BFA Franchisor Inspires Lancaster University Students with Franchise Insights

A BFA (British Franchise Association) franchisor has recently appeared as a guest speaker on the undergraduate Franchising module, offered by the Department of Entrepreneurship and Strategy at Lancaster University Management School, one of only two universities in the UK to include franchising as an option.

Survey Results

According to the latest BFA (British Franchise Association) National Franchise Survey sponsored by NIC Local, this booming sector offers students a potential career path that not only contributes £19.1 billion to the economy but also creates thousands of jobs annually.

BFA Support

Jane James, founder of children’s drama and singing franchise, Little Voices, was invited by Professor Lola Dada, Head of Department for Entrepreneurship and Strategy, to talk to undergraduate students about her experiences of founding and running a franchise organisation.

Jane took over the guest speaker slot from Nigel Toplis, a former chairman of the BFA and founder of the Bardon Group of franchises, who had presented to the students on the franchising module since 1997.

About the BFA

Since 1977, The BFA (British Franchise Association) has been at the heart of UK franchising, helping businesses and individuals unlock their full potential through business format franchising. By promoting ethical franchising through their standards-based process, offering expert guidance, and championing professional development, the BFA continues to shape the future of the franchise industry.

‘A need to educate’

Talking about the invitation Jane said: “I was thrilled to share my story with these bright young students and show them how franchising can create real business opportunities. There is a real need to educate the public about franchising and I felt that being a teacher, I would enjoy talking to them and hopefully, do a half decent job of explaining what it means to run a franchise.”

Students ‘surprised’

She continued: “Although the students had an idea of what franchising was as they were already a few weeks into the course, they were surprised at the breadth of the sector and had no idea that children’s activities like my business, could be franchised. My talk seemed to inspire them as three or four of them came up to me afterwards to ask further questions; it was clear there was some promising young talent on that course, and I was delighted to help.”

‘Exceptional guest speaker’

Professor Lola Dada, who initially invited Jane to come and talk to the students said: “Jane delivered an exceptional guest speaker lecture on the undergraduate Franchising module. It was a pleasure to observe her innovative approach to enlightening students on how franchising can be used successfully as a strategy for business creation, ownership and growth, drawing on her own experience and other relevant industry information, including those from the 2024 National Franchise Survey. Feedback received from students on completion of the Franchising module indicated that the guest speakers provided one of the most valuable parts of the Franchising module and we are grateful for Jane’s contribution in this regard.”

Campaign of change

Pip Wilkins QFP, CEO of the BFA (British Franchise Association) said: “We owe a huge thanks to Jane for representing herself, her business and franchising so well at Lancaster University recently and we’d also like to thank Professor Dada not only for teaching this franchising course, but for also inviting a BFA member to come and talk to her students about a sector we love so much.”

Future collaboration

She continued: “As Jane said, we have a major challenge on our hands, educating the British public about franchising and dispelling any historically negative perceptions.  We recognise that that education begins in the classroom and, as such, we have some exciting plans for a collaborative project with Lancaster University, which we will be revealing details of soon. Our mission is to bring the BFA, its members, Lancaster University and their students, closer together and to open young minds to the endless and exciting possibilities within the UK franchise sector.”

To find out more about the BFA, visit their profile.