Gabriel McGeown, the newly appointed franchise owner of Card Connection, is fast becoming one of the network’s best performers. Card Connection is a franchisor and a leading publisher of greetings cards.

After serving as a publican for 31 years, Gabriel did a bit of research and decided on a career change. He looked at franchise opportunities and decided to buy a Card Connection Franchise because the company had good structure, a strong support base and big potential for development. This impressed Gabriel.

Card Connection, established in 1992, has grown to become the UK’s market leader in greeting card publishing. Franchise owners place greeting card ranges in retail outlets on a ‘consignment’ basis. This is a step ahead of the ‘sale or return’ system, as its customers never require buying stocks in first place; they are only required to pay for what they sell. The award winning service rendered by Card Connection to local retailers is incomparable and has helped it in establishing an excellent reputation within the convenience sector.

Gabriel made use of his past experience when managing and expanding the Card Connection franchise. He acquired a warehouse, two vans and sought the help of a former colleague in managing fast growing business. He spends most of his time on the road distributing Card Connection greeting cards to six to nine retailers every day and his consignment system is popular among retailers.

Gabriel’s main focus is to work with new retail customers, whom he finds very receptive to the sales approach of Card Connection.

The product quality, merchandising service and excellent consignment system has largely contributed to the big success of Gabriel’s franchise.

Many people turn to franchise opportunities when they want to start their own business. This is because franchising is an attractive option for people who would rather start up a business with a brand name that is already established, instead of starting from scratch. Most franchise owners get complete control over the way products and services in the franchisee outlets is marketed. In fact running a franchise outlet is as good as running your own business.

Franchising offers potential business owners with a number of advantages

• Starting a franchise business involves less risk as you will not have to start from square one.

• You will not have to worry about the whole process of establishing trust with customers and hitting high sales, as customers prefer to work with a well known brand.

• Usually, the franchisor provides training and support and you can also gain helpful knowledge and tips from an experienced business set up.

• It is easier to get financial assistance from banks when you run a franchise as they are more willing to loan money to established businesses with a good reputation.

Running a franchise is definitely advantageous as you already have a proven idea to work with. In addition to this, you can gain tips and better ways of handling your outlet from other franchises in the business that are doing well. These advantages make franchises a great way for people to start their own business and earn a good income.

Chris Hughes, a former mobile phone salesman, says that he has learned a lot since joining Autosheen Professional Car Cleaning franchise a couple of years ago. Now a married man, Chris already has a flourishing business to his credit. Since joining the Autosheen franchise, Chris has found that forward planning and flexibility are successful antidotes to the recession.

Since leaving school, Chris has always dreamed of having his own business and after five years of earning sufficient money for investment while gaining work experience, he decided that it was the right time for him to start making money. He recalls that he had a friend who used to work as a valeter in a local garage but there was no mobile valeting service in his area. This got him thinking.

He then realised that he would need to invest in specialised kits, professional products and a van. And he had no specialist knowledge of how to wash to a professional standard. Chris also said that there were a number of other issues affecting him like marketing, advertising and pricing structure.

Finally, he reached to a conclusion that his best chance for success would be to invest in a well known franchise with a proven track record and a comprehensive package. While looking at many alternatives, the Autosheen franchise opportunities ultimately emerged to be the clear winner. Chris said, after launching the franchise, his business took off very quickly.

Despite the recent troubles in the car manufacturing industry, most franchises from the automotive services sector are benefitting from people who are looking to repair their existing car.

The figures of latest car production in the UK seem to be free-falling and most people have tightened their belts because of the fear of redundancy. They are holding on to their money instead of splashing it out on a new car. At such stressed times; you may come to the conclusion that it is not the perfect time to start a business in this sector. However, you would be wrong because at ChipsAway, a top automotive paintwork and repair franchisor, most franchise owners have been experiencing an exceptional boom in their newest business which they believe is set to continue.

Motorists may not risk their major investment on purchasing a new car but they are prepared to invest in the maintenance of existing cars. By maintaining their cars they can improve its residual value and also extend the vehicle’s life. This is good news for franchise owners like ChipsAway who offer minor automotive paintwork repairs.

Most essentially in the present climate, it is just the fraction of the cost of conventional body shop methods. Over the last quarter, franchise owners of ChipsAway have seen an increase in requests for repairs. The period between January and March saw a rise of a staggering 56 per cent compared to the same period last year proving that these are true franchise opportunities.

Franchise owners need all the help they can get and that is exactly what cleaning franchise, Maid2Clean is offering their franchise owners. Graeme Pirie, a Maid2Clean franchise owner has been appointed Operations Director in order to provide more support to the company’s business partners.

The role of the Operations Director will include providing new franchise owners with in-depth training and also offer current Maid2Clean businesses ongoing support and training.

Mike Hanrahan, Managing Director for the company, said that the company’s franchise owners are probably aware that Pirie is to date the most successful Maid2Clean franchise owner. He has shown excellent technical and managerial expertise in consistently increasing his business by about 200 clients every year for the past four years.

Pirie joined the franchise in 2005 and currently conducts business with more than 800 clients with a turnaround of more than £ 250,000. Pirie said that he realised that different people had different goals for their businesses. While there are some who will be content with the performance and growth they have already achieved, there may be others who would appreciate additional support.

Of course the company wants to provide their support to those who want to further increase their business. He also said that there will be initial changes which will simplify the franchise’s activities and will help to focus attention on generating revenue.

TaxAssist Accountants is pleased to announce that, for the second year running, they have won Silver Award at the British Franchise Association’s (bfa) Franchisor of the Year Awards 2009. The award aims to reward the franchisor that has proven it has secured ‘today’s foundations for tomorrow’s success’. It also aims to demonstrate that even during an economic downturn there are still many success stories to be told.

Sarah Robertson, business development director at TaxAssist Accountants explains, “We are delighted to have received the silver award. A prestigious award such as this sends out a clear message to our existing franchisees, staff and potential recruits that TaxAssist Accountants is fully committed to supporting the growth of our franchisees.”

In response to the current recession TaxAssist Accountants has continued to build on the strong model it already had in place. “We’ve also communicated frequently with the network to ensure that we continue to be ‘fleet of foot’ and can adapt where necessary. To date, we have not experienced any serious impact from the recession and sales growth remains comparative to last year,” explains Robertson.

Brian Smart, director general of the bfa, said: “TaxAssist Accountants have worked hard to make the whole business of accountancy more exciting and accessible – and they have done so with the mix of sound business sense and creativity that we’ve come to expect from our top franchisors.”

“Communicating with franchisees on a regular basis and remaining quick on their feet, they can adapt swiftly to changing circumstances, helping reduce the impact of the economic downturn. This is a business that has successfully identified a specific need – and delivered it in a carefully targeted manner that sets it apart from its competitors.”

The UK boss of the McDonald’s chain of restaurants, Steve Easterbrook, had jumpstarted Britain’s biggest and most ambitious apprenticeship program this year but due to the workings of the expenses scandal, will see his program affected. Easterbrook believes that stability is the primary concern of all businesses today but believes that there is no guarantee as to how things will look in twelve to twenty four months. Easterbrook looks forward to continuing with no financial hurdles.

Last week, McDonald’s hired Lord Hunt of Wirral to take on the responsibility of chairman of the company set up to go through with the apprenticeship program. McDonald’s has committed to serve 6,000 of its 71,000 strong staff with apprenticeship programs in 2009. The fast food chain will make the number 10,000 by next year. The latest sub division of the apprenticeship program is the setting up of the McDonald’s Education Company.

Although there is no news confirming the change in plans of McDonalds, Steve Easterbrook is concerned, citing figures show that seven million British adults lack basic numeric skills while five million lack basic literary skills.

Millie’s Cookies is a UK chain of bakeries which specialises in muffins, cookies, hot drinks and gifts. With 107 bakeries all over the UK, Millie’s Cookies is one of the premier bakery franchises in the UK. Millie’s Cookies has recently turned over a new leaf by totally refreshing its global brand identity.

Millie’s Cookies plans to shift its customer base to appeal to a core customer base of sixteen to twenty five year old women. This change is aimed at bringing a larger customer base to the Millie’s Cookies franchise. Founded in 1985, Millie’s Cookies have franchises at all major train stations and airports in the UK.

The new design employs fresh, bright and feminine colours in a bid to attract a larger female consumer base. Refurbished in a contemporary fashion, the new design strives to create a welcoming vibe according to Millie’s Cookies officials. The new designs will be updated onto uniforms, packaging and in store.

Millie’s Cookies also plans to focus on cookie gifts and gift ideas like celebration cookie boxes etc. The point of sale equipment will also be refurbished to accord with the new designs. The fresh look has been applied to stores in Germany, France, Singapore, Hong Kong and the UK.

It has been announced that an important television campaign will start soon which will focus on the services of one of the UK’s fastest-growing franchise operations. ChipsAway, a motor bodywork repair company is supporting 350 of its franchisees all over Britain with a commercial that will be shown on cable channels and satellite.

Company boss, Lloyd Evans said that they have already witnessed new business leads during the first five months of the year which was up by 68% compared to the same time last year. The company wants to continue marketing the ChipsAway brand to as large an audience as possible.

The firm believes that the commercial will bring its franchisees a lot more business. ChipsAway functions from professionally outfitted vehicles that are customised as workshops completely equipped for all kinds of jobs. Evans said that they travel to repair small paintwork scratches, dents and bumper scuffs and even car paintwork at locations that customers choose for very little cost compared to traditional bodyshop methods.

The commercial campaign will probably be the first of its kind from a franchise of its size and may even prove to be a vital way for other companies to attract customers in the future. Evans, however, refuses to disclose the amount ChipsAway is spending on the campaign but believes it will increase business substantially.

Since the opening of Mail Boxes Etc’s new store in 2006, the store owner and franchisee, Dave Tester has made rapid progress in developing the business through his many achievements. This earned Tester, Brighton’s franchisee, the award for New Franchisee of the Year. The award was presented to him on the June 7 at the franchise conference.

In addition to his outstanding success, the award also recognises Tester’s vast contribution to the entire network of the franchise. Tester is part of MBE’s consultative Marketing Group and in the network, shares best practices with many others. As well as this, he has even initiated new services and products and brought about new opportunities for his store, which other franchises have adopted.

MBE is part of a global network and has over 6,000 outlets in the UK. Tester was selected from the franchise’s network of more than 100 business service centres from Ireland and the UK. The franchise is a unique one in the UK that offers customers a vast range of cost-effective, easy and quick business services which include postal services, office supplies, mailbox rental, parcel delivery and specialist packing all over the world.

Chris Gillam, recruitment consultant for MBE, congratulated Tester on his success and said that they were delighted to announce the award because his contribution is significant not only to his business but to the whole network.