” he says.

Adding to his to-do list, the franchise manager is keen to turn Shuttercraft into the largest retailer of shutters in the UK and make it a model for the industry. But he isn’t in

There was no point in having two franchisees doing things in very different ways

immersed in the Shuttercraft way.

The company has also upped the amount of mentoring support it gives franchisees – a shift from the past, when they were left to their own devices. Goldsmith notes that while there was some hesitation at first, after seeing the initial results the franchisees are showing signs of buying into the new positioning and are asking for more help. “When I first arrived, that would have been the last thing they would have done,” he says.

Franchisees will also play a more central role in communicating the new brand identity to the public.

Shuttercraft aims to shine a light on the people behind the product, telling the story of its franchisees through its content. Part of the reason for this is that it believes increasing visibility of and public trust in its franchisees is especially important given they are being invited into people’s homes. “Customers will effectively get to know the person that’s going to show up on their doorstep before they arrive,” Goldsmith elaborates.

As well as connecting with its customers more deeply and driving consistency among franchisees, Shuttercraft is hoping its investment will help set it further apart from competitors, carve out a niche in the market and, importantly, future-proof the brand so it’s more resilient.

However, there is one area that Goldsmith admits he has his work cut out for him: having more female representation among franchisees – especially since so many of the company’s customers are women. “I believe that women would do amazingly well in this industry,” says Goldsmith. This is because Shuttercraft’s customers 32

danger of losing sight of the purpose behind his role: to help people make a living and promote constant learning. “I got into franchising because it gave me the opportunity to teach people,” he says. “Franchisees aren’t born: they’re made.” With Shuttercraft, his aim is to help people build more sustainable businesses and get better at learning from each other. “The potential is huge,” he says.

elitefranchise | September 2016

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07/09/2016 19:10

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07/09/2016 15:18

Partnership break-ups

End of a love affair

Just like the end of a marriage, when a partnership between franchisees falls apart it can be emotionally and financially exhausting. But there are ways to limit the fallout

BY Eric johansson

G

iven the daunting responsibilities of running a business, it’s hardly surprising many first-time franchisees start out with a partner. But while having someone to bounce ideas off is comforting, it could lead to troubles down the line. “People say that partnerships are sinking ships for a reason,” says Carl Reader, affiliate forum chairman at the bfa, director of Selling a Franchise – the franchise purchasing website – and author of The Franchising Handbook.

When a partnership between two franchisees sharing a business falls apart, it could have potentially costly ramifications for the business. But provided the right precautions have been made, a franchisee can easily 34

Analysis.indd 1

avoid such a rift swallowing their business whole. One such safeguard is to sign a partnership or shareholders’ agreement when you buy a franchise with someone.

These agreements outline how profits are shared, as well as what to do in the event the partners decide to go their separate ways. “They’re like prenups,” says Reader. For instance, they should delineate how to calculate how much the company is worth and lay out the process should one party leave the company or want to buy out their partner. “I strongly recommend you have that in place from day one when people are still friendly and talking to each other,” concludes Reader. “Otherwise the only people profiting will be your lawyers.”

The house of pain At first glance, the relationship between Julie Davis and her business partner looked like a match made in heaven. Given both of them had experience of the lettings industry, buying Belvoir Colchester seemed like a no-brainer. “We felt that we could rely on each other,” says Davis.

However, the duo forgot one important thing when they bought into the property franchise: establishing a partnership agreement. “We naively didn’t sign one,” says Davis.

That mistake would come back to haunt them, as the difference in both their visions for the business and the effort they were willing to invest became clear. Initially Davis attempted to gently hint to her partner that they

elitefranchise | September 2016

07/09/2016 19:58

Partnership break-ups

We felt that we could rely on each other Julie Davis, Belvoir Colchester

both needed to put 100% into the business for it to be fair. “But nothing happened,” she says.

“I couldn’t carry on like that.”

Davis decided that she wanted to stage a buyout but the situation quickly turned hostile, as her partner revealed she had no intention of leaving the company. In lieu of a partnership agreement detailing how the business should be split, Belvoir made each partner come up with an idea of where they wanted to take the business. “In the end, they decided to go with my plan,” says Davis, who took control of the company in November 2013.

However, while she had control of the company, she didn’t yet own it. The partners still had to settle the question of how to set the price for a buyout. “An agreement could have helped by saying an independent arbitrator should value the business and set the price,” says Reader.

Instead, to set the price of the buyout, Davis and her partner approached their own accountancy firm and resale broker to separately value the company. The two firms ended up coming up with different prices and, while Davis could have insisted to buy out her partner for the lower figure, she didn’t. “That’s the price I’d expect to get if it had been sold,” says Davis. “So I thought it was more fair.”

In light of this, Davis decided to take out a loan to help her afford the asking price. Initially the bank had some concerns, given she had sold her house and didn’t have any other security. However, it quickly changed its tune when it took a second look at the business’s results since Davis had taken control, prompting it to lend her the full amount.

That’s how in July this year, almost three years after the break-up process started, Davis found herself driving home from the bank, having finally bought out her partner.

Spontaneously, she started to laugh. “My son asked me what was wrong and I told him that I couldn’t believe it,” she says. “It was over: I now owned the business and it was just fantastic.”

While the transaction made her the sole owner of Belvoir Colchester, it also proved to be the last nail in the coffin of her relationship with her partner. “I haven’t spoken with her in a long time and that is not going to change,” concludes Davis. “It’s a shame really but I hope it allowed her to open the next chapter in her life.”

September 2016 | elitefranchise

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07/09/2016 19:07

Partnership break-ups

It can be quite lonely some days but I love being my own boss Lee Eaton, Signs Express Manchester

36

Analysis.indd 3

Reading the signs Back in 1997, Lee Eaton and his father were ready to start anew. While Eaton was tired of his job as a wine advisor at Marks & Spencer, his dad was looking to leave his job as the European sales director for Avis Rent a Car. The solution for both of them was to buy Signs Express Manchester, the signage company. Even though they didn’t sign a shareholders’ agreement, they were both clear how the partnership would end. “My dad told me that he’d like to leave after five years,” says Eaton.

But the best-laid plans of mice and men oft go awry and it wasn’t until 2012 that Eaton Senior was in a position to leave the business.

Part of the reason for this was that it took them several years before it was financially possible to raise the money required to complete the transaction.

However, this was far from the only factor: it also took some time to prepare the company for his exit. “You have to understand the void your partner could leave behind and create a structure that will enable you to fill it,” he says.

With the money in the bag and the structure in place to help Eaton go on as the sole owner, the pair were left with one final hurdle: finding a natural

point for Eaton’s father to actually leave. “This might sound cruel,” says Eaton. “But in the end he went on holiday only to find that there was no desk for him when he came back.”

While his father technically left the company four years ago, he consults for his son from time to time. The fact that their relationship is still intact despite the absence of a partnership agreement can be attributed to their family ties and the fact that the pair had a plan in place from the beginning. Not only that but the entrepreneurs shared the same work ethic and vision for the business.

“We had a massive trust between us,” says Eaton. “If I had to go away, I knew that my father would continue to run the business the same way I would.”

But there is one thing that Eaton doesn’t miss about working with his father. “People always thought he had founded the company, that he was the boss and we didn’t have equal shares,” he says.

Since taking over, Eaton has elevated the business to the next level, winning the bfa HSBC Franchisee of the Year award in 2015. “It can be quite lonely some days but I love being my own boss,” he concludes. “Everybody understands that I’m in charge now and they respect me.”

elitefranchise | September 2016

07/09/2016 19:07

MAID001

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07/09/2016 14:11 19:42 01/09/2016

ADVERTISING FEATURE

Could you be one of our last 57 franchisees in the UK? Be part of our growing network of over 160 franchisees

T

he Maid2Clean business has been established for many years and has been thoroughly tested and refined into our franchise offer.

Now your can reap the benefits.

Maid2Clean is definitely not a cleaners’ business, it is a management franchise, meaning you do not do any of the cleaning or ironing yourself; you will be trained to manage the cleaners in your business.

You will generate significantly higher percentage profits with Maid2Clean than with most other cleaning industry companies we can identify.

You will have the potential to earn a significant profit every year, running your Maid2Clean franchise business.

As one of our franchisees you will benefit from our experience so you will avoid any potential mistakes you could make in your early days.

We will show you how to market this much-needed service to people in your area and how to close 85% of clients who you get in contact with.

Maid2Clean provides all of our franchisees with a fully comprehensive training course, full operations manual documentation, launch assistance, business plan and ongoing telephone and on-site support.

Your exclusive trading area of quality houses will not overlap with another franchisee. We also hold regular franchisee conferences, and business improvement meetings, where you can refresh your training and meet other franchisees.

As you can see there are many benefits to joining Maid2Clean however we now only have 57 areas remaining in the UK. Could you be one of the final 57?

There are over 900 franchise systems in the UK that provide work for some 38

621,000 people. Maid2Clean provides work for some 18,500 of these alone; that’s 22 times more than your average franchised business.

If you want a business with minimal risk, low operating cost but a highprofit margin fro a low investment, Maid2Clean will be the one to work for you.

Build a business and still work in your current job 55% of Maid2Clean franchisees have continued to work in their current position when they initially invested in their futures in a Maid2Clean franchise territory.

No previous industry experience is necessary. Our selection criteria is not based on academic qualifications but on an applicant’s attitude, their mindset and their determination to succeed. Mutuality is absolutely critical in a Maid2Clean Franchise we, like our franchisees, are in this for the long term. And staying with us

is easy, if you consider that you don’t even need to live in the same area as your franchise.

Managing director Mike Hanarahan explains: “We have franchisees based in Malta who run territories in North Manchester and Cornwall. Another franchisee runs Blackburn from Florida. Even my operations director, who runs the Edinburgh franchise, lives in Nuneaton.

Furthermore, Maid2Clean will cover your travel expenses when you meet clients or interview cleaners.

“We pay others to interview cleaners in areas we cannot get to, and sometimes your cleaners can even graduate to interviewers too,” says Hanarahan. “It is not a high cost exercise as it only ever costs around £10 per interview, which is carried out in the prospective cleaner’s home.

“Plus the cleaning requirements are agreed between the cleaner and the customer via a mutually agreed and signed, checklist.”

elitefranchise | September 2016

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07/09/2016 15:24

ADVERTISING FEATURE

“In all my time running my own franchise area, in Shropshire, I have never physically met a cleaner or a customer, which is also how we keep our cost per hour down. If we were to operate a model where I had to do all of this myself I would have no time to work strategically on the business.”

“I currently have a total of 15 part-time interviewers covering my Shropshire territory.”

Is it possible to own more than one franchise area?

Yes, is the emphatic reply. Our franchisees are looking for their own business but with very little risks, and Maid2Clean basically gives them both.

Becoming financially free with the Maid2Clean brand strategy is about following the proven Maid2Clean propriety system including our trademarked Sweep2Left philosophy.

Maid2Clean is not about creating a job for yourself, it’s about working smart and developing a long-term residual income. Maid2Clean, as we have already said, is not a cleaning business; it’s a white collar franchise that appeals to both sexes.

Am I the type of person who should join Maid2Clean?

Our franchisees come from all walks of life but they are all self-starters who are motivated enough to grow their business and ensure their future financial security, whether they be individuals or couples. You must want to work smarter, not harder, to build your business.

You must be passionate to succeed, be able to demonstrate your tenacity, have a fire in your belly and the desire to run your own business successfully.

As a Maid2Clean franchisee you will be joining the premier domestic cleaning company in the country.

Come and see the operation for yourself. Please ask whether a territory is available before you come to see us, as you can see we are down to our last 25%, which is just 57 areas.

If you are committed to working with the proven Maid2Clean business plan your hard work will quickly be rewarded. Trust us.

The market is worth £8 billion a year!

There has never been a better time to leave the ranks of the masses who are surviving, month to month, by giving their time in exchange for money, in a nine to five job. Join the Maid2Clean domestic recruitment cleaning agency franchise which operates in the home services sector, servicing a cash rich clientele who cannot afford to waste any time. So join us and escape the same old nine to five treadmill and the daily grind.

Maid2Clean franchisees prefer to build a long-term residual income at their own pace. Our system has been designed to be as automated as possible, leaving you free to do the important things, like working on your business not in it.

We do not limit your earnings, or the amount of households you have in a postcode area. We do not force you to use a call centre, or sell you a franchise that has other franchisees in the same postcode sector. We are not aware of any other franchised cleaning system that operates the way Maid2Clean does.

You are also offered automatic rights to renew your agreement, subject to non-breach, so it’s no wonder that 90% of our existing franchisees request ten-year renewal agreements.

Maid2Clean is all about simplicity, consistency and uniformity of the the brand, eliminating a number of the many unnecessary overheads such as, staff costs, equipment costs, transportation costs. Just pop over to our website at Maid2CleanFranchise. co.uk where you will find even more details and valuable information on what is on offer to you, as well our remaining areas available.

sales@maid2clean.co.uk www.maid2cleanfranchise.co.uk 0845 257 0677 September 2016 | elitefranchise

Maid2Clean Advertorial 2

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07/09/2016 15:25

SPUN CANDY

FINDING THE

SWEET

SPOT

Confectionery entrepreneur James Ellender has spun a retail business into a global empire, while staying true to his core values

BY MARIA BARR

J

ames Ellender can best be described as part Willy Wonka and part Richard Branson. As a young boy loading up his pick ‘n’ mix bags, he used to carefully choose the right ratio of foam bananas to rhubarb and custard candy. And that childhood passion for the sweet life has followed him into adulthood.

Although he acquired a healthy address book working as a consultant for a Spanish confectionery brand, when the company elected to pull out of the UK market Ellender decided the time was ripe to go it alone and start his own venture. While there were plenty of large-scale brands available, he spotted a gap in the market for a thoroughly British brand that offered high-end sweets made by hand from exceptional ingredients.

But beyond the candy itself, Ellender

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elitefranchise | September 2016

wanted to top the excitement of his heady pick ‘n’ mix encounters as a child. “I wanted to take the mystery out of how sweets are made and open people’s minds up to all the possibilities,” he explains.

Key to capturing this experience was the creation of a clear brand identity for the new business, a process the entrepreneur admits was “perhaps the most challenging bit”. Having always been interested in the power of design, he played a hands-on role in crafting the distinctly premium feel that runs through everything from the website to the paper bags, which resemble the striped pick ‘n’ mix bags from his youth.

Ellender’s experience working for a confectionery company on a global scale meant that Spun Candy was designed to work as a franchise

from the outset. And, in September 2013, Spun Candy’s first retail outlet in London’s Covent Garden was opened. Starting out with a 700 square foot space, the shop resembled a cross between a laboratory and upmarket boutique – giving the product displays drama and drawing new customers in. And as his candy empire began to grow, there’s one thing that tied the outlets together.

Ellender recognised early on that experiences were the new luxury and so Spun Candy places an emphasis on

SPUN CANDY

or fish and chips, which have proven a hit with companies delivering a personal experience, not just a product. looking to impress at a special launch or event.

One of the franchise’s main draws is that it offers No request is too bonkers for Spun Candy. Creations masterclasses and workshops to everyone from hen parties for corporate clients include a Richard Branson lollipop and speed-dating singletons to parents planning children’s – which came with a tagline too risqué to see the light of birthday parties. “People are looking for personalised day – and a box of sweets that taste like a full Christmas experiences,” Ellender says. “We’ve taken that concept a step dinner. “We’re very good at finding solutions,” Ellender further by introducing masterclasses that are totally hands says. “Everything is possible.” That said, he ensures the on, educational and immersive.” And these experiences have solutions stay on the right side of out there. “We draw become the business’s biggest growth area, offering on a huge range of different talents to help us be people the chance to make their own custom creative while making sure that our solutions candy. But it’s not just about sweets: it has WE are practical,” he says. “It’s a balancing act.” become experimental theatre. “It’s more HAVE TO than putting your name on a product,” As you can probably tell, Ellender places he says. “You can help create the sweets, innovation at the core of the business, TEST THINGS, smell them and have a hand in choosing with 80% of its budget going into THERE’S their flavours or design.” research and development. And when it In fact, Spun Candy takes comes to bringing something new to the ALWAYS TIME personalisation so seriously it’s even market, whether it’s for retail or corporate TO REFINE created an app that lets people see mockups customers, he takes a move fast, refine of what the final product would look like. later approach. “Just the other week I was LATER This came about in response to a real customer with a franchisee and our master confectioner, need: to preview exactly what custom candy would trying to dream up a new spiced sweet,” he says.

Rather than spending hours chewing over over their ideas, look like before placing an order. “The app brings it to life,” the team decided to whip up a batch there and then and Ellender explains.

But the brand doesn’t only cater to consumers’ sweet see if it passes the taste test. “We have to try things out,” he tooths: it has also diversified to appeal to corporate clients. says. “There’s always time to refine later.”

Rather than offering off-the-shelf gifts, Spun Candy’s And Spun Candy doesn’t just move fast when it comes creative team collaborates with companies to devise rolling out new product lines. Ellender also recognised the entirely bespoke solutions. Deep in the Spun Candy business’s export potential, so within two months of opening labs, Ellender has assembled a diverse team of creatives, the flagship store in London negotiations began on the first confectioners, pastry chefs and entertainers. Together two franchises in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Closer to home, they whip up experimental flavours like chicken madras Spun Candy opened two new London outposts in Hamley’s September 2016 | elitefranchise

41

Spun CANDY

I wanted to take the mystery out of how sweets are made and open people’s minds up to all the possibilities Regent Street and Spitalfields Market in 2014 and 2015 respectively.

And as more overseas franchises have opened for business, Ellender has become aware of the need to give local confectionery makers the freedom to introduce innovations of their own, while also ensuring the core brand values shine through. This has resulted in localised flavours like rose in the Middle East, for example.

But what happens if they go too far?

Simple: Ellender has final sign off and gives feedback on which tasting notes should be dialed up or shut down.

“I’ve learned to give local franchisees the autonomy to be creative,” he says.

“But if I don’t like it, it does not go any further.”

One of the main challenges of running an overseas franchise with such freedom – particularly when it is operating across international borders – is finding franchisees who understand every element of the process. “They have to be able to pitch, understand retail, deliver experiences, be creative, manufacture premium products, cater to corporate clients and have a passion for confectionery,” says Ellender. Which is why roughly one applicant out of every 100 that the company receives will be deemed to have the right skill set.

And for those that do make the cut, comprehensive training is vital. When they come on board, franchisees receive a suite of manuals and guides, plus an intensive, three-month training period where they learn the art of making sweets from a master confectioner flown in from London.

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Head office continues to support their marketing and branding needs, figuring out questions like how to display names in Arabic rather than English. And while franchisees source local suppliers for certain ingredients – such as sugar – the flavourings and even heavy-duty production equipment is shipped from specialist UK suppliers. It’s a costly approach but Ellender isn’t willing to compromise on quality.

Circumventing cultural clashes can also pose a challenge. Fortunately, having become something of a global citizen and often finding himself speaking to people from five different countries in a single day, Ellender has gotten very good at negotiating national nuances. For example, he’s now built up a good understanding of the importance of not “losing face” in Asia and the Middle East.

“I’ve learned the value of patience and humility,” he says. “It’s also important to remind yourself that people aren’t speaking to you in their first language. When you invest in building good relationships with partners overseas, it tends to produce good results.”

That global mindset will come in handy soon. Ellender is looking to expand his candy empire by deepening its market penetration in the Middle East, opening its first US franchise outlet in Miami this October and taking advantage of the “massive” opportunity in Asia – where a growing middle class means there’s increasing demand for British brands on the higher end of the scale. “We could have at least 50 stores in Asia easily and at least 100 franchisees globally,” he predicts.

Success is certainly sweet.

elitefranchise | September 2016

International.indd 3

07/09/2016 19:59

The Ultimate Professional Franchise Opportunity

An IFG Franchise provides you with an opportunity to earn an above-average return on your working capital, plus: • No Long Hours or Extensive Travel • No Employees • No Inventory or Equipment Get the full story today.

Contact us at 0845 834 0332 or ifg@interfacefinancial.com

www.interfacefinancial.co.uk/franchise INTE002 IFG June16.indd 1

03/06/2016 13:47

Profit from print with Cartridge World Delivering cost saving print management services Office printing is a highly lucrative £90bn market. With a Cartridge World franchise you’ll be part of it, providing SMEs with a local print management service that offers up to 30% cost savings.

• Perfect for ambitious, sales-driven people • Sales are largely on contract, guaranteeing cash flow • Full support and guidance from day one • Part of an established global brand • Access to industry partners to help your business grow

A business-to-business print services opportunity Leading franchisor Cartridge World developed Cartridge World Print Services -- a flexible print management service for its franchisees to sell to thousands of small and medium-sized businesses. For a fixed monthly fee, Cartridge World manage their printers, provide an automated supply of printer cartridges, paper and ongoing maintenance. Most importantly, it delivers tangible customer cost savings.

“Research shows 90% of businesses have no idea how much they spend on print,” says Cartridge World’s General Manager Gavin Askew. “Cartridge World Print Services capitalises on this. It’s a simple, cost effective way of running their business printing with savings of up to 30%.”

“Our franchisees benefit from in-depth support at every level of their business,” says Gavin Askew. “They also have access to our industry partners, giving them the opportunity to offer print hardware/software solutions, full service and repair contracts and finance, if required.”

Contact our franchise sales team for more information: Phone: 01423 878 528 Email: franchise@cartridgeworld.co.uk www.cartridgeworld.co.uk/franchise CART001

Post-Brexit borrowing

Alternative route

Given a post-Brexit slowdown in bank lending seems all but inevitable, could alternative finance offer a solution to franchises’ borrowing woes?

by Alex Littner, managing director, Boost Capital

S

hock was the first response of many businesses to the vote for Britain to leave the EU. Even the city’s largest financial institutions were caught unawares on June 23, with no real contingency plan for Brexit in place.

With so much uncertainty and the impact on the UK economy yet to be fully felt, franchise owners and smaller businesses will be wondering what it all means for them and their future chances of accessing funding. However, unlike during the downturn of 2008, today an alternative finance industry exists to keep money flowing to SMEs should bank capital dry up. In fact, the current upheaval may be the prompt many business owners need to finally discover the range of options alternative providers have to offer.

Bank behaviour It’s still unclear whether the banks will pull credit lines to small businesses in the wake of the Brexit vote – though some anecdotal evidence suggests this may 46

already be occurring – but the UK losing its AAA credit rating is bound to have an impact on high street lenders’ willingness or ability to extend customers credit. And we all know how disastrous the banking institutions’ behaviour during the last recession proved for SMEs. Smaller firms were starved of credit when the banks shrank their loan books in response to the last economic crisis.

According to analysis by RBS, lending to SMEs peaked at £220bn in the first three months of 2009 but fell away sharply after this, with about £50bn less available to firms four years later. In truth, small business funding has never entirely recovered, with bank lending levels still below those of the pre-crisis years.

This brutal stocktaking by the banks was felt strongly in the franchising community.

The specific effects of the economic downturn on UK franchise funding have not been recorded but US research suggests franchises in the States only had 10% of the borrowing they needed by

elitefranchise | September 2016

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Post-Brexit borrowing

2013 as a direct result of the credit crisis. Nevertheless, the new generation of alternative funders that emerged from that lending shortfall should mean entrepreneurs don’t face the same barriers this time around.

Alternative options The emergence of alternative finance – or altfi – was a direct consequence of the banks’ reaction to the credit crunch of the late 2000s. A perfect storm occurred where small and medium-sized businesses were deprived of much-needed funding by the banking institutions at the same time that innovative technology was opening up a world of opportunity to fintech pioneers keen to fill the funding gap. The internet, emerging digital platforms and revolutionary software and algorithms enabled new financial services entrants to offer businesses fast, flexible and radically different ways to borrow money, as well as letting individuals invest their own savings in projects they thought worthwhile.

The numbers speak for themselves: the UK altfi industry did £3.2bn worth of business in 2015. Additionally, it now accounts for 12% of all British small-business lending, according to the latest report from the University of Cambridge and Nesta, the innovation charity. When you consider that altfi was little more than a handful of startups at the beginning of the decade, you appreciate just how impressive a feat this is.

Franchises are among those embracing the possibilities of these new forms of business funding. For example gym franchisor énergie recently raised almost £650,000 for its expansion plans through crowdfunding platform Crowdcube. Like several other industry sectors – such as hospitality, retail, beauty and service firms – franchises have proven less popular with mainstream funders. Altfi providers focusing on sectors that conventional lenders frequently shun has been part of the altfi sector’s success, since they recognise that these are successful businesses with great potential, despite not fitting the banks’ rigid lending criteria.

In the wake of the Brexit vote, change is one of the few things we can be certain of

September 2016 | elitefranchise

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07/09/2016 19:14

Post-Brexit borrowing

Building awareness But while the challengers to the financial services norm have reason to be proud of their achievements, we all still face a significant hurdle and one that could materially affect our ability to help UK businesses in the months and years ahead.

Awareness of altfi remains stubbornly low among business owners, despite our industry’s success and growing prominence. Of firms that have borrowed or that plan to borrow, the vast majority – almost 93% – are familiar with bank overdraft facilities, compared with just four out of ten that know about alternative lending models, such as peer-to-peer finance, recent research by the British Chambers of Commerce found.

Recognition and trust are also a factor in this. Small-business owners are healthily cynical and take some persuading that something new is entirely to be trusted. This is understandable, though the alternative finance industry’s track record should now persuade more bosses that it is tested, serious and here to stay. In fact, fintech is changing the face of financial services, with many of its practices being adopted by larger, more

48

Brexit or no Brexit, altfi will be ready to help small firms and franchises to achieve their goals

traditional organisations. But until it gets its message across, SMEs will still rely on the big high-street banks for 80% of all of their credit.

We must break this stranglehold and demonstrate to entrepreneurs – those running franchises and independently established businesses alike – that alternative finance can offer them something preferable to conventional banking.

Altfi’s advantages So why might alternative finance suddenly look more attractive to those running businesses and seeking funding? The industry is now established, stable and ready to build upon its already strong foundations, yet still small enough to be nimble in the face of change. It can adapt quickly, frequently operate where banks cannot and morph its offering to the shifting needs of Britain’s franchisees and business owners. In the wake of the Brexit vote, change is one of the few things we can be certain of, so this ability to be flexible should not be underestimated.

Cautious, process-bound banks with unwieldy legacy systems will simply be unable to keep up.

Additionally, while some altfi businesses, such as equity crowdfunders, are regulated, many other areas are either not bound by regulation at present or have to adhere to far less legislation than their banking rivals. This gives them a distinct advantage at a time when regulatory issues are set for massive upheaval and redrafting, a process which will no doubt take many years to resolve.

Fundamentally, what sets altfi lenders apart from more conventional business funders is that they’re still hungry to do business with Britain’s SMEs and have the resources, expertise and experience to do so.

Undercapitalisation remains one of the major reasons businesses fail and franchises are no different. When our economy is going through such a state of flux, to put more SMEs at risk by depriving them of funding would be wrong and hugely detrimental to the UK’s overall economic wellbeing.

Brexit or no Brexit, as long as small firms and franchises are doing good work, altfi will be ready to help them to achieve their goals. The industry’s challenge is to make more business owners aware of that fact.

elitefranchise | September 2016

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07/09/2016 19:15

EnviroGroup’s Franchise Model is focused on the highest standards of service in kitchen and air duct hygiene within the hospitality sector.

We are your best business opportunity.

Offering: • • • • • • • •

Sales Support Bookkeeping Support 24/7 Helpline Ongoing Training and Operational Guidance Exclusive Regional Offices Established Since 2001 Highly Accredited Your Growth..

Rapidly Expanding

Our Support

e.tmwJohnbrooks@enviro-group.eu t.emw0161 766 8679 m.wte0333 8003 808 w.mtewww.envirogroupfranchising.com

ENVI001 Envirogroup FP copy.indd 1

31/05/2016 14:24

ADVERTISING FEATURE

A Dynamic and Recession-Proof High-Street Franchise The ZipYard is the fastest-growing garment-alteration franchise in the UK. With distinctive branding and well-planned shop fits that minimise square footage for maximum profit, the opportunity provides owners with a business that is welcome on any high street

O

fficially launched in Britain

by The Bardon Group in 2011, The ZipYard’s growth has been very strong and the company is well on the way to achieving its first target of 50 centres in the UK. The business provides a much needed service and has a real role to play in the rejuvenation of UK high streets.

The ZipYard concept offers total flexibility, providing the opportunity to simply run one centre or build a bigger business through owning multiple ZipYard centres throughout the country.

Specifically designed to project a stylish, high quality image, the ZipYard offers a wide range of alteration and tailoring services, all done on site by trained professionals in purpose-built, beautifully shopfitted centres, branded with the ZipYard’s signature eye-catching yellow and black colours.

From dress restyling and taking in or letting out to bridal-wear fitting and formal wear alterations, The

50

ZipYard provides convenient, speedy and cost-effective clothing alterations and repairs.

The ZipYard franchise package is a total turnkey operation, comprising a complete shop fit, state-of-the-art machinery, computer systems and a comprehensive marketing package that includes regional PR activity.

The package includes industrial sewing machines, specialist alteration and repair machinery, a computer, software, EPOS system, signage, fixtures and fittings, various consumables, starting stock, plus training and ongoing support from the franchisor, and a marketing and PR campaign to launch each centre.

Why choose The ZipYard?

Former driving instructor Richard McConnell opened England’s first ZipYard franchise in Altrincham in 2011 followed by a second centre in Wilmslow in 2013.

“We did lots of research in the franchise press and online, and looked into a wide variety of franchises,” says McConnell.

“The Altrincham ZipYard has exceeded all of our expectations and the model is so well thought out that it was easy to replicate in Wilmslow.

Our reputation went before us and the customer base in the new ZipYard is building very nicely.

“Initially it was my wife who noticed the ZipYard advert and she thought it was a fantastic idea. We did some research and quickly realised that there was no real competition in our area. Most of the time clothing repairs

are done as a bolt-on service at dry cleaners. The turn-around time isn’t very good and they don’t offer a very wide range of services.”

Marketing Head office provides a wide range of marketing support to the network including email marketing, a comprehensive range of promotional collateral and window posters that are supplied free of charge throughout the year to each centre.

All franchisees also have access to a retained PR agency that carries out regular activity on behalf of the ZipYard to raise awareness and generate footfall.

I have been extremely pleased by the success of our ZipYard store so far. As with any business, if you can combine excellence in service with excellence of products you have a winning formula and we certainly have that here at the ZipYard Bedford Graham Mulheron, The ZipYard Bedford

Contact: Emma Downes t: 01530 513307 e: edownes@thezipyard.co.uk Total Cost:£38,500 + VAT plus shop fit

elitefranchise | September 2016

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THEB002

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OVER TWO DECADES OF SUCCESSFULLY SETTING Cleaning

Franchise owners say:

PEOPLE UP IN BUSINESS JOANNE Previously Project manager at Bank of Scotland Starting turnover: £50k Current turnover £200k

“The Dublcheck Franchise was U.K. based, was relatively recession proof and was a basic business concept easily scalable.

Most importantly of all it was backed by the support of an established Franchisor that really appealed to us” - Mark

Previously Textile Manufacturers

Cleaning

CK

DU

Current turnover £620k

CH BL E

ESTABLISHED

LEN DONNELLY

1993

19

Previously Retail Manager

93-2013

Purchased resale Current turnover £350k

Previously Logistics Manager Starting turnover: £48k Current turnover £140k

MARK & JAMES

“Once I met the Dublcheck team I found the concept of commercial cleaning very appealing” - Joanne

Franchising

PETER & DENISE

“We found Dublcheck during our research into the franchise industry and immediately liked its concept of guaranteed turnover*, with Dublcheck finding your clients and guaranteeing the level of turnover you desire.”

- Peter

“A big thank you to the Dublcheck team, and o receive an award was brilliant” - Len “Sonal and I can’t belive a year has past since we decided to join this wonderful franchise.

We both wish we had done this years ago.”

- Mitesh

SONAL & MITESH Previously Quantity Surveyor Starting turnover: £14k Current turnover £150k

BUILD YOUR BUSINESS THE EASY WAY LARRY

NO NEED TO DO ANY SELLING...

WE GET THE BUSINESS FOR YOU!

GRAHAM & JAN

We Guarantee:

Previously Finance Director Starting turnover: £60k Current turnover £250k

• Turnover • Growth • Support

Previously Police Officers Starting turnover: £48k Current turnover £200k

Full training, support and low investment Invest from £9,950 to £190,950.

Turnover from £12,000 to half a £1/2 Million per annum.

With over 100 franchisees nationwide, and many more areas and opportunities available, you too could benefit from the proven Dublcheck system.

Dublcheck’s unique franchise system is a proven way to build a successful business in a multi-billion pound cleaning industry.

Further Details:

0800 317236

email: franchise@dublcheck.co.uk web: www.dublcheck.co.uk

Carol Stewart-Gill, Founder and Chairman of Dublcheck

Dublcheck, The 20th Fastest Growing Company in the UK - Official Source, Sunday Times

FULL MEMBER

*Guarantee turnover is not a guarantee of profit. All figures correct at the time of going to press.

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DUBL001 07/09/2016 14:40 19:44 05/08/2016

ADVERTISING FEATURE

Current Turnover in excess of half a million pounds

DUBL VISION Dublcheck co-franchise owners Mark Howarth and James Kitwood look back on their journey from single business owners to co-franchise owners and how it has changed their lives.

T

here is the old saying ‘it’s grim up North.’ Six ago years that was most certainly the case working in the cut-throat world of retail fashion manufacturing in Leeds. Dublcheck co-franchise owners Mark Howarth and James Kitwood had spent 20 years manufacturing garments for major blue-chip retailers such as Next, Ted Baker and Austin Reed.

However, as for many companies in the UK whose businesses relied on the British manufacturing market, the writing was on the wall. Says Howard, “In the beginning business was quite lucrative and enjoyable, but slowly the times changed, as did the manufacturing locations for our products. Manufacturing in the UK became based in Poland, then Romania, Hungary, Macedonia,

China and India. I spent more and more time abroad. Slowly the worklife balance began to tip and my family life bore the brunt.”

Working an average 40-hour week initially, that quickly became a 70hour week, Mark and James could no longer spend quality time with their families and when coupled with the gruelling travel schedule, both ended up with the same thought: ‘something has to change and we need some inspiration!’ A visit to The British Franchise Exhibition in 2009 led to a moment of inspiration. “In front of us was an array of different opportunities.” explains Kitwood.

“Up and down the aisles, a discussion here, a goodie bag there, but none were exactly right, until we stopped at the Dublcheck stand.”

During the two-hour drive back home, Mark and James discussed what they had seen at the expo.

Business after business was ruled out until they got to Dublcheck.

After weighing up the pros and cons between their current role and what Dublcheck offered, both men realised that a Dublcheck Cleaning franchise might in fact be what they were looking for. “It was UK based, it was relatively recession proof and it couldn’t be outsourced abroad,” Howarth highlights. “It was a basic business concept that was easily scalable and most importantly of all it was backed by the support of an established franchisor and that was something that really appealed to us.”

In June 2011 , Howarth and Kitwood took the plunge and bought an established franchise from another Dublcheck franchise owner who was looking to retire. The transition was not an easy one but they were helped by the mentoring system that Dublcheck had put in place where an established franchise owner offered guidance and advice for as long as it was deemed necessary.

After three months of strong support and guidance, Howarth and Kitwood felt they were capable of spreading their wings and running the business. “With the continued support of Dublcheck and ideas of our own we continue to flourish as a business,” Kitwood reveals.

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MARKETING PLAN

MAKING A MARKETING MAP As a franchisee, it’s not easy to know which route you should take to reach your marketing goals.

Taking some time to plot out a path can ensure you don’t get lost along the way

BY NICK HARRIS, FRANCHISE SALES DIRECTOR, NORTHWOOD

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MARKETING PLAN

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ou wouldn’t embark on a major journey to a new destination by hopping behind the wheel and hoping there will be sufficient signage along the road. In much the same way, it’s important that franchisees think long and hard about where they want their marketing efforts to take them. Having a clear marketing plan effectively acts as your road map and should answer three key questions: where are we now? Where do we want to get to? And how are we going to get there?

Before planning their journey, franchisees first need to work out where they’re going. This will mean considering what their business’s annual and mid-term objectives are. In a lettings and estateagency environment, a typical aim might be to grow the number of managed properties from X to Y over a set period – say 12, 24 or 36 months. With quality management information systems in place, a

franchisee will be able to work backwards to quantify what the marketing plan must deliver in order for the company to achieve this growth target.

Say a business currently manages 150 contracts and has aspirations to grow its portfolio to 200 within a year. This would mean its marketing plan must make provisions to deliver enough quality leads to generate an additional 50 contracts. If the average conversion rate for new business appointments to agreed contracts is 50%, then it is established that an additional 100 new business appointments must be generated within the coming 12 months. And, working even further backwards, if a business calculates that 25% of all enquiries received are converted into new business appointments then it is established that the marketing plan must deliver 400 new business enquiries to hit its goal.

The next hurdle to tackle on your journey is to consider the various

media channels available to you, be they local – such as radio, property press, consumer press, door drop media and recommendations – or national.

Whilst experimenting with these different media, it’s important to calculate the returns each channel is providing. Franchises should record the total number of new enquires coming from each specific medium and divide this by the monetary spend on that channel to calculate a costper-enquiry (CPE). For example, local radio might produce 200 enquiries over 12 months at a cost of £10,000, delivering a CPE of £50, while the

Having a clear marketing plan effectively acts as your road map local property press has delivered 50 enquiries at a cost of £5,000, resulting in a CPE of £100.

This can then be tweaked and improved upon with a bit of performance management. Increasing the conversion rates from enquiry to business appointments or business appointments to agreed contracts will increase the business’s growth or reduce the required marketing spend.

Another way of boosting a business’s conversion rates is by improving standards. By providing a better service, the business will see increasing numbers of referrals and recommendations that do not attract

September 2016 | elitefranchise

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Marketing plan

a direct cost. This will deliver additional ‘warm’ new business enquiries that, in turn, will improve the conversion rates of leads to appointments and appointments to business. The end result will be that the company is able to further grow its customer base within the its marketing budget.

These kinds of calculations prove invaluable in planning the best route for your business to take. But whilst one medium may seem overwhelmingly more effective than another, it’s worth noting that different above the line – for example radio – and below the line – such as direct marketing – media support each other. They create cut-through and together contribute to the overall effectiveness of the business’ marketing plan. Moreover, whilst establishing the financial return required of the marketing plan, attention must also be given to the creative treatment – that is the message, content and imagery that is to be delivered to the target market.

That said, your business is likely to have pre-determined marketing budgets and will have set parameters within which it must work.

This means that while the marketing plan must strive to deliver balance across various media and disciplines – such as advertising, public relations or sales promotion – marketers will skew the plan towards those that best deliver the desired results within the available budget.

Often a business’s target market will

consist of broad groups that need approaching differently, potentially by targeting the company’s service offerings to one group and its products to another. To this end, the marketing plan must allow for targeting opposing yet often overlapping customer groups, while consistently promoting the company’s brand values, be they quality, price, innovation or service standards – or more likely a combination of all of the above. Further consideration must be given to the changing needs of the customer groups. For example, in a lettings and estate agency business, today’s tenant customers are often tomorrow’s landlord clients.

These kinds of Pitfalls to avoid are numerous, calculations prove including agreeing to long-term supplier agreements for untested invaluable in media that do not give the option to planning the best break should the media or creative treatment fail to deliver the required route for your results. Another issue is associating business to take the brand with a medium that does not reflect the company’s core values – you wouldn’t see Harrods advertising on a local, black and white home-printed leaflet for example. Another mistake is engaging or dismissing media channels that competitors have historically used but have now withdrawn from.

By applying a structured approach to marketing with good quality management information and an understanding of the local media opportunities, a franchise owner should be able to clearly quantify what their marketing plan must deliver. And once a franchisee has mapped out their journey, they can finally hit the open road and start driving toward their destination.

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Managing stress

Franchisors and F1 drivers may seem a world apart but they both have to manage their stress levels or risk hitting the wall by eric johansson

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arco Robinson had a heart attack when he was only 29 years old. “I was standing at my desk talking to people and suddenly I felt pain everywhere and collapsed,” he remembers. An ambulance rushed him to the hospital where the doctors only needed a quick glance at his lifestyle to diagnose the cause of his condition.

In retrospect, he should have seen it coming. Years of boozy lunches combined with a high-pressure work 58

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environment are hardly ideal from a cardiovascular point of view. Add a messy personal life to the mix and you end up with a potentially lethal cocktail rushing through your arteries.

“My wife was having an affair with my best friend and I had lost a lot of money on the stock market,” he says.

Robinson’s heart attack was his body telling him something and he was finally prepared to listen. “It was a wake-up call,” he says. Within a few days Robinson had quit his job, gone on a three-month-long vacation around the world and overhauled his entire lifestyle.

A big part of his transformation has been dropping unhealthy food and the stressful work environment to spend more time pumping iron. “The most important thing for me is to get to the gym every day because it gives me a lot of energy, annihilates stress and helps me focus,” says Robinson.

Not only have these daily sessions given him the occasional gig as a swimwear model but since learning to manage and minimise his stress, Robinson has successfully launched the franchises Naked Coffee, Naked Pizza and Naked Beauty Salons.

But if you think Robinson’s case is an isolated one, you’d be mistaken: according to a survey from Lee Hecht Harrison, the leadership development company, 67% of business leaders struggle with stress. Given the research also found that senior executives feel increasingly stressed out the more responsibilities they have, it’s hardly surprising that franchisors – who are responsible for the future of both their franchisees and employees – are particularly prone to high levels of stress. “If I make the wrong decision, imagine how catastrophic that would be for our 62 franchisees,” says Craig Brown, managing director of Signs Express, the signage franchise.

And franchisors do not only have to watch their stress from a health point of view. Ignoring stress could lead to poor decisions, as demonstrated by research conducted by Benenden Health, the healthcare provider, that found acute stress impairs individuals’ ability to think critically. In light of this, franchisors should definitely be looking to minimise the stress of running a business. And a good way to start would be taking a pit stop in the world of Formula One.

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Managing stress

Life in the fast lane we use have a profound effect on how we respond to things,” says James Hewitt, science and development On the face of it, franchising and competing in director at Hintsa Performance. “Stress in itself the Grand Prix may not sound that alike but look is neutral but it is our response that determines closer and you are certain to spot at least one big whether it will be positive or negative.” similarity: they both include huge responsibilities.

Athletes who successfully turn their Formula One drivers that take a wrong stress into something positive have turn risk losing both the race and If I make the wrong one thing in common: they don’t take sponsors, resulting in lost capital and decision, imagine their setbacks personally. Instead of redundancies amongst the pit crew. saying things like “I’m not good at this”, So it is no wonder professional drivers how catastrophic they see every difficult situation as a hire experts to help them manage their that would be for new challenge through which they can stress, with Finnish surgeon Aki Hintsa our 62 franchisees learn something. By doing that, Hewitt proving to be one of the most popular. argues, sportspeople and members of Having helped drivers win ten world Craig Brown, Signs Express the business community are not only championship titles – Lewis Hamilton’s able to bounce back faster from setbacks victory in 2008 being one – Hintsa has but will also be able to perform even better next developed a method for both athletes and business time a similar situation comes along. “That’s what people to deal with their stress. This method forms we call super-compensation,” says Hewitt. the cornerstone of the organisation he has founded, In other words, making a faulty judgement call Hintsa Performance, which holds that semantics is can help reduce stress in the future if you have the the key to unlocking a stress-free life. “The words September 2016 | elitefranchise

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Managing stress

right outlook from the start – something Robinson can attest to. “I’ve made a lot of mistakes but have learnt from them,” he says. “And because of that I don’t have to stress about them the same way.”

The team at Hintsa Performance would also applaud his efforts to stay in shape. Having originated in the world of sports, it is not surprising that physical activities, attitude, nutrition, recovery and general health are at the core of Hintsa Performance’s ideology of how to turn stress into something positive. And it emphasises that all of these factors are equally important. “If one component breaks down, the wheel stops spinning,” concludes Hewitt.

The camel’s back Turbocharging your vocabulary with positive phrases may help you recover more quickly from a setback and learn from the experience but it doesn’t prevent franchisors from facing stressful situations altogether. Franchisors must take control of their franchises and minimise the number of niggles they deal with on a daily basis as each may be the straw that breaks the camel’s back.

One such niggle is the relationship between the franchisor and the franchisees. Those headaches are often born out of an absence of clear systems for how franchisees and franchisors should interact with one another. If franchisors don’t have roadmap for dealing with headstrong franchisees, it will undoubtedly pile on the stress. “It’s a recipe for disaster,” says Rik Hellewell, managing director and founder of Ovenu, the oven-cleaning franchise.

Drawing up a solid franchise agreement is a good way to create a functioning relationship between franchisees and franchisors. However that doesn’t mean franchisors should just rely on the contract: they also need to be open to regular dialogue. “You’ve to be able to have an adult conversation,” says Brown.

Given that business people’s stress levels are directly tied to their accumulated 60

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Stress in itself is neutral but it is our response that determines whether it will be positive or negative James Hewitt, Hintsa Performance

responsibilities, it should come as no surprise that sharing the load can also help alleviate the pressure. For instance, bouncing your ideas off your directors can do wonders for your stress levels.

“Using colleagues as a sounding board prevents you from going ahead with poor decisions,” says Brown.

And while some responsibilities may be handled by delegating them within the organisation, franchisors should keep in mind that some stressors can be treated by hiring another firm to deal with them. For instance, a franchise can always outsource its HR, marketing and accountancy issues if its in-house talent doesn’t excel in those disciplines. “If you have experts doing those things, then they will be done much quicker than if you muck about with it yourself,” says Hellewell. “It’s just one less thing to worry about.”

Ultimately, one of the best ways to get control and thus eliminate stress is to simply write down a list of all the issues that may cause you a headache and cross them off one by one. “Because when people do that, they’ll get the ultimate pleasure of scrunching that piece of paper up and throwing it in the bin together with the paracetamol,” concludes Hellewell.

elitefranchise | September 2016

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Apps on the go

Get app L up and

go For busy franchisees on the go, being able to quickly reconnect with the home office is an essential ingredient for success. And by downloading the right app, you can do just that

by ERIC JOHANSSON AND MARIA BARR

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ife on the Road may be half of the title of the latest movie starring The Office character David Brent but it’s also an apt job description for many UK franchisees. Given that 29% of them own more than one outlet according to the latest survey from the bfa and NatWest, it’s not surprising that franchise owners often spend a lot of time away from the office.

While this may have resulted in never-ending migraines in times gone by, technology offers franchisees the opportunity to stay on top of their business – even when away from the workplace. By downloading the right apps, franchisees can stay in touch with their workforce and maximise efficiency with their mobile phones.

Whether you’re looking to improve your customer relationships or simply need to plan a business trip, you can rest assured there’s an app for that.

The pocket scanner: Office Lens There’s a reason why Google named Office Lens one of the best apps of 2015: as with many successful inventions, the innovation at its heart is really simple. Essentially, the technology turns your mobile’s camera into a portable scanner. Simply snap a photo on your phone and Office Lens can convert the image into an editable PDF, Word document or PowerPoint file.

The app is especially handy for capturing receipts and business cards, not to mention turning elaborate whiteboard scribbles into Word files that you can read and edit at your leisure after a productive brainstorm. For franchisees on the go who don’t want to be tied down by bulky kit, it’s an easy way to log important information.

The customer manager: Hubspot CRM Every entrepreneur worth their salt knows that keeping clients happy is just as important as having an extraordinary product. That’s why it’s vital to have an app to keep all your client data in order. So given that it’s a knockout combo of both customer relationship management (CRM) and marketing automation tool, it’s not hard to see why Hubspot CRM has become one of the most popular apps of its kind.

Whether you’re awaiting a business meeting in the City or are sat on the train to Birmingham for the bfa HSBC Franchisee of the Year Awards, the app allows you to tend to your clients on your phone. You can manage your social media posts, follow up with new contacts and track the success rate of your email campaigns. Because being on the road shouldn’t mean you can’t keep in touch.

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Telcoinabox set up, supply and support telecoms companies We give you the systems and tools to change your lifestyle. Create a successful business that fits in and around your family or other commitments.

If you’re motivated and ambitious, a Telcoinabox business will enable you to have the work-life balance you choose — or dream of. Use your entrepreneurial skills to be your own boss, build your own brand and start up your own business. You’ll have the flexibility to work from home, or anywhere with a computer and phone, and to work when and how you want.

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No telecoms experience required. We make selling telecoms easy through robust training and back end office support.

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Sell once and receive monthly recurring revenue for the remainder of the contract - just like the large phone networks enjoy themselves.

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Earning potential of £75,000+ per year within 2 years - based on adding only 6 small business customers per month.

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0203 326 5550 | info@telcoinabox.co.uk www.telcoinabox.co.uk Telcoinabox FP Feb16.indd 1

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Apps on the go

The contract signer: Adobe Sign The old adage that time is money has never been truer than it is today. With the rise of digital technology, speed can mean the difference between success and defeat.

Delays in finding and signing the right documents can significantly slow down that new deal or prevent your invoices from being sent out in a timely manner.

This is only compounded if you’re out on the road.

Fortunately, Adobe Sign slashes that lag by allowing your colleagues to quickly send you contracts and forms to sign over your smartphone – considerably speeding up the process.

The communications tool: Slack As role models go, you can do worse than looking up to NASA and LinkedIn. Not only are both organisations pushing the boundaries of how tech is connecting people, but they are also using the same app to cut through the noise: Slack. And this is a tool that can prove particularly useful for the franchisee on the road.

Much more than just a WhatsApp for business, the messaging app allows you to create private or public channels arranged by topic, in which you can share files, post messages and assign tasks. You can invite who you like – so people are brought into specific threads on a need-toknow basis – and send secure direct messages to individual people. Additionally, if you already store your documents in the cloud through Dropbox, Google Drive or Box, Slack will synch them.

Additionally, you can benefit from installing Slack in your offices as well as on your mobile. According to the company, its customers see an average reduction of 48.6% in internal emails. So whether you’re at home or away, downloading the app can put an end to time-sapping emails for franchisees.

The time manager: ETA Whether you’re darting between meetings or have back-to-back customer appointments, it’s vital you arrive on time. But traffic jams or taking the wrong turn in an unfamiliar city can cause unexpected delays, which makes transport planning app ETA a lifesaver.

Once you plot in your current location and destination, the app can predict how long the traffic will take in real time, estimate your mileage and suggest when you’re likely to arrive. It optimises your journey by offering multiple route options by car, public transport or on foot. And once you’re en route, it can give you directions to help you find your way.

However, it’s not just franchisees that can benefit from downloading ETA to their smartphones. Franchises relying on a network of drivers can give their mobile workforce a boost by downloading the app to help minimise delays and disruptions. So the next time your customers want you to come and join them, simply download ETA and reply “no problem.”

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ADVERTISING FEATURE

Tailor-made for success The ZipYard offers a professional tailoring and alterations service in a clean, purpose build environment

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ur award-winning business is all about outstanding customer service. Whilst there are no other specialist alterations and tailoring centres in the area, there are numerous businesses offering similar services and competition is great.

As the top performing ZipYard, we have raised a total of 22,500 invoices. Turnover in the first year was £174,500 from 9978 customers. In the ten months to date of our second year we are at £238,000 from 12,675 customers and on track to hit our target of £274,000 by year end.

Added Value We want our customers to believe that nothing is too much trouble. We don’t charge any extra for the express service and often carry out additional minor repairs for free. If one of the seamstresses notices a button needs replacing whilst they are turning up a hem it takes very little additional time to do the complementary work – and customers are always surprised and delighted.

Frequently people come in off the street with a button that’s just popped off. We’ll fix it there and then, again for no charge, confident in the knowledge that he or she will regard us as a lifesaver and talk about The ZipYard to others.

Customer stories We frequently see brides who have bought a dress from the internet. On one occasion a woman came in to the centre in tears with a dress that fitted terribly. By the time we had finished she was parading up and down with a big smile on her face.

Another customer spent over £400 altering her wardrobe after a successful diet and an elderly lady brought in all of her clothes to be taken in - all bundled into storage boxes and carried up the high street to us.

Nowadays very few people have the time or skill to mend their own clothes – and a lot of our work involves repairs but even I was surprised when one of our regular customers brought in a pair of her son’s Y-fronts for us to fix a tear!

For many of our customers we have become their personal tailors. One well-heeled man left a message on our answering machine to say his wife was bringing in a ball gown the next

“We are all very proud of Richard and his team who have developed a great business in Altrincham – and so successful has this been that Richard has now opened his second Centre in Wilmslow which is testimony to the tremendous potential of the brand” Nigel Toplis, Managing Director

day so ‘please leave space on your machine’ for her. They expect a very fast service and we rarely disappoint. A regular moved out of the area but saves up his repairs until he comes back to visit friends – travelling over 160 miles for our quality of service.

The Future Managing customer expectations isn’t easy and it has been a big challenge for us to be able to turn round work quickly as the volume increases. Recently we dealt with 90 paying customers in one day which is ten an hour. We already open seven days a week and are looking to employ another seamstress to focus full-time on express work and have installed a second till to cope with the queues that had begun to form outside the door in busy periods.

We are looking at ways to extend the range of services we offer including a paid-for delivery and collection service which will appeal to our busier user clientele.

At the moment I manage ZipYard with the help of one other but I will be recruiting additional customer-facing staff to free me up to do more marketing and work on plans to open another ZipYard in the north-west.

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BREXIT

LEAVE: A PAPER TRAIL The vote to leave doesn’t necessarily mean you need to tear up your franchise agreement. For most franchises, little will change from a legal standpoint

BY KATE LEGG, CEO, KOMERSE

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he dust is finally beginning to settle after the historic Leave vote on June 23 and many franchises are starting to figure out what the implications are for their franchise agreements. A research paper from the House of Commons titled How much legislation comes from Europe? estimates that 10% of UK regulation started life in the EU. So to unpick exactly how the leave vote will impact British law, it’s helpful to understand the legislation process – not to mention bust some myths while we’re at it.

Understanding directives Broadly speaking, there are two ways that EU missives get absorbed into UK law. The first is through directives, which tell member states what the objective is but allow them to pass their own national laws to implement the directive.

The UK has often been its own worst enemy when it comes to interpreting directives. While most 68

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EU members largely copy and paste the original directive when they come to implement legislation, the UK has a habit of embellishing them, adding to the regulatory burden. This means that in many cases what started as an EU seed has blossomed into a UK forest. In fact, the 2003 How much regulation is gold plate? report calculates that, on average, Britain elaborated on the original directive by 330% and used 2.8 documents to implement each one. That is compared to just one document in Germany and 0.8 in Portugal.

Once a directive has been implemented by a UK act of parliament, the implementing legislation becomes part of our national law. Brexit or no Brexit, it will remain in force – unless it’s repealed. But it’s unlikely that we’ll see a raft of EU legislation being repealed any time soon.

As a general rule, we hold on to our old laws like confirmed hoarders – which is evident when you look at

BREXIT

the volume of repeals. There are around 30-40 additions to the UK statute book each year but in the past five years, only around 25 have been repealed in their entirety. That’s because repealing legislation is complicated and time-consuming. Different pieces of legislation often relate to each other, so repealing one piece may mean amending another. And with the length of new acts passed in 2009 averaging at 98 pages – according to a House of Lords library note – just reading it to decide whether it’s worth keeping is a task in itself.

However, there is a general consensus that there will be a reduction in regulation when it comes to some of the more onerous employment laws, such as the law relating to the extent of workers’ rights on the sale of a business under Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 1981 (TUPE). But, on the whole, not much is likely to change – apart from the fact that legislation implementing new directives won’t be needed.

POST-BREXIT, MOST OF OUR EXISTING LEGISLATION IS LIKELY TO REMAIN THE SAME

EU regulations: here to stay?

The second way EU law becomes UK legislation is through European regulations. Unlike directives, regulations apply automatically without the need for the government to pass any additional legislation. This means that when the UK leaves the EU, the regulations will, technically speaking, no longer apply.

But this depends on the terms of any new trade deals that are negotiated. Since many of the regulations were introduced to ensure a level playing field between member states and promote free trade, many commentators believe that continued compliance with at least some regulations will be required as a condition of future trade agreements with the EU. Brexit and your franchise agreement Most domestic franchise agreements are governed by the laws of England and Wales or Scotland. There is currently nothing to suggest that any of the laws governing franchise agreements are likely to change significantly, if at all, post-Brexit.

An exception to this is when an agreement defines a territory in relation to the EU – for example, a master franchise that grants the master franchisee rights to operate across the EU. If that’s the case, it would be sensible to revisit the agreement and clarify the definition by specifying each country that is included in the territory.

Another area of interest is franchise brands that have successfully registered an EU trade mark granting them legal protection for their product or brand. The system provides for protection to be automatically extended as new members join the union but it’s not clear what happens to that protection when members leave.

This will no doubt be one of the many items on the agenda for Britain’s exit negotiations.

Business as usual?

Post-Brexit, most of our existing legislation is likely to remain the same and the majority of UK franchise agreements will be unaffected. The reality is that Britain won’t have to introduce any new EU-related legislation and we’re unlikely to see a rush to repeal existing legislation. At our recent annual conference, the message from the bfa was that it’s very much a case of business as usual for Britain’s franchise industry.

September 2016 | elitefranchise

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• High profitability and re-sale values.

Regional Franchise As one of 14 regional franchisees you would be responsible for client acquisition within a defined territory and developing a sales team of up-to 15 individuals to recruit 30 new clients for each of the 5 district offices in your territory. You would also be responsible for running a regional sales office and forging links with the business heads in the area.

District Franchise A district franchisee is responsible for the ongoing client management of the accounts within a defined area involving:

Regional P&L Forecast YEAR

P&L

1

£64,906

2

£133,956

3

£313,006

4

£418,342

5

£535,943

District P&L Forecast YEAR

P&L

1

£50,838

2

£121,015

3

£251,935

• Running periodic networking events

4

• Maximising the clients usage of our currency

5

£305,135 £347,396

• Establishing a District Branch office • Building a team of account managers

Enquire to: franchising@bbxuk.com 0333 4002014 www.bbxuk.com/bbx-franchise EliteFranchise1015.indd 2

BB UK

BUSINESS BANK EXCHANGE 06/10/2015 14:12

Franchise RESALES

Why buy a sandwich franchise?

• The British ‘on the go’ sandwich market is currently valued at £3 billion • 1.8 billion sandwiches are bought in the UK every year • A healthier fast food option

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

DYNA001

Franchisee: Surrey

A resale opportunity has arisen in one of our franchises based in the Surrey area.

Investment: TBC

The franchisee started the practice in 2000 and operates from a prominent shop front location.

The business services around 320 clients and enjoys gross annual recurring fees of circa £185,000.

Location: Surrey

Established: 2000

Turnover: £170,000

With the shop being well established, any purchaser would be walking into a readymade business with a fully fitted shop, complete with furniture, IT and telephone systems along with experienced, well qualified staff. The business has enjoyed regular growth with the majority of new clients coming from recommendations, walk-in business and inbound leads generated from the Support Centre.

This represents an excellent foundation upon which a new franchisee can further develop an already established business.

For a franchise re-sale you only pay us a half franchise and training fee as we recognise that you will also be investing in purchasing the business. For further information please call us today on 0800 0188 297 or visit us at www.taxassistfranchise.co.uk/resales

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Franchise RESALES

Franchisee: Canvey Island and Leigh On Sea Location: Essex

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

The Franchisee started the business in 2005 and the practice currently services around 300 small business clients and enjoys gross annual recurring fees of circa £179,000. The Franchisee operates from two prominent shop front locations within the designated territory, so any purchaser would be walking into a readymade business with established shops complete with furniture, IT and telephone systems along with experienced, well qualified staff.

Investment: TBC

Established: 2005

Turnover: £161,000

The business has enjoyed regular growth with the majority of new clients coming from recommendations, walk-in business and inbound leads generated from the support centre.

This opportunity represents an excellent foundation upon which a new franchisee can further develop an established business with the added benefit of two fully fitted shops which provide the opportunity to fully develop the exclusive territory.

For a franchise re-sale, you only pay us a half franchise and training fee as we recognise that you will also be investing in purchasing the business. For further information please call us today on 0800 0188 297 or visit us at www.taxassistfranchise.co.uk/resales

TAXA001

Exhibit at Europe’s Fastest Growing

Franchise Exhibitions... ...and put your brand in front of thousands of qualified investors the

New Start

Scotland

17th & 18th February 2017

Justin Livingston CFE

9th & 10th September 2016

10th & 11th November 2016

James Dixon Box Events Manager

Richard Holden, Head of Franchising

Had a great show in London! Talked to great potential clients about expanding Coyote Ugly in India, UK, Ireland, Italy, Slovakia, and more!

‘‘

The best exhibition I’ve attended in the past five years. Clearly a lot of effort has gone in to promoting the show and attracting quality visitors which has convinced me that Excel is the place to be for exhibitors wanting high quality enquiries

‘‘

‘‘

www.newstartscotland.com

www.thefranchiseshow.ie

‘‘

We attend this show every year and it just gets better and better. The organisation was seamless and the we will definitely be back next year.

‘‘

Secure your stand today!

‘‘

www.thefranchiseshow.co.uk

EXHIBITION

0330 1222 049 @FranchiseShowUK jemma.tonge@newstartexhibitions.com

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FRANCHISE FOCUS

Shuttercraft

Shuttercraft offers premium wooden shutters in a market that is growing by 30% per annum. We put “customer experience” at the heart of everything we do and that is how we remain the market leader. Shuttercraft have invested heavily into new websites, new CRM systems and dedicated personnel to ensure our franchisees have every advantage when entering this growth market.

• High Profits • High Cashflow • Low Margins • High Referral Levels • Advanced Training Package • Multi-Level Business Support • Premium Product

Phone: 01692 280 505 | Email: sean@shuttercraft.co.uk | www.shuttercraft-franchise.co.uk

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ActionCOACH

A fantastically rewarding and fulfilling business to be in...

“I had a tough 2 years building this business and learning my new profession, but now I’m eclipsing my corporate earnings, in a 2 1/2 day week, so I get all the time I want with my wife & kids. I admire the calibre of people I get to work with & learn from & I’ve got the satisfaction of knowing that my clients are the biggest winners.”

Lucas Vigilante, ActionCOACH Franchise Partner

• Winner 2014 Best UK Franchise Award sponsored by RBS • Guaranteed £10k per month by month 7 for the best applicants (Ask us about Ts & Cs) • 1st to achieve 5 Star Franchisee Satisfaction Award • Personal investment can be as low as £10k • You get to reap the rewards; the more you put In, the more you get out • Best UK Business Opportunity according to Compare The Financial Markets

Watch the opportunity video at: actioncoach.co.uk

Contact us: | Call: 01284 701 648 | Email: freedom@actioncoach.com | actioncoach.co.uk

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The Interface Financial Group

IFG 50/50 is an affordable home-based franchise that provides short-term working capital to businesses by purchasing current, quality invoices at a discount. In IFG 50/50, all transactions are handled by both the franchisor and the franchisee. Both handle due diligence and funding.

The franchisor, however, handles 90% of the paperwork, leaving franchisees free to handle the ‘people’ part of the franchise.

• Above-average ROI • Low overhead - home-based • Virtually paperless • All transactions worked together • Non-territorial & Portable

Phone 0845 834 0332 | Email: ifg@interfacefinancial.com | www.interfacefinancial.co.uk

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TaxAssist Accountants

TaxAssist Accountants is the UK’s largest network of accountants servicing the needs of small businesses and the self-employed. TaxAssist takes on both accountants and business/finance professionals as franchisees can employ accountants while they concentrate on building their business.

With an established brand and known for breaking with tradition in an industry that has not experienced this before, TaxAssist Accountants stand out from the crowd operating from highly visible and welcoming shop front premises.

• 5 star franchisee satisfaction award for three years running • Awards from franchise and accountancy arenas • Accountancy fee banks are a saleable asset • In demand services • 1st class support and training

Contact Jody Macmillan | Call: 0800 0188297 | Email: jody.macmillan@taxassist.co.uk | www.taxassistfranchise.co.uk

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FRANCHISE FOCUS

Franchise Sales

FranchiseSales.com is the leading internet resource for franchising. Online since 2001, we have extensive experience helping prospective franchisees find and buy the right franchise and franchisors find and recruit the right people for their business.

We aim to help you become an owner of your dream business, by making the process quick, simple and easy. Our clients are successful, wealthy and happy with their franchise business.

• High quality leads • High conversion rate • Number one in Google and other search engines • Global reach

www.franchisesales.co.uk

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HomeXperts

The innovative HomeXperts franchise model enables you to start your own estate and letting agency working from home or a small serviced office. You will be trained to industry standards, whilst receiving continuous, comprehensive support and receive access to the awardwinning HomeXperts Franchisee Hub. By working hard and following the proven franchise model, you could secure your financial future by earning more than £25,000 in invoiced commissions in a month.

• Industry leading training package • iPad, Wide-angle lens camera, Digital measurer • 24/7 access to the award winning HomeXperts Hub • Access to all of the major UK property portals • Local website and a national branch page • Full back office support

Phone: 01905 678853 | Email: franchise@homexpertsuk.com | www.home-xperts.co.uk

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BBX UK

Over 60% of businesses have the ability to service more customers without increasing their fixed costs – this is called their SPARE CAPACITY. If their spare capacity is not used its value will be lost forever which costs UK businesses hundreds of billions in lost revenue annually.

BBX is the largest Global Cashless Trade Exchange offering businesses a facility to turn their spare capacity into additional revenue without discounting. Building on 22 years of franchising we have opportunities in the UK offering:

• Multiple income streams – earning 24/7 • Dedicated territories • Renewable income leading to exponential profit growth • Immediate cash flow • Global market leaders

Contact Matthew Harding | Call: 0333 4002014 | email: matt.harding@bbxuk.com | www.bbxuk.com

BBX001

Original Poster Company

OPC is celebrating over 25 years as the world’s leading distributor of greeting cards, selling quality products through independent retailers and national groups such as Costcutter, Nisa, etc. Our network benefits from two growing UK industries – the greeting cards industry, worth £1.6 million (GCA 2015), and the convenience sector, up 1.5% from last year (IGD). Our franchise opportunities are established businesses with stock and customers.

• Low overheads, high margin product • Proven simple business model using Cloud and iPad based technology • Attractive to retailers - they only pay for what they sell • We don’t charge royalty payments or management fees • We offer a five year renewable franchise agreement • Comprehensive training and support • Full BFA membership

Contact Andrew Cutler | Phone: 01932 267 300 | Email: andrewc@originalposter.com | www.originalposter.com

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FRANCHISE FOCUS

Now Boarding Pet Hotels

Do you have a passion for small pets? Do you want to work from home with flexible working hours?

If this sounds like you, then why not open your own Now Boarding Pet Hotel. With our complete start up package, you could be ready to open for business within weeks! We provide you with everything you need to get started, and will help you every step of the way.

Phone: 01322 471801 | Email: enquiries@nowboardingpethotels.co.uk | www.nowboardingpethotels.co.uk

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Mobile Workwear

Mobile Workwear is an innovative new franchise opportunity, bringing our range of reliable, hardwearing products to the businesses that need them most. Our success is built on being ‘tested to work’, from the products we offer, to our staff, suppliers and partners. As a franchisee, you can unlock the potential within that brand to create a mobile retail business limited only by your ambition.

• Low investment <£5k • Low running cost • High earning potential • Unprecedented level of support • Centralised accounts, stock and delivery control • Discounted samples

Phone: +45 87244700 or 07769 882775 | Email: mobile.workwear@mascot.dk | www.mobileworkwear.com

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Zip Yard

Are you ambitious to run your own business?

Customer driven and well organised?

Can you follow a proven business system?

All Zip Yard franchises are finished to a distinctive specification and you are presented with a fully operational and fully supported business with trained staff and comprehensive brand marketing from day one.

• Marketing and promotion tools • Group purchasing power • Internet and web support • Ongoing training programmes • Continued concept and product development • Day to day troubleshooting

Contact phone 01530 513307 | email: edownes@thezipyard.co.uk | www.thezipyard.co.uk

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To advertise in this section please call: 0124 567 3690

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GET INSPIRED BY SOME OF THE UK’S MOST SUCCESSFUL FRANCHISORS Elite Franchise is the UK’s fastest-growing title for franchisees, start-ups and growing franchise businesses in the UK. A high-quality magazine, it’s packed with engaging content including interviews with the hottest franchises around, hints and tips to help aspiring entrepreneurs and columns from those in the know.

SAVE £20 on the cover price delivered free to your door. Subscribe to the print edition and enjoy free access to the digital edition every month.

Receive 12 issues of the UK’s best new franchise magazine for entrepreneurs for only £20* OFFER CODE:

EFSHOW16

Call us today on:

0124 567 3700

elitefranchisemagazine.co.uk/subscription

August 2016 £4.50

WE LOVE PETS

Meet the franchise caring for all creatures great and small

elitefranchisemagazine.co.uk

A REASON FOR BEING

The Steve Jobs management lesson franchisors must take to heart

June 2016 £4.50

ALL IN THE FAMILY

Why franchising with a relative produces great results

SUIT THE CITY

SNAP-ON TOOLS

The tailor is stepping up its sartorial success

Ensuring the world has the right tools for the job

elitefranchisemagazine.co.uk

April 2016 £4.50

BAKE & TAKE The self-service bakery chain has landed in Blighty

elitefranchisemagazine.co.uk

TERRITORIAL GAINS

Exclusivity or nonexclusivity? That is the question

MONEY MATTERS

How franchisees can find the right funding balance

GUINOT

Bringing the world scientific skincare

TOP GEAR

SHAPING UP

For former professional rugby player Mark Llewellyn, tackling challenges head on is second nature. Thanks to this, his vehicle repair franchise Revive! UK is now entering the fast lane and is set to turn over £8.5m this year

Jan Spaticchia always wanted to head up his own business empire. Given énergie group currently turns over £26m and is on track to become the largest fitness chain in the UK and Ireland, it’s safe to say his dream has come true

THE RIGHT STUFF Ken Deary scooped awards aplenty during an 11-year stint at McDonald’s.

Now he is scoring further franchising success as managing director of Right at Home UK, the fast-growing homecare franchise

*Limited to new subscribers at UK addresses only. Please allow 28 days for delivery. Overseas mail: Europe £60; rest of world £95 Offer closes 30.09.16

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DISCOVERY DAYS

IFG operates regular Franchise Office Discovery Days. For those interested in a self-employed career that involves a world connected to finance and who have a business curious analytical mind, we hope they will enjoy spending some time investigating this fascinating franchise opportunity.

There with you are co-attendees researching IFG; different ages, career backgrounds and perspectives...it all adds to a constructive, productive day.

Right from the start, the heart of IFG has been to place its franchisees in a serious leadership position. Only with a network of skilled, committed and industrious franchisees can we correctly find, service and underwrite our small business clients who need prompt payment of their bills.

We are proud of providing an ethical and sustainable source of fast finance to businesses. We’d be delighted if you wish to join us at one of our Discovery days to learn more.

taimoor milktaimoor milksheikh sheikh

Phone 0845 834 0332 Email: ifg@interfacefinancial.com www.interfacefinancial.co.uk ARCM001

Find out about our seminars and book your FREE place at www.franchise-seminars.info.

Ahead for Business Franchise Seminars

STEP INTO FRANCHISING

I am a franchisee & this is my McDonald’s

Ahead for Business

‘The best part of being a franchisee is the responsibility that comes with Ilooking am aafter franchisee & a large workforce.

Givingis local a chance to this mypeople McDonald’s develop their skills, grow in confidence, progress their ‘The best partsomething of being a franchisee career – it’s I find is the responsibility really rewarding.’ that comes with looking after a large workforce.

Taimoor, operates four restaurants Giving people a chance to in Southlocal East London develop their skills, grow in confidence, progress their career – it’s something I find really rewarding.’

What is franchising? How does it work?

Can I be successful?

All of these questions and more are answered at the NatWest Franchise Seminars. We will provide advice and guidance to help you identify and choose the right franchise, so that you can enjoy the rewards and freedom of being your own boss.

You will be guided through our ‘Steps to Success’, an overview of the franchise industry, given financial advice and an insight into the operational and legal considerations of investing in a franchise.

Taimoor, operates four restaurants in South East London

The seminars are held regularly in Manchester, Birmingham and London.

Come and talk to us at our Insight Day in Elstree 22nd July 2016

02071 833 657

www.mcdonalds.co.uk/franchising

Come and talk to us at our Insight Day in Elstree 045116-250x148-CityAM.indd 1 22nd July 2016

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www.franchise-seminars.info I enquiry@franchise-seminars.info RBS001

www.mcdonalds.co.uk/franchising

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DISCOVERY DAYS

To find out 100% of the information about the award-winning HomeXperts model, book your discovery meeting by emailing franchise@homexpertsuk.com.

Interested Investors

A discovery meeting will explain the innovative franchise model in full, helping you to decide if HomeXperts is right for you. Discovery meetings are held around the country on a weekly basis, including London, Manchester and Worcester.

One of our franchise representatives will contact you shortly to introduce themselves and the opportunity.

Provided you are happy we will send you some more detailed information for you to digest. We then arrange a Q&A over the phone and if all your questions are answered satisfactory we will then invite you into the office to meet the developers and give you a full presentation covering best, conservative and worst case scenarios. From there we cover the contract and provided you are happy we welcome you on-board.

To find out more about this unique franchise opportunity, please contact us via any of the below.

If you have any initial questions, call the HomeXperts Franchise Recruitment Team on 01905 678853.

0207 608 5591 info@projectmglobal.com www.projectmglobal.com

Phone: 01905 678853 Email: franchise@homexpertsuk.com www.home-xperts.co.uk HOME002

PROJ001

IF YOUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;D LIKE TO TELL POTENTIAL INVESTORS HOW YOU RUN YOUR DISCOVERY DAYS OR 1-2-1â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s PLEASE CALL: 0124 567 3690

to speak to a member of our team

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Visit us today to find your Dream Franchise www.franchisesupermarket.net

Franchise Opportunities with Franchise Supermarket ‘Franchise Supermarket is here to help you find the right Franchise Opportunity. Starting your own business can be a daunting process, so Franchise Supermarket aims to ease this process and help you become one of the 97% of franchisees within the UK that are achieving profitability. The Franchise Supermarket team wants to be more than just a directory - we aim to be the one stop shop for Franchise Recruitment!’

Franchise Supermarket provides YOU with • • • •

Detailed up to date franchise profiles Franchisee success stories The latest franchise news Upcoming franchise exhibition dates and franchisee Discovery Day dates

info@franchisesupermarket.net

/FranSupermarket FRAN005

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Franchise Diaries Jane Maudsley, founder & managing director, Little Voices

Culture club Culture matters and that’s why it needs to permeate your franchise

A

s a business, you’re bound to face change and come across tough dilemmas that make it seem near impossible to make the right choice. My advice is to be true to yourself. The culture that you’ve embedded into your franchise brand is critical in helping you stay on course. This also makes it important for your franchise network to be aligned with your company culture and brand.

At Little Voices, we have what we call a “circle of trust”. Everyone in that circle adopts 360-degree thinking, which naturally helps to guide our decisions. Decisions are simple when you go back to the circle. This 360-degree approach runs through our training courses, recruitment processes, interviews, relationships and even our email and telephone conversations.

Creating a happy culture One brand that’s renowned for its culture is Disney, which has built an empire centred around the concept of happiness. During the induction process, each new employee has to use happiness to guide procedures, policies, values, ethics, beliefs and, most of all, their actions.

For example, if a Disney theme park employee sees that a child has dropped their ice cream, they would ask themselves what they could do in that moment to make the child and parent happier. The first thing they’d do is hand the child a replacement ice-cream on the house. They’ll then get the parents a complimentary coffee, clean up the mess and perhaps get fast-track tickets for anyone affected

by the ice-cream spillage incident. This makes it more likely that the happy guests will talk about their fabulous experience. In this case, the culture of happiness was the one overriding influence that guided the actions of the employee and shaped the customer experience.

Culture and your brand No business survives without its customers, so the customer experience is crucial. And having happy employees means you’re more likely to have happy customers. A business that has a strong sense of culture embedded throughout is more likely to succeed and grow.

It’s just as important to remember that it’s not all about what you want. It’s about everyone in your business and everyone that experiences it.

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Some of our biggest changes have been driven by suggestions from parents, tutors and pupils because we wanted to make them happy.

They help us make decisions and constantly change things, which means we’re always improving. If you aren’t changing and evolving, you aren’t developing.

Culture helps shape your brand.

A brand is much more than a logo or a product – it communicates your identity to your franchisees, suppliers, customers and investors and reflects your unique culture. And each employee is part of that brand, so the actions they take reflect on the entire franchise network. I sometimes speak to franchisees from different industries and not all of them are able to see the bigger picture – that their actions have an impact on the brand. Employees need be collectively working towards a single goal and a strong sense of company culture goes a long way to helping this to happen.

Both people and products make up a brand but the former are far more important than any logo. The overriding culture affects how your staff treat your customers, which in turn influences how customers perceive your staff and your business as a whole. As a franchisor, if you recruit or attract the wrong people, you will live to regret it. It’s equally important for a franchisee to choose the right franchise network for them. In either case, finding the right match in terms of values and beliefs is crucial for your company’s success.

Some of our biggest changes have been driven by suggestions from parents, tutors and pupils because we wanted to make them happy 82

Learning and growing As with any business, mistakes are bound to happen. But again, your culture will determine how you handle them. If your culture is embedded deeply within your franchise, it can help guide decisions for you and your employees. When you have a strong sense of culture, the right path will be easier to find.

Your mistakes and the mistakes made by others are in actual fact a big learning opportunity that can help guide future decisions. If a mistake happens, reflect on it and change something in the process so it never happens again. A complaint, niggle or even a massive error will ultimately drive development and success – as long as you learn from it. This is an example of what 360-degree thinking means. You should always ask what you could have done differently and what you’ll do to prevent something similar from happening in the future.

During this period of reflection, ensure you put yourself in somebody else’s shoes. In fact, put yourself in the shoes of as many of the people involved in the situation as possible.

This will help you gain clarity and transparency.

At the end of the day, it’s important to consider the culture of your franchise business – or the franchise business you’re looking to purchase. Owning a franchise is about learning from experiences and letting your culture guide you to make the right decisions.

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Be part of the Jan-Pro family - the fastest growing, #1 commercial cleaning franchise in the world.

Could you be our next Regional Director?

Step into established successful business in Bath, Bristol, Southampton or Taunton.

• • • • • • • •

Profitable business already established with GP% of 30% Bring your management expertise and create a lifestyle you love Office based, low overheads, few employees Marketing focus with multiple income streams Average Regional Director t/o after 3 years is £1.5 million Investment starts at £50,000 and up to 50% can be paid over three years.

Growing market Recession resistant

Come and discuss your future with Ann Mary Wardman, UK Master franchisee in our offices in Cheddar, Somerset.

We’re growing worldwide, serving clients in 13 countries via more than 10,000 franchises. We’re now seeking additional Country Master Franchise Owners to keep our global expansion going strong.

Join Jan-Pro and become part of the #1 commercial cleaning franchise company in the world. As an experienced executive, you can apply your leadership skills directly to building your own business.

We offer home-based franchise opportunities for people who yearn to build a better life for their family.

With a Jan-Pro commercial cleaning business, you control your future.

Commercial Cleaning with a difference To learn more about JAN-PRO, please contact us on: t: 01934 70472

m: 07933 753228

e: annmary.wardman@jan-pro.com

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