How to Franchise Your Business and Tips for Franchising in the UK
Once upon a time, the term “advertise” mostly meant print. Whilst print is still an option today, printed advertising is becoming more and more dated. Newspapers haven’t taken off with the new generation – Gen Z – with online advertising being the trend now. When you look to target new franchisees in 2025, the majority […]
Whether you’re looking to buy or sell a franchise, you will likely hear the term franchise consultant. There are many franchise consultancy firms in the UK, and their help is a great asset for both franchisors and people looking to invest in a franchise. But what are franchise consultants and what do they do? Let’s
Whether you’re new to the world of franchising or you’ve already got some experience working in the franchising sector, you’ve probably heard of the term “franchise association”. Franchising isn’t regulated in the UK. This means it is the franchisor’s responsibility to take full control of their franchise recruitment and expansion. At first glance, this sounds
What is a Franchise Association and Should You Join One? Read More
If you’ve taken steps to prepare your business for franchising, once the core documentation and system is in place, one of your ongoing focuses will be to generate interest. There are lots of ways to advertise your opportunity – some free, whilst others cost money. Above all else, actually converting the enquiries and interest (referred
As a franchisor, there are a number of different documents that you could have. But what franchising documents should you have, do you have, and must you have? Franchise Prospectus Should Have You should have a franchise prospectus, but it’s not compulsory. Effectively a sales tool, the franchise prospectus should be handed to anyone interested
Franchise discovery days are an opportunity for you to meet potential franchisees. They are also an opportunity for people to come and learn about your franchise. Typically an informal meeting, these franchising events allow each party to better get to know the opposite and determine whether they might be the right fit for them. What
How to Plan a Franchise Discovery Day Effectively? Read More
If you want to manage franchise leads effectively, you need to use a CRM. A Customer Relationship Management system is an online platform where all of your customer or enquiry data is stored. This enables you to easily manage the data you hold from people who have expressed interest in your franchise. CRMs enable you
Franchising is a great way to grow your business. Just as there are many benefits to those looking to buy a franchise, there are equally as many benefits to the franchisor. Growing a business through franchising enables business owners to have better control over the scalability of their brand, by enforcing proper usages and streamlining products and services.
One of the biggest benefits of franchising your business is increased brand awareness. This benefits both you and the franchisees. As your brand awareness grows, so does its reputation and hopefully you’ll gain more customers yourself. You will also benefit from increased capital, and the more franchisees trading, the greater profits you’ll receive from royalty fees. These royalty fees will also enable you to budget for greater marketing, such as TV ads and magazine inclusions. Franchise exhibitions are often out of reach for small franchises and business owners, due to stand costs, and often weary of a lack of return on investment, but with royalty fees etc, you can better allocate funds for improving your franchise network strength.
With self regulation through the British Franchise Association, and a strong network of franchise consultants, banks and lawyers, franchising is very well supported. It is proven too. Generally, franchisees enjoy a 93% commercial success rate compared to solo startup counterparts at 79% profitability. This 14% greater is thanks to the supportive framework that is franchising.
When you franchise your business in the UK, you won’t immediately become a member of the British Franchise Association. You do need to pass a series of checks, including of the franchise operations manual and franchise agreement. These two documents are what define the franchise model’s viability. A document with loopholes and inconsistencies will mean that the business may not truly be a viable franchise model. Because these documents are so important, you should enlist the help of a consultant and lawyer to help with these. No franchise association should ignore these two documents when you become a member. Association membership helps your franchise get off the ground and establish credibility.
When you franchise your business, you’ll be offering franchisees a “business in a box”. This will include access to your brand, and it should also include some form of training and support for the franchisee. This might be on the job training with another franchisee along with some training from you in regards to running the business. It’s important to remember that many people look to franchising as their first step to business ownership – ie never owned a business before. Because of the greater success rate and an ideal entry point into entrepreneurship, your training should cover as many elements as possible.
Other items you may want to include (and account for when determining the franchise investment figure), such as marketing leaflets, uniforms, support finding a vehicle (if van based), insurance or certification, etc.
Franchise Planet is run by a team of franchise consultants who are eager to help those looking to get into franchising. In the same manner, we would be delighted to point you in the direction of other consultancy businesses that are either closer to you or more relevant to the sectors that you accommodate. Most franchise consultants are eager to spend the time understanding your business and so some consultants will already have knowledge and experience in your area. They’ll be able to assist with lead generation and getting your first franchisees off the ground. Take a look at our franchisor guides above or get in touch with our team today.
