Kall Kwik, a design and print specialist, has reported that 75% of its franchisee networks are experiencing a year-on-year growth of around 7%, despite the credit crunch.

Kall Kwik’s managing director, Mike Dewsbury, explained why franchising was the best option for people who aspire to become their own boss. Brand awareness and recognition are highly essential elements for the businesses, especially if you want to stay ahead of the competition. Investing in a franchise that is well established, sets you ahead of an unknown start up company from day one. Potential clients already have a clear understanding of the products and services offered by an established franchisee.

Within the franchise there is great deal of support, both initially and as an ongoing feature, ensuring the availability of guidance as the business grows.

The franchisor provides the franchisee with support functions like staff training, network support and marketing support. This support benefits the clients in terms of the business knowledge, service offerings and potential cost savings. Investing in a franchise enables you to achieve a faster start-up for your company. You also get to work on a proven commercial business formula, which has been developed through many years of industry experience. Therefore it saves time and the expense of trial and error in the initialisation period.

The annual BFA/Natwest franchise survey monitors the attitude and performance of the franchise sector in the UK. It helps create a larger picture of the franchising contribution to the British Economy. The survey conducted by the BFA is believed to be one of the leading studies in franchising.

According to the survey, the franchise industry in the United Kingdom is estimated to be worth around 12.4 billion pounds. The total number of franchise systems is 809, which is works out as an increase of three percent in the last five years. It has been estimated that around 383,000 people are employed in the franchising industry. The average turnover for any franchised business in the UK is £360,000. Around 91 percent of franchisees say that their business is profitable to a significant extent.

The amount that is borrowed in order to finance a franchise varies by quite a large amount. The average is about seventy thousand pounds. The largest sector in franchising is the property services followed by personal services. The main route for recruitment continues to be the internet.

The average age of the franchisees is 47 years old. Around 66% of the new franchise recruits are male. However, female franchisees form the majority of the personal services sector, coming in at 61%. 37% of all franchisees questioned are graduates.

56 percent of the franchisees use online franchise information sites when they search for information on other franchisors. BFA membership has also increased by 45%.

NBC – Bird and Pest Solution provides a range of services such as bird control, by using bird scaring and deterrent methods. Some deterrent techniques include bird nest proofing and wall spikes. They also provide pest control for problems from rats, mice, ants etc.

NBC Bird and Pest Solution are continuing their expansion nationwide by recruiting 3 new franchisees.

The latest franchisees that NBC Bird and Pest Solution has recruited are Adrian Steel who bought Guildford and Kingston upon Thames territory, Paul Holton will operate in Bolton and Oldham territory and Craig Barnard who purchased the Newcastle and Sutherland territory. All three of these franchisees have a background in management and sales and have chosen the NBC franchise to progress their careers.

Craig Barnard wanted to open a franchise of NBC because he wanted a lifestyle change; he also wanted to incorporate his love of falconry in the business. After seeing NBC Bird and Pest Solutions, Craig Barnard thought that it would be a perfect opportunity for him.

Adrian Steel and Paul Holton on the other hand said that they found the NBC franchise attractive for several reasons. Not just because it offers value for their money, but also provides them with a great support and training package.

This support and training package will ensure that the new franchisees feel well prepared and confident when starting their own business.

The following are five major stages that franchisees encounter when setting up franchise operations:

Stage 1

While you search for a franchise, the first thought that comes to your mind is whether things will work out fine. At this stage the franchisor should provide encouragement and support.

Stage 2

The level of excitement and sense of euphoria starts to drop a little at this stage as you may become sensitive to the royalty and advertising fees.

Stage 3

At this stage, as the business starts getting slowly established, you might expect more success owing to your hard work and effort, just realise that a proper set up takes time. We all try to take the credit when we are doing well. However, we tend to blame someone else when we make mistakes. In the ‘Me’ stage, the franchisor starts to receive criticism if thing are not going well.

Stage 4

In the Free stage you may feel that you want to get out of as you feel imprisoned by the terms and conditions and the resultant restrictions.

Stage 5

In the final stage, franchisor and franchisee communication is well formed. Both parties will try to continually work things out in an effort to make the most of the business relationship.

A franchise is essentially an agreement between a franchisor and franchisee. The agreement specifies the rules between the two parties. Both franchisee and franchisor need to abide by the rules, and should also be flexible in their approach.

A franchisor should bring a range of experience, skills and products to the franchisee. Both the sides have to be equally accountable and not cheat or bend their principles in order to get success in the business.

A franchisee should take a good look at the contract. However, a franchisor is always expected to have the final word. While doing a business, talking out the terms is the natural way. It is not necessary that your franchisor will agree to it. However, without asking the questions the franchisee will never know the answers or solutions. A franchisee can also choose not to go for the franchise if the former is not satisfied.

From the franchisors’ point of view, they would like to know what the franchisee hopes to achieve. If the franchisee makes a valid point, the franchisor will listen and accept the proposal. The proposition should be beneficial to both the parties and should make business sense.

Fair Trade franchisor, Shared Earth, has developed products with more than 30 co-producers. Shared Earth has recently embarked on a new ethical project that adds to their – already respectable – Fair Trade stance. This will set a new level of standards in the domain of trading, helping to promote ethical business routes among the franchisors.

The Ethical and Fair Trading firm has started working on a carbon footprint project for calculating the combined impact of the business. The combined footprint will then be offset through a tree planting scheme.

According to shop assistant manager Laura Wilson, they were thrilled when they were asked to undertake this project. Many say it is impossible to ignore the damage that humans are causing to the planet, with the consequences visable in the climate change. The offsetting project puts forward tree planting in India, which will be directly undertaken by the IFAT organisations that deal with Shared Earth directly.

As carbon offsetting is becoming an important part of most companies’ social responsibility, it is also becoming important for the franchisees that want to own an ethical business that customers trust and like.

Phil Marriott joined TaxAssist Accountants in December 2002. In the past six years has had to perform several duties including tax returns, book-keeping, cash flow projectors, PYE, VAT and accounting. He said that he was attracted to TaxAssist Accountant as the services were in large demand.

Tax and accountancy are two complex and dynamic areas due to the ever-changing legislations. Smaller businesses often need technical support or advice to keep them up to date. Phil operates a shop front style premises in Loughborough. He said that despite his reservations over the cost, the overall outcome has been excellent.

The brand support allowed him to portray a larger business image. Also, because of the smaller practice and lower price structure, he became a real winner with clients. The ongoing training that is provided by BPP professional education was vital for towards the success. The support structure at TaxAssist Accountant for the franchisees is just right.

Phil made the decision to acquire another shop because it was too good an opportunity to be missed. Phil used the services recommended by TaxAssist Accountants shop fitters, Hemera Workplace Solutions. Phil said that Hemera completed the new shop front in just over 3 weeks.

Mortgage Force is offering an award-winning business concept, backed by the West Bromwich Building Society group, for ambitious individuals seeking to compete with the established professionals. West Bromwich Building Society group has been in operation since 1850

Mortgage Force franchisees can compare the mortgages on offer from a range of leading banks and building societies, this allows them to offer clients a wider market choice and provide impartial advice on the mortgage market.

Insurance and legal protection products are also sold by franchisees. The franchisees are in control of their own business, including overheads, and hence the business can be run from an office, shop-front premises or home.

The company has experienced year-on-year growth, both in terms of franchisees and mortgage sales, after the launch of Mortgage Force in 2000. The standing of Mortgage Force within the industry has grown exponentially. Mortgage Force is a double award winner this year. Mortgage Strategy Awards 2008 has named Mortgage Force the ‘Best Mortgage Broker’, and Financial Adviser Mortgage Awards named them ‘Firm of the Year’.

The ‘Academy franchise’ investment opportunity has been developed by Mortgage Force for prospective franchisees. To run the marketing campaign and business effectively, the franchise package will include initial start-up information and ongoing development training. Guidance and support from the head office will also be accessible.

Dyno Group is the UK’s premier repair service that offers fast and professional solutions to building maintenance and problems. Some of the services they offer include plumbing, drainage and security across the UK and Ireland.

Dyno Group, has announced its ‘2007 Franchisees of the Year’. The declaration was made during a ceremony held at Whittlebury Hall, Northamptonshire.

The Dyno–Rod ‘Franchisee of the Year 2007’ was presented to the P Bowyer Associates from Norfolk in recognition of their dedication, commitment and high turnover in their business sector.

The ‘Customer Service Award’ was obtained by Dyno-Rod franchisee, Jacques Cumbria Limited, while the Cleanbore Services, based in Belfast, won the award in the business development category.

The Dyno-Plumbing ‘Franchisee of the Year Award’ went to Quayside Industries Ltd. because their growth rate within the franchise network was the highest.

Dyno-Secure ‘Franchise of the Year Award’ was presented to Home Solutions in Uxbridge, which demonstrated the highest trading success for the year in 2007. It registered an 80% growth in turnover over the span of just 12 months.

O’Briens Sandwich Bars, an Irish based coffee shop chain, is all set to continue its expansion within certain areas of Germany. The first outlet in the country was opened in May 2007. It was opened in Augsburg near Munich by the franchisee Darragh Staunton.

O’Briens is seeking additional properties in Nuremberg and Augsburg. The company is sure that this expansion will help their business to progress. The company is driving towards larger revenues in the years to come, with the management is confident it can meet expectations. According to Darragh Staunton, O’Briens in Augsburg has been performing quite well in the first year of trading and hopes they will continue to consistently perform positively.

With healthy, fresh and quality food being offered to its customers, the company firmly believes that they will be a huge success in the German market.  The chief executive officer of O’Briens, Fiacra Nagle, said they are absolutely delighted about the company’s expansion and progress. The business model has flourished in the UK for the past ten years and they continue to dominate the market in the region. The company delivered an annual turnover of around 100 million Euros in 2007.