Edition Eighty Three of The Insider
Hello and welcome,
Someone told me this morning that there are only 39 sleeps until Christmas. That not only means that Santa is flat out, but also that another working year is starting to wrap up. If you are one of the many people who see the Christmas / New Year break as a pure escape from their job, you might consider getting a jump start on a brand new career for 2008.
A good place to begin when thinking "franchising" is to take our Franchise Suitability Test to discover if you have "the right stuff". Click here to take the quiz
Troy Hazard from The Edge, also has some great advice about just some of the things you should consider before getting into franchising:
- Do you REALLY see yourself working in the business all day every day for the next 5 years?
- Do you feel a connection with the franchisor? Franchising is a marriage, and as such you need to know you can move forward together and live happily ever after, because divorce in franchising is just as hard as the real deal.
- Have you talked to other franchisees in the system? These guys are in there doing the do already, how do THEY feel about the business?
- Have you read and do you understand the disclosure document provided by the franchisor? This is you road map to the history of the system and an important document.
- Have you had professional advice from your lawyer and your accountant?
For more relevant questions and tips simply click here to visit our Advice pages.
In today's News in Franchising section we hear from some franchisees who are happily making dough in more ways than one and the Franchise Council of Australia calls on the Western Australian Government to reconsider its inquiry into franchising.
And, as always, we invite you to come and visit us at Inside Franchising to view our Franchises for Sale. With over 700 Franchises for Sale with franchises, some starting at just a few thousand dollars, the business opportunity that you have been looking for may be just a click away!
Until next week, take care and all the best,
Leesa
PS. Be sure to forward this newsletter to your friends and colleagues - you may just inspire someone to take their very first step towards being the next success story!
News in Franchising:
From customer to business owner
What do you get when you combine an IT director with a regional facilities manager for a technology company?
Successful Bakers Delight business owners!
For Carolyn and Steve Tait, franchisees at Bakers Delight St Leonards NSW, a love for Bakers Delight bread helped in their decision to buy a franchise.
“We’d been customers at Bakers Delight for many years and loved the atmosphere in the bakery and the quality of the bread,” explains Carolyn. “At the time, we were both working nine to five – which was more like seven to seven – and we decided that we could get more fulfilment by becoming small business owners rather than working for someone else.”
Carolyn and Steve knew that franchising would provide them with greater security and less risk than buying an independent business. Franchising offered the support they needed to hit the ground running. After exploring a variety of franchise networks, they just couldn’t go past Bakers Delight.
“Bread is a staple, and we felt secure knowing that there would always be demand for our products. We didn’t want to be exposed to the risks of buying into a passing fad and suffer when the next craze hit the market,” says Steve. “Bakers Delight had also won the Franchise Council of Australia’s ‘Franchise of the Year Award’ two years’ running and we knew that a franchise network with the history and proven track record that Bakers Delight had, would provide us with the best possible opportunity for success.”
While Carolyn and Steve admit that they are masters of their own destiny, the couple acknowledge they couldn’t have achieved their small business ownership dreams as quickly as they have without the support from head office.
“On the ground, our business consultant from head office, meets with us regularly to provide us with feedback on the operation of our business and how we can work towards our goals,” says Carolyn.
“The marketing support provided by head office is fantastic. We love the campaigns, and more importantly, they really appeal to our customers. This is something we know we wouldn’t be able to do at such a high level by ourselves,” adds Steve.
“We also have access to training for our staff which is invaluable for a small business. If this wasn’t coordinated by head office, we’d have to manage it ourselves which would be more costly and of less relevance to our business.”
Carolyn and Steve’s decision to move into franchise ownership has provided them with the flexibility to really enjoy life.
“We have two young children, aged four and two years old, and it’s important to us to spend quality time with them,” says Carolyn.
“Between the two of us, we roster our shifts so that one of us is always at home with the kids. This is a lifestyle we know we just couldn’t have working in the corporate world,” adds Steve.
After owning and operating their franchise in St Leonards for five years, the Taits' advice to other franchisees is to love what you do.
“If you’re motivated, enthusiastic and dedicated and desire the flexibility and opportunities that running a small business will provide – then a Bakers Delight franchise is for you,” concludes Carolyn enthusiastically.
Click here for more information on becoming a Bakers Delight franchisee
Click here for more information on becoming a Bakers Delight Franchisee |
FCA calls on WA Govt to recall franchising inquiry
Peak franchising body the Franchise Council of Australia (FCA) has called on the Western Australian Government to urgently reconsider its decision to establish a State inquiry into franchising.
FCA Director of Industry Relations Stephen Giles noted while franchisors and franchisees are always happy to cooperate with any Government body seeking to better understand franchising, the last thing needed is another inquiry into franchising - let alone a State-based inquiry into a national activity.
"Franchising is already heavily regulated at a Federal level, and is conducted as a business system on a national basis. There would be no issues experienced in WA different from the rest of Australia. The FCA can see no reason to justify the establishment of this inquiry, particularly when all Governments appear to be united in their push to reduce red tape and harmonise legislation,” Giles said.
“While the FCA will happily work with Government at all levels to help them better understand franchising - including the risks associated with being in any small business, franchised or not - we will vigorously resist any proposal to introduce State regulation of franchising,” Giles said.
The WA Government's announcement immediately follows an extensive Federal Government inquiry into franchising during 2006-07. The Matthews Report recommended several significant changes to the Franchising Code of Conduct (taking effect 1 March 2008) and have bi-partisan support at a Federal level. These follow on from the Federal House of Representatives Fair Trading Report specifically addressing the issue of ‘fairness’ in franchising - the genesis of the New Deal:Fair Deal reforms in 1998 which contained the Franchising Code of Conduct, the introduction of the prohibition on unconscionable conduct and the involvement of the ACCC as the regulator of the sector.
“The Australian franchising regulatory framework is regarded as world's best practice by many including the World Franchise Council. In addition to the Franchising Code of Conduct there are already extensive provisions in the Trade Practices Act and State Fair Trading legislation to protect franchisees,” Giles said.
“The Franchise Council of Australia will be urgently seeking to meet with the WA State Minister to endeavour to avoid any unnecessary cost, bureaucratic duplication and unnecessary State regulation. The FCA is concerned at the lack of consultation, noting that this new WA inquiry appears out of step with other Governments around the country.
"State Governments talk rhetorically about removing red tape, yet this appears to be a classic example of additional bureaucratic involvement at a State level in a sphere of business that is fundamentally a national activity. We cannot see any sensible reason for the inquiry into issues that have already been recently examined at a Federal level. The Franchise Council of Australia is also concerned that Mr Bothams, a former franchisee with very limited experience, may not be either sufficiently objective or capable to handle any such inquiry," Giles said.
Franchising in Australia is a $128 billion sector, with franchisees employing some 600,000 Australians within over 72,000 workplaces and the Franchise Council of Australia represents this large part of the economy.
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