Andy and Diane work together as a family business team at their United Carpets franchise. Diane started working in the shop two years ago and it offers her the flexibility to arrange her work around her daughter’s school life.

Prior to joining United Carpets franchise, Andy had worked as an Area Manager for a national joinery and kitchen company. He was looking forward to starting his own business. Diane came from an Export/Import background working in an office, and so she had no retail experience but had excellent customer service skills.

Diane said that working in their family business along with her husband means she gets to see a lot more of him. She also said that now she does not need to worry if their daughter has a day off at school or if she has to leave early because of the flexibility she gets there. Initially, Diane started with administration but soon she also started selling and seems to be quite comfortable with this aspect of the job too.

Andy said that he was looking forward to starting his own business in the retail sector, but the only premises he could rent were small shops. He then realised that if he wanted a huge retail business right from day one, franchising was the right answer. Andy took on the Northfield franchise of United Carpets that opened in March 2005. He said that their business is continuing to grow as they have built a reputation in the area for excellent customer service and great value for money.

According to TaxAssist Accountants, 2009 has been one of the best years for them, as new franchises are joining the network. In this year, a total of twenty four new franchises have joined the franchising network. This brings the total number to 175. The new arrivals who joined the network have joined because they are seeking good careers.

David Paulson, the franchise recruitment manager, said that they are not looking for people who have been forced to join because of redundancy and who are running out of options.

He also said that, their company is growing every day, as they have more than 30,000 clients and it is one of the reasons why people are joining their business. He further said that they have won many awards this year because of the value in the support service they offer.

Franchisees do not need to have any formal accountancy training, as they will be providing full training to all the franchisees. To join this firm, you need to be self motivated, ambitious, disciplined, and hard working and also should be from a relevant background.

Recognition Express has recently voted Listawood, a promotional products manufacturer based in Fakenham as their Supplier for the year 2009. Based in Coalville, Leicestershire, Recognition Express is one of the leading suppliers of corporate gifts, personalised clothing and promotional products in Europe.

The network of 43 franchisees of Recognition Express were asked to rate the suppliers based on service, value for money, product quality, ability to rectify problems and communication, and Listawood came out on the top. Recognition Express’s managing director, Nigel Toplis said that Listawood has been their major supplier for 10 years and they never let them down.

Nigel also said that they were delighted to be able to distinguish their professional and consistent service in this way. He further added that Listawood is their major supplier of advertising gift and promotional trade with ten specialist divisions including mats, drinks and ceramics.

Sales Director for Listawood, Sim Shalom said that they were extremely proud to win this award. Sim also said that they always attempt to offer their customers the highest standard service and ebing presented with the top supplier award is a real tribute to the staff of Listawood.

Listawood had recently embarked on an investment program to automate and modernise production in many important areas of its manufacturing process.

Sandra Redmond, a Molly Maid franchise owner from South West London, recently won the “Franchise of the Year” award from the British Franchise Association.

Sandra has been running the business for the last 14 years and has taken it to impressive heights. Sales have continuously increased, and Sandra has seeen impressive profits over the last two years.

She credits her success to the fact that she gets involved in a lot of the creative marketing activities and also the cost control systems of the franchise.

Sandra beamed as she told how the award has made her feel very proud, as she is in a very competitive market. She also said that it was tremendous recognition for all of the work that her staff had put into the business, and that it would act as motivation for the coming year.

Molly Maid is one of the UK’s largest professional domestic cleaning companies and is celebrating 25 years in business. The franchise has more than 350 cars on the road and over 800 members of staff, who clean houses all over the UK.

Owning a franchise has become very popular. More and more people today, prefer to buy a franchise business rather than starting up their own independent business by themselves and there are many different franchise opportunities available today. Cleaning franchises have become particularly popular in recent years.

With increasing work pressures, many people find it difficult to balance their time between work and home effectively, and because of this many people need help with their cleaning tasks. This has meant a rise in the demand for cleaning services, which has meant that cleaning franchises rose in popularity.

If you are planning on buying a franchise, then purchasing cleaning franchises is a good option. There are various types of cleaning franchises available today including:

• Dry Cleaning Services
Dry cleaning services are used by many people on a regular basis. Dry cleaning services offer convenience to customers, in addition to ensuring that delicate clothes are washed properly.

• Car Washing Services
Many people own cars today, and are intensely proud of them. This is why many people don’t mind paying to have them cleaned properly.

Cleaning services are always going to be popular, which is why buying a cleaning franchise could be the best decision you ever make.

If you’ve been looking into buying a franchise then you may have stumbled upon a few terms which you haven’t heard of before.

However, if you’re planning on getting involved with franchising opportunities you should get accustomed to a few key terms.

If you are already clear on the basics of franchising, then knowing the meaning of these definitions may be a little easier.

Service mark:
A service mark is quite similar to a trade mark. This is where franchisers grant the franchisee use of copyrighted materials- which is usually a product or service.

Business format franchise:
When the franchiser puts forth a guideline for the way a business must run, then this is known as the business format franchise.

Lease franchise:
This is where the franchiser rents out premises or property to a franchisee.

Joint venture:
This venture is when a franchiser takes his franchise to another country. Under this technique, the franchiser partners himself with another individual in that country, where they share costs. However, sometimes the partnerships are not equal and one party ends up buying out the other.

There are many terms you will come across as you go about exploring franchise opportunities, and keeping yourself up to date with this kind of information will definitely be beneficial.

If you are thinking of starting a new business, then you should consider buying a franchise. Buying a franchise could prove to be a great move for a number of reasons. One of the best things about owning a franchise is that your brand will already be familiar amongst the public, so customers will not have to think twice about purchasing your products or using the services of your franchise.

Firstly, you need to educate yourself about the various types of franchise businesses that are available today, so that you can buy one that is successful and established. In order to make a profit, you need to link yourself to a good brand name. You should choose a good location to set up your franchise business- open your business in a place where there is not too much competition.

Your budget is an important factor to consider when buying a franchise. There is no point in looking into buying a franchise that you simply can’t afford.
When you’re thinking of starting a business, the risks associated with it are enormous. Starting a business by having an established franchise as your partner can be very helpful, as they can provide you with all the required support.

Through buying into a franchise, you will be able to earn a profit and recognition in a short space of time.

If you have a careful look into the various franchise opportunities available, you would be really delighted to know that there are several ways to finance your new venture. It is much easier to finance a franchise business than if you were to start your own business because with franchising there is much more support.

Once you settle on what you can afford, you should start researching which type of franchise opportunities appeal to you.

Franchise opportunities are the strength of our economy. According to the small business association, more than 50% of small businesses do not succeed in the first year. Most of this collapse is due to poor management. In contrast to this figure, only 5% of franchise businesses fail as they have proven managerial strategies which offer them a fail-safe business plan. In addition, you will have easier access to loans and supply discounts as compared to starting your own business.

Selecting from among the franchise opportunities on hand is vital to your success. These business activities vary from sports and restaurant franchises to travel and retail franchises. You need to decide on the type of environment you are interested in.

Write down your likes, dislikes and goals for a great start. Later, hit the internet and research the franchises available at your investment level and geographic location.

Being in the blinds industry for more than 15 years, founders of Marla Custom Blinds, Angela and Martin Froud now have a wealth of valuable business experience. Running a company that is both flexible and creative, the Frouds have successfully built a loyal customer base of commercial and domestic customers – without sacrificing the quality time spent with their family.

Presently, in the preliminary stage of franchise network expansion, they are offering a range of territories, at a considerably lower entry-level cost for their initial franchisees. Due to this initiative, the Frouds expect a solid growth of their network. When asked about the launch of Marla Custom Blinds, Angela said that she wanted to get back to her work, but at that time she was at home looking after her children. Prior to moving into blinds, she actually started manufacturing and selling hand-sewn curtains on her own.

Working from home gave Angela an opportunity to operate the business around her family. While this flexibility became so important to their business model, Martin and Angela think that Marla Custom Blinds is particularly alluring for people with family commitments.

Angela said that they are aware of how difficult it can be combining home and work life and with Marla Custom Blinds the flexibility of working hours and operating the business from home keeps the overheads down. Martin said that he joined the board initially to assist Angela with some installation and measuring, while she concentrated on the sales.

Franchising is one of the most popular methods of conducting business. However, franchising is not as easy as it may seem. This is why a little detailed research is recommended before you selecting a franchise.

Below are a few key points that should be considered:

Factors to Consider

Assess your strengths and weaknesses before selecting any particular franchise, and assess whether you have the required skills and expertise that will be needed. It is also necessary to consider how successful you are likely to be in marketing, selling and managing.

Evaluate the performance of any franchising businesses. In the case of a new franchise, check whether they have a tried and tested method for conducting business, and look at how well they are performing in the market.

Examine the services and products of the organisation well in advance. You also need to ensure that the company has a good reputation.

Competition and Expenditure

You should also remember to discuss other factors such as franchising fees before signing any contract, and re-evaluate the prices thoroughly in order to avoid any conflicts in the future.

By following a few simple steps and taking a few precautions, you are well on the way to being successful in franchising.