2012 has started with a bang for Jasper’s newest franchisee, Mark Blunt, who opened for business in Manchester as the New Year dawned.

In the first couple of weeks of January, he has already brought on board four new clients and is gearing up for a sit down fully-served lunch for 20 executives this week.

Mark comes to Jasper’s following a varied and established career in hospitality spanning three decades. He graduated from Hotel Management School as Student of the Year in 1979 then went on to management roles in West End Gentleman’s Clubs, for a leading Contract Caterer and then at Center Parcs where he spent 10 years rising up the ranks. His most recent role was as Director of Operations for Wales’ only 5 star Holiday Park – Bluestone National Park Resort.

Mark said: ‘I have wanted to do something for myself for a few years now, but wanted to be part of a team as well. Franchising provides the harmony of these two things.

“The decision to become part of Jasper’s was prompted by the passion and focus of the franchisors. They are fully engaged in the business with their own managed operation, and the development, growth and focus on solutions that comes from that was very tempting.

“When you add this to the product, which is first rate, and the innovation for 2012 – the network now has a Head of Food Development – the decision really was a no brainer.

“On paper there is a very high success rate of caterers who choose a genuine franchise, and success matters to me. Jasper’s is a member of the British Franchise Association, and this makes them highly credible. The tipping point for me though was the Business Management System. It really is first class. In effect, my investment into the franchisors’ BMS allows me to focus on business development, and not on distractions caused by a lack of process, often found in smaller businesses.”

Mark has opened his commercial premises in a suitably impressive location – underneath a railway arch! which means that Network Rail is his landlord. The 3,500 sq ft space in Millow St, Victoria, now houses a pristine purpose built kitchen that Metro commuters – and potential customers – will pass on their way to work.

Director of Jaspers, Nathan Siekierski, said: “We are expecting great things from Mark. His high calibre background in hospitality and management; his tenacity, ambition and drive; combined with his natural charm and energy, mean there should be no stopping him. The question is not whether he’s ready for Manchester but whether Manchester is ready for him!”

After another successful year and about to enter their 20th year of franchise operations, Pitman Training were delighted to end 2011 with a flourish. New Pitman Training Centres opened in Leeds in October, Sittingbourne and Watford in November and London Stratford and Hounslow in December. The total number of centres in the Pitman Training network continues to grow now beyond the 100 outlet mark.

Pitman Training also had a successful first year of their Working Mum of the Year competition, with nearly 1,000 entrants. The winner, Amanda Edwards, received her prizes at an awards ceremony in November. The Working Mum of the Year award was sponsored by Pitman Training Group, with Hayley Taylor, the Channel 4 Fairy Jobmother and Siobhan Freeguard, Director of Netmums, as judges.

Managing Director, Claire Lister, said: “Despite the recession, Pitman Training continues to grow and provide training and support to more people than ever. In these difficult times, quality of product, support provided and brand are more important than ever to individuals considering either the purchase of a franchise business or a training package. This has been reflected in the way we are recognised by both new franchise partners and our successful high student population.”

The Lady Magazine was founded in 1885 by Thomas Gibson Bowles, the maternal grandfather of the Mitford sisters, who wanted to create a “lite” version of Vanity Fair, which he had founded in 1868.Famous for its classified adverts, The Lady remains the first port of call for anyone seeking domestic staff, with vacancies listed for nannies, butlers and governesses. The Prince of Wales and Queen Mother are believed to have used it, and the Duchess of York famously once advertised for a dresser. The Lady is the oldest women’s weekly, and is thought to be the oldest magazine still owned by one family. It continues to operate out of a Victorian building on Bedford Street in Covent Garden, central London.

Ben Budworth took over as Publisher and Chief Executive in 2008. The famous magazine, which since the sixties had been owned by his uncle, was very run down and in desperate need of modernisation. Embarking on a crusade to revitalise this embattled brand, Ben turned The Lady, which had previously been a partnership, into a limited company, with his mother and siblings as shareholders.

He immediately halved the workforce, scrapped the outdated typesetting methods and set a goal of transitioning The Lady to be platform independent whether in newsagents, on the internet, on TV or on the radio.

When the readership was researched, it was discovered that the average age was 78, there were no circulation plans or subscriptions and their associated offers were still being fulfilled in-house. Ben remembers, “The Lady was stuck in a time warp, doing its best to ignore the digital age. The editorial was irrelevant. The magazine out of touch and out of place and archaic working practices were still being employed.”

Cost management was an important part of this planned transformation since supplier contracts, which had been in place for many years, hadn’t ever been reviewed. Auditel was recommended to Ben by his Sales Director in 2010. They deliver cost and purchase management services to clients in well over 100 areas of business costs and have over 200 specialists covering the country. Ben was keen to see what could be achieved.

Ben enthuses, “Over the last year Colin [Colin Simmons, Auditel Consultant] has proved to be a valuable resource for us. I was impressed that he didn’t simply switch to the lowest bidder, but found the supplier that best suited out needs. By outsourcing our cost and purchase management, we have not only made savings, but also saved ourselves the time and cost of doing it in-house.”

Auditel have made welcome reductions for The Lady in three main areas so far. Electricity costs have been lowered by 11%, credit card charges by over 17% and, most significantly, stationery and IT consumables by an impressive 20%. Ben is genuinely enthusiastic about his experience with Auditel. “Colin is quiet, honest, open, discreet and transparent. I would recommend him to other businesses without hesitation.”

Christmas is most definitely the time of year to enjoy some well earned time off work, take pleasure in having a break from the office, spending time with loved ones and indulging in all your favourite things.

New Year is the time for re-evaluating your circumstances, identifying the areas of your life you’d like to improve and making those all important New Years resolutions.

For many, January is the time to start thinking about a career change however, with numerous roles failing to materialise as budgets are cut, many are turning to investing franchising.

Franchising is a proven business process with a higher success rate than starting your own business, providing you with the independence of being your own boss so that you can plan your work load around spending time with your family or leisure activities.

With cost reduction being the number one issue facing the UK economy, there has never been a better time to take the step into self-employment and invest in your own ability with Expense Reduction Analysts.

An Expense Reduction Analysts’ franchise could be the ideal option for you as it offers;

• The freedom of being your own boss whilst having support from the franchisor
• A low overhead business you can run from home
• Substantial earnings that truly reflect your efforts
• A better work life balance, meaning you can take more holidays and time off
• A service that businesses are interested in regardless of the economic climate

Your skills and ambition, combined with Expense Reduction Analysts’ knowledge, tools, training and support brought together in our dynamic business structure, can provide you with the formula for success that you are looking for.

To find out how you can become an Expense Reduction Analyst Franchised Consultant benefitting from a better work/life balance and incredible earning potential, click here to request more information.

In line with their vision of providing highly professional support services to business owners’ in the SME sector, fast growing and dynamic franchisor Assist With Solutions have partnered with the UK’s winner of ‘Large Independent Financial Advisers 2011’ award, in an agreement that will open up a complete portfolio of additional products and revenue streams for all existing and new Assist With Solutions franchisees.

This agreement comes soon after reaching agreement with RSM Tenon plc, the UK’s largest provider of Recovery/Turnaround services in the SME sector, in an extremely exciting growth phase for the company and their franchisees.

Andy MacDonald, Chief Executive Officer of Assist With Solutions said, “This historic agreement will have a huge positive impact on future earning capabilities for our franchisees and ensure that their future clients will receive the utmost care and professionalism in all areas of financial requirement during their business development cycle.”

The team at Assist With Solutions welcomes ex-City Fund Manager Christina Haemmerli-Schlegell as their latest consultant franchisee.

Christina brings with her a wealth of business and financial experience working in large and multi-national financial institutions over the years. This knowledge and experience will be invaluable to her future clients in the small and medium sized business sector.

Currently undergoing training at Assist With Solutions head office, the company is looking forward to working with Christina in utilising her skills in making an impact and difference to business owners in her chosen area.

Further exciting developments are happening at dynamic and fast growing franchise Assist With Solutions.

Following a period of consultation aligned to the company vision of creating the UK’s first ‘one-stop’ shop for specialist, structured and cost effective business support to entrepreneurs’ around the country, with immediate effect they will be offering a UK wide roaming licence to all franchisees, allowing them to benefit from personal contacts, wherever they may be located, as well as being able to offer their particular skill set throughout the client base wherever it is needed.

CEO Andy MacDonald explained, “This hugely important step will maximise the earning potential for our franchisees, as well as allow our clients to benefit from access to all the professional skill sets required to grow any successful business. Followers of our brand should look out for further exciting developments in the near future.”

Exciting developments are occurring at fast growing and dynamic UK business support franchise Assist With Solutions Ltd, who have teamed up with RSM Tenon Plc, the UK’s largest and most successful business recovery/turnaround specialists in the SME sector.

With 48 offices and 3500 staff throughout the country as well as presence in 85 countries around the globe, franchisees can be confident that any future client requirements in this area will be dealt with in the most professional manner.

Franchisees will act as project managers for their clients during the process and will be paid a percentage of the value of the work being undertaken.

If you are passionate about helping others achieve, while developing a lucrative and residual income for yourself, please click here to read more about Assit With Solutions.

Caremark (Aylesbury & Wycombe), a home care provider in Buckinghamshire, has recently signed a Preferred Provider Contract with Bucks Social Services to provide care and support to children and young people. The service will be giving specialist care and support to young individuals living at home, who have physical and/or learning disabilities, behavioural difficulties, or other special needs, some of which may be life limiting.

Caremark (Aylesbury & Wycombe) will commence provision of Care services to this very vulnerable sector of society this week thus providing valuable support to another ‘in need’ sector of their local community. Caremark (Aylesbury & Wycombe) has worked hard over the preceding months building and training a specialist team of care workers who will be responsible for providing the care and support to their young customers.

“We are extremely pleased that our planning and preparation for provision of care in this complex area has borne fruit and we are excited about expanding our quality services to one of the most vulnerable sections of society,” commented Janis Anderson, MD Caremark (Aylesbury & Wycombe).

Having registered earlier in the summer with the Care Quality Commission to provide care for children, Caremark (Aylesbury & Wycombe) are looking forward to adding this specialist service to their growing portfolio of customers.

For further information on the Caremark franchise opportunity, please click here.

£745,000 from a single showroom secures top prize at annual awards.
For a brand that has grown by almost 20 per cent this year, December’s Dream Doors Christmas Conference provided the perfect platform to celebrate. Top of the tree were Dream Doors Oxford’s Mike and Elaine Hurley, who walked away with an unprecedented triple trophy haul that included the coveted ‘Franchisee of the Year’ award for the showroom with the highest annual turnover.

Taking the top award for the first time with sales of £745,000 – and one stand out day in September that secured £69,000 and the award for the most ‘Outstanding Monthly Performance’ – the Hurleys beat their closest rival by more than £100,000. Holiday vouchers and luxury hampers were warmly received, but it was the people’s choice, or ‘Player’s Player’ trophy that the couple will cherish the most, an award voted for by all 40 Dream Doors franchisees.

“We knew about the ‘Franchisee of the Year’ award because everyone’s figures are published for the whole network to see,” says Elaine. “But we really didn’t expect the other ones, particularly the ‘Player’s Player’ award. That one really meant a lot. It was quite an emotional moment for us since we were chosen as winners by our peers, and not just as a result of our financial performance.”

“This does make it all worthwhile,” she adds. “We’ve been under pressure lately, managing the logistics and installations that follow such high sales. And with Christmas coming and a holiday planned we’ve not had much time to reflect on our achievements. This is real reward for all that effort, and we’ll be enjoying all three hampers well into the New Year.”

Amongst the other prizes handed out during the black-tie ceremony were the ‘Checkatrade Award’ for the branch that demonstrated the best in customer care, the ‘Head Office Award’ for the franchisee that had given most support back to the brand, and the self-explanatory ‘Most Improved Franchisee’ won by Dream Doors Bath’s Ivor McKeown.

Ivor said: “I’m totally shocked. The award was a real surprise for us, but it’s an accurate reflection of the year we’ve had. The first half of 2011 was pretty poor, and May was the worst month we’ve had in three years of trading. But since then things have just got better and better. The head office directed online marketing has helped by generating lots more internet based enquiries. But more importantly I have total belief in Dream Doors and the products and the service we provide. Customers want to see that and respond to enthusiasm and belief. Plus I couldn’t do this if I didn’t enjoy it, and I really love what I do.”