Dawn Of A New Era

The newly-elected Chair of the Franchise Association of New Zealand shares her vision

Dawn Engelbrecht is the new Chair of the Franchise Association of New Zealand (FANZ).

‘I am proud and honoured to take up the role at this challenging time for small business in New Zealand, and grateful for the support of a multi-talented board and our small but dedicated executive team,’ says Dawn, who was one of the first franchisees – and later franchisor – of the hugely successful sKids childcare franchise.

‘I really believe in franchising – I have seen over many years how it can help people into business ownership and help good companies achieve great things. And I also believe in the work of the Franchise Association. I will never forget how welcome everyone made me at the first conference I attended, at Rotorua back in 2006, and I believe there is no better way for me to give back to the franchisors and franchisees that we represent.’

Solving problems for franchisors and franchisees

Dawn was born and raised in England. After completing her high school education, she moved to South Africa where she settled for 16 years, meeting her husband and having three children. Upon completing her accounting degree (B.Com), Dawn started her own consultancy and specialised in working with a small chain of franchised restaurants.

‘I was the problem solver,’ she recalls. ‘They used to call me in to turn around struggling restaurants. Usually that took three months of gathering data, analysing problems and evaluating options, but it didn’t always take that long – once, I walked into a store to hear a bang from the kitchen exit as the head chef legged it. He’d been selling chickens out of the back door and thought I was on to him. I hadn’t even started!’

In 2000, Dawn and her family moved to New Zealand, starting their lives over again. Working full-time, she placed her children in an after-school care programme only to find that her children made up 50 percent of the class. ‘I joked that I should just buy the business and, after three weeks of due diligence, I did just that.’

Harnessing her creativity to her business experience, Dawn was highly passionate, focused, and determined to make a difference in the lives of children in sKids care. ‘But the original franchise wasn’t really performing, so with another franchisee, Beverley Parsons, we bought the business off the franchisor. We started with 12 franchisees, and not a single one was happy – that first year was fun,’ she smiles ruefully. ‘But today, it’s an award-winning business with over 190 sites all round the country. That’s the power of franchising when you do it right.’

Along the way, Dawn graduated with an MBA from Auckland Business School and, in 2010, successfully launched a sister company called Sherpa Kids, which now operates in England, Ireland and South Africa. She is on the board of multiple companies, and recently joined Link Business Brokers in Ellerslie as a business broker. Oh, and she and Peter, her husband of 33 years, are proud grandparents, too. ‘That’s my number one role,’ she smiles.

Get engaged

Asked about her vision for the Franchise Association, Dawn says immediately, ‘We want to see more members, and we want our members to be more engaged with FANZ. As a franchisor myself, I understand that your focus is on your own franchisees and the industry in which you operate, but the truth of it is that if you come to FANZ events, talk to the people there and listen to their experiences, there is so much to learn which will improve your business – and those of your franchisees.

‘And while the bigger systems might think they have nothing to learn, well, not only is the environment constantly changing, but we’d love to have all the big brands on our side, working together to increase our voice with Government.

‘Apart from the issues caused by Covid-19 and the closure of New Zealand’s borders for so long, franchising is also facing increasing threats from legislative changes which seek to undermine the franchisor/franchisee relationship. The role of the Association in representing the sector is vital. Franchising employs over 100,000 people, represents the equivalent of 11 percent of New Zealand’s GDP, and plays a vital role in upskilling our small business owners. Franchising also keeps business ownership in local hands, rather than exporting profits to multi-national companies.

‘I think some people have the impression that the Association is a bit of an old boys’ club. Well, once you get involved with it, you find that’s as far from the truth as you can possibly imagine. It’s full of people who are truly passionate about franchising, who help and inspire others to achieve and who want to make a contribution. If you were at the last Conference in Hamilton, you’ll know just how true that is, and if you sit in on one of the current PAFAT sessions you’ll be amazed by how freely people share their expertise for the good of all. (see page 22)

‘So I want to reach out to all franchisors, all master franchisees and licensees and say. “Join FANZ and get involved!” Working together is what franchising is about.’