Women in Franchising presentation

Carole Stubbs & Vicky Knighton, Medics on the Move
The National Franchise Exhibition, October 2007


Women Mean Business

 

Presentation outline:

• Our Backgrounds – Carole Stubbs & Vickie Knighton
• Women taking the leap…
• Typical day
• Experiences of Female Entrepreneurs
• Q&A


We are going to explain about us & our backgrounds
Explore why women should consider franchising and the roles you need to play
We look at why women make particularly great franchisees
What franchisors look for
Give an insight into the lives of some of our female franchisees using


All of which will hopefully give you a fuller picture of what its like to be a women in franchising.


We will be happy to take questions at the end of the session.

 

Our backgrounds

 

So lets start with our backgrounds

Quite simply, both done to death the corporate life

Gained lots of experience

Got disillusioned.

We are sure a lot of you can identify with this

Always had the desire to have our own business but never knew quite what to do.


Guess this is where you are today, with an opportunity CHOOSE what to do.

 

Women Taking the Leap …

 


• Reasons for Change?
• What does your work offer you?
• Make a positive choice – find a good match


In our experience, people look to make change for several reasons:-
Nowadays, few people can rely on a job for life and maybe redundancy has forced them to look for a new route.
Others are dissatisfied with their job / the industry itself / their boss / salary…


Ideally your work should offer you IDENTIFY, CHALLENGE, MOTIVATION, SATISFACTION …. Or is your job just a pay cheque at the end of the month? Are you waiting for the next promotion / your boss to leave or just treading water?


Changes in personal circumstances too are often the catylist for people looking at franchising as a new route forward, ie
Children leaving home / early retirement / returning to work etc


The difference is, when applying for EMPLOYED positions, most people apply for more of the same – same industry / same job – just more responsibility. Out of the frying pan, into the fire



Franchising however allows people to make a positive choice for a completely fresh start.

 

Is Franchising Right For You?

Thankfully the traditionally male dominated world of franchising is slowly changing with franchisors seeking to recruit women at long last.



Franchises have previously been restricted to man in a van operations in male dominated industries – or traditional female opportunities such as cleaning / nursing & childcare.

 

For talented female entrepreneurs, things are changing. - for example, we consider Medics on the Move as a thinking woman’s franchise!



Many women lack confidence in their own abilities and feel they can’t run a business – but you can. It is a matter of looking at your own strengths & abilities & matching those with the right franchise.

 

Franchising : the safer route


Network support: Franchisors / Franchisees
Business Networks
www.aurora.co.uk
www.everywoman.co.uk

Training & Business Planning
Marketing & Sales Support


Franchising is a less risky route than starting your own business from scratch.


You can be your own boss, whilst having a network of support = FRANCHISORS / FRANCHISEES



Running your own business can sometimes feel like a lonely pursuit. There are also support networks out there specifically for women which is important.



Take a look at :

Aurora & Everywoman.co.uk



Obviously, franchising allows you to try something completely new as with good franchises, all training for the type of business you are buying into is given, along with a comprehensive Operation Manual on how to manage the business and assistance with marketing activities & ongoing support & advice.


Franchising creates opportunities for women seeking greater job enrichment and some provide the flexibility to juggle home & work lives.

Your skills set


• Sales
• Accounts / £ finance
• Marketing
• Supply & Purchasing
• Customer Service
• Human Resource Management
• Negotiating


In buying a franchise, you are buying a BUSINESS, not just a job….



You will have to perform many roles in order to run a franchise business….



Negotiating - ….. This is the best bit about being a woman in business – men don’t like to say NO to women!



You may not be comfortable or experienced in all these aspects but all are necessary to run a successful
Business. If there is a role you can’t do, - do you know a man / or woman who can?

 

The Female Skill Set


• Great organisational skills
• Good listeners
• Build long-lasting relationships
• Customer Focused
• Soft skills – empathy
• Strong networks
• Prioritising
• Multi-tasking
• Passionate & Determined

 

Do you realise how good you are?


In any data you care to analyse, women do things better than men….

  • We make better Managers,
  • More effective communicators
  • Better Decision makers
  • Produce higher quality work
  • Better at strategic planning
  • Analyse business issues more effectively
  • Women make ethical decisions


Other data – unfortunately from the USA – as none exists for the UK yet –


Women build revenues & profits twice as fast as men in new start up businesses and we are twice as likely to stay in business!



All a very powerful mix when starting & building a business



And a successful combination of qualities for women going into franchising.

 

What do franchisors look for in a franchisee?

• Energy
• Intelligence
• Enthusiasm
• To be likeable
• Communication skills
• NOT necessarily existing industry experience



Energy:

The amount of roles you will need to play – it is hard work starting your own business.



Intelligence:
Ability to communicate with people at all levels in business.


Enthusiasm:
If you are not PASSIONATE about your product or service, how are you going to sell it to anyone else?


To be Likeable:
People buy from people they like



An individuals business background is less important to a franchisor than having


Energy, Drive, Ambition & common sense needed to make the franchise work.


We look for evidence of these behavioural traits throughout our recruitment process.

A typical day


• Never a ‘typical’ day
• Calls / emails / correspondence
• Client brief-taking
• Property Viewings
• Networking
• Financials
• Promoting the business
• Enjoying it !


Just to give you a flavour of a typical day for us as working mums running a business ….



Usually starts around 6am picking up emails & dealing with these…
A trip to the gym / quick run – if you don’t do it early, it never happens.
Time at the gym away from the phones is in fact great thinking & planning time.



Back form the gym, dealing with correspondence & post
School run at 8.30 …………Back to school again at 8.50 with forgotten lunch and/or PE kits


Phones start ringing about 9am then the madness starts


Never a typical day – always juggling client meetings/ viewings/ motorway tailbacks & school pickups


Networking – when you start a new venture you need to network like crazy.


We still go to as many network events as possible – we would turn up to the opening of an envelope


But at least you get a decent meal once in a while!



Although always out & about, we spend our lives on the phones and wireless computer networks so we are always available to clients & franchisees



The technology available to us all nowadays means you can run your business from the south of france on a sunbed!



Back end of the day taken up with planning for next day’s meetings, and keeping on top of the finances & business promotion and all important paperwork.


Exhausting, but we wouldn’t have it any other way

 

Franchisee Case studies


Franchising appeals to people from all walks of life…



We do have some male franchisees but we are going to feature some of the women we have recruited into our network.



Jenny Stone
Oxford City A Grandmother, in her late 50’s MET AT OLYMPIA
Children have left the nest
Previous experience was in marketing, sales & customer services environments
Paint distributor – amongst others
Has enjoyed a couple of careers and now wants control of working for herself in a job she enjoys doing.

Jenny is quietly confident, very likeable & approachable and came across during the recruitment process as being very
Passionate about customer service
She also has a desire to please and HUGE amounts of energy
Having her own business has allowed jenny to reap the rewards of her efforts
She has never worked in a job before where the clients were so appreciative of the service received from her.
This gives Jenny such job satisfaction and her confidence and self-esteem are at an all time high.
Jenny is the sort of person who sent a card to us after her induction training thinking us for our help & support.
She has now grown her business and partners with Brian Blue who purchased an adjacent territory and now has
His daughter Vanessa also working with them – so Brian is surrounded by women!


Sarah Fallon

Swindon – early 30’s – mother of twin boys, Charlie & Thomas – gave birth in first year of trading!

Career history in telesales for radio advertising & account management for marketing design consultancy

Had enough of corporate life MET AT NETWORK

Has a rounded enough skill base to run her own company with support from us as franchisors

Sarah is very stylish, very methodical with incredible attention to detail and, again

Very customer focused. LOVES DEALING WITH PEOPLE.

18 months after trading, her husband Matt left his well paid job in marketing to come and join her in the business.

The franchise route of running a business from home has made the difficult task of juggling motherhood and business
Much easier than managing this within an employed environment.

Sarah organises her business time around the demands of her new family commitments


Very different peole,…. Although all passionate about customer service


Different backgrounds & walks of life


Different aspirations


Varied career histories


With one thing in common ---- …like you…. Were once in the position you are today – considering their future

 

Considering going into business …


• Drive, Energy, Enthusiasm, Common Sense, Ambition
• Sole Trader / Limited Company / Partnership
• Style of business fitting work / life balance
• Affects on friends & family?
• Choose a business you will ENJOY


So…we have explored the roles and skills women can bring to franchising, looked at the lives of some successful women franchisees. So if you want to take the plunge, here are some key considerations to choose the right franchise for you.


Firstly, are you going into business on your own, or with a partner? If you are going into partnership ensure you get the basic agreements in place – you will need a shareholders agreement professionally drawn up – better to understand the ground rules at the start.

 

Ensure you select an ethical franchise.

Obviously your first port of call should be the BFA – take a look at their website which gives detailed information about franchising and opportunities.


Make sure it is a style of business which fits your work/life balance aspirations. Also, being self employed is a very different kettle of fish from the security of a monthly salary cheque and those corporate benefits.



Think carefully about the affect it will have on your friends and family. Most importantly make sure you choose a business you will ENJOY and choose a brand you will be proud of.


But think of the benefits if you do make that leap…. There are whole phrases you will lose from your vocabulary… ‘phoning in sick’/can I take a day’s holiday/when is my next pay review/can I leave early…



And one you could add…. t when people ask ’who do you work for?
It’s great to say ‘Actually I run my own business…..

 

Going into business

• Choose something you will ENJOY
• Be PASSIONATE – Your Business & the Brand
• No more “duvet days” - enjoy the CHALLENGE
• Trust your woman’s intuition
• Do your homework


So – are you going to run your own business?


Being in business is tough enough so do find something you will enjoy & be passionate about so
You LIVE / EAT / SLEEP & BREATHE it



Choose something which matches your strengths & abilities


Duvet days may become a thing of the past but you will never look back once you have run your own business.


It is SCARY, Challenging but FANTASTIC and we wouldn’t to anything else



I firmly believe in gut feel or a woman’s intuition if you prefer – you will know what’s right for you


Do your homework – expect the unexpected – and trust your in your abilities.

The difference between the DREAMERS and

The ACHIEVERS is simply those that

Take ACTION
Remember,

The difference between the dreamers & the achievers is simply those
That take action

Let’s hope that the next few years sees more talented business women
Moving into the world of franchising


We hope this session has been useful for you ….