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Posted:24-June-2014

Top 20: Franchisor of the Year (Part 2)

Expense Reduction Analysts (ERA)
A newcomer to the awards but no newcomer to franchising, ERA has been a bfa Full Member for 16 years and operates a non-territory-based network. Recently it has undergone a culture change, implementing a far-reaching plan to transform from cost reduction services to professional procurement consultants and empowering franchisees at an unprecedented level.

In 2009 ERA established a Franchise Advisory Board (FAB) to create a vision for the future direction of the company. Comprised of seven franchisee members who are paid a full consultancy rate, in its first year the company demonstrated its complete commitment to the initiative by installing the FAB’s franchisee chairman as a non-executive director of ERA. The FAB helped form a five-year strategic plan, tasking the franchisor to deliver objectives and holding it accountable.

Part of that plan looked to increase network turnover whilst simultaneously capping the number of franchisees, which enshrined a focus on franchisee success, not on franchise sales, and demonstrated the company’s commitment to ethical franchising principles.

Results have been exceptional: in the last five years, network turnover has increased 64 percent while the number of franchisees has remained static. That remarkable upswing has been achieved by harnessing the power of the network working together – with different consultants holding different specialties, combining skills in winning work and then maximising efficiency has proved a winning proposition.

Further initiatives are now in place to replicate and enhance the success already achieved. New franchisees enter the ERA Academy, with dedicated field support and monthly knowhow-sharing for the first 12-18 months after launching. A specialist sales professional has been engaged to deliver quarterly training days – free for all franchisees. A cutting-edge, custom-built £300,000 CRM system monitors and assists in every aspect of business growth and is fully open across the entire network to share strategy, budgets and management information.

Perhaps most impressively, a new integrated marketing system has been introduced that simplifies client leads and enhances the sales process; alongside the central marketing team, it now produces 60 percent of all franchisee client appointments.
By transforming their culture, and placing franchisees at the very core of the future of the company, ERA has delivered stunning results and a more collaborative network. Its goal of doubling network turnover within the next five years looks well within reach thanks to its innovations.

For more information about this franchise opportunity, please click here.

Signs Express
BFA Signs Express 2014 Franchisor of the Year awardFinalists in last year’s Brand Builder of the Year category and the UK’s largest sign company, Signs Express celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2014. Over 40 percent of franchisees have been with the network for 10 years or more, some for 20 or more, so this is a very established network – but with a new direction after a management buy-out (MBO) last November by four directors, all of whom have a long-term association with the company alongside fresh ideas for growth.

After rebranding in 2012 and surveying several thousand customers to gauge their perspective, the company set about introducing new infrastructure, support and engagement mechanisms that focus on maximising franchisee gains – turnover, profit, long-term success, resale value.

Head office restructured according to the needs of a mature network, not on how things had always been done. New appointments included a non-executive chairman with fresh thinking at board level and the key roles of procurement manager and national sales manager (recruited from the company-owned outlet). Alongside extended individual franchisee support and an improved open, collaborative environment at head office and through the network, the changes led to a more proactive, dynamic approach to help franchisees.

New initiatives launched include centralised marketing and in-bound call handling; investment in the website, leading to a substantial increase in ‘request a quote’ conversions; and a new CRM and other software, all at no additional cost to franchisees alongside better prices courtesy of the new procurement manager.

Modifications can be tricky in an established business so Signs Express attached great importance to engaging franchisees from the outset, providing clear direction and guidance. Regional best practice meetings were set up for small groups of franchisees to share expertise and KPIs; prior to the completion of the MBO, directors visited every franchisee in person to keep them informed and discuss the future; and the company conference was completely revamped – in 2013 every centre was represented, with those franchisees unable to attend sending staff in their place. All this alongside regular on- and off-line communications to keep franchisees informed and included.

Carefully managing the changes reaped rich rewards and total network buy-in, leading to a “stronger business and a stronger franchisor” according to MD Craig Brown. Turnover rose by 5 percent and is forecast to increase again significantly this year and a 20-year veteran recently had his best-ever month after new sales training. The signs look good for the next 25 years too.

For more information about this franchise opportunity, please click here

TaxAssist Accountants
BFA Tax Assist 2014 Franchisor of the Year awardSerial visitors to this stage of these awards, TaxAssist won silver in 2008 and 2009 before taking home top honours the following year. After an outstanding period that’s included growth well ahead of accountancy industry standards, international expansion and multiple structural innovations, they’re back to try to repeat that 2010 performance.

Already successful in Ireland, TaxAssist signed their first deal for Canada appointing a mast franchisee in January 2014 with leads already at an advanced stage to get the network off the ground. Detailed research has also been carried out ahead of launches into Australia, New Zealand and USA as the brand goes global in coming years.

Such expansion could have deflected attention from the UK, but on the contrary the domestic network has been left in no doubt as to its importance. Against a backdrop of numerous changes to tax regulations and HMRC resources being cut, the role of franchisor has been critical in keeping franchisees ahead of the curve.

Taking their training in-house to launch their new Training Academy in 2010 has proved a huge success, with courses for franchisees and their staff reaching over 1,100 people in the last 12 months on a wide range of topics from auto-enrolment to software to secretarial training. With its own brand, logo and recognition, it provides highly credible training for the network.

Backing up that training is a suite of operational improvements and field support. The franchisee intranet support site has been completely rebuilt, offering enhanced and new features including content management and multi-site flexibility, alongside a revamped online operations manual. A business toolkit offers step-by-step topical marketing campaigns and guidance and runs alongside a new range of tax planning tools offering client services alongside franchisee support in one package. A marketing helpdesk launched to help with growth strategies, and the technical helpdesk was extended with three new staff providing extra support.

Specialist training has been put in place too. Masterclasses for franchisees to learn off their peers on subjects such as money laundering help harness the skills of the network, and high-performance coaching is available specifically for the needs of the top franchisees in the network.

The numbers are really adding up: the first £1m resale business, the first franchisee to exceed £100,000 in sales in one month, 9 percent growth this year to date, every network KPI pointing upwards...TaxAssist is set to account for bright futures for its franchisees here and abroad.

For more information about this franchise opportunity, please click here.

Water Babies
BFA Water Babies 2014 Franchisor of the Year awardLast year’s runner-up in this award, Water Babies has taken its swimming classes from Devon to the world, becoming the largest baby swim school anywhere with a turnover of £20m, over 50 UK franchisees and more than 700 employees. It’s a serious business with exacting standards – but it retains the family feel and ethos placed at its heart by founders Paul and Jess Thompson.

Franchisee success is the central tenet of the business. It’s never had a business failure and a people-centric approach to everything it does – recruitment, business, pleasure – has created an environment of partnership and mutual respect. Franchisees are almost entirely recruited from the Water Babies staff or customer base, ensuring a continuity of ethos that simply can’t be replicated in many other businesses.

Everything is geared towards franchisees. One of the highest ratios to be found in the sector, 28 head office staff are on-hand to support the network and contribute to the feeling of camaraderie and togetherness. A bespoke, integrated management system that can be accessed from anywhere with an internet connection gives franchisees complete command over their operations (as well as strong brand control for the franchisor). Each of 12 areas of the business has a ‘pod’ of up to four franchisees with either a professional background or passion in the field (such as marketing or finance), meeting regularly to encourage new initiatives and harnessing the diverse skills in the network to the benefit of all.

The Water Babies standards-based approach of course extends to its industry as well, where it has become a thought leader. It has a strong relationship with the Amateur Swimming Association (ASA), which amongst other things has led to the UK’s first ever aquatics diploma for baby swimming, originated by the company and adopted by the ASA as the emerging minimum standard. Water Babies are also working with the British Standards Institute to implement minimum operating standards for the baby swim school sector, and have engaged with ministers at a political level on health and wellbeing.

With international expansion on the horizon in Europe, Oceania and North America, a scientific research partnership with Manchester University on the developmental benefits of swimming for babies and toddlers, and £1.25m and counting contributed to charity partner Tommy’s in the last four years, Water Babies are set to make even more of a splash in the future.

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