Franchise arrangements are often called chain stores.
Franchising (from the French for honesty or freedom) is a method of doing business wherein a franchisor licenses trademarks and tried and proven methods of doing business to a franchisee in exchange for a recurring payment, and usually a percentage piece of gross sales or gross profits as well as the annual fees. Various tangibles and intangibles such as national or international advertising, training, and other support services are commonly made available by the franchisor, and may indeed be required by the franchisor, which generally requires audited books, and may subject the franchisee or the outlet to periodic and surprise spot checks. Failure of such tests typically involve non-renewal or cancellation of franchise rights.
A business operated under a franchise arrangement is often called a chain store, franchise outlet, or simply franchise
Dolly Char (UK) Ltd is proud to release its first video podcast. We must thank Susan Marshall from Dolly Char Bradford for kindly accepting to be interviewed for the production of this video.
You can view the podcast also on Youtube by clicking on Franchisedirect
Franchise business opportunities give budding entrepreneurs the opportunity to start up a business in a field of their own choosing without the usual risks that can be associated with new business start ups.
Franchise business opportunities offer the budding entrepreneur a greater degree of confidence and security when setting up in business by presenting them with a business model and recognised brand that has already been tested out and proven to be successful, unless it is a brand new franchise it will have been marketed successfully in various locations nationally already. Often the newer franchise businesses will often offer certain extra incentives to the budding entrepreneur such as a cheaper initial franchise package fee and larger franchise territories in which to operate.
Franchise business opportunities will usually offer the entrepreneur an exclusive area in which to market and trade their business, indepth initial training, ongoing regular support and stationary and business templates that they will require to operate, build, maintain and grow their business.
Entrepreneurs although usually have a personal requirement to be self motivated, dedicated, regimented and above all else have an overwhelming desire and will to succeed with their new business venture. A franchisor can only help to motivate their franchisees to a certain extent.
Robin Harrison is the managing Director of Dolly Char (UK) Ltd. Dolly Char (UK) Ltd is one of the fastest growing domestic cleaning franchise companies in the UK today giving people the opportunity to work from the comfort of their own home.
When looking into buying a domestic cleaning franchise you are already top of the game. The UK domestic cleaning industry is huge and offers up fantastic opportunities for those looking to buy into this hugely popular sector of the UK franchise industry. With literally dozens of domestic cleaning franchises available you can be sure there is not shortage to choose from however as with all franchises the right research must be done to ensure the opportunity is the right one for you.
Before going in too heavily with research the best advice I can give is to first look at the available choices. Buying franchise magazines and looking through Internet franchise directories, of which there are many, can give you a good idea of what is on offer. From green cleaning through to commercial cleaning franchises and industrial cleaning franchises you will find that the choices on offer are varied and numerous. Your first step should be to pick a half dozen or so and put some requests in to the franchisor for the free franchise packs they post out. Once you have these you can begin to read up on the full package they have to offer and start making a short list of those which look to be of interest.
On having your short list the time has come to research each one to ensure it is not only a viable opportunity but one which will work in your local area and has a good franchise management team behind it. Your first step should be to ask the franchisor for a list of existing franchisees and start to contact a random sample of them. Asking the existing franchisee base some good questions will allow you to gain valuable feedback into whether the franchise opportunity hold up to what it says in the promotional materials.
Key questions you may ask are:
How did you find the initial training?
What is the ongoing support like
Do your earnings match up to those described in the franchise info pack?
How long did it take to earn back your initial investment?
Asking these will give you a great idea of how the current franchisee network is performing and whether the opportunity itself is a viable one.
Your second stage of research is to find out whether your target area is likely to be able to support the franchise you want to buy into. If there are already several domestic cleaning franchises in close proximity to you then perhaps you would just be adding to an already saturated market. However perhaps there is room for a domestic cleaning franchise which uses “green” products only or maybe there is a need for a wheelie bin cleaning franchise. Doing your research into the local area and ensuring the demographics can support the cleaning franchise of your choice will mean that you do not end up with what is a good opportunity but that is just not going to work due to over saturation of the market.
Once you are sure that the franchise is a viable option, both in the franchise itself and your local area, you can begin the process of buying into the franchise. This usually means paying a deposit and doing some intensive training to get you up to speed. The great thing about franchising as opposed to going it alone with a stand-alone business is that you are buying into a tried and tested system. It should all be fairly each to pick up and in many cases your franchisor even offers to gain you your first handful of clients to kick-start your business. As such you can start earning from week one and in no time at all have a tidy little franchised business that can keep you and your family for life.
All that being said, please make sure you do not go down the route that many people do. Jumping into a franchise head first without doing the proper research can only lead to disaster. In many cases where someone has parted with many thousands of pounds and failed to make a success of their franchised business, it is not because of the franchise itself but because of a multitude of reasons, which could have been avoided, had the correct research been done.
Best wishes and good luck to finding the perfect franchise opportunity for you
Robin Harrison is the managing Director of Dolly Char (UK) Ltd. Dolly Char (UK) Ltd is one of the fastest growing domestic cleaning franchise companies in the UK today giving people the opportunity to work from the comfort of their own home.
Susan Boyle’s moving performance on Britain’s Got Talent reminds us that we should not judge a book by its cover. You have to read the whole things or at least a good portion to really understand what it is all about. The same rule applies when evaluating a franchise business. Specifically:
1. Keep an open mind
Just because you may be familiar with a company, do not assume that you can simply tell from the product or service what your income, role, or lifestyle will be like. Thus it is critical to focus on the business model, not the widget.
2. Keep your emotions in check
Emotions — good and bad — can get in the way of objectivity. Thus, if necessary, pretend like you are a reporter trying to gather as much information as possible about a particular franchise company.
3. Keep the main thing the main thing
Information gathered should be trying to answer four key questions:
a) Does the business model work?
b) Do you want to execute the business model?
c) Will this model take you to your goals and dreams?
d) In other words, is this an owner’s role you will enjoy in the long-term?
By trying to answer these questions through a process of mutual due diligence rather than getting bogged down in the minutia of the details, franchisee candidates are better able to stay focus on what is really important — finding and investing in a franchise business to help create their desired future.
Ursula Barzey is a business advisor, coach and consultant for entrepreneurs, executives and small business owners. Her focus is on helping people take control of their destiny by making life changing decisions that will put them on a path towards creating and achieving their desired future.
Robin Harrison is the managing Director of Dolly Char (UK) Ltd. Dolly Char (UK) Ltd is one of the fastest growing domestic cleaning franchise companies in the UK today giving people the opportunity to work from the comfort of their own home.
Robin Harrison is the managing Director of Dolly Char (UK) Ltd. Dolly Char (UK) Ltd is one of the fastest growing domestic cleaning franchise companies in the UK today giving people the opportunity to work from the comfort of their own home.
In the UK, the domestic cleaning market has grown substantially over the last few years, and is thought to be worth around £2bn. Although it is hard to pinpoint the exact number of people of working within the industry, the industry itself is vibrant and is always looking for new cleaners. As a society, we are more house proud than ever. Increasingly, we spend a higher proportion of our household income on domestic services and the cleaning products market alone is worth over £500m.
Finding a cleaner is one of the major issues affecting the domestic cleaning industry. In the old days, a local cleaner may have serviced a number of houses on a ‘cash in hand’ basis. Increasingly this is not the case and many households also want a service that is professional and cost effective. Being cash rich and time poor has resulted in an increase in demand, but also an increase in the standards of service demanded.
Every household has their own individual requirements, but recruiting someone who can fit around those requirements is very hard.This is one of the reasons behind the growth of domestic cleaning companies. Such companies offer clients the piece of mind that they need, by pre checking cleaners to ensure that they are suitable and trustworthy.
The Dolly Char cleaning franchise was launched in 2005 to service the growing demand for domestic services in the UK.Dolly Char offers its clients a very professional regular domestic cleaning and ironing service.
Dolly Char (UK) Ltd is owned and run by a husband and wife team Robin and Carol Harrison. According to Robin, the business offers a great service to many people who don’t have the time or the inclination to clean their own homes. ‘Many people now have lifestyles that are becoming increasingly cash rich but time poor. In addition, more people are making the positive decision that they don’t wish to spend their precious weekend and evening leisure time carrying out basic domestic chores – they want to employ someone else to do that. The Dolly Char service provides cleaners on an agency basis which means that we help our clients recruit a suitable individual in line with their specific needs. If at some point in the future their domestic help leaves or the client is unhappy with any aspect of the work then we help to find a replacement. This takes away many of the problems associated with employing people’ says Robin.
With an increasing number of households looking for domestic services, the industry is growing at a rapid rate.The key issues for many people are quality, reliability and cost. Dolly Char offers a competitive pricing strategy that means their services are affordable by a wider range of people than many other professional cleaning services. Dolly Char is looking for people who can manage a domestic cleaning business that is friendly, local and dedicated to high standards of service.
Robin Harrison is the managing Director of Dolly Char (UK) Ltd. Dolly Char (UK) Ltd is one of the fastest growing domestic cleaning franchise companies in the UK today giving people the opportunity to work from the comfort of their own home.
When I walk down my local high street I see literally dozens of happy franchise owners, from the Vans driving past me blazoned with cleaning franchise logos and Home Decorating slogans to the Taxassists Accountants and Legal Firms I see dotted down the Street. Each and every one of these business owners are making a success of their franchise and busily going about their day helping out the local community, providing services and earning a good living for themselves and their franchisor partner.
Trawling the Internet though is a different kettle of fish completely. Forums are full of dire warnings, rip off reports posted to scam sites and entire sites devoted to warning people off a particular franchise. In fact, visiting almost any general business forum is enough to put one off buying any franchise for life.
Whilst walking down the high street and seeing successful franchises in operation does not paint the full picture, neither is believing everything you read on the Internet. The fact is only a very small percentage of franchises should be avoided and with the right research you can be buying into the high street picture.
Due Diligence!
“A common example of due diligence in various industries is the process through which a potential acquirer evaluates a target company or its assets for acquisition.”
As a franchisee, you are the figure representing the franchise company and their franchise systems.
In our own case franchisees represent our company Dolly Char to both domestic cleaners and clients. It is therefore important that our franchisees keep to our franchise systems and maintain a positive image at all times. If a franchisee as a poor personal image, then it is unlikely that any domestic cleaners that they take on will pay much if any attention to their own!
Dolly Char franchisees deal with both clients and domestic cleaners, and we request that they should always be:
Smiling
Smartly dressed in Dolly Char corporate wear
Project a good body language
Keep constant eye contact with the people they talk to
Be well mannered and polite at all times
As part of our Dolly Char induction training, franchisees learn more about how to talk to and engage with potential clients and cleaners. It is extremely important that they work on their delivery and conversational tone, because people warm to good talkers. Learning such skills are a matter of time and experience, as some people find it easy and other find it harder. Franchisees also pick up some of the information without having to ask any questions (asking the obvious can look unprofessional). Here are some simple points that we ask our franchisees to bear in mind:
It is very important for a Franchisor to compile a record of the prospective Franchisee during the time that they are interviewing them. The Franchisor will need to be certain that the prospective Franchisee as all or at the very least most of the attributes that the Franchise business requires so as to enable them to become a success if they are offered the franchise.
This is just as important for the potential Franchisee to know, because if they are looking at potentially investing a substantial amount of their own capital into buying a franchise they will need to know themselves whether they would be suitable or not. The last thing that any prospective Franchisee needs is to be sold a business that they are totally unsuitable for!
An example of a franchise evaluation form is below. Please feel free to comment.
Prospective Franchisee Name ______________________
Interview Date ___________________________________
Robin Harrison is the founder and managing Director of Dolly Char Ltd and also Dolly Char (UK) Ltd, which specialises in offering domestic cleaning franchise business opportunities throughout the United Kingdom. Dolly Char Ltd specialise in providing a domestic cleaning service within Lincolnshire.
My business is very home based and for the past 8 years I have classed myself as semi-retired. The life style my business as given me and my wife is one of relaxation with plenty of time for enjoying watching our family grow up.
I got my nick name Rocket Robin from my days as a pool and snooker player. I was once an England "B" player and also captained the Lincolnshire County side at pool for three years. I also played for the East of England team. I was a member of the professional pool players association also for a few years playing regular on their weekend circuit.
At snooker I got to the Pontins junior Semi-final in 1977 before losing in a very closely fought match against Jimmy White, having knocked out Neil Foulds in the Quarter finals. I was also very privileged to sit and have dinner with the late great Joe Davies once whilst playing in Wales.
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methods of doing business to a franchisee in exchange for a recurring payment, and usually a percentage piece of gross sales or gross profits as well as the annual fees. Various tangibles and intangibles such as national or international advertising, training, and other support services are commonly made available by the franchisor, and may indeed be required by the franchisor, which generally requires audited books, and may subject the franchisee or the outlet to periodic and surprise spot checks. Failure of such tests typically involve non-renewal or cancellation of franchise rights.
greater degree of confidence and security when setting up in business by presenting them with a business model and recognised brand that has already been tested out and proven to be successful, unless it is a brand new franchise it will have been marketed successfully in various locations nationally already. Often the newer franchise businesses will often offer certain extra incentives to the budding entrepreneur such as a cheaper initial franchise package fee and larger franchise territories in which to operate. 
