With increasing ranks of middle managers being at risk of redundancy, the alternative career options for them are ever more varied and interesting. Hunting for a new job at, say, 50 is not always easy, and the prospect of a return to the humdrum of 9 to 5 is not always attractive (It wasn’t to me when I was 50!).
Franchising is a real alternative. It can offer excitement and the possible opportunity t0 squeeze value from the skills and networks amassed during a glorious career. It’s certainly not for everybody, but for those looking for a quick start, new challenges, real ownership and a sense of personal pride, it can be a great and practical way to a new career and an outstanding income that directly reflects effort and hard work. Fortune favours the brave!
The range of available franchises now caters for a whole host of skills and experiences – it goes way beyond office cleaning, fast food and domestic services such as wheelie bin sanitizing and oven cleaning.
Those considering franchising should consider what they may get for their investment – the potential returns and support they can receive from a good operator can be impressive:
BRAND VALUE: Working under an established brand can help portray value in a competitive marketplace.
A QUICK START: Set up and systems are oven ready. Invoicing can start early!
PROVEN SYSTEMS: Why waste time re-inventing administrative routines?
MARKET TESTED: Good franchises will be able to share success stories from other franchisees.
A NETWORK TO SHARE: Franchises come with a network that may share customers, ideas, and support.
PASSION: Franchises are more often than not started with passion by people wanting to share an idea and grow a business as quickly as possible – share that passion!
GROW A BUSINESS WITH INHERENT VALUE: Franchisees don’t just take a wage and share in the profits, but can also build something that has a value that can be sold.
As somebody who left the corporate world at 50, and was determined never to return, I can only urge those looking for a new career to give franchising a real and serious think. Yes, there are good and bad franchises, and yes it can go wrong, and yes nothing is guaranteed, but a franchise, if properly researched, can provide a strong springboard for a real career change and a way to earn good money.
At SAM we are marketing 3 franchises in the UK:
SPORTS XTRA: see http://www.sports-xtra.com/
THE BUSINESS BOOSTER: see http://www.thebusinessbooster.co.uk/
LIFESTYLE ARCHITECTURE: see http://www.lifestylearchitecture.co.uk/
Each franchise appeals to a unique market segment and provides a range of revenue streams to keep risk at a minimum. These are only three alternatives. There are others out there to suit many tastes and ambitions (and investment requirements!)
If you’re thinking about franchising, call us for a chat. We will give you something else to think about and be clear about the potential risks and the rewards.
Written by Martin Ellis – me@samheadhunting.com
