Today, our Twitter account @Franchises_UK reached 1,000 followers! If you have an interest in franchising whether it be as a franchisor, a prospective franchisee or simply someone with an interest in the franchising industry, following us on Twitter can be a great way of keeping up with the news.

Our Twitter updates feature the latest updates from our franchise blog as they happen aswell as individual franchisor news articles which might be of interest. Twitter is also a great way to interact with us and let us know you opinions on any article we post or your views on the franchising in general. We read every Tweet that comes our way!

We would like to thank all our followers for discussing the big wide world of franchising with us

Steve Roulstone - Director, Castle Estates

It may seem that I am paranoid about the BBC. My wife would probably agree, far from it, I always start with the BBC before any other channel whenever I turn the TV on. But there are times when I do despair about the way in which they report matters and it is not just the Housing market or in particular the Letting Industry that grabs my attention, just listen to the bad news angle taken within the weather forecasts and you will know what I mean!

Popular news reports.

One of the automatic results of being the BBC is whatever they write, especially within the news, they always get ‘Star billing’ within Google. Well done to them, after all we are all looking for better placement, but over the last couple of weeks, a report by the BBC from back in June 2010 has kept appearing within the criteria of my Google search. It is entitled ‘Letting Agents let off the hook by Government’ so this morning, when it appeared again, I read it.

Principals .

One of the important principals about writing anything for publication on the web, if you wish for people to find your scribbling, is to make sure that your article explains the title, so it falls in the ‘what it says on the tin’ principal, or at least that is what I have always been taught.  However, having read the article I would have to describe this as a tenuous link at the very least. The comment within the article that the title refers to is about agents who I assume are not part of any professional body, as either the ARLA spokesman did not confirm this in what he said, or only part of his comment was printed.

Actual intent.

What is confirmed by ARLA and indeed the CA is that the legislation was both welcome and good in its intent. That some will take advantage of the decision is a matter of conjecture, as professionals, we believe the legislation would have stopped that happening.  So the actual meaning of professional agents (and in my opinion letting agents are qualified individuals, letting agencies are offices!) is not differentiated in the article headline.

Now for the rub!

And the reason I list this as franchise news, because the result of the visibility such articles get through Google, is that hundreds of people will read the title and without even reading the article, my Industry will be tarred with a brush, that when you read and understand the article, we do not deserve! It is difficult enough to prove that my industry is not suffering in the same way that House selling has suffered over the last few years and indeed that we have benefited in so many ways. I do not ask that we have good news just to suit my Industry and I would not state or write anything that I cannot support, but it is time that the BBC went back to the agency that reports the news in a factual manner and stopped looking for elements of bad news so often in its reporting.

The reality is different.

Because they are who they are, the BBC have far more influence that such practises deserve, in the meantime how many people have written off a Property Management Franchise on the back of articles and reports like this that give what in my opinion is a negative approach, when in actual fact, as an Industry we would welcome such legislation and the article says just that. Pity the title the BBC chose disagrees!

Steve Roulstone is the Managing Director of Castle Estates Franchising Ltd

Joel Caws - Technical Director, Select Your Franchise

As the new year begins, it seemed like a good opportunity to reflect on what has gone on in the franchise blog over the last year, to see where we have come from and what we have learned.

With this in mind, here are some of the best and most useful postings I have come across seen in 2010.

• Franchise Tips: Our series of 10 franchise tips can give great in depth insight in the franchise start up process for any would-be franchisee.
• Our with the old in with the new: Cathryn Hayes of HSBC rounds up the years financial and economic news and its affects on business and franchising into 2011.
• Could a Franchise Business be right for you: Nick Strong looks at what it takes to be a good franchisee.
• Working from home business Ideas: Our most re-tweeted post of 2010… obviously a popular subject!
• Franchising could help Unemployment worries: 2010 saw the official end of the recession, but the unemployment left in its wake was still a big topic.
• How to maximise online presence and Social networking sites are just for kids right?: Social Media has been another big topic in 2010. Social Media is playing an increasingly important role in business and building customer relationships.

We hope you have enjoyed our franchise blog over 2010 and we look forward to presenting more informative postings on franchising in 2011!

Steve Roulstone - Director, Castle Estates

I have been attending the National Franchise Exhibition for several years now and there is no doubt in my mind that the age of those attending is dropping year by year, with for me, a definable difference this time around. I have already commented in these posts that the quality of attendee was very high this year and therefore having spoken to many people between twenty and thirty years of age, it confirms that the younger entrepreneur is no different in researching the potential offered by Franchising than anybody else.

Recognition for the Industry

I have searched the internet for proof of my beliefs through the written word or quoted statistics, but can find nothing to back up my feeling, but for me, being convinced through what I experienced myself, it looks as if the facts behind the ability for Franchising to offer such a higher success rate for new Business is beginning to be seen and hopefully appreciated by a younger market.

New Initiatives?

And with new initiatives supporting  the Industry due to be announced  in November as well, although as yet the context and content is not known, good support schemes can only legitimise the Franchising route to being the owner of your own Company for a wider market of would be entrepreneurs.

Age should be no barrier

It is of course just as important for us to treat everybody in the same way when as Franchisors we look at the attributes of every applicant we see, regardless of age or any other definable characteristic. But experience has to be taken in too account and without being ageist, I will continue to consider the individual qualities of every potential Franchisee I meet. It would be a tough call if like the X Factor, I had to recommend to somebody that they ‘Came back next year’ or something similar but because Franchising is very much a two way street, I would continue to take this approach with everybody who approaches us.

Franchising will be the benefactor

But normal evaluation aside, I firmly believe that a younger more dynamic age group seriously considering our market place has got to be good for the whole franchise industry. Whatever sector is considered, a drop in the average age of Franchisees has got to be welcomed.

Steve Roulstone is the Managing Director of Castle Estates Franchising Ltd

Joel Caws - Technical Director, Select Your Franchise

I just noticed this morning that this will be the 300th post on our franchise blog! This being the case, I wanted to take a little time to look back and highlight some of the really useful posts that have been made during the last 6 months.

Thanks to all of you who keep up with the franchise blog and take the time to read what we put up here. We hope you find it useful and we always welcome any comments or any ideas for subjects you might be interested in. Drop by our Twitter or Facebook pages and let us know your ideas and thoughts.

• 10 Steps to Choosing a Franchise Business
  Very helpful 10 point guide to help you indentify the best franchise for you. With so many different franchise opportunities in the market, it helps to have a process to narrow down your options.
• 2010 BFA HSBC Franchisor of the Year Awards
  Detailing the winners of the 2010 BFA HSBC Franchisor of the Year Awards. Find out who was top!
• A Work At Home Franchise Could Change Your Life
  Great article on choosing home based franchises. This posting got alot of attention and retweets.
• 2010 NatWest/BFA Survey reports UK franchise business remaining robust
  The annual franchise survey produced by NatWest and the British Franchise Association is always a great insight into the performance of the UK franchise industry. This years survey confirmed again that franchising is still growing despite the recession.
• Low Cost Franchise Opportunities could help the Unemployed back to work
  The recession has left high employment figures. Many are now on the look out for low cost business opportunities as route back into work.

Joel Caws - Technical Director, Select Your Franchise

According to a recent article on SF Gate, social media is quickly becoming a research tool of choice for potential franchise buyers.

Social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter have seen an incredible rise in popularity over the recent years and Internet users are quickly becoming aware of the fact that they can use these tools to get the valuable opinions of their trusted friends and contacts on products and services they might be planning to purchase.

Franchisors who are not actively participating in these type of social media discussions will most likely lose out here. Conversations are happening about companies, franchise businesses,  services and products with or without the presence of those companies in the social media space.

Smart franchisors can take advantage by monitoring what is being said about their brands and services within the different social media channels and actively responding. In fact some franchisors are already taking a more active role by promoting Facebook or Twitter only deals to create a sense of community around their brand.

The beauty of social media is that conversations are often public and can be seen by anyone in the users networks and anybody searching for your brand.  If you are seen not to engage in conversation then this may ring alarm bells for potential buyers, signalling that you are a closed door outfit and not willing to be open to ideas and criticism. Rather than shy away from this open-ness, smart companies are embracing it and using it as an opportunity to engage which creates an instant ‘feel good’ factor about their company showing that they are willing to talk, are open to discuss pertinent issues and resolve problems.

Are you active within social media? What will users searching about your brand find if they search Twitter or Facebook? Will they find gripes and problems with the company itself notable in its absence? Or will they find a string of openly resolved issues and a company with an open door thats in touch with its community and open to comminunicate.

If you are not currently involved in social media, maybe now is a good time to start. At the very least you should be monitoring what is being said about your franchise brand on the most popular social networks. Conversations could well be going on about your brand right now without you!

Joel Caws - Technical Director, Select Your Franchise

An interesting release by the Conservative Party on their policy for Business has indicated their support for franchising and self-employment as a route back to work. It states:

“To create a new generation of small businesses, our Work for Yourself programme will help move people into self-employment. We will build a network of business mentors and offer substantial loans to would-be entrepreneurs, supporting self-employment and franchising as a route back into work.”

This is obviously of great interest ahead of the General Election in April and, with the promise of “substantial loans” and business mentoring to help support new entrepreneurs, it might find appeal with voters who are currently out of work and thinking about starting up their own business. Of course its too early to say who might end up in Government, though opinion polls have put the Conservative party a little ahead of the Labour party over the last few years, perhaps signifying a general national feeling that it’s time  for a change.

Franchising has remained a strong business option despite the recession so its great to see its contribution to the UK market acknowledged and supported. Successive BFA/Natwest annual surveys indicate that around 90% of UK franchisees trade profitably each year which is why franchising remains an attractive option to many who are considering starting up their own business.

For those interested you can read the full Conservative Business policy here.

Joel Caws - Technical Director, Select Your Franchise

I was reading with interest the latest news on the UK economy emerging from the recession. The economy grew, even if not by much, in the last quarter of 2009 signaling the end of the longest recession in over 50 years. It might not be by much but there is a positive outlook at least. It’s promising news for the franchising industry, for both franchisors and franchisees alike.

Franchisors

As the economy begins to grow again it should spark renewed confidence and interest in new business start ups which is good news for franchise recruitment. The extra security and support of a franchise business vs. conventional self-employment should also help bring added confidence to potential buyers especially with the insecurities of the recession still clear in their minds.

Franchisees

For existing franchisees, a confidence returning to consumer spending would of course be a welcome increase in turnover. This in turn has a knock on effect for Business-2-Business franchisees as their customers begin to see increased cash-flow from consumers further down the line.

But we are not out of the woods yet…

Its easy to sit back and think ‘thank goodness its all over’ but we are not out of the woods yet. Businesses can fail coming out of recession due to increased demand for products and services but lack of sufficient cash-flow (caused by reduced business during the recession) to sustain the demand. This can be especially true for business-2-business where there is delay between providing goods and/or services and actually getting paid. Good management of cash-flow, stock and labour is essential to make it through these times.

We can be positive that things are moving in the right direction, but be sure to take a sense of care and diligence to ensure you don’t become trapped through, what is predicted to be, a slow economic recovery.

Joel Caws - Technical Director, Select Your Franchise

I think it goes without saying that for the vast majority, 2009 hasn’t been the easiest of years. With the country gripped in recession and unemployment reaching record levels, many have been left high and dry or at the very least feeling the pinch in their purse or wallet. Franchise businesses are not immune to the effects of the recession, however, their proven structures and systems help to minimise the impact in times such as these (see my post on recession proof franchises for further reading). Even in 2009 the annual British Franchise Association still reported around 90% of franchisees trading were profitable, a statistic that has remained fairly static for years. I will be looking out with interest for the 2010 report.

As 2009 draws to a close I thought it a good opportunity to look back over the year and pick up some of the posts on our blog which have really stood out to me.  So without further rambling here is 8 of the best…

1. Interested in a franchise but not sure where to start? Our 10 point guide helps you to understand the process and get you started….
   Read more in How to Select a Franchise
2. Many franchises can be home based – We look at the advantages and disadvantages of Working from Home…
   Read more in Work from Home Business Opportunities – Pros and Cons
3. Have an existing successful business and considering franchising as a route to growth?
   Read more in Franchising your business…
4. A Molly Maid franchisee wins the BFA Franchisee of the Year Award 2009…
   Read more in Winners of Franchisee of Year Awards 2009
5. Are you all set for 2010? It pays to plan ahead…
   Read more in Franchisees – Planning for the year ahead
6. Interested in expanding an existing franchise and taking it further afield?
   Read more in Franchising in Developing Markets
7. What is franchising all about anyway?
   Read more in Franchise Definition: What is a franchise?
8. Views on the recession, its recovery and its effects on franchising…
   Read more in: Franchising and recession recovery

Finally, I’d like to wish all our readers and visitors a very Happy New Year and a prosperous 2010. See you all in the New Year!