With only a couple of months until the 2010 Franchisee of the Year ceremony, 16 of the UK’s best franchisees have been unveiled, who will battle it out for the prestigious title.

As one of the most sought after awards in the business, competition is always fierce, and just a quick glance at the latest lucky 16 reveals that this will once again be a very closely fought contest.

The franchisees hail from a diverse range of sectors including property, transport and home improvement. McDonalds, Belvoir Lettings and Autosmart each boast more than one finalist- although they are based in different regions.

Signs Express, Dairy Crest, Apollo Blinds, Granite Transformation, Card Connection and Cash Generator also have franchisees in the running.

The finalists now have a busy time ahead of them as they prepare to present to the judging panel- which consists of some of the most knowledgeable and influential figures in franchising.

General Director at bfa, Brian Smart commented:

“This year’s nominations for the bfa HSBC Franchisee of the Year Awards highlight the qualities needed to succeed, demonstrating innovation, creativity and the will to be as good as they possibly can and therefore all should be congratulated.”

In the coming days, 16 will be whittled down to five- who will then go on to attend a grand ceremony in September, where the overall winner will be unveiled.

A Domino’s franchisee from Surrey has recently been awarded the title of the World’s Fastest Pizza maker at a closely fought competition in Las Vegas.

Pali Grewal left his fellow competitors firmly in the shade when he managed to make three pizzas in less than 40 seconds- which calculates at an amazing 13 seconds per pizza. Pali was rewarded with $3,000 plus a trophy- which is sure to take pride of place in one of his popular outlets.

As he has been in the pizza making business since the age of 13, Pali’s success hasn’t come as a surprise to those who know him, and as he has been a loyal Domino’s employee for nearly 19 years, there’s no doubt that the award was highly deserved.

An audience of 6,000 saw Pali emerge victorious at the Domino’s 50th Anniversary Worldwide Rally, and competitors travelled from all over the world. Experts not only judged contestants on the speed of their pizza making, but also on the overall quality of pizzas produced- and in the end there really was only one clear winner.

Speaking of his success, Pali revealed:

“I’ve been hungry for this title for such a long time and it is just awesome to finally win it. Like any great athlete, I’ve been practising and practising and now I am going to take a day off.”

More and more people are opting to run a franchise nowadays, and it’s little wonder, as there are many fantastic benefits to be had.

There are many reasons why working for an employer isn’t the best option for many people, and as running a franchise essentially enables you to work for yourself, it is a very attractive option for individuals from all walks of life.

Whatever your interests and whatever type of franchise you wish to run, as there are so many different franchise options available today you are sure to be able to find one which fully suits your needs.

Whether you’re interested in sports, catering or gifts, there are an abundance of great franchise opportunities available today, although it’s important to take your time and review all of your options before coming to a final decision.

It goes without saying that in order to experience success, you need have a keen interest in the sector in which you’re working as well as a fair amount of knowledge or the willingness to learn.

Franchising really can change your life- so make sure that you choose a franchise wisely.

Not content with an amazing turnover of £1 million, Drain Doctor Plumbing is looking to double this sum over the coming years, as they go from strength to strength.

The £2 million target comes after it was recently revealed that the franchise enjoyed a 15% rise in the amount of jobs undertaken within a period of just 12 months, and Drain Doctor Plumbing owner Rob Simpson has even bigger aspirations for the coming months.

Drain Doctor’s head office recently relocated in order to cope with growth, and central operations now run from stunning premises in Martlesham Heath, near Ipswich.

Outlining plans which will allow him to achieve his goals, Rob stated:

“I intend to increase our marketing activity to create more brand awareness and visibility. As part of our marketing campaign we will target the commercial sector and tender for larger commercial and civil contracts.

“In order to achieve this we will need to increase our fleet to 14 fully equipped vans with technicians in order to cope with the additional workloads that will be generated.”

As they are available all day and all night, 365 days a year, Drain Doctor Plumbing has been little less than a Godsend for many people, and their highly reliable service- which currently consists of 9 vehicles- has provided vital emergency repairs to many properties.

Rob hopes to achieve a turnover of £2 million within the next five years, and with such a bright outlook this certainly looks achievable for the ever-expanding franchise.

In a bid to grow and entice potential new franchisees, Marla Custom blinds have introduced a great new deal.

Those who wish to start a Marla Custom Blinds franchise now only need to invest around £10,000 in start up fees, as the licence fee has been scrapped as the franchise aims to expand throughout the UK.

Those who were initially deterred by the licence fee now have the opportunity to be a part of this highly successful franchise without having to find further funds.

However, potential franchisees should be aware that they will need to fund a training course, initial and future marketing and promotional materials and any other essentials necessary for the successful running of a franchise. These are vital in ensuring that franchisees get
the best possible start and can enjoy continued success.

As Marla Custom Blinds has such a fantastic reputation and ever-expanding customer base, new franchisees can rest assured that they are investing in a franchise which really does produce positive results and amazing job satisfaction.

Martin Froud, Managing Director of Marla Custom Blinds, explained:

“We’re looking for franchise owners to help us expand outside of the Portsmouth and Southampton areas. You don’t need any experience in this business, so almost anyone could do it.

“The significantly reduced entry cost gives an added incentive to potential franchisees that have real business drive, but might be held back by a lack of investment capital.”

Interested parties should contact the franchise direct.

Successful franchise Drain Doctor Plumbing was recently rewarded for all of their hard work, when they became the proud recipients of a prestigious US award.

Drain Doctor is the biggest provider of plumbing and drain repair in the UK, and this certainly didn’t go unnoticed by master franchisor The Dwyer Group- even from across the pond.

The Dwyer Group, which is based in America, invited UK franchise owners Freddie and Jan Mitman to receive the award at a ceremony in Texas, and the humble couple dedicated the award to those who have helped them to make Drain Doctors the roaring success that it is today.

Mr Mitman said:

“These awards recognise the hard work of our entire network of franchisees and their employees. They all support the Drain Doctor Plumbing business philosophy, which is radically different from the generally accepted customer service ethos in the UK.”

Mr and Mrs Mitman have now been running the Drain Doctor Plumbing franchise for 17 years, and now boast a fantastic network all over the UK.

There are currently some fantastic Drain Doctor franchise opportunities available up and down the country for those who want to be a part of this dedicated team.

The hard work and sheer dedication of a Domino’s pizza franchisee was recognised recently, when he won an Acorn award for his efforts.

28 year old Mike Racz, who owns 6 Domino’s franchises in the North East, was presented with his award earlier this month, and his astounding progression within the franchise demonstrates just how deserving of the award he really is.

Caterer & Hotelkeeper Magazine present Acorn awards to those under 30 who have excelled in catering and hospitality, and there’s no doubt that Mike has certainly achieved this.

Mike first made his mark on Domino’s back in 2004, when he worked as a pizza maker after relocating to the UK from Hungary. His desire to have even more of an impact propelled him to open his first franchise- which was based in Hartlepool- just 2 years later.

In the space of just four short years he has added another 5 stores to his collection, and his dedication to Domino’s doesn’t end there, as he now mentors and supports new franchisees.

After receiving his award, Mike enthused:

“I am absolutely delighted to have won this award. I have been very fortunate to be able to develop my career and set up my own business with Domino’s. I’ve worked hard to make the most of every opportunity and am proud of my achievements so far, but I’m determined to keep going.”

It looks as though there’s no stopping this franchisee, and with such a dedicated attitude, there’s no doubt that he will be adding many more awards to his collection.

Small businesses may be a vital part of every community, but they may not have the financial backing or the strength of brand needed to be able to make a difference to a community.

But with franchising, this is definitely achievable, as has been shown by Recognition Express in Cumbria.

Following the floods that swept through Cockermouth, the local community has struggled to get back to normal and people are still waiting to move back into their homes. There is still plenty of work to be done but that should be helped by the Street Angels project which has just been launched by Churches Together. This project means that volunteers will offer support to local families affected by the floods.

This project could not have been launched without the help of Recognition Express though which supplied and printed 100 high visibility vests for the volunteers taking part in the project.

As well as this, Recognition Express also made some ‘Bounce Back’ badges which are being sold in shops in the area with proceeds going to victims of the floods.

The owner of the franchise involved, Neal Benson, said that he wanted to get involved in the project because, being a member of the community himself, he wants to do what he can to help.

The Ovenclean franchise really has gone from strength to strength recently, although despite its success, owner Ray Moon finally decided that it was time to sell the franchise and retire.

There’s no doubt that the decision to wave goodbye to Ovenclean wasn’t an easy one for Ray, although any feelings of sadness were soon overshadowed by happiness, when he sold the franchise to one of his most loyal customers.

Ovenclean had been Mr Moon’s life for the last 6 years, and as he made such of a success of the business, the growth which he attained meant that he managed to sell it to Stephanie Rouse for many times its original value.

Stephanie has been one of Ovenclean’s most loyal customers for the past five years, which stands her in good stead when it comes to knowing exactly what customers expect.

In addition to her experience as an Ovenclean customer, Stephanie has many years experience in management- which puts her in the perfect position to drive the business forward even further.

Stephanie couldn’t contain her excitement on her new venture, and said:

“I’m so excited about this new business venture. I’d been thinking about buying a franchise for over a year now, and have looked at a number of different opportunities, but somehow nothing felt quite right. When I found out that Ray was retiring, I realised this would be perfect for me and leapt at the chance to buy his business.”

There’s no doubt that Ovenclean’s future looks very bright indeed…

Snack in the Box has proved to be a winning franchise for so many franchisees. And one couple who are enjoying working for this company is Karla and Vitor Reis.

They moved from Portugal eight months ago and they took on the franchise hoping for a more relaxed pace of life. And that is exactly what they got because the couple now finish work by 3pm in the afternoon and get to spend a lot more time together than they did when they were working hard in Portugal.

This is the thing that attracts so many people to franchising – because it is such a flexible way of working.
The couple are based in Northamptonshire and they have enjoyed the success of the franchise so much so far that they are hoping to expand with some vending machines very soon.

The couple are now working half the hours that they were working when they lived in Portugal and they expect to be taking up to £30,000 home with them this year. But this is not enough for them as they are very ambitious so they are looking forward to expanding soon.