Approach franchising with confidence

Franchising is an established way of achieving the goal of self-employment. Backed by the security of a proven business model and the guidance of a franchisor support team, becoming a franchisee means that you will be in business for yourself, but not by yourself.

Franchising in the UK is a £10.3 billion industry that encompasses 759 franchise systems with over 30,000 franchisees, and employs almost 370,000 people. With over 90 per cent of franchisee start-up businesses succeeding, it is proven to work.

Recent research by the British Franchise Association (bfa) shows that there is an increasing level of understanding among the general public of what franchising is. Nevertheless, the decision to consider franchising as a route to running a business is an important one. There are many considerations and many different sources of information – the difficulty is knowing where to start.

The bfa has spent 30 years as the voice of franchising in the UK and part of our work involves ensuring that those people investigating franchising spend as much time as they need to learning about the industry, the concepts and the ways of evaluating their suitability.

Attending a one-day bfa franchisee workshop is an ideal way to learn more about the industry, and hear from franchisees, franchisors, banking and legal professionals all brought together in one location for a real induction into franchising.

‘Starting a business through franchising will involve a long-term commitment and a sizeable investment, so it is important that new franchisees go into the process with their eyes open and spend the time to ensure that the investment decision is the right one,’ says Dan Archer of the British Franchise Association.

He continues, ‘If you are looking at investing in a franchise or growing your existing business, attending a workshop will help you to structure your research and identify the important strands that should make up the due diligence process.’

Workshops will be taking place throughout the year, nationwide. Places are going fast so to secure your workshop place, or for more information, call the bfa on 01491 578 050 or visit www.thebfa.org.

Calendar

21 February Birmingham

27 MarchManchester

18 April London

17 May Leeds

27 June Bristol

18 JulyLondon

22 August Birmingham

20 SeptemberManchester

18 October London

15 NovemberBirmingham